Daria Makarova

  Name: Daria Makarova 

  When did you do your volunteering project at Fekete Sereg and how long?  

 -My volunteer project lasted 6 months: from July 1 to the end of December.   

 What was your motivation to do the project/Why did you decide to be a volunteer (in Hungary)?   

-I was thinking for a long time about entering university abroad and one of the options for the   country was Hungary. While studying in university in Russia I accidentally saw the post about this volunteer project and decided just to try to send my CV and motivation letter. Also, already during the academic year, I was unhappy with my university and wanted to change  something. So I took an academic leave without hesitation and went to Hungary.   

  What was your project? What was a regular day like?  

 – My main volunteer work here was in local kindergarten. Every weekday from 8 am to noon were my working hours there. My main tasks in kindergarten were just to play with the children, help the teachers with breakfast and change the children’s clothes before the walk. I was working with children 5-6 years old and during my work here I became close and used to children in  my group and kindergarten teachers. In general, I want to say that I enjoyed every day of work here. But it wasn’t my only volunteer work here. Also twice a week I needed to work at local youth center spending time with youngsters. But whenever possible, I tried to visit the center more often. Opening hours of the youth center are from 2 pm to 7:30 pm.   

 Which is your favourite memory of the time you spent here?  

    – I think my best memories are for sure associated with my work in kindergarten. I can remember something from every working day there that cheered me up. It’s a great pleasure to see the real emotions of kids. Also I became close to my roommate and we tried whenever possible to go somewhere, explore the country and just have fun together.   

( we visited an exhibition)

  What do/did you like the most about Nagyvázsony?   

     – For me it was a completely new experience of life in the village, but all 6 months I was glad to live here.  The village is very cozy and everyone is very welcoming.  Also a huge plus was that all  the  necessary places are located close to each other. And my favorite place I think was the ruins of a monastery in the forest, this place is beautiful at any time of the year.   

How was the life in the flat?  

  -I made friends with all the girls volunteers with whom we lived and we spent almost all our free time together.  The most important thing is to talk to each other about all problems, even the    smallest, and be ready to hear others.  Then I can say with confidence that there will be no serious problems living with other volunteers and you will, moreover, be glad to spend time together.