Are you ready to try something new? Are you ready to take yourself out of your comfort zone? Would you like to challenge yourself? Do you want to explore new interests and environments, or perhaps an opportunity to effect some change, learn new things, and grow as a person? If you answered yes to any of these, then volunteering might be just for you.
I, personally, was excited to come to Zagreb. I was not sure about how everything would be conducted, but that kind of ambiguity was also alluring to me. It was something new, and therefore something I would have to tackle. Surprisingly, everything went better than expected.
I found out that the workplace is hospitable with great people, my flat mates are all fun in their own way and the mix of personalities is interesting to observe. The culture here in Croatia is very similar to the one in Slovakia. The cities look the same to ours back at home, and when you hear people speak you can get the general idea of the discussion. Therefore, learning the language I have an advantage compared to the other volunteers who do not speak any Slavic language.
I really enjoy the independence here. However, with the extra freedom also come extra responsibilities. Luckily, fulfilling them is rewarding. It reminds me of closing all the internet tabs after you are done with your presentation for school. Therefore, even small things like saving money by budgeting brings me joy.
Having to cook for myself all the time is definitely my favorite responsibility which is funny because before coming here cooking was not an enjoyable activity for me. Now, learning how to cook new recipes or improving on the old ones is something that I really enjoy. Your flat mates come into the picture here too, since you can have them try whatever you made and discuss with them how to improve the recipe and so on.
After a month here, we went for a week of training with other volunteers from Croatia. This was a great opportunity for socializing and making new friends. These are people you can later travel with around the country or visit them in their cities where they volunteer. The training was also useful since we learned a lot of things in a f
un way.
I am really glad I chose Amazonas and their volunteering project since they use capoeira as a tool for achieving their goals. Had it not been for capoeira, I think I would struggle with all the extra energy, or I would become inactive and lazy which would be way worse. Capoeira is not only useful but also fun. I get to do a lot of fun e
xercises with the kids or play fun games with them, so I am never bored.
Learning new things like making posters and editing videos has also been fun although at ti
mes challenging and exhausting. The organization offers a lot of space for our own personal projects and ideas we can implement, so there are always things to do. I think I have definitely made the right choice by coming here and I would not have changed a thing.
Dobrovoľníci ESC sú podporovaní programom EÚ – Európsky zbor solidarity.
Viac informácií a o tom, čo Braňo počas svojho ESC projektu robí nájdeš v jeho článkoch na blogu Host Organization: Udruga Amazonas
