Valeria Kushnirova Monthly Blog

 Just imagine your friend suddenly sends you the description of some project in Türkiye (the country, which you do like for a long time already) with an open call for participation. You, in turn, decide to give it a try, still between the exams in your university. You fill in the application form at the night and in the very morning of the same day you receive the messages from your future boss & tutor & friend at one face. Interview passes, and a few days later you got accepted. Now you are a volunteer. In my case, this news reached me right on the day of Catholic Christmas, December 25, like a present under the tree. And perfectly before New Year celebrations, you have to buy your tickets to so much desired destination and you do that and you spent all your next days knowing that the coming year is about to start with an adventure and a totally new page in your life.

You pass your last exams, finish local duties in your city, spend last moments with your family and friends before the departure for two months to another land far away from home. And Day X comes. Night again. You’re at the bus stop waiting for the first transport connection to start the long way (not only in terms of distance). You give hugs and say temporary byes to dear ones you live here, and say hello to people you see for the first time in a life, who lately will become your new friends, “dream team”, and even family in this project.

Next morning, you take the direct flight from the nearby country altogether to the capital of Turkey, and you land in Ankara, and meet way more people entering your life to build a special story together.

I knew no one there before coming. It was a step to a real dark cave, but proven to myself another time that was the best decision.

To be continued…