GROW

I am passionate about making a positive impact into society. And ever since I started my student life, I realized the great value and role of an educational system in the community/city/country development. Therefore, I decided to become a professor in the University once I get enough practical experience, meaning in 20-30 years from now. Until then I decided to practice work in an educational field by taking an opportunity in AIESEC Timisoara to interact with high school graduates and impact their ways of thinking about personal development and widen horizons of opportunities that are available both in Romania and worldwide!

I did enjoy my work with high school students! It was an unforgettable experience of friendship, mentorship and supportive learning. I consider GROW a very valuable project in Romania as it is aimed to support strategically the national educational system and bring innovations into it. I believe in a great success of this initiative and wishing good luck to all those brave individuals who initiated it and continue to support its development.

AIESEC Timisoara

AIESEC Timisoara definitely deserves the credit for being absolutely a great local committee. AIESECers from this city are very professional and at the same time they remember to ask little important questions like “How are you?”, “Do you need anything?” that made my life as a foreigner much more easier and comfortable. I received a very warm care from all the members and also from the alumni network, that is very strong in Timisoara. One of many things that impressed me in AIESEC Timisoara is the high level of busy-ness and a great penetration into the local market gaining new opportunities and leveraging on the market possibilities in order to make even greater positive impact into local society. I was happy to be a part of this experience.

Cultural Integration

Fortunately for me for the whole duration of an internship I was a part of a Romanian community – I lived with Romanians, I socialized with Romanians, and I worked with Romanians. This was a unique cultural experience for me. As a result, I had a great opportunity to understand the Romanian mentality and lifestyle – knowledge, which I cherish and love. The biggest learning of the whole internship came from here, I think, when I realized that my own perception of present is framed through my personal experience, historically formed way of thinking and a given context. This discovery made me more tolerant person and enabled me accepting people the way they are discarding prejudices.

Romania

Because I was lucky to be part of GROW I had a unique chance to witness and experience Romanian countryside and I am in love with its mountains, forests, valleys, rivers, sheep, shepherds and long lasting medieval history. Romanian countryside is the landscape which will always stay in my heart. It is an exquisite place full of wild life and beauty. Most of all I remember the experience of being a part of a traditional slaughtering the pig for Christmas. It connected me to the origin of food and brought a new meaning of eating. Furthermore, the rural life of Romania is full of traditions and it makes it an attractive place to take a moment to reflect on your life and get reconnected with the roots of life.

Lora Metanchuk

Trainee from Ukraine for GROW Project