Autumn get-together

On Saturday, I attended a super cool team building event at Caritas, where I met a lot of old friends and got to know some new faces. At the end of the day, the team of almost 20 people went home tired but with a lot of enthusiasm. These occasions really show how much we love being part of this team, because we enjoy participating not only in activities organized for others, but also in those that are meant for us to develop and relax.

During the year, we don’t have the chance to see all of our fellow volunteers too often, because everyone is busy to attend different activities and to help in different locations, such as craft activities, nursing homes, children’s homes, but when we have this opportunity, we get together and try to catch up. It was one of those days, which we started with a delicious coffee and chat. Everyone had everything to tell to their friends they hadn’t seen in a long time. We often take part in activities like this or similar ones, but this time our volunteer coordinator, Gyöngyike, brought us a bunch of new games and activities, which surprised us.

During the games, we got a lot of exercise, not only physically but also mentally. We realized that we should have gone to math classes and should have paid attention, because we wouldn’t get very far with just the Rule of Three, if we had to express the migration of a so-called Katerra tribe in numbers. We’re lucky to have a couple of smart guys in the team, of course, who figured out the solution in the blink of an eye. But the spirit never waned, it only grew, not to mention the competitive spirit. When the goal is to build a tower, you have to use all your creativity and, as we learned, you should rather build a tall tower with duct tape than with a folding meter.

Timing is key everywhere, so was here. By noon everyone was eagerly awaiting the “highlight” of the day, the lunch break. It’s easier to compete when you have the right motivation, which in this case was lunch and it worked like a charm. We had the opportunity to talk more freely with each other, to get to know each other better, while we were recharged with energy and ready for the next tasks.

What can I say, it’s very clever to make a promotional film with the volunteers, because who else can really transmit the spirit of this work, if not us, those who do it every day. The four teams came up with four amazing videos that included everything, from the light background music to the presentation of the Caritas House.

All in all, it was an enjoyable day, full of new things and challenges, which we solved smoothly together. We worked, we brainstormed, we wrote, we colored, we ran, we moved, but most importantly we laughed and had fun.

Our programme is supported by the Bethlen Gábor Fund. Thank you!

Written by: Eszter Makkai, volunteer from Tîrgu-Mureș
Translated by: Orsolya Barabás