Hello!
My name is Cansu and I have been a volunteer at Smokinya for 9 months. Now my ESC experience is coming to an end, which is quite bittersweet for me. Before I came to Bulgaria, I just finished with my highschool education in Germany. I knew that I want a gap year before starting with university. I wanted to experience something new and grow as a person. Looking back at the 9 months I can definetly say, that I accomplished that.
I made plenty new memories and learned new things about myself. I was able to gain some new skills, like how to do a website post, how to coordinate a project or how to lead a team. I met new people from all across Europe and beyond. I am happy to say that I also formed new friendships, that will hopefully last past my stay here.
During the 9 months there were ups and downs, but looking back at the time now, it only helped me grow. I am very thankful for the opportunity that the European Solidarity Corps has given me, I really enjoyed my time as an volunteer. I was able to live in a complete new country, explore its culture and work with great people.
