A way of life

Volunteering has a major influence in my life, because I used to be very shy, I haven’t enjoy being around people and I used to avoid situations in which I had to communicate with others.

However, all theese things had changed since I become a volunteer, I am more opened to others and I am not afraid to communicate anymore. All in all, it helped me a lot in developing my personality.

I have had a lot of amazing experiences, but right now I would like to talk about taking part in the event of  Autumn Fair. On the first day of the event, I realized exactly why I had become a volunteer while I was standing by a table for drawing in sand. The table was not very high, reaching only to my waist. A mother came to the table with her two kids: the older one started drawing, but the younger one did not reach the table, so I crouched down next to her and asked if she wanted to draw. She smiled at me, put her hands on my face and said “I will draw a horse, okay?” She was so adorable that she reminded me why I had become a volunteer.

Another day, some kids I had known came to the game where I was supervising and stayed there to talk to me after playing. At the end of our conversation, they have asked me “What do you get for being here and working?” At first, I was shocked by the kind of the questions an eight-year-old could ask, but then I have explained that I get a bunch of amazing experiences and make some new friends. Then I have received an other question: “But then why are you here? You can do that somewhere else, too.” I have smiled and said:

– Look around you. What do you see?

– Children.

– Look at them. What do you see on their faces?

– Happiness.

– Exactly. The joy and the happiness on the children’s faces are the best thngs in the entire world. Do you understand now? This is why I am here and why I like being here.

– Now I understand. (then she hugged me)

Whichever programme I choose to be part as a volunteer, the greatest experience is always seeing the children’s smiles. This is why I would like to keep working with children, let it be via volunteering or a job. There is a lot of things in my future that I am uncertain about, but one thing that I know for sure is that I want to keep being a volunteer, because it is more than a job, it is a feeling and a way of life.

Tímea Kopacz, volunteer in Trei Scaune