On the first day of July, we went to Integra, where we spent time playing games with people with special needs. There were individuals with physical disabilities as well as people on the autism spectrum. I had classes such as special needs education at university, but only in theory, and I had never had much practical experience. The only experience I had was while working as a kindergarten teacher, where one of my students was on the mild autism spectrum.
Because of this, I tried to be very careful and mindful during my time at Integra. Spending time with them and playing games together was a wonderful experience. There was one person with whom I worked on a puzzle, and every time I helped, they became very happy and thanked me. The smiles on their faces and the happiness they showed truly meant a lot.
I am very happy to be involved in activities like this through my organization. Experiences like these remind me how meaningful it is to connect with people and share moments of joy together.
Then we went to Komarno for our midterm training. We had such a great time together. Lily, Julia, Lidia, Viki, Valeria, and Tania… If you add it all up, we have probably spent only about ten days together this year, maybe even less, but we still managed to build a beautiful connection. We did personal evaluations of our organizations and experiences that we had through the project. Besides, we had meetings about what can we do after completing the project. At the final we had youthpass meeting.
The director of the National Agency had arranged a collaboration with the Hungarian National Agency, so they took us to Visegrád in Hungary from Komarno, where we met other volunteers and participated in activities together. I usually enjoy meeting new people, but for some reason I felt very exhausted that day. Constantly asking people questions like “Where are you from?” and “What do you do?” drained me mentally. My social battery ran out very quickly.
As soon as my midterm training ended, I went to the Presporkovo Workcamp, where I was one of the leaders. There I met a new group of volunteers. Luckily, Barbara had already taken care of many things while I was away at the training. I honestly don’t know if everything would have gone as smoothly without her. Thank you, Barbara <3
My Presporkovo Workcamp experience was absolutely lovely. At first, joining a workcamp feels a little like being thrown into a children’s pool. It can seem chaotic in the beginning, but once you get used to it, it becomes so much fun. It also turned into a kind of phone detox for me. Whenever I wasn’t taking photos or videos, I simply left my phone aside and didn’t touch it. I ended up enjoying a full week of digital detox.
Since I already had leadership experience from the weekend workcamp in Svätý Jur, I didn’t struggle much with being a leader. However, international workcamps require a different approach because participants come from many different countries. You need to be more attentive, clear, and patient. Since many participants are completely unfamiliar with Slovakia, they naturally have a lot of questions. Taking the time to answer them clearly and patiently is very important. Also, I presented my workshop Imposter Syndrome and Emotional Resilience to teenagers and my volunteers. I think teenagers in general need to learn this kind of topic and apply to themselves.
Leading these workcamps taught me so much. Working with different people really boosted my patience, open-mindedness, and teamwork skills. I learned how to stay calm in stressful situations, handle unexpected challenges, and quick-solve problems on the spot. Overall, it helped me become a much more flexible and confident leader.
My favorite part of the workcamp was definitely the Feast of Cultures. I loved learning about different cultures and tasting foods from around the world. Seeing people enjoy the food from your own culture and even asking for the recipe is such a great feeling and a source of pride.
After Presporkovo Workcamp, I traveled to Barcelona. With all these back-to-back activities, I really pushed myself this month. Especially because I usually see myself as an introvert who enjoys spending time at home. I traveled to Barcelona alone, and I’m so glad I decided to do a solo trip. I met so many different people. The strangest thing was that almost every hour I would meet someone new and spend time with them. It felt as if I were the main character in a video game. Every new person was like a new character entering the story. We would complete a small quest together, I would level up, and then continue my journey. I absolutely loved that feeling.
After Barcelona, I traveled to Porto. There, I met my housemate from Tunisia. Porto is a truly beautiful city, and I was completely fascinated by it. After that, I returned to Bratislava.
And I realized something: I had actually missed Bratislava. After Türkiye, it has become something like a second home for me. Coming back made me understand that.
My July was filled with meeting new people. New cities, new experiences, and new connections everywhere. It was exhausting at times, but it also taught me so much. Looking back, July was all about stepping out of my comfort zone, embracing new experiences, and discovering new things about myself along the way.
