Volunteering in the dog project in Romania

Arrival/Arrival

My adventure began at Frankfurt Airport, when the Lufthansa plane took off in the morning and set course for Bucharest. I was very excited, not to say a little scared. What would all be in store for me now and how would I deal with all the new things?

The flight was smooth, my luggage in Bucharest arrived quickly and I was very excited when I got to the arrivals hall. I quickly located Peter, who held up a sign with my name on it and couldn't be missed. Four other volunteers were already with him. Now we were all there, introduced ourselves briefly and got into the car to start the almost 300 km drive to the site. The drive took about five hours, the mood and entertainment was exuberant and I was able to get a first impression of the area and landscape.

As I walked through the Carpathians, I noticed the many tourist street shops. Peter explained that these are very busy ski areas in winter and that hikers and mountain bikers enjoy nature here in summer too. After the Carpathians, an unbelievable number of storks! In almost every village we saw stork nests on every power pole and there were also an incredible number of these animals in the fields. I looked in vain for a bear. Peter drove us to the pedestrian zone in front of the accommodation and I was very impressed with the location and the beauty of the old building. Lizzy, a former street dog who lives on the property's premises, greeted us cautiously but interested.

When I arrived at the accommodation, the beds had already been assigned, ie I looked for my bed, on which there was a folder with my name and in which I found some important information. Some of the rooms in the women's apartment had eight, six or three beds. Everything seemed simple to me, but functional to loving. On that first evening, all residents went to the nearest restaurant and when I fell into bed exhausted, I was extremely happy and calm about the future for the next three weeks. The day of arrival went really well!

Orientation program

The next morning, all the "newcomers" met in the kitchen of the women's accommodation to receive information about the accommodation process. It was about the shopping list, waste disposal, contact persons, cleanliness and premises. Then we continued with Peter. We moved to his office and were able to get our first impressions of the small town at the project site. There we continued with an introductory round, information about the country and region, rules of conduct and much more. We also talked about how we feel now and how we want to feel when our respective projects are completed. The nature conservation, summer camp and dog shelter projects were represented in our group.

We were able to strengthen ourselves at lunch in a great restaurant. Back at the accommodation, the language lessons continued. We were in Romania, but mainly Hungarian is spoken here. Peter did a great job and explained some basic things about the language well with a flipchart. My personal difficulty, however, was that the fact that the Hungarian language was explained to me in English felt like a big knot formed in my brain.

The day ended with a two-hour city tour. Here we passed impressive buildings, but also important logistical points such as shops, pharmacies and bars and restaurants. On the second day on site, the volunteers went to their respective project, which was the first trip to the dog shelter for me. We drove the 3,5km route by car and were met at the gate for some instruction. During our tour, tumult broke out in the form of barking dogs. About 300 to 400 dogs are housed here.

Areas of responsibility

What could be nicer than spending the day cuddling your dog? That was the main point! Bring time, peace and love! To sit in the kennel and just be there. To observe: Who is shy, who needs to be spoken to, who just wants to play high-spirited and be happily cuddled? Who needs a little speech and needs a little baiting? Sure, the pups are easygoing, sweet, and extremely grateful. But they're also boisterous, and my shoes felt like the main attraction.

I personally like the older dogs! When asked, I was able to find out the history or origin of the fur noses. Some of the stories touched me deeply. Each dog is given a name in the Dog Shelter, which is also only assigned once. This also showed me how lovingly the animals are treated here. All kennels are in excellent condition: toys, space, water, I've never noticed anything wrong! I found the existence of the dogs to be meditative and calming. My everyday life was 1.700 km away, I counted as a human among dogs simply by my presence. Gratitude can be so palpable! There was also the opportunity to attend castrations or walk dogs on a leash outside, but I spent my time in the kennels. This encounter between dog and human seemed too precious to me to spend it any other way and that was okay with everyone.

I was actually only there on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 13 p.m., but I was drawn to the fur noses much earlier and mostly in the afternoon and I was also there for at least two hours at the weekend. When I got into a kennel that had a few piles in it, they were quickly removed in front of my cuddle unit. Feeding and refilling water is assigned to the staff there, so I didn't come into contact with that. Once a donation transport came, which I helped to clear out and in my half-time a transport was prepared with which 22 dogs were allowed to travel to Germany. Apart from that, I helped when called with the dog bathing or other small activities.

Home & Living

The accommodation was in a volunteer house, to the right of the farm was the women's quarters, to the left the men's quarters. I found this living together with different nationalities and age groups enriching. If I wanted company, I found it. But there were also opportunities to retreat and after three weeks, with all these impressions, these moments are important too.

If I wanted to cook something in the evening, there was usually a person to talk to with me in the kitchen and so there were very sociable and sometimes very touching conversations, from which friendships should also grow. As a result, the group gained momentum and grew together, even if the language was sometimes an obstacle, especially for me. Up to now, I had not been so used to exchanging ideas in English about emotional worlds!

Essen

On weekdays we had an “arrangement” at lunchtime in the restaurant. In the first week it was a restaurant a few meters from the accommodation where we always met Peter at 13:30 p.m. In the second and third week it was a buffet restaurant. Here we just showed our volunteer ID card and were then able to chow through the rich, partly local offers. If you had prepared the shopping list, you could cook individually in the evening, but the pantry also fulfilled a few wishes. Since eating out in Romania is extremely cheap, we often went to restaurants in the evenings. Highly recommended: Tosca, not far from the accommodation!

leisure

The property offers five bicycles. Since these are mainly intended for the Dog Shelter Volunteers, I often started trips with them directly after my job with the fur noses. So my way led me to the monument of a battle from the 18th century in the village of Siculeni. I also drove to the reservoir behind Frumoasa, which is really worth seeing. But the Sumuleu Ciuc basilica and a hike across the Misericordia pilgrimage site to a truly adventurous lookout tower were also fantastic! The local outdoor pool was different to outdoor pools I've come across, but a must-see if you're interested in how the locals live. Otherwise there is hardly a street in the city that I have not cycled or walked. On the first weekend in August, the city festival took place in the city, with many stalls, live music and a very lively nightlife.

Why RGV?

To be blunt: I had no recommendation. I chose RGV because it appealed to me and convinced me during my research on the internet. The best thing is: I was not disappointed! I felt well looked after and in good hands from the start to departure. There were emergency numbers, but I didn't have to use them. The on-site support was fantastic. Peter or Nikki were often seen (at lunch at the accommodation) and whenever questions arose I always received support and information. Shortly before my departure, Peter and I had a final meeting in which he asked me many questions, which I was happy to answer. What surprised me most was that he also had feedback for me and about me. This showed me that he is also very interested in the well-being and development of the volunteers.

Field report by Tanja, July/August 2022