When I learned that I would be going abroad for the first time in my life, I think what I wondered most was what kind of experience was waiting for me. As someone who had never been abroad before, I had started counting the days. On one hand, there was the excitement of going to another country; on the other, the curiosity of sharing the same environment for nine days with people I had never met.

The topic of the project also interested me a lot: Digital Detox: Balancing Screen and Green. But when I set off, I did not yet know that this would not only be a project about environment and technology for me.

From Istanbul to Bansko

Our journey started in Istanbul. Our first stop was Sofia. Since we arrived in Sofia in the morning, we had the chance to explore the city a little while waiting for our bus to Bansko. What caught my attention most in the city was the architecture. The human figures extending outward from some buildings were especially interesting.

After our short visit to Sofia, we set off for Bansko. When we arrived in Bansko in the evening, the project coordinators welcomed us at the bus station and took us to the hotel where we would stay.

The first thing I noticed when I got out of the car was nature. Bansko was much greener than I had expected. It was a calm and peaceful place surrounded by mountains. I knew it was famous for winter tourism, but seeing snow still remaining on the mountain peaks even though it was summer surprised me. At that moment, I felt that I was in the right place.

The first evening: speaking in an unfamiliar language

We did not have a program on the first day. After resting a little and having dinner, we started getting to know the Bulgarian participants in our group. Our common language was English. For me, this was a completely new experience on its own.

I had never been abroad before, and for the first time I would communicate in English for a long period with people from completely different countries. Surprisingly, I felt very comfortable. Seeing that nobody focused on speaking mistakes and that everyone was trying to understand one another gave me great relief.

I talked a lot and laughed a lot. That evening, I realized that you do not need to be perfect to speak English. What matters is having the courage to speak.

Getting to know one another

The next morning, the program started. The main purpose of the first day was to get to know one another. Through various games prepared by our facilitators, we tried to learn each other’s names and help the group get used to one another.

These games, which seemed simple at first, really worked within a few hours. There was no longer only “someone from Türkiye” or “someone from Bulgaria.” There were people whose names we knew, people we talked to and laughed with.

We did not only listen, we created

Throughout the project, we constantly prepared something. We made posters, shot videos, prepared presentations and presented them to the other participants. Some activities were done with national teams, while others were carried out with international teams made up of people from different countries.

The international team activities were especially instructive for me. We could directly see how people from different countries approached the same topic. One person added something new to another person’s idea, and in the end, we created something we could not have thought of alone.

Presenting was no longer as frightening as before

I am normally someone who feels nervous when presenting in front of a group. But during this project, I noticed that this had started to change. While presenting the work we had prepared in front of the other participants, I felt much more comfortable than I had expected.

Maybe this was because nobody was judging you. Everyone was part of the same process. Everyone was speaking English, everyone sometimes made mistakes and everyone supported one another. Even in the first few days, I felt a change in myself.

I almost forgot my phone

Since the topic of the project was Digital Detox, I started paying special attention to my phone use. What I noticed surprised me. Apart from communicating with friends, I almost never used my phone.

Our days started in the morning and continued until the evening. In the evenings, we spent time with friends from other countries. So there was not much time left to look at the phone anyway. I used to think I would get bored when I was not on my phone. On the contrary, my days felt much fuller.

Cultural Night: learning cultures by experiencing them

The cultural night events held in the evenings were among the most unforgettable parts of the project for me. Each country introduced its own culture. Food, music, dances and traditions...

We did much more than watch presentations. We learned one another’s cultures by experiencing them. We had a particularly fun time during the Türkiye and Romania night. We danced halay, üç ayak, kolbastı and many other dances throughout the evening.

What was interesting was realizing that we had much more in common with Balkan countries than I had thought. There were similarities in music, food, dances and even in the way we had fun. Seeing how close we actually were while thinking we came from different countries was very impressive for me.

The project title became clearer in nature

One day, we all walked to a lake about two kilometers away from the hotel. Bansko was already a place surrounded by nature, but this walk became one of the moments when I truly experienced the theme of the project.

We moved away from phones, computers and the screens of daily life and walked in nature. When we reached the lake, we spent time together, talked and had fun. That day, I understood better that Balancing Screen and Green was not just a project title.

Discovering Bansko with our own steps

On the free day of the project, as the Turkish group, we walked to the center of Bansko. On the way, we explored the surroundings and even picked fruits from the branches. When we reached the center, we visited souvenir shops and walked through the streets. Then we sat in a cafe and talked.

This day was especially beautiful for me because we had the chance to discover Bansko on our own, outside the project program. While walking through the streets of the city, I started to feel more clearly the difference between the first day and the final days of the project. The people beside me were no longer strangers.

How did nine days pass so quickly?

As we reached the final days of the project, the program continued. We prepared videos about the positive and negative sides of social media, completed our work and presented it. On the last day, we received our certificates. Then came the moment I expected but did not want to arrive: saying goodbye.

It was hard to say goodbye to people whose names I had not even known nine days earlier. The Oscar Night held in the evening helped soften this sadness a little. Based on the memories we had shared during the project, we chose different “most” categories and had fun together.

Leaving Bansko

On 11 June, we left the hotel. Together with our Romanian friends and the other Turkish group, we went to Sofia. We explored the city once more, and then it was truly time to say goodbye.

When I got on the night bus back to Istanbul, the first day of the project kept coming to my mind. I had gone abroad for the first time. I had lived in the same environment with so many people from different countries for the first time. I had spoken English for such a long time for the first time. And for the first time, I had become so attached to a project that I did not want it to end.

What did this experience bring me?

When I went to this project, my biggest expectation was to see a new country. But when I returned to Istanbul, I had much more with me: new friendships, new cultures, new words, new experiences and new discoveries about myself.

I felt more comfortable socially. I gained more confidence in speaking English. I got to know different cultures. I experienced how teamwork can function with people from different countries.

Most importantly, I saw that real bonds can be formed in a very short time with people you have never met before. Perhaps the most beautiful part of an Erasmus+ project is not only that it shows you a new country; it also teaches you to look at the world through a wider window.