My EVS Tale

A bit more than four years ago, two friends of mine told me the story of an amazing personal development training which changed the way they see themselves and the world, and showed them how they can overcome unexpected life challenges. There was a place, they said, in a village called Ommen, in the middle of the Dutch countryside, where the magic happened: a new training method was being put into practice, and its impressive results were attracting more and more people from many different countries. That place is the Synergy Olde Vechte Foundation. And the last seven months have proven that the opportunity to do my EVS here was well worth the wait. I am one of the lucky people who got to not only take part in all the Synergy trainings, but also to co-train and assist, and slowly gain precious insight into the philosophy and methods which facilitate so many people’s journey back to their authentic selves and towards finding and achieving their dreams.
My EVS in the Netherlands is much more than that, though. It is jumping on a train without deciding on the final destination. It is hitchhiking and couchsurfing through the country alone. It’s getting lost in a new city or on country roads and enjoying it. Or managing to stay alive in Amsterdam’s cycling jungle. It’s cleaning light switches and sockets for half a day and managing to make it fun. Or cooking for groups of more than 60 people.It’s hard to think of just a few highlights of my time here because there have been a lot so far. I’ve cycled for 50+ km in a day, travelled abroad for trainings and holidays, hitchhiked to The Hague to vote in the Romanian elections, taken part in the celebration of Hanukkah in Amsterdam,helplessly watched a beautiful theatre play in old Dutch without translation, got caught countless times in the rain at night while cycling with a strong wind from the front, visited a mosque for the first time in my life in a Rotterdam city safari, laughed and cried, shared and discovered, met old friends and made lots of new ones, and, most of all, became truly connected to that “invincible summer” within that allows me to follow through and find joy in life no matter the circumstances.
Now the busiest period in our organization has passed. The trainings have finished, the youth exchanges are over and there isn’t so much left to do. Five more months of wandering around and uncertainty. Or maybe not. For where there is nothing, anything can be brought into existence. A recurring phrase from our trainings is coming to my mind: “You are the creator of your own experience”. It is time to put into practice everything that I’ve learned and start creating the future.

Ilinca Toderean