• Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Appalachia – West Virginia
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rosebud Reservation – South Dakota
      • Española – New Mexico
  • Projects
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • Blog
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Uncategorized

How I “fell in love” with students in Romania

students in Romania

With an interest in Eastern European countries and the will to contribute where help is needed Nancy Haga, volunteered in Barlad, Romania this past May. Nancy  taught at the middle school students of different ages using various techniques to keep them focused, interested and made all her classes worthy to attend. She was very energetic, smart and creative and used all her qualities to help the students in Romania improve their English and gain new perspective on American culture while learning herself about Romanian culture from her students. Here, Nancy shares her reflections of her two-week volunteer experience in Romania. 


Overly excited and pleased with her experience with Global Volunteers, Nancy can’t hide her pleasure of teaching conversational English in Romania: “I FELL IN  LOVE WITH THESE STUDENTS IN ROMANIA!!!  I don’t think there can be any experience that will match the wonderful opportunity I had teaching English to these beautiful children in Barlad. From the very first day, I was welcomed by teachers and students in Romania  as a Global Volunteer “celebrity.” On the first day, my assignment was to interview students to assess their responses to questions I prepared. Their responses had to be in English. The winners would be announced the following week with monetary awards, so the stakes were high!” 

students in Romania

Nancy with her students in Romania

Talking about her teaching experience in Barlad, Romania, Nancy says: “For the next two weeks, I was asked to teach three classes of conversational English each day for students from Grades 1 – 7. The curriculum was not set, so I was able to create lessons, based on their interests and abilities.  I don’t think the students were used to learning English through fun games. They ate it up!The students and I delighted in each other every day, with some of the older students returning in the afternoon with the younger students to continue the “lovefest.” The students were polite, bright and eager to learn or improve their English. Fortunately with a background in Speech and Language Development and TEFL certification, I was able to tap into years of experience.”

“Conversational English is critical to these students in Romania, and the staff would appreciate volunteers of various disciplines to converse with the students in less structured setting.  You don’t have to be a teacher to enjoy teaching conversational English!”

~Nancy Haga

Nancy explains that during free time she had the opportunity to discover the Romanian culture, nature, history and cuisine: “The two weeks in Barlad were supervised by the local Global Volunteer Coordinator, Mihaela, who made sure that we were enjoying our total experience. She was exceptional!!  When we were not volunteering, we enjoyed dining in wonderful restaurants, attending student concerts and ceremonies, dining at the home of the Coordinator of the Hospital Program (the Romanian food is incredible!), touring Bucharest and spending a weekend visiting castles in the scenic Carpathian Mountains & Transylvania, home of “Dracula’s” castle.”

students in Romania

A hug of appreciation for all the lessons that Nancy taught to students in Romania

Building bridges of understanding and leaving an impact, is important while volunteering, Nancy talks about the strong connections that she built with her students: “The group hug photo on our last day says it all!  Kids lives were impacted. I left feeling that I had made a significant difference in their lives, as they did mine.”

“On Day 1, the students were strangers – at the end of two weeks, I wanted to take them all home with me!”

~Nancy Haga

STUDENTS IN ROMANIA ARE WAITING FOR YOU

You may never again feel so loved and appreciated after working with these children. No special skills are necessary to teach conversational English – just to be a native English speaker and have the desire to help youth. Ready to take up your Global Volunteers experience? Contact us!

“The experience has impacted me so and I can’t wait to sign up for another teaching service program with Global Volunteers!”

~Nancy Haga

Related topics: 

  • The Children of Barlad – A Reason to Care
  • Teach English Abroad Summer Camp Programs
  • Five Popular Volunteer Programs for Boomers
  • Achieve an Active Retirement through Volunteering 
  • Global Volunteer Reflects on a Unique Service Experience in Poland

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
November 21, 2018/0 Comments/by Millie Pinakoulaki
https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ROM1805A1-Photo-from-Nancy-Haga.jpg 446 640 Millie Pinakoulaki https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Millie Pinakoulaki2018-11-21 11:14:492019-09-06 16:24:29How I “fell in love” with students in Romania
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Partner Communities

  • China 66
  • Cook Islands 43
  • Cuba 115
  • Ecuador 87
  • Greece 67
  • Italy 54
  • Montana 42
  • Nepal 15
  • Peru 96
  • Poland 77
  • Portugal 42
  • South Dakota 8
  • St Lucia 57
  • Tanzania 132
  • Vietnam 42
  • West Virginia 24

Categories

  • Boomer Volunteers
  • Conversational English
  • Couples Volunteering
  • Culture and Traditions Worldwide
  • Development Impact
  • Family Volunteers
  • Free Time Options
  • Global Volunteers
  • Group Volunteering
  • Impact Stories
  • Individuals on Teams
  • Projects for Professionals
  • Reaching Children's Potential
  • Repeat Volunteers
  • Retiree Volunteers
  • Staff Worldwide
  • Student Volunteers
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer Voices
  • Women volunteers

Tags

alumni volunteers American Indian culture Appalachian culture best destination peru Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English cook islands economy covid-19 covid-19 consequences Cuba people-to-people donate for children Earthbox gardens economic support Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects lgbt program peru resume resume high shcool retiree service-learning share food Spring break summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering
  • About Us
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe receive notifications of new posts and updates by email.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is an apolitical, non-sectarian, non-profit (501C-3) tax-exempt organization.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Her Summer Service in Tanzania Inspires Others to Give Back Mary's volunteer experience in Tanzania “It’s another winters day in Ipalamwa or as I like to think of it, ‘Christmas Village in Tanzania.’ Volunteer’s “Winter’s Day” Story Declares “Best...
Scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.