Hello everyone I am Leo, 22 years old, from France.
I am living in Mrachenik, volunteering for Smokinya foundation for 5 months now.
You can find here a short video that illustrates my experience.
It is my third time in this magic village and arriving in February I discovered a whole new face to this place. The whole village and surrounding forest were covered in snow. What a show !
These five months confirmed how much I love this country, this village, and this project.
I learned how to set a garden and take care of it, I discovered how satisfying it is to clean a yard, dig, plant and see all these vegetables and flowers growing. It strengthened my connection to nature.
I learned how to make and use lime and other materials to repair walls, I discovered in myself an ability to manual activities and to learn fast the « tricks » of it.
I met great people with whom I liked to work, collaborate and live. It is my first time living so long in another place than my parents house. I learned a lot on sharing a house with other youths and make it work.
I connected with the locals, learning little by little Bulgarian language, today I can have talks with the villagers. I discovered how welcoming Bulgarian people are once you get to know them and how understanding and helpful they are when you learn their language and communicate with them.
I was part of the facilitation team and content creator during « Taste Away Youth Exchange ».
I am grateful for this opportunity. It enhanced my senses of accountability, excellence and commitment. I also discovered myself a new passion for content creation and video making.
These five months were only the half of my project and I already discovered, learned and experienced so many things. I am more motivated than ever to give my best for the next five months.
Thank you Tihomir and Merlin for this opportunity.
Thank you to every people I met.
Thank you Smokinya Foundation.
If it hyped you and you want to join us in Mrachenik check : https://smokinya.com/2024/12/rural-future-nature-community-education-esc-volunteering-project/
