Arts Lab 4.0: Month I - Federica Colzani - A month full of strong emotions

I arrived in Târgu Frumos on 17 August. I was very scared of living in a totally different place, with new people but as soon as I entered our home I felt very peaceful and calm. By knowing the other volunteers I found really amazing people with whom sharing experiences, thoughts, and feelings even if our English was not very good. During the first days, we explored the town and its surroundings: the first things I noticed were the beauty of nature and landscapes, and the kindness of people and local volunteers. 

In particular, the Cucuteni museum and the exhibition of the Human symposium were really inspiring for me because they made me think about the importance that art has now and always had for humans. After that, we started working on our first workshop about folklore. I was worried about not being able to do it but we put a lot of effort into it and in the end, I was proud of the result and it was a great experience. In the next weeks, we facilitated activities about Cucuteni at the festival Belle Epoque in the Sturdza Castle and in the youth center but we also worked together in the ceramic studio. 

This month has been full of strong emotions thanks to the experiences but mostly thanks to the people. I met so many people and each one of them was super special I can't put into words how much I received from them. I came here feeling a bit lost after high school and without knowing exactly what I wanted from this project. I found a safe place that is making me discover a lot of things about myself and about art as a way to spread beauty and give new perspectives to a community. 

Federica Colzani from Italy is doing a long-term volunteering project in our organisation, under Arts Lab 4.0, a project funded by European Solidarity Corps @suntsolidar.eu, a programme of the European Union.