My volunteer experience at CEOAI was absolutely wonderful. The committee was incredibly friendly and easygoing, especially since they were young, which made it super easy to get along and have fun. Jokes aside, there were also some really tough days. We were on our feet from morning until late evening, but luckily, I had some of my classmates and school friends there with me. The best part was that every single day brought a completely different vibe and memorable events.
Day 1
The first day passed in a flash because the delegations were already arriving. I had the pleasure of coordinating the delegation from Moldova. Afterward, I headed to the practice round held at CREIC, where I helped coordinate alongside a good friend. The news crews even showed up in the halls while we were busy reporting platform issues to the team.
Day 2
I couldn't make it to the opening ceremony in the morning, but I joined the practice round shortly after. I mostly hung out with a classmate until the committee came over and gave us the hilarious task of turning a QWERTY keyboard into an AZERTY one :))))). Later, we went to the BMW office where they held a workshop, and that was pretty much it before dinner.
Day 3
Competition day! Initially, we hung out with the delegations in front of CREIC. We guided them upstairs before the contest started and made sure all their computers were turned on and ready to go. Afterward, a few colleagues and I stayed in a separate room where we played cards :)). We also acted as impromptu baristas, making coffee for anyone who needed it since we had an espresso machine right there. Sadly, I had to leave for about three hours in the middle of the competition, but I returned later with some friends to give the delegations a tour of Cluj, wrapping up the day with dinner.
Day 4
The second day of the competition was tough, and we stayed there the entire day. There were a lot of technical issues right at the start; I ran back and forth with another volunteer to centralize all the problems for the committee. In between, we played some cards, distributed food, made sure everything was running smoothly, and did some short shifts supervising the contest rooms. Afterward, we went to play board games with the delegations and volunteers (while another group went to the Cluj Botanical Garden), which was super interesting and fun.
Day 5
We took an amazing trip to the Turda Salt Mine (Salina Turda), where we explored and rode the boats on the underground lake with most of the delegations, volunteers, and the committee. Afterward, we had lunch at a really cool restaurant. Then came the awards ceremony, where every medal-winning student was recognized. We, the volunteers, also got to go up on stage for some photos! The CEO of BMW was there too. Finally, we had the closing gala, where we partied and had a blast with all the delegations until late at night.
