Arts Lab 6.0: Savanephone Riand - Month 7

As I write this last report, I only have 11 days left here in Targu Frumos. I don’t think I realize it yet, because it feels like I've been here for years, and I don’t realize I’m finally leaving. I feel both relief and both sad, weird. 

My experience as a volunteer in Arts Lab 6.0 was a mix of everything. I have done so many things since the beginning of this project. I learned a lot of things too. I enjoyed being here a lot, and working on things I like. If I could find a dream job, this project would probably fit the most to that. Having good colleagues, enjoying time together, having a nice coordinator, and creating art. I feel I have work on fields I didn’t expect to work on. I think this project gave me more experience in 7 months than I could have learned by staying in France for years. As my roommate says, it feels like we had a full mini life compressed in 7 months. Sometimes, I feel like I'm a grandma. The beginning was obviously the easiest part, we were all discovering each other, and discovering Romania at the same time. We were all here to create art, and being that many artists at the same time made us live like a family. 

Being a volunteer in Târgu Frumos was at the beginning very exciting. We met in the very beginning so many kids that wanted to meet us. I felt more welcomed at the start of this project, than at the end. 

Now, so many kids know us, we end up saying hi to many people when we go out, and I hope they will remember us not only because we were foreigners, but because we worked with them, and we brought art to them. 

But now that we are at the end of it, and that the community kinda knows us, I feel somehow not welcome anymore in their village, I don’t know why.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons here, about working with the kids, about living with that many people in the same house, and probably more. Being flexible, patient, and communicative with kids that don’t understand you, you need to adapt to their needs. When so many people live in the same house for a long period, you should know how to respect each other, respect their space, routines, habits, and try to solve the conflicts as soon as possible, because it will reflect on everyone’s mind in a way or another, it affects everyone. Even if only one person is affected by negativity, it will reflect on others, and maybe you won’t even realize it. 

The favorite moment I have during this project will forever be when I found Cappuccino the second time. The first time I saw her and spent time with her, she was staying with me, so when I went shopping to give her food, she followed me till the center, and then she got scared of a group of people and ran away. I didn’t find her for 2 days, and then I saw a little small dog on a street, not very far from where I lost her, and I called her and she ran to me. I was so happy to find her again, I was so scared something happened to her during these days. Then she just chose to stay with me and came back to the house together. I was on a call with my girlfriend, and I saw Cosmina on the street, and we chose to name her Cappuccino. We all came back to the house and she had food and water. The very next day, I was very scared that she got crashed or something and she disappeared. I had a dream where she was hiding in a bush and jumped out of it when I called her, and when I woke up that day she did the exact same thing as in my dream. 

But I have a lot of favorite moments. Of course with Cappuccino, but everyone knows that. If I could choose another one, it would be when we had the French night, and we made the other create their protest, it was so funny I will remember it my whole life. The Folcloristica event was also very enjoyable, free food, free drink, it was so good. 

When I think about this project I feel a lot of happiness, I remember all the laughs, moments with children, and connection with the other volunteers. There is also a little feeling of pride, which I don’t usually feel. Being accepted in such a project, out of 1500 other people that applied, makes me kinda proud. Creating so much stuff, and finishing it, which is not in my habits to finish something, makes me also proud. I think being part of this project improved my self confidence, in a way or another. 

I wished I had known some stuff before being part of this project, because before coming here, I didn’t know anything about Romania. I wish I knew the very basics of the language first, to make the communication easier. I wish I knew how to deal with kids that don’t understand you, to make the workshops easier, but we learned that anyway. I wish I knew how the city of Târgu Frumos was, for example I would have preferred to know which men to avoid to be safe. Also, I wish I knew how men behave towards dogs here, because just knowing that dogs usually avoid men and prefer women tells a lot about the men's behavior in Romania. 

Of course I will recommend this project to anyone who’s interested in art, it’s a good way to improve so many skills about yourself. And not only skills about knowing how to do something specific, but also to improve your personal development which is something very important to be a respectful human. It’s also a good way to learn about a new culture, because this is something I really enjoyed discovering. And of course, a good way to have connections all over the world. 

I would like to stay involved in youth work and volunteering in the future, I already applied to volunteer in a shelter, to volunteer in an art Biennale. And working with kids is something I might want to continue in the future.

To end this final report, I wanted to say how sad I feel about men’s behavior here, and this is something I wanted to share, and something I wish in 2028 when I’ll come back will change. I have heard a lot how normal it is for a Romanian here to see a man beating his wife or his children, without anyone saying anything. This only information makes me very upset, but this is not even the only thing that makes me angry. Especially towards dogs, I really hate how violent the men are here towards dogs. To be honest, I think I would have had a different experience if I didn’t choose to adopt a dog here, and to take care of her, walk her everyday and so on. I have seen so many times, men spitting at me, throwing rocks at Cappuccino, trying to beat her, or me, to make her run away and yelling in a violent way. This is something I really cannot stand, and it’s the reason why I feel very relieved to finally end the project. I know men are violent everywhere, but I have never seen such hatred towards dogs than being here in Romania. I needed for the last months to walk Cappuccino out at least twice a day, and I did it every time with no exception, with so much anxiety and stress. I feel that here, people don’t like when you treat dogs in a good way. I understand that there are a lot of stray dogs in Romania, that it can be dangerous if they are violent, but to be honest, I also was afraid of dogs in the beginning of the project, and I never was before. But I understood that they are just protecting themselves when they are barking, and I stopped being afraid of them. I am more afraid of every human I pass by than crossing ten dogs barking at me. 

But this also make some encounters very special (well it’s supposed to be normal but anyway), when I pass by some kids that want to pet Cappuccino I feel very happy, when I see people wanting to give food, asking for her name, being interested in her without any hate, it brings me joy. I have also met a lot of good Romanian people here, I am not saying that every Romanian man is the same, of course not. I just wanted to share that I probably have a different experience than the other volunteers here, because of what I witness towards Cappuccino or even me. But I am really thankful to know very nice Romanian people here.

To end this report, I will say that this project meant a lot to me, and it will mean a lot for the next few years. I have learned so many things that I’m sure I don’t know yet. I have met very beautiful people from all around the world, and I have created so many things that I can say I’m proud of. I have learned so much about myself, about other people, I cannot even count the things I’ve learned. I am sure I will carry this project in my heart forever, though it was only 7 months, for me, it was so much, and so many things that I’ll remember forever, and I hope from my heart that I will see everyone that I met here in 2028. 

Report written by Savanephone Riand, she's from France and she's one of the 14 volunteers participating in Arts Lab 6.0, a project co-funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps program.