by Dinu Antonescu
As my very first CISV experience, together with three amazing teammates, Renata, Carol, and Isabelle, I attended the Veni Vidi Vici Step Up hosted by the Northeast Ohio Chapter.
Finding a leader was especially challenging, but our patience and worries were rewarded with the best leader we could hope for, Drew. Although we did not have much time to get to know one another, within the first few days we all became very close with Drew, or Drewski, as I like to call her.
Our camp included four delegations from Austria, Mexico, France and the US. Due to the small number of participants we became very close. Together, we built an “International Village” for three weeks.
By making beautiful memories, we were able to not only form everlasting bonds which were sealed with our farewell tears, but also to learn from one another. For instance, through our evening discussions, The Austrian Leader taught me that, “The ones crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.” To ingrain this, he offered me a CISV Austria shirt with this message… Which is washed less than it should :-). This memorable experience was only possible because Priya introduced me to CISV. Thank you so much Priya!!!
Photo: Delegates in NE Ohio Step Up 2022.
This post was first published in CISV NY’s Fall 2022 Newsletter. Read it in full here.