Arts Lab 6.0: Salah Mehdaoui - Month 1

I arrived in Bucharest with Yasser, and we met at the airport before taking a five-hour bus journey to Târgu Frumos. Upon arriving, we were greeted by Mihaela, and all of our fears and concerns quickly disappeared as everyone welcomed us warmly to the house. As most of the volunteers arrived, we started doing activities together, including playing social games like tarot cards and Dixit. We also baked our first dish together, a traditional Romanian cozonac, which turned out to be absolutely delicious. 

Soon after, we began our on-arrival training, which we did online. Though we faced some technical difficulties initially, we adapted well over the following days. During the first session, we learned general information about the training and had a group discussion about what the word "solidarity" means to each of us. We also received details about the Henner Insurance Plan, reinforced through quizzes and games. In the next days, we learned about Romanian culture through fun games and quizzes. On the fourth day, we discussed the challenges volunteers might face and explored conflict management styles. The final day was a recap where we learned how to set objectives for our seven-month program and better plan our activities. We were also introduced to the Five Finger Evaluation method, which was a great tool for evaluating situations. What I enjoyed most about the training was the quiz and the small group discussions, where I met some incredible people. 

Our first interaction with the local community as a group was attending the "Clubul Copiilor" show, a children's event showcasing various talents from Târgu Frumos, such as singing and acting. We had a great time, and I was impressed that many of the teenagers spoke good English. Later in the day, we attended the Crafters Event, where we engaged with local crafters and their work. I was part of the media and production team, so we interviewed many of the crafters, all of whom were friendly and welcoming. One crafter even shared some sweets with us, and I felt like I learned a lot by working with the group. What stood out to me most was a young boy among the crafters proudly presenting and selling his artwork. It was also heartwarming to meet a couple who traveled all the way from Todirești to join us and generously brought food and sweets to share. 

We later had a day of training with the crafters, where we got to know more about their businesses. Our group formed teams to help each crafter improve their work and social media presence. We worked on defining their services and products, identifying target customers, assessing competition, and developing promotion strategies. Initially, some crafters were a bit skeptical, but by the end, they embraced the ideas. It was a fun and educational experience, and I even picked up a bit of Romanian while conversing with the crafters. 

On another eventful day, we first evaluated our JEMOM 1.0 experience, followed by a new task called "Mission Impossible." This involved visiting the Jewish Cemetery in Târgu Frumos and completing ten tasks there. It was an intense but enlightening experience. During the exploration, I even got chased by some dogs in the nearby forest! Working on this project taught me a lot about the cemetery and the tragedy of the "death trains" in 1941. 

Later that evening, when we returned home, we discovered that our mentors and some locals had prepared a Romanian night at the youth center. We were treated to popular Romanian dishes and drinks—my personal favorites were the eggplant salad and the cheese. We wrapped up the night with a quiz on Romanian culture (though I didn’t score very well) and then participated in traditional Romanian dances. It was a fantastic night, filled with laughter and new friendships. 

Another highlight was my first visit to Iași, a city I had been eagerly anticipating. We took the train and, upon arrival, visited the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Information Technology. It was fascinating, and the security guard was incredibly kind, granting us access to an old lecture hall and the library. Our next stop was the French Institute, where we had a lot of fun exploring the library and learning about their courses. We made new friends there too.

Afterwards, we visited the Iași Pogrom Museum, which was a heavy and emotional experience, especially learning about the Holocaust. It was a poignant way to end the day. Later, while exploring Iași, I stumbled upon a halal shop that served the best shawarma I’ve had in a long time. 

We also visited Moldova High School, where we presented the residencies to visually impaired students. It was a new experience for me, but I truly enjoyed interacting with the students, either in English or with the help of a translation app. The students were incredibly talented, and one of them, Patricia, showed us around the music room, where some volunteers showcased their hidden talents. I was particularly excited to work on a classroom dedicated to cardboard and carton-based workshops. 

We then traveled to Todirești, where we were welcomed by museum and restaurant owners with food and drinks. After a tour of the museum, we visited the restaurant and discovered even more traditional dishes. I was responsible for photography and video production during this full day of activities, and it was a busy but rewarding experience. 

As we progressed, we started planning our JEMOM residency and workshops. I worked alongside Ziad, and together we created an architectural maquette for a proposed open-air museum in Târgu Frumos. We used cardboard and various natural elements like leaves, twigs, and grass to build it. The workshops were an absolute delight, and I particularly enjoyed working with the visually impaired students. I hope they had a great experience as well. 

On our free days, I joined the other volunteers for an art gallery night in Iași, where we participated in a scavenger hunt. It was a lighthearted and fun-filled evening that left us all laughing non-stop. 

On the 10th of October, I celebrated my birthday, and the volunteers surprised me with a party. It was such a touching gesture, and I felt truly at home, as if I were with family. 

Soon after, we began preparations for Folcloristica. I collaborated with Savane to organize drawing workshops focused on traditional Romanian clothing for students at Tătăruși school. The workshops were a huge success, and we had the opportunity to visit some crafters in Tătăruși as well. It’s such a beautiful village, and I felt incredibly welcomed by everyone we met. Folcloristica itself spanned just three days, but it was packed with memorable moments. On the second day, every volunteer was supposed to go on stage and perform a song or dance from their country. I chose to perform the famous song by Rachid Taha, "Ya Rayah." As soon as the music started, everyone joined me on stage, and we all danced together—it was such an great moment! On the last day, I had the honor of serving on the jury, tasked with selecting the best performance out of 500 performers. It was an exciting experience that I’ll never forget. 

In summary, the first month of this journey has been full of adventure, learning, and growth. I’m excited to see what the upcoming months have in store!  

Report by Salah Mehdaoui, a volunteer from Algeria and one of the 14 participants in Arts Lab 6.0, a project co-funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps program.