My volunteering at Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) – Merve Şule Gülaçar, Turkey
MY JOURNEY TO BRČKO
Hello everyone, my name is Merve and I am from Turkey. I am 22 years old and I have graduated from Kocaeli University, English language teaching department. I spent a month volunteering in the Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) youth centre of Brčko.
Firstly I came to Sarajevo by plane and then I took a bus to come to Brčko. It was a bit confusing because I didn`t know anything about the Bosnian language but I survived. It is my first time having a volunteering project and also being abroad. Secondly, I met so many people from different cultures and backgrounds and I had the chance to work with children, which is also really fun and amazing. In the youth centre, we made a lot of enjoyable workshops together with other volunteers. I also learned about their countries and their traditions as well.
Thirdly, my mentor and I travelled around the town and saw so many beautiful historical buildings and fascinating views of the Sava River. I also tried new foods and drinks. Besides these, we had some basic language lessons (Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian) and my mentor explained a lot of things about Bosnia and Herzegovina`s history. It was really precious to see how these three ethnicities are living together.
Finally, I can say that thanks to GAP and ESC, I had a really valuable experience because this is a great opportunity for me to see how exciting to explore other countries and everything. Also, people here are really nice and helpful so I definitely suggest everyone to come and have this journey.
Merve Şule Gülaçar, Turkey
Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) volunteer, June-July 2022
