BUas student Alise, joined fellow KreativEU students in Târgoviște, Romania, for a Walking Seminar tracing Wallachia's living heritage — discovering that, like the region's traditions, connection has no fixed beginning or end.

From 28 June to 4 July 2026, Alise Krista Barakauska, a third-year International Tourism Management, Social Innovation student at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas), joined fellow students from across our alliance in Târgoviște, Romania, for a KreativEU Walking Seminar on the living heritage of Wallachia's historic capitals. Hosted by Valahia University, the seminar brought together participants from 11 partner institutions to explore how cultural heritage continues to shape communities today — not confined to museums, but lived, practised, and passed on.

Alise shared her reflections on the week.

Building a community around shared curiosity
"We started as strangers from 11 universities, all there out of curiosity for cultural heritage," Alise recalled. "But within a few days, we became a little family."

One moment stood out: sitting at a monument in Târgu Jiu, the group listened to host lecturer Silviu speak about peace and the meaning of infinity. "We talked about how living heritage has no end and no beginning — that connection has none of that either, and that meaning is up to our own interpretation. That's when we understood why we were there: not to find one answer, but to look at things through our own backgrounds and share them."

Learning to listen across cultures
The seminar underlined how personal experience shapes perception. "Everyone sees things differently, depending on how we were brought up and the life we've lived," Alise said. "That becomes visible when discussing heritage that keeps on living. Not everyone will always agree with you — but it's important to stay critical, stay open, and listen."

Language added an unexpected dimension. Many participants, and many people in the Romanian villages they visited, did not speak English. "We still managed among ourselves. And entering these communities, they welcomed us warmly, sharing their traditions, even when we didn't fully understand each other. A language can be a barrier — but it can also be a power."

A lesson in slowing down
Perhaps the most lasting takeaway was cultural. "People take time to sit down for lunch and dinner. No one rushes. You just live in the moment and truly connect. In a culture that hustles from appointment to appointment, we should remember to enjoy the one life we have."

The KreativEU Walking Seminars form part of the alliance's wider programme of student mobility and cultural heritage engagement. Interested in joining a future seminar? Keep an eye on our events calendar for upcoming opportunities.