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Once again, on March 15th, the anniversary of the Hungarian revolution of 1848 is celebrated in Cristuru Secuiesc. Alongside this day, not only the characteristic Hungarian spirit of this region in Transylvania, but also a grand march of several hundred people flooded the streets.

Spectators enjoyed a morning filled with folklore and multiculturalism in the town center. The community’s presence is virtually total. The entire town gets involved in celebrating its idiosyncrasy and uniqueness.

Accompanied by the music orchestra, many students walk through the streets of Cristuru to reach the center. Students who preserve their culture and enthusiastically promote it to the next generation.

Listening to Hungarian chants and enjoying what seems to be very common here, vibrant voices that send shivers down the spine. Followed by a showcase of dances by young students from Orbán Balázs High School, Berde Mózes Unitarian High School, and Petőfi Sándor Elementary School.

The festivity also stands out for its gastronomy, where attendees can savor traditional Hungarian dishes prepared by locals, such as gulyás (beef stew) or langos (a kind of fried bread). This culinary experience adds another level of authenticity to the celebration, immersing attendees in the rich culture and traditions of the Hungarian people in Transylvania.

Furthermore, throughout the day, cultural and educational activities take place, such as local art exhibitions, talks on Hungarian independence history, and theatrical performances narrating the key events of 1848, presented by the students of Zeyk Domokos Technical School. These activities not only entertain but also educate younger generations about the importance of preserving the cultural heritage and historical legacy of the region. In summary, the anniversary  of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 in Cristuru Secuiesc is not just a festive event but also an opportunity to strengthen community ties and pass down traditions to future generations.

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Hello! I’m Undīne from Latvia. I arrived to Romania in November. I’m part of a 10-months long project, the ninth edition of ‘Development Support for Transylvania’, which takes place in a little town, called Cristuru Secuiesc. Currently, there are 6 of us in the project – Daisy from Italy, Murat and Senol from Turkey, Alejandro and Abde from the Canary Islands. We all live together in this international household, the so-called “Yellow House”. Life with so many people from different cultures is not an easy ride, but one that is worth taking: we learn something new about each other everyday.




My daily life here involves understanding the currency in euros, hearing church bells every day, walking to the kindergarten and helping out in the library. One of my goals is to improve my English language skills – it’s essential to speak English in your daily life here, as well as to learn Hungarian as a part of my experience.




If you are curious of all the things I am doing here, these are some of the places where I have been volunteering at:
At the local kindergarten, where we speak simple English with the kids, hold some interactive activities, draw and paint. It is my personal favourite activity, the kids are very sweet and talkative, although I do not understand Hungarian, so our conversations are one-sided.

In the library, I organize books (hence my book-tree, that was very successful during the holiday season) clean spaces, and create decorations.





When I am working in the office, I can show off my craftsmanship, by designing and creating some tools for the local events ATA organizes: I’ve made crowns for stork balls, decorated the office Christmas tree, and designed numbers for an advent calendar.

Occasionally we are invited to hold some activities in the after-school program of the local elementray students. We try to be very creative with these, play, dance after the long hours they have spent sitting and learning.



In order to make learning English more interactive, we hold lessons for grades 8 to 12. When I was in school, we chose the theme of traveling so that students could get to know more about and discover popular dishes and people from our countries of origin. The students enjoyed this topic, some of them even had personal stories to tell from when they had a trip to other regions.

At herbalism, we prepare deodorants, fill bottles with oils, and syrups, using all natural ingredients.



Places I’ve visited:
– Cristuru Secuiesc museum
– Sighisoara to explore the entire city, see the church, and visit the museum
– Csík to get acquainted with other volunteers
– Went to a cinema theatre for the first time in Romania.

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On Friday, 15/12/2023, early in the morning, our volunteer team bravely set off where no direct bus or train line from Cristur dare go – to Miercurea Ciuc, aka Csíkszereda (aka Chick Wendesday? Tschickmittwoch? Mercredi-Chique? 🙂 ).

The reason for our trip was solving certain bureaucratic issues at the Harghita immigration office – thankfully, the immigration office personnel were very kind and friendly, so we managed to solve the bureaucracy without having it turn into bureaucrazy, and in the afternoon, our weekend adventure could begin.

After having lunch in a restaurant in the city – which was actually pretty good –  we went to the centre, where our accommodation was located. Our hosts were the NGO Care2Travel, which also hosts ESC volunteers. Having left our stuff and met our hosts, we went to have a coffee, after which we took a walk around the city centre, visited the Christmas market  (after all, you can`t spell adventure without advent), and tried the kürtőskalács (known in English as the chimney cake, and in Romanian as cozonac), a traditional Székely cake. As it was pretty big, we split it among us, and, I can say, really enjoyed it!

In  the evening, we joined some of the Ciuc volunteers in their activity – playing board games in a local café. We played with Dixit cards, which required of us to use our imagination – each round, one of the players had to choose a topic, and all of us had to choose a card we thought represented the topic best; at the end of each round, we voted for the cards we thought represented the topic the best.

Following the game night, we took a quick snack at a fast food nearby, and went to a bar, where we had a few drinks, played table football and even met some locals. After this bar closed, some of us went on to visit some nightclubs, where we had the opportunity to enjoy listening to some manele hits and mingle with the locals a bit more.

The long night was followed by a short, yet surprisingly effective sleep, and I went to visit the city museum, located in the Míko castle. The museum hosts several expositions. Some of them are temporary, such as the exposition on beer-brewing culture in Hungary and Transylvania, or the sabretache plate exposition, which was opened just on the day when I visited the museum. However, the most important exposition in the museum is probably the permanent one, which documents the history of the city, from prehistorical times all the way up to the fall of communism.

Saturday afternoon, some of us went to the cinema and watched Wonka, a film showing the origin story of the famous character Willy Wonka, originally from Roald Dahl`s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We found the film really enjoyable, especially considering that in Cristur, we do not have so many opportunities to go to the cinema and see movies in their full, cinemagical glory.

After this, we headed off to the Lajos Vákár sports hall, where some tried iceskating, while others, like me, felt too clumsy that day, and were satisfied with observing the iceskaters from a safe distance.

At the venue, we also befriended Dávid, a young local man working on the food and drinks stand at the hall entrance. He gave us some insight into the life of local youth, and, after finishing the work at the stand, joined us at dinner in a local restaurant. Following the dinner, he invited us to take an inside look into a recently opened club that he is running. We entered the club in an unusual and adventurous way, sneaking into it through a window. As a big party was held in the club the night before, a cleaning was still in progress when we arrived. We hung out with the club employees and our host a bit, and then went on to play some more table football.

Sunday was the final day of our Csíkszereda trip. We went to have a brunch in a restaurant together with the Csíkszereda volunteers, and, in the afternoon, took a bus to Odorhei, where we managed to find an affordable taxi that took us back home – and we arrived just in time for the Christmas market in Cristur, where we took a look at the products exhibited at stands, and, most importantly, enjoyed some more kürtőskalács. All in all, it was a pretty great weekend!

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The summer is over, the heat is slowly fading away and it’s time to say goodbye to our 12 foreign volunteers who came for this season. Working with you guys was a great experience, and we are proud of you, as each and every one of you improved, acquired new skills and became more well-rounded people. However, you didn’t just make such a positive, deep impression on us. We are sure that more than 150 children, whose summer you made more colorful will remember you with fondness. Although, due to the language barrier, you didn’t always understand how interested the little ones were in you, the Hungarian speakers were asked countless times when you would come again, if they would see you in the future.



Marina was the first who packed her suitcase and memories and left our small town. She was soon followed by Inigo, then the French team, and finally everyone else… It’s strange to think how much people can change in such a short amount of time, how much experience they can gain. Sóskút, Betfalva, Kőrispatak, Szentábrahám, Székelyvarság, the one-week trip between the camps… it’s as if we had just planned what you would do here today. 



At the same time, not only from our part, but also on behalf of the small Hungarian community, we would like to thank you for your work, the fact that you took on the world and embarked on this adventure in your free time. You brought freshness here, and thanks to you, the children here could taste Western cultures, admire your dances, and taste your national dishes. These experiences broadened their horizons, tore them out of their usual world. 



We would like you to know that although this program has ended, we are always preparing new ones, and we look forward to welcoming you back for them. In the meantime, we hope that you will remain with positive opinions about us and the community here, all the memories you made in Transylvania.

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Our little team visited the picturesque town of Amarante, Portugal, in order to attend a unique and captivating youth exchange, that brought together participants from five different countries, each with their own stories to tell. The participants had a chance to delve into the world of Digital Storytelling, a journey that intertwined creativity, camaraderie, and cultural exploration.

The first day was all about the location and the participants. The warmth of Portugal marked the beginning of a new adventure. The day was dedicated to ice-breaking activities, helping the development of connections, and getting to know both the fellow participants and the enchanting surroundings.

As the sun rose for the second day, the names games continued just for a little longer. After the participants learnt all the names it was time to move on. The basic storytelling concepts were introduced, setting the stage for the rest of our journey ahead.

A bit of adventure took place on the third day. Participants went on a kayaking experience, navigating through the calming river of Amarante. This was a must to try since the town’s kayaking team is very well known and highly respected. After our physical endeavor, it was time to move to a more theoretical field. The afternoon started with a storytelling workshop, where participants learned the intricacies of crafting complex narratives.

The fourth day started with the embrace of the waves of the ocean. And while it became obvious that not all of us were born to be surf champions, we had fun and that’s what counts. The afternoon was dedicated to cultural activities in Porto, deepening their connection with the Portuguese culture and eating some Francesina.

Transitioning into the digital realm, the fifth day was all about storytelling in digital form. Participants learnt about the basics of editing, collected visual and auditory materials, and learned how to create an amazing trailer that represents the participants and their dreams. This was one of the key moments in the creation of the short videos.

The penultimate day was dedicated to working on the videos. Some were still collecting materials to work with, others had already started the editing, few were working with the sounds and music. With newly developed skills participants slowly started to piece together their short trailers that offered glimpses into their futures, their dreams, and desires. This process was a testament to their growth, not only as storytellers but as individuals who had found their voice.

The last day, as always, brought a mixed bag of emotions to the activities. The youth exchange had managed to transform a group of strangers into a team and managed to help build friendships (and in some cases even more than friendship…). The participants finished up their digital creations and reflected on the skills acquired and the beautiful memories that they made. Goodbyes were exchanged, and the air was filled with nostalgia even know the participants only met one week ago.

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The ESC Short Term Summer Fun Team organized a 4-day camp in Varság, from the 28th until the 31st of August 2023. 12 educators and 24 children were present. Here’s a recap of all the fun we had!

On Monday we got to know each other and played games to remember our names. Monday was a very hot day, so in the afternoon we just had to go to the river. Once there, we played with water and water guns.



Tuesday’s morning break was special. We made fruit sticks! Banana, blueberry, grapes and tangerine, what a colorful mix.
This encourages children’s fine motricity skills and boosts their sense of touch using the different textures.

In the evening, there was a huge storm and we had a power outtage. That meant no more electricity nor light but also no
more running water, so we collected buckets of rain water to wash the dishes and flush the toilet. What an adventure! We sat outside to watch the lightning strikes. And it didn’t stop us from planning the next camp day!



Wednesday started under pouring rain. The volunteers were wondering how many children would come. Well, turns
out all 24 showed up, motivated as always, despite the unfriendly weather! So we did morning activities inside, such as crafting animals using toilet paper rolls. In the afternoon, once the sun was back, we switched to outside, to have more space to run around.


During Thursdays’ energizer in groups of 2 we learnt simple steps, practiced without the music and then turned the music on to try out our new skill. After lunch we did animal face paintings and then used our new faces for emotional theater.

After that, it was already time to say goodbye! As always, a lot of hugs and mixed feelings. As educators we were happy
that the kids had fun but as humans we were also sad to leave knowing we would never see them again.

Kids of Vargyas, we wish you all the best!

This project was also our last as a team and we will all go back to our countries next week.
Bye Romania, thank you ATA and the Hungarian community for the warm welcome you gave us!

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Monday, Our first day of the amazing adventure camp, started by getting the kids to know each other. After that, we divided them into two groups. One group started with the games (Team 1), which was a baseball-like game while the other group did a whole workshop on how to read a map and how to make an improvised compass (Team 2). After that, we switched groups (Team 1 did the map reading and Team 2 the baseball game). We did that every other day of the camp, so that all of us could have fun in smaller groups that are more manageable, playing and making the amazing workshops.



On Tuesday, after the energizers, we played a few rounds of Police VS Thieves and Capture the Flag. After the break, we prepared some origami: birds, frogs, planes, handfans… and a theater improvisation game in group of 4 of 5 with different situations such as meeting a bear in the forest!



On Wednesday we played a very exciting game called Gymkhana. This game had eight stations, where the kids in groups had to complete several tasks, like bowling cans, passing a balloon without using their hands, or building a card castle. And while that was happening we started making little markers/flags for our big game of the next day.



Thursday was so exiting, we started the day with energizer activities and a super obstacle race where the kids had to use their agility to finish first.
After that we did a treasure hunt, in which teams of different color were looking for their little flags that were hidden through the whole school. We finished the day with some more relaxing games and a paint craft inspired from pointillism,done with cotton buds.



It’s been a super fun camp, but we still had one final day to spend together, so we prepared a surprise: after playing under the sun we wanted to refresh ourselves so we made a Water fight with water balloons, water guns, buckets and everything to refresh ourselves, after that we made a special craft, a kite to fly through the sky or to decorate and hang in our rooms!!

Its been a super fun camp with lots of different experiences to remember and even thought it is ending, we are going to have a super cool shirts with lots of things written by all of us so that we all can remember this great camp

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Arts and craft fun time in Kőrispatak! The Short term volunteers stayed in the famous straw-hat crafting village of Kőrispatak for 3 days, and organized together with the local priestess, Somodi Anita, a camp and traditional craft activities for the kids from 6 to 12 years old.
The volunteers were very enthusiastic to offer kids another way to spend their holiday and connect with each other.

On Tuesday they welcomed the children and played games to remember each other’s names.



After that, craft time! We had 2 pieces of wood. Using 2 layers of white paint, we made sure it would look good and then applied table napkins, after which we put glue on top of it, to make the blank spaces transparent. Once it’s dry it looks like a painting!


On Wednesday we did a fun Spanish dance! A new instruction is added at each sentence and at the end we all looked silly but it was a lot of fun
The weather was amazing!



On Thursday, in the priestess garden, we did fun games and then crafted angels out of straw. That was quite easy as we had done braids with straws the day before.



We finished the day by playing active games such as Capture the flag and the Rock paper scissors race. Everybody ran, defending the flag of their respective teams and looking for the one of the other team. Both team blue and team pink demonstrated great team work!



Then came the moment to say goodbye, with a lot of great memories and some sadness too. We did a big circle and screaaamed all together to acknowledge all of the emotions we felt during the camp.

Thank you to Communitas for making this camp possible, to the priestess, everyone who welcomed us and all the kids who shared these nice moments with us.

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This week we had an amazing day camp with the theme: EXPERIENCE, so to pull off a memorable camp we encouraged the kids to prepare a play to perform for the end of the week.

Along with that we had some other activities and exciting games in store, such as a sportive version of rock-paper-scissors , where they had to jump into chalk rings and be faster that the other team.  On the first days we did some theater related activities, like pantomime, to bring their best acting skills on.

Early in the morning we began always with some energizers and there was never lack of singing and dancing. Then to prepare for the play the children formed four groups, where they could choose a theme: comedy, action or drama, and they came up with ideas with the help of the local and international volunteers.

On Wednesday we had a really interesting workshop about sound with our French volunteer, Mathieu. Using different materials he showed the kids how they could imitate sounds (like animal or action). Then they crafted some materials they will use in the play and they were really creative!