Dasha Chernyshova – turning wishes to actions

Privet, Dasha! Thanks for having you here. Our first question to you is – Is this your first volunteering abroad?

Yes! Even more – it’s almost my first big trip abroad (smiling) Before, when I was 10 years old I was in a Ukrainian summer camp with my brother and last year I visited Turkey for 5 days. That’s all my experience.

How did you decide to come here in Sofia for one year? What was your motivation?

Actually, exactly after this trip to Turkey,  I decided to go somewhere. It was New Year’s time, maybe that’s why the feeling of necessary changes came.  So, when I came back to Perm, I took a decision to quit my job and started  researching opportunities to go. I was finishing my Master degree at the same time, and I realized that nothing keeps me there (except my family, of course, but they usually support me and this idea wasn’t an exception).

How do you find your work at CVS, can you tell us more about the activities you are involved in?

I found our work in CVS challenging and interesting, because we have different activities, where you have to use varied skills and knowledge. I really like such kind of work, because it helps you grow and be more flexible. For now, I’m mostly involved in SIFF (Sofia International Film Festival) organization, but before I participated in teaching kids in refugee camps, organizing events for them and the local community, worked with participants for training.

Was there anything really challenging for you during these 8 months since your coming here?

Not really. Maybe just difference between people’s way of thinking at the beginning of the project.

If you compare yourself before your project and now in the last part of it, do you think that you have changed and in what way?

Yes, for sure! At least, I improved my English level, became more confident, discovered a lot of new facts about different cultures and broke some stereotypes. I think that I started to be more open-minded. According some professional skills, now I can put Bulgarian language with a basic level in my resume (laughing), work in multitasking mode (because sometimes we worked in few different fields at the same time, by the way it was wonderful), scheduling and time management. But at the same time, I understood that sometimes I’m very sensitive and pay attention to tine details that usually better to miss. So, I prefer not to be such kind of person, or at least to learn how to hide it. Now I’m working on it.

Would you recommend EVS (ESC) to someone who had never done it before and according to you what are the greatest benefits of the program?

Actually, I have already recommended EVS (ESC) in my university and also I was invited for interview with one school in Perm where I promoted it. The greatest benefit is experience. Experience of being here, working in multinational team, traveling, learning. Everything, because it changes you a lot! (I guess, I’m very bad at standing out benefits (laughing))

If you can pick up 3 words that describe your EVS experience so far they will be…

Just do it!

Do you have any ideas or plans what you would like to do after your project?

Oh, it’s a very difficult question for me. I would try to stay in EU and find a job,  but because as Russian citizen I don’t have such flexible mobility as European volunteers, for example. So, let’s see and fingers crossed.

Are there any tips you would like to give to the future volunteers?

Be independent and use every moment that you have. I lost a lot of time, because I was shy with my English level and thought that people could have fun at me, but it’s nonsense. If you can express your thoughts somehow, run and communicate!

Thank you Dasha. We wish you the very best for all the new ventures, that life has in store for you!

The project “Volunteering Circles” (2018-2-BG01-KA125-048262) is Co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union and Human Resource Development Center (HRDC).