Habibe YÜKSEL

Two Months in Bulgaria: An ESC Journey Where I Discovered Myself

Hello everyone,

I am Habibe Yüksel. In 2026 I joined a two-month European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteering project in Madan, Bulgaria. It was not simply two months spent abroad. It was a special period in which I met people from other cultures, gained new experience, grew and collected memories I will never forget.

The idea of going abroad has always been exciting. But living in another country for a long volunteering project, sharing a space with different people and stepping outside the routine I was used to — even leaving my studies and everything familiar behind — was exciting, frightening and intriguing all at once.

On the day I set off for Bulgaria I did not know what kind of experience was waiting. But looking back today, I see I had one of the most instructive and valuable experiences of my life.

First Days and New Beginnings

Our first week in Bulgaria was busy. At the time there were also young people in Madan for a week-long Erasmus programme, so from the first days I found myself in an international environment.

We joined activities with young people from other countries, talked and spent time together. During that week we visited Plovdiv, one of Bulgaria’s most striking cities. With its historic fabric, colourful streets and lively atmosphere, Plovdiv made a real impression on me.

That first week helped me settle both into Bulgaria and into an international project environment. Seeing people who had never met become friends so quickly felt wonderful. I realised that people from other countries actually have similar dreams, goals and feelings.

At the end of the week the Erasmus group left and our own volunteering began.

Our Work on the ARTEVS Project

On the ARTEVS project my teammates and I made a range of handmade pieces. Our days went by creating, designing and producing new things.

Every piece we made was the result of effort, patience and teamwork. Through the production stages I gained new skills and had the chance to observe how different people work. We kept developing new ideas to make our work more creative.

The pieces we made were then exhibited and sold at the Crystal Festival in Madan. The festival was one of the most special parts of the whole experience, because seeing work we had spent days on go out to people was genuinely exciting.

Throughout the festival visitors looked at our pieces, asked questions and took an interest in what we had done. People liking and engaging with the work we had put effort into made me very happy. Seeing the whole path from an idea appearing to it being offered to people was instructive.

Daily Life in Madan

Throughout the project I stayed in a twin room. The hostel had shared spaces where we could spend time. At first, sharing a space with different people in another country felt a little unfamiliar. But as time passed hostel life became one of the best parts of the experience.

Every day we were in the same space as people from other countries, talking and getting to know each other’s cultures. Sometimes we talked about food, sometimes about traditions in our countries, sometimes about the differences in our daily lives.

Through those conversations I did not only meet new people; I also learned to see the world from different angles. Listening to how people from other cultures see life was very valuable.

The time we spent at the hostel was sometimes more instructive than the activities themselves. Coming together at the end of the day to share what we had experienced remains one of the unforgettable parts of this time.

Travel and Discovery

On certain days we had free days. We used them to travel and discover new places. I travelled with a friend I met on the project, and it strengthened our friendship a great deal. We are already planning our next trip.

For me travelling does not only mean seeing new cities. It also means observing how people live, getting to know other cultures closely and stepping outside my own environment.

Thanks to those free-day trips I saw new places, had new experiences, collected wonderful memories and made new friends from the other side of the world. Sometimes a city view, sometimes a historic building, sometimes a street I never expected stayed in my memory.

Every journey gave me a new perspective and enriched my volunteering.

New Teams, New Friendships

After the free days we returned to Madan and continued with our project activities. As time went on, new teams began to arrive.

Every new team meant different stories, different cultures and new friendships. Over the project I had the chance to meet many people.

Sometimes we worked together, sometimes we travelled together, sometimes we had long conversations. Seeing that we could collect shared memories was lovely.

At the end of two months, having built friendships with people living all over the world was one of the most valuable things this experience gave me.

What This Experience Gave Me

The two months I spent in Bulgaria did not only give me new experience. They also increased my confidence and taught me to adapt more easily to different environments.

Living with people I had never met, spending a long time in a new country and taking on different responsibilities gave me experience in many things.

Sometimes what we planned did not go the way we wanted; sometimes we met unexpected situations. But all of it taught me to be flexible and to adapt to new conditions.

The experience also made me realise that people are far more alike than we think. Even speaking different languages and living in different countries, we often share the same feelings, dream similar dreams and laugh at the same things.

With Thanks

I want to thank everyone who helped make this unforgettable experience possible.

First of all, thank you to KOZ-DER for offering me this opportunity. Through this project I got to know a new country and to grow.

I would also like to thank all the volunteers and friends I met during my time in Madan. The time we spent together made the experience far more meaningful.

Finally, thank you to my family, who are always beside me, who trust me and who support me.

Final Word

The two months of volunteering I spent in Madan, Bulgaria did not only offer me new places to see. They also helped me know myself better, experience other cultures closely and evaluate life from different angles.

Looking back today, what comes to mind is not only the places I visited or the activities I joined. It is also the friendships I built, the good moments we shared, the new things I learned and the experiences I had.

This journey showed me how valuable it can be to step outside the familiar. I saw that meeting new people, trying to understand other cultures and looking at the world through a wider window enriches life.

I am so glad I set off on this journey. I am so glad I went to Madan. I brought back not only photographs and keepsakes but friendships and experience that will stay with me for life.