Thoughts after the youth exchange ”Nasreddin Hodja & the Tales of Diversity”

(Irem Ayan, Turkish participant, shares her thoughts upon participating in the Erasmus+ youth exchange “Nasreddin Hodja & the Tales of Diversity”, Rodna, Romania, June 2024)

”Bună ziua, eu sunt Irem!

I heard about this project through a friend of mine who is experienced in Erasmus youth exchanges. When I saw the project, I had many questions in my mind because I did not expect a project about Nasreddin Hodja to be organized in Romania. However, I was soon to learn that Romania also has its own Nasreddin Hodja stories! That is why I would like to talk about this interesting and unique project experience in this article.

The infopack for the project was detailed and carefully prepared. From where we would be staying to the food that would be served by the staff, the smallest details were included. As this was my second Erasmus+ youth exchange, the infopack helped answer my questions and prepare what to bring for the project.

After packing my backpack, I took a plane to Bucharest and from there I travelled 9 hours by train to Cluj-Napoca. I was picked up in Cluj-Napoca to go to the project location and it took 3 hours to get to Cabana Bradul, the log cabin where we were staying. The reason why the project location was so far from the city was because it was located in the Rodnei Mountains National Park and I particularly liked the fact that our accommodation was deep in the forest.

The project consisted of four countries: Romania, Croatia, Spain and Turkey. In the first days, the activities focused on getting to know each other and the village where we were staying. Thanks to the fact that the participants were outgoing and friendly people, I got to know all the participants and was able to build deep bonds with some of them, including my roommates. In the later days of the project, the focus was on diversity and privileges, which helped us to understand what privileges we have and what kind of diversity we can observe in society. All the activities and tasks we did together taught me valuable lessons and broadened my horizons. In addition, the things I learned during this week helped me to discover new things about myself.

On the last day of the project, we had the opportunity to go hiking in the national park. Unfortunately, on the way back from the hike, it rained so we all got soaked. On the bright side, we didn’t have to run away from a bear! 🙂

I feel very lucky to have been part of this youth exchange and I look forward to ASTRID organizing new Erasmus youth exchanges.

Lots of love,
Irem

July 5, 2024