Open your eyes for Mobility

Story by: Boriana Krasteva
Country of origin: Bulgaria
Country of destination: Czech Republic

pragueThank you for inviting me to share a story with you about one of my mobility. My name is Boriana Krasteva and since 13 years I am involved into the non-profit area. I have experience working with young people and education in general. Non-formal trainings, seminars and exchanges are part of my work.

I will share with you a mobility that took place in the most beautiful town Prague. Yes we all know how beautiful it is and it’s a tourist place number 1. Indeed the city is memorized and you get amazed by everything, not only the castle and old town, the famous clock, but everything around, event in neighborhoods.

prague1The mobility I went there was both youth exchange and a conference at the end on Roma youth issues, organized for 12 years by one of the NGOs we worked in Prague. There were over 30 young people from Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Prague. We have been about 7 people from Bulgaria and I was as leader of the group. As such I had the chance to observe the behavior and the attitudes as well as the experience the youth from Bulgaria are going through. Some of the participants haven’t been travel till then outside the country. For them it was huge step forward as some were coming from Roma background. This particular exchange gave me so much as I had to experience how people hardly can understand each other in English made their own way to communicate with. Lot of gestures and translations from Roma, to Slovak to Bulgarian and Russian were used. The situation just proved that mobility is an important part of personal development and gives people ability to communicate and learn new things. Openness is crucial in these days and I believe mobility is a way toward getting to know each other’s culture, hobbits, religion and do things together for better change.