Ahojte!
June was a really full month and I truly enjoyed it! It started with a special visit from my mum and brother. I showed them around Vienna, Bratislava, and the beautiful Malá Fatra mountains. In Malá Fatra, we spent five days hiking, exploring, and tasting traditional food.
Surprisingly (or not), they enjoyed Slovakia even more than Austria! It felt so good to be with them, family will always be family. Honestly, it was the perfect holiday.
Right after that, I joined the ESC on-arrival training. We were a group of international volunteers doing ESC in Slovakia, and it felt amazing to be surrounded by people who share the same experience, just in different cities and organizations. We had a really nice group, and I loved being part of it.
We stayed in Liptovský Mikuláš, and that same weekend there was a local town festival—with free concerts and dancing for everyone! During the training days, we had daily workshops about topics like volunteering, Slovak culture, and culture shock. I learned a lot and had a great time.
After the training, I returned to Bratislava for a few days, just in time for Pedro’s workshop and a volunteering day with Integra at the zoo. I was pushing the wheelchair of one of the participants, and I tried to go fast to make him laugh. I think he really enjoyed it and so did I.
Then it was time to pack again, this time for my first workcamp as a leader!
Together with my co-leader Peťo, we arrived one day early in Slatinka to prepare for the arrival of the volunteers. We picked them up at the bus station in Zvolen, and from that moment, time just flew.
The first day of work: digging a canal in the garden.
The first weekend: visiting Banská Štiavnica and hiking to Bystré waterfall.
And then more work again: digging in the forest, cutting branches along an educational path, building stairs, painting a gate…
It was two full weeks of work, fun, sharing, good meals, and learning. I truly enjoyed every part of it and honestly wished I could’ve stayed another week. I felt really close to the volunteers, and I loved living so simply, close to nature: no running water, heating the shower water with fire…
We also had some fun highlights:
– While cleaning the river, we found something that looked like dynamite, so we called the police and waited the whole evening to hear the results of the check!
– One neighbor was training falcons, and I got to hold one on my hand! After that, I seriously considered becoming a falcon trainer myself
In the end, I really loved being a leader. I enjoyed having responsibilities, taking care of the group, and supporting everyone. I especially loved spending time in nature and being part of a nice community. It’s definitely something I want to do more of in the future.
Now I’m looking forward to summer and the other workcamps coming up. I really think I’m going to love them too!
Ahote,
Take care,
Sarah
