At the beginning of April, everyone was making plans for Easter, but since I come from a place where Easter isn’t really celebrated, I didn’t even know when it was or what people usually do. In Turkey, we simply don’t have that tradition. With no specific plans, I stayed in Bratislava and honestly, it turned out to be a beautiful coincidence because the weather was amazing.
I met up with friends, and we enjoyed the sunshine while drinking matcha. I really love matcha, especially strawberry-flavored highly recommend it if you’re not a fan of caffeine. Later, I went on a long forest walk with my mentor Lenka. It was so long that I ended up walking 22,000 steps. I was genuinely shocked I never expected that from myself. I have no idea how my body managed it. Along the way, I saw some very strange insects and, like a National Geographic director, I took photos and videos of all of them.
Later that day, Madelyn returned from Mallorca and brought us a local dessert it was incredibly delicious, and I still remember the taste. On the same day, Majka gave us chocolate, and I have to say, you can really tell the difference when chocolate is high quality.
Speaking of traditional flavors, I decided to cook a Turkish dish for my friends. I made “yağlama,” something I never imagined I could pull off. A French, an Italian, and a Gambian friend all sat at my table and tried it. As they tasted the food, I felt like I was on MasterChef, expecting serious feedback and I’m happy to say I succeeded. They really liked it.
After that, we attended a volunteering presentation at Comenius University about INEX and the work we do. The students there didn’t know much about volunteering, so we shared our experiences. They listened very attentively, and I think we managed to inspire them.
Then came my workshop trial… the big day. I was incredibly nervous because I chose a topic related to psychology. I’ve been interested in psychology since childhood, but leading a workshop is a serious responsibility. I read articles, strengthened my background knowledge, and practiced as much as I could. Finally, I delivered the trial version of my workshop. With feedback from Barbara, Monika, Mirka, Vaso, and Madelyn, I’m planning to improve it further.
I’ve also been keeping up with my Slovak lessons. I’ve learned a lot I can’t form full sentences yet, but I know many words. I also get along well with our Slovak teacher Andie’s daughter; she’s incredibly sweet. Oh, and my Slovak friend gave me a nickname: “Berrushka,” which apparently means ladybug in Czech. I love it some people call me that now.
Then it was time for the workcamp in Svätý Jur. For me, it was an aesthetically beautiful place. While working in a Renaissance house, I felt like I was in the movie Call Me By Your Name. As usual, I took lots of photos and videos. I even thought about how amazing it would be to shoot an art film there if I were a film director.
I won’t lie it was tiring. We did a lot of physical work, helping renovate the Renaissance house. Our leader, Mima, was someone I learned a lot from just by observing her. After a long day, we had ice cream and cake, which tasted even better because we were so tired.
I also want to mention about the earth day in Lachova. We helped to clean the backyard of the school. I felt so satisfied while doing it. I was mostly working with Vaso and Madelyn at that time. Working with my friend gave me strength. We split jokes, laughed, and worked hard. It was worth it because we compared the before and after school and we did a great job.
After that, I visited Vienna. What a luxurious city it almost feels like it’s saying, “I’m rich.” I was genuinely impressed. It looked like it had been drawn with a pencil so aesthetic and elegant. I’d love to shoot an art film there too, although it wouldn’t feel as niche as Svätý Jur. I’m planning to visit Vienna again and explore it following the vibe of the movie Before Sunrise.
Then came Jarka’s name day. The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed fruit and ice cream together. I really love these moments sitting outside in the garden and chatting. There’s such a sincere atmosphere in the office. I haven’t experienced this in my previous workplace. Everyone is respectful and friendly, and even when I make mistakes, no one judges me. That’s why I feel so happy during those shared moments around the table.
We did a presentation about Slovakia with Mirka. Actually, I knew some specific information about Slovakia but Mirka gave us the way more historical and traditional knowledge. And she told us they had a surprise for us. And here we go! The surprise was traditional food!!! Hooray!! I love them a lot. Especially the cheese had my heart. I even tasted the pork sausage (normally I don´t eat pork). Furthermore, we recorded a tiktok video while tasting the foods you can see it in our tiktok account:)
And finally, my “Acting in the Moment” tea meeting. While preparing for it, I was once again very nervous. Managing a two-hour event felt overwhelming. Maybe from the outside, as a teacher, it looks easy but it’s really not. Making sure no one gets bored, keeping the flow, designing activities it all made me anxious. But in the end, I did it. Everyone really liked it. I asked for feedback at the end, and the responses I received made me incredibly happy.
Now I’m preparing for a Mile for mum event. Finding ideas is really hard I don’t satisfy with the ideas that I have but we will see what will happen in the event.
Looking back, I think I did a really good job this month. I’ve realized that everything that made me nervous actually led to success. When I reflect on it all, I simply say: new experiences.
