It wasn’t my first time in Cluj, so arriving there on a cold February day, in the middle of the night, wasn’t such a big shock. I arrived a couple of days before the Exchange started, just to charge the energy and be on fire on Monday to start with the programme.
Three countries, with eleven participants each: Romania, Slovakia and Catalonia. I only knew part of my group before going – I met the rest when I was already there, and honestly, we couldn’t be such a different but united group.
The first days it was a bit hard to take off – we were a big group (more tan 30n people), and some of the activities (all revolving around healthy lifestyle) were way too theoretical or we were doing them together, and we were too big of a group for that. But after talking with the facilitators, everything becomes better.
This way, we started doing activities in smaller groups, to later present them to the rest of the group: ideas to involve youth, campaigns, doing the groceries for a different profile of person… We used every lunch break or every free moment to get to know each other more and become a better team –you can’t imagine how much card games can unite! -, as well as getting to know Cluj Napoca (Romania) better, as well as Slovakia and other parts of Romania too.
The truth is that although there have been some difficulties, it was an experience that brought us to meet amazing people, a city that hides a lot under its gray cover, and bring with us tips for a healthier lifestyle!
Ana María