„So there are some Polish rover scouts coming over to Romania in May. They want to meet some local rovers to do some activities together and we need to find somebody to work with them on that…”
„I’ll do it!” came out of my mouth before I even thought it through. And so i did.
A few weeks went by and I was having my first Skype call with Jakub, the Polish group’s leader, and on what better day than the 22nd of February. It was off to a fruitful start. Lists were drawn, activities were proposed and information neatly structured until something akin’ to a schedule for their visit was prepared. It was the beginning of April and everything was going absolutely great…except for the fact that it wasn’t going the way we wanted it to. A couple of phone and Skype calls later, the most amazing idea struck us: merging the polish visit with the local Rover camp, Senioriada. So, with 3 weeks till the event, we scraped lots of the original plans and, along with the organisers form Cluj, started replanning the event keeping in mind that we will have foreign attendance.
Of course, suddenly it was double the people. We had to take into account language barriers as well as the fact that they wouldn’t be familiar with the history of the location or the story of the camp. So, what happened you ask? Well, come April 28th, all the staff finally met in Rosia Montana. We looked over everything one more time before the opening and came to one conclusion: whatever will be, will be. On that note, and with lots of creativity and perseverance on hand, we started our trip through North America- the location where our story was taking place.
Three days passed with clouds, rain, fog and moments of blue sky. We hiked the hills, played games, danced in the centre of town, spoke with the locals, had debates, participated in a mass at the local church, cooked, did community service and last but not least, sang our hearts out around the fire. Was it difficult? Definitely not. Not more difficult than planning your local camp. Was it fun? You bet! With a mix of Romanians from around the country, Polish scouts and even one French rover, the entire affair felt like a mini-jamboree. No wonder everyone enjoyed it, despite most feedback starting with either the word “wet” or “cold”.
In the end, we asked people what they’re taking home and found some pretty amazing answers: positive memories, new friends, a glucose bar, a lot of good jokes, self-confidence, thoughts about new rover activities, a cold, chocolate, spiritual thoughts, new challenges, Romanian or Polish scout scarfs, stories and of course, happiness. Considering all of these, I think we wrapped-up a pretty good event, for a team that worked across country, borders and cultures via chat and Skype calls.
So come May 1st, we each we parted ways, us going back home, while our new Polish friends went on to visit our country, but not before a series of long hugs and invitations running back and forth for visiting Poland and returning to Romania. Until then, do widzenia!
Articol redactat de Ștefania Sahanschi.
