Before coming to Serbia, most of my background was in filmmaking, video editing and digital media. I wanted to experience life in another country, leave my comfort zone and at the same time do something meaningful. That is why I decided to join the European Solidarity Corps Humanitarian Aid programme and come to Serbia. 

At the beginning, I was excited but also curious about how daily life would be, how communication would work and how different Serbian culture would be from Turkish culture. One of my first surprises was actually how many similarities there are between the two cultures, especially when it comes to hospitality, food and the way people spend time together. 

During my time at EHO, I have mainly been working with elderly people at the senior club. I have taken part in different activities and prepared workshops for them, where we could learn, create and spend time together. Besides the workshops, one of the activities I really enjoyed was doing yoga together. These simple moments helped me understand, that volunteering is not always about doing something big. Sometimes having a conversation, doing an activity together or simply creating a positive atmosphere can be very meaningful. 

My background in media and creative work has also been useful here. I enjoy preparing visual materials, presentations and cultural activities. One of the experiences I enjoyed was introducing Turkish culture through an interactive workshop together with other volunteers. 

Living in Serbia has also helped me become more independent, patient and adaptable. I started learning Serbian, meeting new people and understanding a different culture from inside rather than as a tourist. 

For the second half of my stay, I would like to continue improving my Serbian, take part in more activities and use my creative skills whenever they can be helpful. I hope that at the end of this experience, I will remember not only the places I visited, but especially the people I met and the moments we shared together. 

Did Furkan’s experience catch your interest?

Our volunteers are involved in humanitarian work in Serbia, Zambia, and Uganda. If you’d like to experience something similar, read more on our website and join us! 

Volunteer abroad with ADRA

The Humanitarian Volunteering for Solidarity Activities project (No. 101140258) runs from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2027, and is co-financed by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this text are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the grant provider (the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency). Neither the European Union nor the grant provider are responsible for them.