Youth Exchange „Eco life“ in Poiana Negrii, Romania

Romania .. a land that might seem quite far and unknown, but actually hides so much more than one could guess at first. It brought together 9 very different young people all over Estonia, each with an aim to participate in a youth exchange on the topic of „Eco life.“ This kind of opportunity was provided by Seiklejate Vennaskond, what provides and also carries through different projects, bringing together people from all over the world. Of the 9 Estonians who participated, only 2 had an experience with this kind of thing, meaning that for the most, it was a first experience of this kind and it did not disappoint. The project took place quite far from the capital city of Bucharest, in mountainous Poiana Negrii. The place of the accommodation was marvellous, with the main house and smaller houses for sleeping. Worth mentioning is the fact that accommodation, food and different activities are all free for the participants and even the transportation costs are paid back later – incredible! Like every project of this kind, the first days were spent learning each others names, getting used to the surroundings and everything like that, because there were so much to do and so many people. Countries who participated were Estonia, Lithuania, Spain, Czech Republic and Romania. Every day there were group activities, games and other these kinds of activities and the evenings were for the cultural nights. All this helped to create friendships, that still last. It is worth a mention that we also took a day trip to Vatra Dornei, a little town nearby and had a hike in the 12 apostle mountains. All this was in defiance of different weather conditions, like rain, hail and snow, but still, there was also sunny weather sometimes. One of the most memorable things was definitely the Oscars Gala – during the day we worked in groups and each group had to film a video clip, that would bring attention to the ecological lifestyle. In the evening, during the gala, the best movie and best male and female etc. were chosen – everything felt like the real Oscars gala.
One thing that definitely described the whole youth exchange was the fact that perception of time disappeared completely. It was because there was so much to do all the time and spending time with great people makes you forget the time passing. So that’s why it was so sad to say goodbye to Poiana Negrii after almost two weeks and the goodbye for many people was happy and bittersweet at the same time. Even though I have been to project before through Seiklejate Vennaskond, I can surely say that every youth exchange and training is different, but the experiences you get are all worth it. I can surely say that none of us 9 would have never gotten to this kind of place like Poiana Negrii on our own and that is why these Erasmus + projects are a great way to explore new places, get new experiences and make friendships that last a lifetime.  
​Read more in project blog.
Summary was made by Renata lukk.