Arts Lab 7.0: Monica Lourenco | Month V

This month was intense. The studio moved into the ACT house because of the unbearable cold there (January 17th). We had another JEMON exhibition, this time at the House of Culture at Târgu Frumos (January 18th). We started the cultural nights this month. We went to a Rroma event in another village and were preparing for the Rroma exhibition. Hedvika and I visited the Cucuteni studio/house of the clay/painting artist Ionela Mihuleac (February 1st). We had our Midterm Evaluation in Bucharest and some free days after it. Hedvika and I went to a SCOUT center in Nocrich to spend some time in nature, while others went to Budapest and Germany. We also continued to discuss the Emotions project and do some activities related to it.

In the personal realm, I cut my hair for the first time in Romania! It was an interesting experience: firstly, the hairdresser didn’t wash my hair, just sprayed it; next, I needed to say how I wanted my hair to be cut and I said “bob” and she knew it (international haircut denomination, hurray!); I was gifted candies during my stay there; the hairdresser was really careful and looked satisfied while cutting it; and, in the final retouches, she put hair foam for volume (which was already something I would say no to) and later she wanted to use a flat iron but it was too much for me. I wanted to have a fully Romanian experience at the hair salon but I also needed to protect my hair. Either way, I liked the result very much!

Cultural nights, Târgu Frumos

Italian Night was the first one (January 17th) at Best Pizza (plot twist: pizzas at Alfredo are way better). Annalisa prepared some games related to Italian culture like Kahoot, an improvisation game with Venetian masks and dances, and also Italian donuts for us to snack on. And, of course, later we ate pizza. It was a nice and fun evening.

The Portuguese Night was next (January 23rd) and Cristina (a Portuguese volunteer from the Rroma association) came with her colleague/friend Cristiana to help me. They took care of the pastéis de nata (Portuguese sweet pastry) and I worked on the bingo activity. The event was at Alfredo and people enjoyed it; we danced, sang, ate and laughed. A bit messy during some periods but we managed it, thanks to Cristina!

Next was the Turkish Night (February 6th). Oh my… the standards after this event were truly high, Beyza nailed it! The event was at our house and it was full of decoration, the tables were ready for us to eat and we were all amazed by the dedication. So MUCH FOOD, and delicious! From soup, to the main dishes, to the desserts. The house was full and happy, local volunteers and friends also came. We also did a Kahoot game and a Turkish wedding, with dance and performances. Fun!

Rroma event (January 22nd), Lungani village

We were invited to an event organized by the Rroma association. The goal was to share Rroma culture: the music, the dances, the costumes, the traditional crafts and ways of living. It was in a school and it was full of people. We ate bread and drank wine (even the kids!). It was also the first time for me to drive the Asirys car. And, for the first time, I met a Portuguese person in person! Cristina, she is a volunteer for this organization. It was a super exciting moment! She is now part of our group, a super-duper cool human being!

Rroma exhibition (January 30th), Ion Creangă School, Târgu Frumos

During this month we also needed to make our personal artwork related to the Rroma topic. We were busy and excited to make it happen. The organization of the days for the personal artwork was hard to manage since we had few full days just for it (and I feel I need that to be fully present). I did jewelry again: a pair of earrings with the wheel of the Rromani flag that rotates; and a necklace and a pair of earrings in brass with drawings from the kids. I used watercolors, something I really wanted to try before, but next time I will use gouache instead.

The exhibition preparation was Eva’s personal artwork. She did research, prepared the space and added information on the walls related to Rroma culture and art. For me, it was the best exhibition so far because of the context given and the art pieces we did were in a way justified without us talking. It gave me museum vibes and I was thrilled.

The interactive part was organized in the corridors. The students needed to stamp their bingo cards at each station. They seemed to enjoy it.

Midterm Evaluation (February 8th – 11th), Bucharest

We went to Bucharest! We took a night train, stopped at McDonald’s to eat and went directly to the hotel. Because it wasn’t yet time for check-in, some of us stayed in the hallway sleeping and others went to explore the city. After the nap, I went to meet them at the National Museum of Romanian History. To my surprise, there was an exhibition about conservation and restoration. Very didactic and informative, with posters of case studies. There was also an exhibition about Romanian jewelry, from archaeological finds to more recent civilizations.

The midterm evaluation itself was entertaining. The facilitators were amazing, we could meet other volunteers around Romania and the activities made us reflect about our past experiences, present ones and what we want to do in the future after this experience. I enjoyed learning about the psychological theories they shared. There was a lot of food, the rooms were incredibly hot and I felt spoiled –  I wanted to work more.

SCOUTS Center (February 12th – 16th), Nocrich

After Bucharest, Hedvika and I went to the SCOUTS Center in Nocrich. She met a volunteer from there during the On-Arrival Training and asked if we could stay there for some days. We were warmly welcomed. Spring seemed to have already arrived there. Bugs everywhere (I saw ants for the first time in Romania), flowers blooming like snowdrop flowers, the space was beautiful and calm. The main house was from the end of the 18th century. Beautiful. We had a very pleasant time there. We also had the chance to visit Sighişoara (February 13th) and Sibiu on the way back. Hedvika had the chance to be a facilitator in a clay workshop there ON HER BIRTHDAY, amazing! I saw the Carpathian Mountains for the first time on the bus, I learned about ceramic techniques from the Transylvania region and how to protect myself from bears. I also tried the ceramic wheel for the first time! In Sighişoara we visited another volunteering project where they live in a castle. Good memories were made there.

This month was full of first times. What will the next month hold for me?

This monthly report was written by Monica Lourenco, our Portuguese volunteer taking part in a seven-month Arts Lab 7.0 mobility, co-funded by the European Union under the European Solidarity Corps.