Arts Lab 6.0: Yasser Abbas - Month 2

It is the month of adaptation because I have adapted to the atmosphere and challenges of life here in Romania and I have become more experienced and knowledgeable about what I want to do and how to do it alone. Walking alone increases your adaptation.

It is the month of practice because I practiced one of the things I love most, which is acting and directing. I practiced this many times during this month and in many places, and my performance received many likes, which made me feel proud and passionate about continuing this work here.

The first activities of the month were at the House of Culture, when I did an acting workshop for children there, and I directed a short show that talked about the reason for naming Târgu Frumos with this name. One of the most beautiful things that happened on that day was that I drew one of my favorite characters on my face, the Joker, and I took very special pictures.

Then the day of Școala Gimnazială "Otilia Cazimir" Iași, where I did a workshop for many children. The workshop was about some acting exercises, such as the mirror exercise, the breathing and emotions regulation exercise. Then we visited the Palace Mall for the first time.

The personal project was a play that I acted and directed. It was a mixture of English and Romanian, which my mentor Cosmina helped me to train on. I performed this play in various places where we presented our works, such as the first exhibition at Act House, then at the Pogrom Museum of Iași and a school in Bacău and at the Moldova School.

Some special days:

• The French night with Savanne and Ella and the activities that made us get to know many things about France
• The Syrian night with Rahaf and the unforgettable food and dancing, it was a fun day
• The Halloween night day, which was a special celebration for me
• The day of visiting the University of Arts with Ziad to ask about the requirements for joining the university
• The day of going to the city of Bacău and visiting the gallery, the restaurant and the island, which is one of the best places I have visited in Romania so far
• The day of the snowfall, it was the first time in my life that I saw this, so it was amazing for me.

It was a month full of events and activities, so I called it the month of practice and adaptation. I learned many things in it, such as cooking new things, learning more Romanian, knowing the ways, and forming new relationships. I look forward to doing more things next month that will make me prove myself more until I find a job, join a theater group, or enroll in a study, who knows…

Report by Yasser Abbas, a volunteer from Egypt 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.