Arts Lab 3.0: Leire Saenz - Saying goodbye for a while!

The first week of December, we celebrated Basque culture at the Act House. On Friday, we projected “Dantza” by Telmo Esnal, as an introduction to Basque folklore. The next day, the girls and I prepared food for the intercultural night. That day was really beautiful for all of us. We had so much fun cooking together, in our small kitchen, the girls were really helpful and showed interest in learning about Basque gastronomy and in making the dishes as accurate as possible. We spent the whole day shopping and cooking, and we were really tired by the end of the day. After we finished cooking, we had to run to the Act House to be on time (which we weren’t, by the way). The night was just as amazing as the rest of the day. Many people showed up and we danced, ate, and even did a Basque Karaoke.

We did Secret Santa together on the 19th of December. This event brought all of us together, and we needed it. It was emotional and heartwarming. It was the last time we got to see each other before the year ended, a way of saying “thank you”, and “goodbye”. 

At the end of December, after almost 7 months, I left Romania to go back home for Christmas. Leaving home to go back home was such a weird feeling. I felt lost in between two realities. Half of my mind was in Romania and the other half in the Basque Country. 

Saying goodbye to this country, even if it was just for a while, meant saying goodbye to everything that was built and kept during more than half a year. It meant having to finish some personal projects that had kept me company during the whole experience before expected, and I was not ready to close that stage just yet. Anyhow, I knew that resting and seeing my family and friends, at that point, was really important for my happiness and well-being. Also, I knew that in the end, taking a break and seeing what I had created from the distance and with a different perspective would help me come up with different solutions and ideas for the future.

Back home I had a wonderful time. I slept and ate everything I couldn’t during my stay in Romania. I kissed and hugged my people. I felt loved and taken care of. I was really happy to be back home, but I knew my adventure in Romania wasn’t finished yet.

An article written by Leire Saenz Quevedo. She is volunteering within Arts Lab 3.0 project, funded by European Solidarity Corps, with the support of European Union.