The start of my journey
This is it! My first blog post ever! I am glad that I can share my cool experiences that I've had until now in Croatia, so I'm gonna start describing them now 🙂
MAY
I arrived in Zagreb on the 8th of May, after a 12-hours travel and two bus changes. At the bus station I was welcomed by a wonderful and charming person, my girlfriend (yes, we did have a long-distance relationship for which I'm so grateful it lasted until my arrival here). I was given a tour of the apartment where I was about to live for the next 10 months by Anna, a previous EVS volunteer. I also met the other two girls, Sigita and Andrea and for the next week these three awesome girls would be my new buddies. We hung out together, to break the ice, then we started cooking lunch and dinner as a nice family and then we had an introduction about what Outward Bound does and what are our rights and responsibilities. I have to be honest and say that the first week of office work was a bit tough for me, because I always tried to avoid it, since I'm an adventurous type of person, but it was a good test to get out of my comfort zone and to learn new things.
On the second day I met my mentor, Ivana, which is a fun and cool person, as I got to know her from previous Facebook chats and video calls, so my EVS started with me being surrounded by girls ;)
We went to Samobor, a lovely and quiet village, we enjoyed some local cake, the kremšnit and we had a presentation about OB for some short-term EVS volunteers.
The next week we met Cian and in Veliki Žiznik, on an outdoor program for kids, we met Cam, the two other volunteers, so the team was complete! We had a great time in Žitnik, enjoying the nice weather, the nature, the activities and expeditions and the new people we kept on meeting. I can say that I improved my outdoor skills a lot during that program because I made a fire with a fire steel for the first time, I saw how a bivouac was built, I learned how to make 10 of the most important knots for rock climbing and for bivouac, I slept in a hammock for the first time and then I continued sleeping in it for three nights in a row. I also found out that I have some photo skills: I took a lot of photos of the kids and of the activities, that were later appreciated, even though I thought I had no talent with the camera. After the program we came back to the office work and we met most of the staff of Outward Bound Croatia, the team that will coordinate us during our EVS. We have a lot of events that we will participate to, in June and July, so we are preparing for them. I am so excited! I love this new life that I stepped into and I am looking forward to all the opportunities that will open up for me. Life's good!
MAY
I arrived in Zagreb on the 8th of May, after a 12-hours travel and two bus changes. At the bus station I was welcomed by a wonderful and charming person, my girlfriend (yes, we did have a long-distance relationship for which I'm so grateful it lasted until my arrival here). I was given a tour of the apartment where I was about to live for the next 10 months by Anna, a previous EVS volunteer. I also met the other two girls, Sigita and Andrea and for the next week these three awesome girls would be my new buddies. We hung out together, to break the ice, then we started cooking lunch and dinner as a nice family and then we had an introduction about what Outward Bound does and what are our rights and responsibilities. I have to be honest and say that the first week of office work was a bit tough for me, because I always tried to avoid it, since I'm an adventurous type of person, but it was a good test to get out of my comfort zone and to learn new things.
On the second day I met my mentor, Ivana, which is a fun and cool person, as I got to know her from previous Facebook chats and video calls, so my EVS started with me being surrounded by girls ;)
We went to Samobor, a lovely and quiet village, we enjoyed some local cake, the kremšnit and we had a presentation about OB for some short-term EVS volunteers.
The next week we met Cian and in Veliki Žiznik, on an outdoor program for kids, we met Cam, the two other volunteers, so the team was complete! We had a great time in Žitnik, enjoying the nice weather, the nature, the activities and expeditions and the new people we kept on meeting. I can say that I improved my outdoor skills a lot during that program because I made a fire with a fire steel for the first time, I saw how a bivouac was built, I learned how to make 10 of the most important knots for rock climbing and for bivouac, I slept in a hammock for the first time and then I continued sleeping in it for three nights in a row. I also found out that I have some photo skills: I took a lot of photos of the kids and of the activities, that were later appreciated, even though I thought I had no talent with the camera. After the program we came back to the office work and we met most of the staff of Outward Bound Croatia, the team that will coordinate us during our EVS. We have a lot of events that we will participate to, in June and July, so we are preparing for them. I am so excited! I love this new life that I stepped into and I am looking forward to all the opportunities that will open up for me. Life's good!
JUNE
The second month of my service started with the on-arrival training in Orahovica, from the 5th to the 10th of June. I had heard that those 6 days of training are the best combination between the program, the information, the activities that were going to be delivered to us volunteers and the casual atmosphere of meeting new and interesting people, plenty of good food and relaxing time and fun games. And so it was! I can say that the training clarified many aspects I was not so sure of, regarding the intercultural learning, dealing with conflict and my rights and responsibilities as a volunteer. I learned the importance of self-evaluation, of giving and receiving feedback, of planning goals and avoiding prejudice.
About the fun part, I definitely enjoyed the company of the other 12 volunteers from such different countries and the time spent together swimming in the pool, hiking in the forest, playing games at night and of course, partying! We were, again, like a big family and I got so used to eating at a big table, surrounded by nice people and to sharing opinions and experiences. That was awesome! One thing I have to mention, on a little narcissistic note, is the fact that my name became famous in the whole town. How did that happen? Well, during the project management task, a group of volunteers created an article about our purpose of staying in Orahovica. The article also contained the names of us that were present there at that time, including mine. The last night we went out, there was a man that approached us and asked about what we are doing in Orahovica and when he heard my name, he told me that everyone associates me with Vlad the Impaler. That was a bit of an instant ego-escalator, I can say :) Overall, I loved the experience and now I feel better prepared for what my volunteering service will involve during my stay. And for now I can see that it will involve a lot of work, because summer is here, and the outdoor programs are going to start.
As soon as I got home from the training, another trip was already waiting for me. This time it was again in Veliki Žitnik, the volunteers' second home 🙂 I planned to stay there for 5 days, in which I would be doing some "man work", like cutting, polishing and painting wood, digging trenches and filling them with sand. I enjoyed it so much! I like working outdoors and seeing some good results of my work. The thing I liked the most was that I could try to defeat my fears of using some tools that I always thought as "too dangerous" for me. Under an instructor's surveillance, I managed to use 3 new tools for wood and to start using them well! I was so proud of myself and that boosted my self-confidence :)
I came home on the 16th of June and I went to the fireworks' festival near lake Bundek. I had that planned since last year, in December, so it was nice to cut that from my bucket list :) The fireworks were amazing, my first time participating to this kind of festival, and it was worth it. I was surrounded by friends and that improved the level of my happiness :) After that, I did some more office work, including preparation for some workshops I will lead, again for the first time, so I can only be excited. I actually am trying a looot of new things, thanks to the EVS, and this is such a nice and improving experience for me I will soon post a list with all the new things I have experienced.
The date of 22nd came and so I was off on a trip to Plitvice lakes, with my girlfriend. I can say that it was one of the best days in my life. We had such a good time, we enjoyed the beauty of the nature, and the time we spent together. My girl even received some love declarations in a song, from a Dutch men's choir. That was so funny and nice :) Plitvice are definitely worth visiting. I'm planning to go again during the winter season.
After my one-day vacation, I went back to Žitnik, for the start of the summer Outward Bound programs. Yeah! It was about time for some real deal xD I enjoyed it a lot! The expedition through the wilderness was the first one of this kind for me, so it was one of those experiences that I will always relate to in the future. We first went climbing on a rock called Čelina and I was excited about that, but when I was about to abseil, a thunderstorm started, so we had to go down. I was a bit disappointed, but I knew I would be able to do it again. We camped in the forest and I slept in the hammock, even though it was raining, but the combination between the lightning, the wind, the forest and the cozy feeling inside the sleeping back just fascinated me. On the second day, we went to the lake and we had a refreshing bath. I enjoyed the time spent with the children, they were funny and smart and they accepted me as one of their leaders, which was nice 🙂 We came back to Oteš, we went to the cave and we did some community service, helping a man carry wood from the forest to his house. The hard work was worth it, he gave us some food and water, which we desperately needed. On the next day, we woke up at 3:30 a.m, and we went to the river Lika. The night walk was awesome, it was a lot easier because it wasn't that hot. The kids had a "treasure hunt", for food, which ended successfully and we cooked dinner all together. All went well, until a thunderstorm unleashed its rain and wind upon our campsite and we had to finish cooking and rebuild the shelter. It was a challenging task and quite uncomfortable, being wet, tired, hungry and dirty, but in the end the dinner was delicious and we managed to dry ourselves a bit :) On the fifth day of the expedition we had our "solo time", which is usually a few hours of staying alone in one place, in order to think about the experience and acknowledge the lessons we learned. It was a good program, in which I learned a lot about myself and about camping, I stepped out of my comfort zone and I enjoyed the nature and the people I spent time with. It was unforgettable.
The second month of my service started with the on-arrival training in Orahovica, from the 5th to the 10th of June. I had heard that those 6 days of training are the best combination between the program, the information, the activities that were going to be delivered to us volunteers and the casual atmosphere of meeting new and interesting people, plenty of good food and relaxing time and fun games. And so it was! I can say that the training clarified many aspects I was not so sure of, regarding the intercultural learning, dealing with conflict and my rights and responsibilities as a volunteer. I learned the importance of self-evaluation, of giving and receiving feedback, of planning goals and avoiding prejudice.
About the fun part, I definitely enjoyed the company of the other 12 volunteers from such different countries and the time spent together swimming in the pool, hiking in the forest, playing games at night and of course, partying! We were, again, like a big family and I got so used to eating at a big table, surrounded by nice people and to sharing opinions and experiences. That was awesome! One thing I have to mention, on a little narcissistic note, is the fact that my name became famous in the whole town. How did that happen? Well, during the project management task, a group of volunteers created an article about our purpose of staying in Orahovica. The article also contained the names of us that were present there at that time, including mine. The last night we went out, there was a man that approached us and asked about what we are doing in Orahovica and when he heard my name, he told me that everyone associates me with Vlad the Impaler. That was a bit of an instant ego-escalator, I can say :) Overall, I loved the experience and now I feel better prepared for what my volunteering service will involve during my stay. And for now I can see that it will involve a lot of work, because summer is here, and the outdoor programs are going to start.
As soon as I got home from the training, another trip was already waiting for me. This time it was again in Veliki Žitnik, the volunteers' second home 🙂 I planned to stay there for 5 days, in which I would be doing some "man work", like cutting, polishing and painting wood, digging trenches and filling them with sand. I enjoyed it so much! I like working outdoors and seeing some good results of my work. The thing I liked the most was that I could try to defeat my fears of using some tools that I always thought as "too dangerous" for me. Under an instructor's surveillance, I managed to use 3 new tools for wood and to start using them well! I was so proud of myself and that boosted my self-confidence :)
I came home on the 16th of June and I went to the fireworks' festival near lake Bundek. I had that planned since last year, in December, so it was nice to cut that from my bucket list :) The fireworks were amazing, my first time participating to this kind of festival, and it was worth it. I was surrounded by friends and that improved the level of my happiness :) After that, I did some more office work, including preparation for some workshops I will lead, again for the first time, so I can only be excited. I actually am trying a looot of new things, thanks to the EVS, and this is such a nice and improving experience for me I will soon post a list with all the new things I have experienced.
The date of 22nd came and so I was off on a trip to Plitvice lakes, with my girlfriend. I can say that it was one of the best days in my life. We had such a good time, we enjoyed the beauty of the nature, and the time we spent together. My girl even received some love declarations in a song, from a Dutch men's choir. That was so funny and nice :) Plitvice are definitely worth visiting. I'm planning to go again during the winter season.
After my one-day vacation, I went back to Žitnik, for the start of the summer Outward Bound programs. Yeah! It was about time for some real deal xD I enjoyed it a lot! The expedition through the wilderness was the first one of this kind for me, so it was one of those experiences that I will always relate to in the future. We first went climbing on a rock called Čelina and I was excited about that, but when I was about to abseil, a thunderstorm started, so we had to go down. I was a bit disappointed, but I knew I would be able to do it again. We camped in the forest and I slept in the hammock, even though it was raining, but the combination between the lightning, the wind, the forest and the cozy feeling inside the sleeping back just fascinated me. On the second day, we went to the lake and we had a refreshing bath. I enjoyed the time spent with the children, they were funny and smart and they accepted me as one of their leaders, which was nice 🙂 We came back to Oteš, we went to the cave and we did some community service, helping a man carry wood from the forest to his house. The hard work was worth it, he gave us some food and water, which we desperately needed. On the next day, we woke up at 3:30 a.m, and we went to the river Lika. The night walk was awesome, it was a lot easier because it wasn't that hot. The kids had a "treasure hunt", for food, which ended successfully and we cooked dinner all together. All went well, until a thunderstorm unleashed its rain and wind upon our campsite and we had to finish cooking and rebuild the shelter. It was a challenging task and quite uncomfortable, being wet, tired, hungry and dirty, but in the end the dinner was delicious and we managed to dry ourselves a bit :) On the fifth day of the expedition we had our "solo time", which is usually a few hours of staying alone in one place, in order to think about the experience and acknowledge the lessons we learned. It was a good program, in which I learned a lot about myself and about camping, I stepped out of my comfort zone and I enjoyed the nature and the people I spent time with. It was unforgettable.
JULY
July came with some new and fulfilling experiences. Should I be surprised? Not anymore xD I can actually get used to doing things for the first time, to learning by experiencing and to involving in actions that make me get out of my comfort zone. It's Outward Bound Croatia style :) In the first week we had to manage a Youth Exchange whose topic was about yoga and healthy lifestyle. It was my first YE in which I did not go as a participant, so it taught me a lot and I got out of my comfort zone, which is always unforgettable 🙂The persons I met there were so easy to talk to and to work to, that we definitely had a great time. One thing that made this exchange remarkable was the opportunity to lead some games and workshops like the slack-line, laughter yoga, improvisation theater, energizers, which challenged me to organize and manage the groups and activities and made me step into a new dimension. A new level of getting involved into group activities, just like what a trainer or an Outward Bound instructor would do. I enjoyed this transition, it made me feel like I accomplish more and more and that I can use these training skills in the future, in my goal to become and Outward Bound instructor. Oh, didn't I tell you about this? Yes, I am definitely thinking about using this EVS to learn more about OB and their methods and to become part of this awesome organization :D Another memory that I am proud of creating for myself is diving into a river from a 7-meter-high bridge, which I have proof of. This was so challenging for me, given the fact that I did not swim a lot in my life before, I never dived into water that was a lot deeper than me, and I never jumped from this height, but I did it in order to break my limits and to prove myself that with the right attitude, I can do anything. I was soo scared, but I had a huge support from one of the participants of the YE, she was encouraging me a lot. After that, I felt so confident and strong, like never before. It was amazing!
All in all, the expedition and the YE were great and now I am looking forward to my new challenge: the self-development course - Dive into yourself!
July came with some new and fulfilling experiences. Should I be surprised? Not anymore xD I can actually get used to doing things for the first time, to learning by experiencing and to involving in actions that make me get out of my comfort zone. It's Outward Bound Croatia style :) In the first week we had to manage a Youth Exchange whose topic was about yoga and healthy lifestyle. It was my first YE in which I did not go as a participant, so it taught me a lot and I got out of my comfort zone, which is always unforgettable 🙂The persons I met there were so easy to talk to and to work to, that we definitely had a great time. One thing that made this exchange remarkable was the opportunity to lead some games and workshops like the slack-line, laughter yoga, improvisation theater, energizers, which challenged me to organize and manage the groups and activities and made me step into a new dimension. A new level of getting involved into group activities, just like what a trainer or an Outward Bound instructor would do. I enjoyed this transition, it made me feel like I accomplish more and more and that I can use these training skills in the future, in my goal to become and Outward Bound instructor. Oh, didn't I tell you about this? Yes, I am definitely thinking about using this EVS to learn more about OB and their methods and to become part of this awesome organization :D Another memory that I am proud of creating for myself is diving into a river from a 7-meter-high bridge, which I have proof of. This was so challenging for me, given the fact that I did not swim a lot in my life before, I never dived into water that was a lot deeper than me, and I never jumped from this height, but I did it in order to break my limits and to prove myself that with the right attitude, I can do anything. I was soo scared, but I had a huge support from one of the participants of the YE, she was encouraging me a lot. After that, I felt so confident and strong, like never before. It was amazing!
All in all, the expedition and the YE were great and now I am looking forward to my new challenge: the self-development course - Dive into yourself!
Click this button to read
|
Click that button over there to see more pictures :) |
AUGUST
In the first week of August I had a beautiful vacation to the seaside, in Selce. The reason why it was beautiful, except for the dream-like landscape, was because I spent it with my girlfriend 🙂 The sea was calling for me and even though I saw it only for the second time in my life (the first one was on the "Dive into yourself" course), I felt connected to it. In the first two days I felt a bit anxious about going into much deeper water, away from the shore, because of the waves and also my lack of experience in swimming but every day I got more and more used to it and I was just enjoying it. The temperature was perfect! We found the best place for us, on a rocky beach and we went there every day. Selce was a pretty silent and not so crowded place, which was exactly what we were looking for. I had so much fun and I fell in love with the sea, so I'm totally going to see the sea (pun intended) next year in summer. One of the most memorable moments was when I swam alone about 60 meters offshore and I was watching the sun set over the hills, while I was in the deep water. I felt so accomplished and grateful for this experience and for having someone special to share it with.
Soon after my vacation, I went to Žitnik again for being part of the short-term EVS camp "Rhythms of nature". It was the first time when I lived together with 24+ other people for two weeks, and it surely had its rough times, but it was worth it. The short-term volunteers were great! They were highly motivated, hardworking, crazy and funny and during the time we spent together we created some special bonds that made the project special. The volunteers helped us with building a path of logs from the house to a camper nearby, with building a proper and professional-looking fireplace for the future programs, made a compost hole for our future natural-fertilized-garden and a lot more smaller things that mattered. They cooked for themselves and they did a great job with that, it was fun for me to supervise them in the kitchen. They also had some free days in which they went to the seaside, but in which I did some rock climbing and I did lead-climbing for the first time. And for the second. And for the third. I enjoyed it so much that once was not enough 🙂 This camp taught me a lot about how it is like to manage and coordinate a big group of people, it developed my leadership skills, it improved my drumming skills, because we had a drumming workshop and it got me, so I practiced more, it improved my rock climbing skills and I gained new friends and knowledge that will always stay in my heart. Or brain. Anyway, I keep enjoying my EVS every month, every season and I can't wait to see what autumn will bring for me 🙂
In the first week of August I had a beautiful vacation to the seaside, in Selce. The reason why it was beautiful, except for the dream-like landscape, was because I spent it with my girlfriend 🙂 The sea was calling for me and even though I saw it only for the second time in my life (the first one was on the "Dive into yourself" course), I felt connected to it. In the first two days I felt a bit anxious about going into much deeper water, away from the shore, because of the waves and also my lack of experience in swimming but every day I got more and more used to it and I was just enjoying it. The temperature was perfect! We found the best place for us, on a rocky beach and we went there every day. Selce was a pretty silent and not so crowded place, which was exactly what we were looking for. I had so much fun and I fell in love with the sea, so I'm totally going to see the sea (pun intended) next year in summer. One of the most memorable moments was when I swam alone about 60 meters offshore and I was watching the sun set over the hills, while I was in the deep water. I felt so accomplished and grateful for this experience and for having someone special to share it with.
Soon after my vacation, I went to Žitnik again for being part of the short-term EVS camp "Rhythms of nature". It was the first time when I lived together with 24+ other people for two weeks, and it surely had its rough times, but it was worth it. The short-term volunteers were great! They were highly motivated, hardworking, crazy and funny and during the time we spent together we created some special bonds that made the project special. The volunteers helped us with building a path of logs from the house to a camper nearby, with building a proper and professional-looking fireplace for the future programs, made a compost hole for our future natural-fertilized-garden and a lot more smaller things that mattered. They cooked for themselves and they did a great job with that, it was fun for me to supervise them in the kitchen. They also had some free days in which they went to the seaside, but in which I did some rock climbing and I did lead-climbing for the first time. And for the second. And for the third. I enjoyed it so much that once was not enough 🙂 This camp taught me a lot about how it is like to manage and coordinate a big group of people, it developed my leadership skills, it improved my drumming skills, because we had a drumming workshop and it got me, so I practiced more, it improved my rock climbing skills and I gained new friends and knowledge that will always stay in my heart. Or brain. Anyway, I keep enjoying my EVS every month, every season and I can't wait to see what autumn will bring for me 🙂
SEPTEMBER
The autumn season started with a summer-vacation-like trip, because why not? I went on Rab Island, for a 4-days' cayaking program for children. What? Cayaking? In the sea? I am totally up for it! And so I went and I was surprised of how many things I learnt again. My role in the program was logistics (which I hadn't done before) and cooking (for about 50 people, so imagine the hustle). The camp was called Zidine (in Croatian, meaning "walls") and it was like nothing I had seen before. It was such an open and unconventional place. Everyone lived in common, sharing the campsite for tents or bungalows, the kitchen, the dining room, everything. The day we got there it was raining and the place looked gloomy, but when it got sunny again, it actually looked like an ideal vacation destination. Being part of the logistics team, together with my co-volunteer, Sigita, was tough at first, because I was unsure of some procedures or things that I had to solve and the instructors I had to help had a ton of questions about food and equipment, but day by day I got used to my role and planned my tasks ahead, so by the end everything went well and the logistics' team got congratulated for their hard work. I learnt about group dynamics, equipment and how to make such a good gulaš that everyone licked their plates :)) (I'm kidding, I was the one who licked the plate, but the others enjoyed the food). I also managed to do cayaking, which was great! Again, I had never done it before and I got out of my comfort zone, especially because there were parts of the sea that were really deep and the only thing that was between me and the water was a layer of plastic xD I felt so good after the first cayaking session that I had to do it again, the next day. The blue and green of the sea, the clear sky and the warm sun made me feel like in Paradise. It was an unexpected autumn vacation and I enjoyed and learnt a lot.
Another cool thing I did this month was to appear in the new promo video of Outward Bound Croatia! I got chosen to assist with the filming and I went a few days before, to a mountain range called Baške Oštarije to see how the frames would look. It was a beautiful landscape, with sharp rocky mountains, green hills and a nice view to the seaside, from the top and the weather was perfect. The kids that volunteered for the video were fun and cool, so I had a good time with them. I wanted so much to be part of the history of Outward Bound Croatia and to show off my potential in acting and improvising, and so I did 🙂 We filmed some scenes in a few other places and I enjoyed every moment. I am so excited about how it will look in the end!
The autumn season started with a summer-vacation-like trip, because why not? I went on Rab Island, for a 4-days' cayaking program for children. What? Cayaking? In the sea? I am totally up for it! And so I went and I was surprised of how many things I learnt again. My role in the program was logistics (which I hadn't done before) and cooking (for about 50 people, so imagine the hustle). The camp was called Zidine (in Croatian, meaning "walls") and it was like nothing I had seen before. It was such an open and unconventional place. Everyone lived in common, sharing the campsite for tents or bungalows, the kitchen, the dining room, everything. The day we got there it was raining and the place looked gloomy, but when it got sunny again, it actually looked like an ideal vacation destination. Being part of the logistics team, together with my co-volunteer, Sigita, was tough at first, because I was unsure of some procedures or things that I had to solve and the instructors I had to help had a ton of questions about food and equipment, but day by day I got used to my role and planned my tasks ahead, so by the end everything went well and the logistics' team got congratulated for their hard work. I learnt about group dynamics, equipment and how to make such a good gulaš that everyone licked their plates :)) (I'm kidding, I was the one who licked the plate, but the others enjoyed the food). I also managed to do cayaking, which was great! Again, I had never done it before and I got out of my comfort zone, especially because there were parts of the sea that were really deep and the only thing that was between me and the water was a layer of plastic xD I felt so good after the first cayaking session that I had to do it again, the next day. The blue and green of the sea, the clear sky and the warm sun made me feel like in Paradise. It was an unexpected autumn vacation and I enjoyed and learnt a lot.
Another cool thing I did this month was to appear in the new promo video of Outward Bound Croatia! I got chosen to assist with the filming and I went a few days before, to a mountain range called Baške Oštarije to see how the frames would look. It was a beautiful landscape, with sharp rocky mountains, green hills and a nice view to the seaside, from the top and the weather was perfect. The kids that volunteered for the video were fun and cool, so I had a good time with them. I wanted so much to be part of the history of Outward Bound Croatia and to show off my potential in acting and improvising, and so I did 🙂 We filmed some scenes in a few other places and I enjoyed every moment. I am so excited about how it will look in the end!
And here it is! The new promo video of OBC :)
I always wanted to go hiking on Sljeme, and I had the best occasion to do it on the last day of September, with some friends from the on-arrival training in June which visited us. It was Saturday, nice weather, nothing much to do, so we all took some provisions and we went outside for a little adventure. One of my Croatian friends was with us also, and he knew the way so it was perfect. The hike was really good. It was so nice to enter a new dimension, a green paradise with huge trees, little rivers and a beautiful view of the city, from the top. And it's not even far from Zagreb! It is a must-do activity if you visit the Croatian capital city.
OCTOBER
On the 12th of October I went back to Veliki Žitnik, to lead a Youth Exchange called "Nature and art for a new start". My main role was to lead some improvisation games and forum theatre workshop, along with Sigita, so I felt excited that I have the opportunity to put my knowledge in practice and to do something that I am interested in. The participants were fun and open and we had a really good time. We played a lot of games, the final result was good and I felt appreciated and useful, so it was a very good experience.
After the first three days of the youth exchange I had to go to Split to the mid-term EVS training. I met a bunch of amazing people and I had a really good time. The weather was so warm and ideal for hanging out. It was like a late summer vacation. I am so grateful that I can experience these things which I never thought I would. I went to the seaside 4 times this year, like never in my life! Every time I did, it was amazing. The training was useful. I got motivated to do some new things to enjoy the rest of my EVS. It is all going well and I am curious about my next adventures.
On the 12th of October I went back to Veliki Žitnik, to lead a Youth Exchange called "Nature and art for a new start". My main role was to lead some improvisation games and forum theatre workshop, along with Sigita, so I felt excited that I have the opportunity to put my knowledge in practice and to do something that I am interested in. The participants were fun and open and we had a really good time. We played a lot of games, the final result was good and I felt appreciated and useful, so it was a very good experience.
After the first three days of the youth exchange I had to go to Split to the mid-term EVS training. I met a bunch of amazing people and I had a really good time. The weather was so warm and ideal for hanging out. It was like a late summer vacation. I am so grateful that I can experience these things which I never thought I would. I went to the seaside 4 times this year, like never in my life! Every time I did, it was amazing. The training was useful. I got motivated to do some new things to enjoy the rest of my EVS. It is all going well and I am curious about my next adventures.
Here is again the link to the drive where you can see all the photos I have uploaded for you 🙂 Enjoy!
|
NOVEMBER
Since the cold season started, my daily schedule changed a bit and became more predictable and more organised. It is normal that, after such a busy summer and more than half of autumn, things would calm down a bit and I would have more time for myself and for self-reflection. Don't get me wrong. I still am doing a lot of stuff, but now I am spending more time at home and in the office than in the outdoors.
Even so, I still did go on a one-day Outward Bound presentation of a program for kids in Sesvete, not far from Zagreb. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning and I was having so much fun together some with Croatian children, in the attempt of overcoming some obstacles like slack-line, Tarzan's vine, the spider-web and the electric wire, while working in a team. Leading some games, observing them making their plan and succeeding in "solving the puzzle" gave me such a heartwarming feeling that, once more, I wished to become one of these people, an OB instructor, to change young people's views of themselves and to make them realize that they can do more than what they think.
Still on the outdoorsie part of my last autumn month in Croatia, there is this video that I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play in (yes, another one). Three young people from Zagreb participated to some workshops in which they learnt how to make short promo videos. They chose OBC as the organization for which to make a video and, given my passion to act, I got to be their new "star" 🙂 We decided to make an inspirational video about EVS, since not a lot of people know about it and so we managed to shoot some scenes on Sljeme and in the city. I am thrilled that I can have another visible result of my EVS experience and that I can motivate others to start their own story.
I didn't cook a lot on my own, since I came in Croatia, but now that I am spending more time at home and I want to eat proper food, I have started to cook for myself and for others as well and the results are pretty delicious. It seems to me that it's worth taking interest into what your mom cooks when you're at home, cause you never know when you might have to cook for yourself. (I know, there's also the Internet, but momma's recipes are the best). It's a good way to become more independent, when you plan your meals, your food budget and when you actually make what you eat. I can say that I am practicing this more nowadays and it's another confidence boost 🙂
Since the cold season started, my daily schedule changed a bit and became more predictable and more organised. It is normal that, after such a busy summer and more than half of autumn, things would calm down a bit and I would have more time for myself and for self-reflection. Don't get me wrong. I still am doing a lot of stuff, but now I am spending more time at home and in the office than in the outdoors.
Even so, I still did go on a one-day Outward Bound presentation of a program for kids in Sesvete, not far from Zagreb. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning and I was having so much fun together some with Croatian children, in the attempt of overcoming some obstacles like slack-line, Tarzan's vine, the spider-web and the electric wire, while working in a team. Leading some games, observing them making their plan and succeeding in "solving the puzzle" gave me such a heartwarming feeling that, once more, I wished to become one of these people, an OB instructor, to change young people's views of themselves and to make them realize that they can do more than what they think.
Still on the outdoorsie part of my last autumn month in Croatia, there is this video that I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play in (yes, another one). Three young people from Zagreb participated to some workshops in which they learnt how to make short promo videos. They chose OBC as the organization for which to make a video and, given my passion to act, I got to be their new "star" 🙂 We decided to make an inspirational video about EVS, since not a lot of people know about it and so we managed to shoot some scenes on Sljeme and in the city. I am thrilled that I can have another visible result of my EVS experience and that I can motivate others to start their own story.
I didn't cook a lot on my own, since I came in Croatia, but now that I am spending more time at home and I want to eat proper food, I have started to cook for myself and for others as well and the results are pretty delicious. It seems to me that it's worth taking interest into what your mom cooks when you're at home, cause you never know when you might have to cook for yourself. (I know, there's also the Internet, but momma's recipes are the best). It's a good way to become more independent, when you plan your meals, your food budget and when you actually make what you eat. I can say that I am practicing this more nowadays and it's another confidence boost 🙂
DECEMBER
The last month of 2017 was tougher than usual, because I had lost my new mobile phone that I had bought here, in some unknown conditions, which was a big frustration for me. I didn't do as many exciting things as before, it was more about office work and helping around, but I did manage to go on a one-day outdoor presentation program for some pupils from a sport school, which was great. Also, I played in a EVS inspirational video, which I had directed. The video was one of my personal projects and it didn't go as easily as I had thought, because of the weather, some technical difficulties and the lack of experience of both me and the video-making team, but in the end we managed to do it and I am proud of the result. The other part of my personal project was to have 2 presentations of my EVS journey in Filosofski Fakultet, both for the Romanian and French departments. I did this at the proposal of one of my friends from Volunterski Centar Zagreb, Philippa, and together we did a good job describing our EVS projects and hopefully inspired others to try EVS.
I spent the Christmas in Zagreb, because I wanted to do something different this year, not to go home and be with my family, but to be with my new family of friends that I met here. I had an amazing Christmas dinner with some friends from VCZ and I also spent time with my girlfriend. For the New Year's Eve I went to Sesvete with my girlfriend and we stepped into the new year together, while drinking cider and watching the fireworks :) Hello 2018!
The last month of 2017 was tougher than usual, because I had lost my new mobile phone that I had bought here, in some unknown conditions, which was a big frustration for me. I didn't do as many exciting things as before, it was more about office work and helping around, but I did manage to go on a one-day outdoor presentation program for some pupils from a sport school, which was great. Also, I played in a EVS inspirational video, which I had directed. The video was one of my personal projects and it didn't go as easily as I had thought, because of the weather, some technical difficulties and the lack of experience of both me and the video-making team, but in the end we managed to do it and I am proud of the result. The other part of my personal project was to have 2 presentations of my EVS journey in Filosofski Fakultet, both for the Romanian and French departments. I did this at the proposal of one of my friends from Volunterski Centar Zagreb, Philippa, and together we did a good job describing our EVS projects and hopefully inspired others to try EVS.
I spent the Christmas in Zagreb, because I wanted to do something different this year, not to go home and be with my family, but to be with my new family of friends that I met here. I had an amazing Christmas dinner with some friends from VCZ and I also spent time with my girlfriend. For the New Year's Eve I went to Sesvete with my girlfriend and we stepped into the new year together, while drinking cider and watching the fireworks :) Hello 2018!
If you didn't get inspired already to make the decision about going on EVS, here, I put a little video for you to watch and think again ;)
------------------------------------------>>> |