The experience of a volunteer in Bulgaria
05.02.2020
I first heard about ESC projects while I was enrolled in a Master’s degree program at the University of Bologna. After completing my studies in March 2019, I was looking for a short-term volunteering experience abroad starting in April, and my attention was drawn to the project promoted by the Active Bulgarian Society (ABS). I decided to apply for the volunteer position, and just a few days later I received confirmation that my adventure was about to begin.
I arrived in Sofia one day before the other three volunteers and took the opportunity to visit the capital. The following day I arrived in Blagoevgrad, where two Ukrainian volunteers, Natasha and Olesya, welcomed me with a colorful poster. During the day, I also met the other members of the team and my flatmates.
Blagoevgrad truly surprised me: the city is surrounded by a fascinating landscape, and it is pleasant to wander around the city center, walk up to the high cross overlooking the town, enjoy the beautiful spring days, and taste the local food.
As for our activities at ABS, from the very first day we started to feel part of a large and close-knit team that helped us clearly understand how to carry out each project.
Our tasks included promoting ABS activities and the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ program through social media and presentations at universities, with the aim of raising awareness among young people. Moreover, these experiences helped us understand how to enhance each individual’s strengths within a team. During our volunteering work at ABS, we also had the opportunity to create a personal project that allowed us to put our skills into practice and improve our time-management abilities. In addition, we were involved in organizing the Chat Club, which in my opinion is a great initiative, as it allowed us to meet local people as well as other volunteers and students from all over the world.
Working with ABS, I improved my social media skills by promoting ongoing projects on common platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, but also by using new software and tools such as Linktree for Instagram and Weband. Furthermore, I learned how to create a call for participants for projects, as well as how to write and publish articles and stories on the ABS website. I really enjoyed using all these tools because I firmly believe that this knowledge will be useful for my future professional experiences.
Another fundamental part of my stay in Blagoevgrad, which allowed me to get to know my flatmates better, was the many trips we took both in Bulgaria and abroad. In fact, every weekend we had the opportunity to discover the beauty of this country. I am very satisfied with our adventures outside the city, especially because my flatmate Adèle and I managed to hitchhike all the way to Skopje. I admit that I never thought I would be able to do it, due to my obsession with planning everything down to the smallest detail—especially when it comes to traveling.
And now, as I am almost at the end of my experience, I am very curious to see what will happen next, and I am grateful to have met such extraordinary people in Blagoevgrad!
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