Are you wondering why did I choose to participate in an ESC project in Bulgaria? The answer is quite easy! I love adventure and I like challenging myself! A volunteering project like this offers you hundreds of opportunities.

Leaving your comfort zone and your daily routine means self-development and personal growth.

Living in a multicultural and multilingual environment means new perspectives and intercultural exchange.

Experiencing life in nature and a sustainable lifestyle means more consciousness about ecology and love for our beautiful planet.

Working with other youngsters means new skills, team spirit and creativity.

Volunteering in a European project means using your time in a useful way and making your values concrete.

For sure the list of benefits is much longer, but you have to try it to understand what a beautiful and enriching experience is this!

But now let’s talk about Bulgaria! What did I know before coming here? To be honest almost nothing and that’s an extra reason why I decided to come here. More to discover, more to learn, new landscapes, new people, new traditions, new food, new language…in conclusion a completely new experience to live!

I have been in this interesting country only for 20 days but I can already say that I am surprised by the beautiful natural landscapes that you can admire in the countryside and in the mountains.  I am also fascinated by the local people who have been always kind, friendly and welcoming to us. I love traditional food and rakia of course.

One thing that impressed me is the number of abandoned houses and villages that you can find in the rural areas. Except for the main towns, monuments and tourist attractions I believe that Bulgaria could have much more potential and be more attractive for international tourism. This country is rich in pure and deep nature, in its charming traditions, in cheerful people and everybody should be aware of it!

I still have much more to discover but one thing which I am sure about is that I’m going to share everything I am experiencing now when I’ll be back in my home country: tips for a sustainable lifestyle, promotion of ESC volunteering projects, advice about what to visit in Bulgaria…everything if shared will be much more useful and meaningful and will make this experience truly worth it:)

Sara

The article is part of the project “Forest tale” of AYVOB, funded by ESC of the EU.