Written by Cristiana Dițu | Romania | Short-term | Have Less, Live More + Hands-On Nature + Hands-On Resilience 2022
Edited by Bianca Rêgo | Brazil/Portugal | Wake-Up 2022-2023
Have you ever wondered where to go after your ESC / Erasmus project ends? Some people love the experience so much that they become addicts in participating in as many opportunities as they can! That’s the case of Cristiana Dițu, she was a part of our short term project “Have Less, Live More” and two of our past volunteering teams: “Hands-On Resilience” and “Hands-On Nature”. Since leaving the camping she has been a part of volunteering teams in Croatia and Turkey. In this article she decided to tell us about how is it like to be a part of so many sustainability projects, one of her many passions:
“Growing up in a social environment where getting your hands dirty was seen as a shameful thing to do & where intellectual work was considered to be the only way of being successful & fulfilled in life, I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to start my ESC adventures with a focus on sustainability & environmental awareness.
After 3 amazing experiences lived in IDC, that will always have a special place in my heart, I felt even more keen on continuing this journey on the path I learnt there… and this is how I ended up living wonderful opportunities all over Europe.
The story I’m about to tell you today is maybe a bit atypical for some of you – but hear me out, it’s a lovely one!
Once upon a time, during a break between cooking traditional dishes for the IDC Festival, I was scrolling on the European Solidarity Corps platform (if you’ve never heard about it – it’s like a Paradise for finding volunteering opportunities for youngsters between 18-30 years old, that can last from 2 weeks up to 12 months), thinking that I have 2 weeks free until my new project starts, when I found a project of exactly 2 weeks about… helping the local community of Sumartin (Brač island), in Croatia, to pick olives in a traditional way.
It immediately caught my attention!
You may think now “pff, in some countries you get paid N euros to do this job”, but it was too late! The idea of connecting with the locals & learning more things about olive picking (especially by doing & using traditional ways) made me apply within seconds.
Luckily enough, I had the chance to live this experience alongside other 16 youngsters from all over Europe & even South America and I wasn’t disappointed! We managed both to create a small community among ourselves & to connect with the locals, by cooking & working together & by exchanging songs, stories & perspectives.
More so, we had plenty of time & sun to explore Sumartin, an utterly beautiful place, that maybe we would have never considered visiting… we even had the chance to learn more about traditional ways of taking care of ships & the issues the local community is facing nowadays, by talking with the last people that are trying to keep these traditions alive.
At the end of those 2 weeks, I found myself looking for other opportunities related to veggies & fruits picking, both volunteering & jobs… the road is still unclear, so it’s always better to embrace your curiosity & enthusiasm & to be open to live as many experiences as possible & to try things you would never think of!
P.S.> If you choose green travel (not taking a flight), you’ll have the chance to deepen even more the culture of the country you’re volunteering in, by having more travel days that you can use to visit places along your route!
Thank you, Outward Bound Croatia & Maritima Educara for making it possible for me to live this story:) & a special thanks to Lucija & Kika, our lovely coordinators!”
