PEOPLE+ | Welcome on VOLUNTEERING@ICDET, Cagri!

We are welcoming our new ESC Volunteer Cagri under the project "Generations against Isolation and Covid" for the period 15 September - 15 November 2021.

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Hi everyone! I’m Çağrı. I've been wanting to create a time for myself to go abroad. I was so excited when I saw this project. I applied to this project because I thought working on a project related to Covid, which limited our social life, would motivate me more in my experience abroad.

I believe I'm a person with a strong communication skills. The ability to test this in a cosmopolitan social life, I'm sure, will guide my future prospects. Furthermore, the fact that Sofia has more places to visit the old history has been more interesting for this experience.

In this hard time for young people in isolation from COVID I'm ready to work on my project with full energy and motivation!

Stay tuned..

PEOPLE+ | Welcome on VOLUNTEERING@ICDET, Duru!

We are welcoming our new ESC Volunteer Duru under the project "Socia Impact" starting from 01 September to 28 October 2021.

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I am Esra Duru, I am 22 years old and I live in Turkey. I am an international relations student in Kocaeli University. I love learning more about different countries' history and culture, so I decided to come to Sofia. The country is so interesting and the expected day has came I was excited and actually still continue. Firstly, I applied for a visa and one month later my visa application was approved then I started the preparation bag. On September 1st, I landed at Sofia Airport with another friend from Turkey.

ICDET sent someone to greet us. It was a very nice welcome and after that I knew that the process here would go very well. Then they took us to our accommodation, I really liked it, everything was thought of in the rooms. and my roommate is a very friendly, sweet Spaniard, Paula. Actually also the other guys - every participant is perfect in French, Spanish, Italian … they are so funny. We are learning different skills from each other and we fit each other in every way. I've only been here for a week, but it's been a busy week. We visited Sofia city center, museums, cathedral …it was amazing experience. I'm planing a lot of interesting events and materials!

Stay tuned!

PEOPLE+ | Welcome on INTERNSHIP@ICDET, Paula!

Curiously, when you say that you are going to live or travel to X country, people who have been from there always appear. The first comments I heard were negative: watch out for Bulgarians, why do you go there if they all come here… Xenophobic comments. The following comments were improving: you are going to love it, I have decided to stay and live here, Sofia has a lot of atmosphere. I was more and more looking forward to the time to come here.

My first contact with Bulgaria was at the hands of my mother. We visit the capital, the Rila and Bansko monastery. And each of the things we saw and experiences we had we loved. The endless terraces in Sofia, the streets full of people from Monday to Sunday, its parks and green areas, the views from Vitosha, the peace that is breathed in Bansko or the architecture of the monastery.

Four days later I started a new stage: the internship at ICDET. New people, new environment, new language. At the moment, people are calm and like to get together. We have language difficulties, mainly for those of us who do not speak English fluently. But as the weeks go by we will improve and gain confidence with all our colleagues. Those who are and those who will come.

Regarding the office and work, I have high hopes and enthusiasm for doing things. That they give us so much freedom and flexibility seems perfect to me. So there will be time to travel and learn. If someone comes to another country it is clear that it is not just to work.

The summary of my first week in Sofia with my colleagues is: enthusiasm and hope for the future.