My name is Niki, I’m 19 years old, I live in Göd, and I study at a university in Budapest. In my free time, whenever I can, I like to create handmade objects, because the greatest joy for me lies in the tangible result of the work.
What motivated me the most to volunteer was the opportunity to meet new people, and the curiosity about what we could create together as a team. I also wanted to get to know other cultures and improve my language skills.
Our international team was very diverse. I met, among others, Maxi and Frida from Germany, Mateo from Mexico, Dwayb, who is of Turkish origin but lives in Italy, Mark from Spain, and Yelena, Laurine, Louise, and Jérémy, who were French. I grew closest to Frida and Mark during the project, even the harder workdays were always fun with them, and we played many card games together.
However, an essential part of our team were also the boys from our animators’ family, with whom we formed close friendships as well. Together we created a truly good community, and thanks to them the place quickly felt like home. Our organizers were open and understanding in all situations.
The camp, supported by Concordia, took place in France and was dreamt up by the wonderful musicians Pierre-Alexis and Pauline, with the help of our technical leader, Fabrice, and Amit, our cook. Thanks to them, we were able to spend three weeks on a farm in the mountains and gain the best possible experiences.
The main goal of our project was to build the interior of a wall that served as insulation. In addition, we learned about the details of woodworking and made bunk beds and benches. We also organized a festival, which involved a lot of creative work. As part of this, we handed out flyers, visited nearby towns, and were able to talk to many locals. Thanks to the festival, we could really feel the success of our work, as it became very popular. For three days, we enjoyed concerts by amazing performers.
However, the work wasn’t always easy, building the wall was physically demanding and monotonous, and at one point we even had to take it apart and redo it. However, when things started to feel overwhelming, they always offered us solutions. Firstly, we could switch to a different task if we got tired, because there was always something to do or somewhere else where an extra pair of hands was needed. But we also had the option to take a day off.
In our free time and after work, we went to the nearby riverside, which was exciting because we traveled there together on a flatbed trailer. We swam in the almost ice-cold water, constantly convincing ourselves that it was getting warmer. We visited nearby towns, went to several antique markets, and even had the chance to attend a concert. We hitchhiked a lot as well, because public transport wasn’t very developed, so this was the common way to get around. We tasted many delicious dishes both in the surrounding towns and on the farm, my favorites were the vegetarian meals prepared by Amit, our cook. Thanks to him, we could eat varied, very tasty, and healthy food.
This camp gave me a lot, for which I am very grateful. First of all, I met wonderful friends from different countries among my fellow volunteers. Thanks to them and our animators, I improved in teamwork. The physical work taught me patience and endurance, and woodworking gave me confidence in creating things. Organizing the festival was an exciting experience where I could see how an event works from the inside.
Overall, I recommend volunteering because helping is always a good cause and it provides great opportunities for personal growth. The latter becomes much easier if we approach those around us with openness and are not afraid to ask for help during the project.
