…Just winking and more than half of the exchange passed, it was already the sixth day of this amazing experience that we shared with many participants from six countries. This day was even more special because of the coming evening.
The day started with a fun energizer delivered from the Romanian team and we started off the work in the predesignated groups for videos, photo albums, decoration preparation and writing of articles. After collecting a lot of knowledge on local customs and traits as well as learning about each other national culture from the presented countries, the participants were inspired to finish their group’s tasks. For these activities we had the whole day, but in the afternoon after the break people needed some revitalizing so the Bulgarian team stepped in and did a great energizer to keep the focus at a high level. During the whole time, it was funny to see the photo group jumping from every possible place and trying to catch the right moment, while the video groups were chasing everyone who seemed even slightly free to shoot an interview with them. At the end of the day after we shared the best moment from the day with the group everyone went for a short rest and to prepare for the national evening of Bulgaria and Romania. The cultural evening was a blast, after giving a short presentation on the rich Bulgarian history and culture, we played some music and taught everyone how to dance traditional Bulgarian dances. Just after our team presentation followed the Romanians, they also gave a presentation and shared some dances with us, after that it continued as a mixed party for the rest of the night.
The seventh day started with an energizer from the Polish team and continued with some final work on the projects of each group which took the morning but everything was finished in time. The afternoon was energized by the Estonian team and we continued with the program, it was time to share our Christmas traditions. The presentation of the national customs during the winter holidays and in general throughout the year were very interesting as we all compared each country and found the differences and similarities. After a brief sharing of the best moment of the day, everyone went to prepare for the coming evening. It was again a cultural presentation, this time the Croatian team and the hosts from Slovenia united and made a mixed introduction to their cultural traits and historical achievements.
The eighth day came very fast, we knew the tale was coming to an end very soon. However, all the group tasks were completed and later in the day, we were going to present them. Still, first, we visited a local retirement home and together with the elderly people there created some Christmas door decorations to brighten up the atmosphere for the holidays. In the afternoon we went again into one of the youth centers in the town and every group shared the results of their work from the previous days. It was interesting to watch the videos and get reminders seeing the pictures of the best moments from the exchange made by the photogroup. After the activities in the youth center followed the regular sharing of the best moments from the day but this time it was with a bit of sadness in the air as we were experiencing the last night of the exchange. The YouthPass ceremony and the final evaluation took place and more people shared their emotions with the group. It couldn’t end any other way but with a farewell party the whole night.
On the ninth day, everyone started leaving for their countries and slowly during the morning our lovely international group started to shrink. Before each group went to the station to set off for their travel we were saying farewell. The Bulgarian team was the last one to leave and close the gate of the castle Rakičan that hosted us during this unique European adventure.
United We Stand for our Heritage Erasmus+ Youth Exchange brought together 37 participants from 6 countries to Rakican and Murska Sobota, Slovenia from 13-21 December 2023. The Youth Exchange aimed to promote the cultural identity and heritage of the countries involved, which included Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Estonia, and Croatia. During the program, participants took part in workshops and activities to learn about the different aspects of cultural heritage and came up with solutions on how young people can contribute to its preservation and promote good examples among their peers and beyond.