July was a really fun month for me. On the first week, the other girls were preparing their materials and flipcharts for their workcamp so there was a lot of movement in the office and so I started to prepare my stuff as well because I wanted to be done and ready.
Then in the second week, me and the girls attended the mid-term training organized by the National Agency. I had some really fun times with the other volunteers and I was glad to see some of them again.
In this training, we did a personal evaluation about our project so far and they made us think about what the most important things are that we are doing. Additionally, a very interesting session was when they presented to us the existing opportunities for after volunteering. Another thing they had planned for us, was spending a day with other volunteers doing their volunteering in Hungary. We worked together on the sessions and spend time eating traditional Hungarian dinner in the evening. Even though it was nice to meet new people and learn about their own experiences volunteering, it felt like it wasn’t enough to form a stronger bond because it was only for one day. Overall, the best part for me was spending time socializing and laughing with the other volunteers and reflecting on how the project is going for me and what I am learning so far.
The moment we came back from the training, Madelyn and Berra both left for their workcamps and I was left alone in the house for a week. I quite enjoyed it because I needed my alone time after all this period. I also attended the workcamp in the Family Center Prešporkovo that Berra was leading. I did not spend any time in the office at all and It was better this way for me because I had so much fun in the camp. I loved doing activities every day with the little kids which were so cute and lovely.
Moreover, I made a small presentation about Greece for the kids and I facilitated my workshop, bullying in friend groups, for the teenagers.
Since one participant left the camp earlier I could take his place and attend the evening activities as well. One evening each participant, including me, went for dinner with a Slovak family. The family I went with was super nice to me and brought me to a restaurant so I could try traditional Slovak dishes. They ordered lots of plates for me to try. We also went to a beautiful lake before dinner to walk around and talk. I was really grateful for their generosity. The other evening, we all visited the house of another Slovak family that made a barbeque for us. They had a beautiful garden and we spend our time eating there. I got sad at the end of the camp because I had to say goodbye to all the little kids and the teenagers that I bonded with but that is a sigh that I had a good time with them.
Right after the camp, I went on a trip I had planned with one of my best friends from Greece to Berlin for a festival. I really liked the city and I saw some of my favorite artists.
I stayed there for 5 days and then when I came back It felt kind of lonely because Berra was on another trip and Madelyn was in her workcamp. The days in the office were ‘empty’ because everyone was on holiday. I was preparing everything for my work camp.
Then on the last week of July, I got sick. I had a fever and needed to stay home to recover before going to my workcamp to be a leader. I am both excited and kind of scared of how it’s going to turn out. It is a big responsibility that I wanted to undertake before coming on the project. Monika helped me to see if I have all the materials needed and explaining the things that we need to do as leaders. I think I will gain a lot from this experience of being a leader.
