This new month in Slovakia started with a day of volunteering at the primary school ZŠ Lachova, where we painted the fences. Evelina and I took the bus from home and, by chance, we met Monika on the same bus XD. When we arrived, we started preparing the materials and also the logos. After a brief explanation from Majka, we began working (cleaning the fences), and then we painted them. At lunchtime, we took a small break, and then we continued working until it was time to go back home. If you’re curious about how this activity looked, you can check out a reel on the INEX Slovakia Instagram page.
A few days later, two friends of mine came to Slovakia for the first time. They arrived on the 5th of September. That evening, we went to McDonald’s near the Einsteinova bus stop, where we talked about our plans for the following days, how to buy tickets on the app, and other things. After eating, we continued chatting at the flat before heading to bed. On Friday, we had breakfast at a special place called Doris Cookies, and then I accompanied them to the bus stop near the Most SNP bridge, where they took a bus to visit Devin Castle. While they were there, I went to the office to work for the morning. After two hours, when they had finished their visit, they came to the office to meet the INEX team. It was nice for everyone to meet, and Barbi kindly let me leave early so I could spend more time with them. Around 2 PM, we bought something for lunch, and afterward, I showed them the attractions of Bratislava’s city center. For dinner, I wanted to take them to Bratislava Flagship, but when we arrived, they told us the kitchen was already closed, so we found another place to eat. Afterward, we briefly stopped by a karaoke bar (Red Lion), but since there were many songs queued up, we decided not to wait as we had to leave for Budapest the next day.
It was their first time in Budapest, but my second, so I was able to show them a lot of the places I had visited with my parents when I was there in April. After lunch, we visited the Parliament building. It was my first time visiting it as well, and it was fabulous. Sara, my friend, was particularly excited because she’s studying International Relations for her Master’s Degree! After the visit, we walked around the city until it was time to return to Bratislava.
On Sunday, our last day together, we visited Vienna because their return flight was from there, and they had never been to the city before. When we arrived, we stored their luggage at a hotel. The funny thing was that, when I gave my name for the reservation, it didn’t appear on the receptionist’s screen. She asked me to find it, and we realized that the booking was under my mother’s name, even though I had made the reservation! We all laughed a lot, and fortunately, the receptionist trusted me after I explained the situation, so we were able to leave the luggage and explore the city center. When it was time to catch the Flixbus to the airport for them (and back to Bratislava for me), we returned to the hotel to collect their luggage and headed to the bus stop. We were sad to say goodbye, but we really enjoyed those days together. In three days, they managed to visit three different countries!
The following week, I didn’t go to the office because I had to help Lenka at Presporkovo. It was a nice week, and I really enjoy going there and helping her. She is very kind, as are the visitors to the center.
During the weekend, I visited Krakow with my parents. It was our first time in Poland. The trip was a bit long, but it was nice because I had the chance to rewatch one of my favorite series and even sleep a bit during the ride. I liked the city! Unfortunately, two days weren’t enough to visit Wieliczka Salt Mine and the Auschwitz concentration camp, but we managed to see the city and its surroundings. My friend Sara was a little jealous (in a good way) because she’s very interested in the history of Pope John Paul II, and there are many memories and references to him in Krakow. I also tried Pierogi and Bigos and really enjoyed them. A fun fact about our trip is that, on Sunday, while we were exploring the city, we found a gluten- and lactose-free restaurant. Since I’m celiac, we went inside to get something for the trip back to Bratislava. My mom, while looking at the food, said to me in Italian, “Ask the woman which products are gluten-free, just to be sure,” and the woman replied in Italian! It turns out she’s Italian (but half Polish). It was really funny, and we enjoyed chatting with her and other Italians we met by chance. After lunch, around 4 PM, my parents took a taxi to the airport to fly back home, and I went to the Flixbus stop to catch my bus back to Bratislava at 6 PM. It rained a lot, especially on Saturday, but I had a great time with them!
During the week after my trip to Poland, I didn’t go to work at the INEX office because I had to support and help Lenka again at Presporkovo.
I went back there in late September, and with the help of other volunteers, I started organizing the materials and preparing for the Escape Room Tea Meeting. This TM was a bit different from the others, and almost everyone had fun. After that, we went outside, and I spent time with Anais, Matus (who came back to Slovakia for a few days), and Mehmet.
On Friday, we returned to Presporkovo to help clean various spaces and prepare materials for creating sensory tools for children.
On Sunday, instead, I visited Vienna with Anais and Mehmet. It was very cold!
And now… what’s next?
