Hi!

It’s time to continue the chronicles of oh-so-intense March.

We got a day off from the office after the on-arrival training but of course we didn’t rest. I was hesitant at first but Elena convinced me to go to Vienna with her and Ivan and I’m so glad she did. We didn’t have a proper plan, just roamed around the streets and enjoyed the beauty of the city.

There was a concert coming up in the church on March 30 – Antonín Dvořák’s “Stabat Mater”. I sang this piece in 2012, the first thing I practiced and performed with Tartu Youth Choir. Unfortunately, the tickets were 20 to 60 euros so I gave up on the idea to hear it quite quickly.

 

 

 

 

We were mostly walking and taking photos for the whole day and got quite tired by the evening. Monika found a really lovely cafe on Trip Advisor and suggested us to try it out. It was really cosy, felt more like someone’s living room rather than a cafe. The people who worked there were so lovely and so was the atmosphere. Such a great end to the day!

Graffiti of Vienna:

 

The next days we stayed in the office, probably updating free places of the workcamps, designing invitations or promo photos for the camps, taking breaks to have small laydowns or dance parties, celebrating birthdays… Nature announced the start of spring with warm weather and colours, everything and everyone was suddenly a lot happier.

 

Three days passed quickly and off we were to another training, this time in Senec.

The training was organised by INEX for the future workcamp leaders. Our incredibly wonderful trainers were Monika, Mirka, Danko, Pet’o, Mat’a and L’ubka. The place we stayed at had a view that deserves to be painted.

The training itself was condensed yet not super intensive. I didn’t expect the first day to be so long but otherwise I really enjoyed how things were presented.

During the last years, I’ve been converted to be a strong believer in non-formal education even though I’d say I was also quite successful with formal education. Did it steal my sleep hours, give me anxiety, stressed me out? Yes. Did I get good results though? Yes. However, I’m sure that non-formal education can achieve similar results without so much stress. It allows the students/trainees to engage more, to put the theory instantly into practice, learn by doing, be more creative, have fun along with learning. I’m not very familiar with methods used in schools these days but when I was a pupil, most of the time was spent in the classroom listening to the teacher, reading or doing exercises. I really hope it has changed and that teachers have time to be creative and inspire their pupils.

 

After the training, we had another day off on Monday. This time, our bodies and minds told us that they really need a rest. We took the rest and also had a relaxed weekend. Before the weekend, however, we had one more little adventure. We went to the Foreign Police to be registered. This is how it’s done in Slovakia:

1. Wake up at 5.30.
2. Take the bus at 6.40.
3. Arrive in the middle of nowhere.
4. Realise you took the wrong bus.
5. Take the next bus from the middle of nowhere to a field.
6.  Look around and start thinking of building the police office on the field.
7. Realise that Google Maps is right and follow the route.
8. Arrive to the police station at 7.15 and find a line of approx 40 people waiting in front of the door.
9. Wait for half an hour in the line.
10. Find a police officer opening the doors at 7.45.
11. Wait for your turn to enter the building and get some escape from the crispy morning air.
12. Get in the building.
13. Receive a ticket and anxiously wait for your turn for an hour. And another hour. And another hour.
14. Be called to the desk and be done in 10 minutes.
15. Leave the police office at 10.30.

 

On the same day in the afternoon, we took part in another workshop organised by BDC about leadership – very useful addition to the weekend training, met some volunteers from Eastern Slovakia, spontaneously decided to host them as our first guests, and had a chatty evening in the apartment.

In the office, we had fun dressing up in preparation of the April Fool’s Day event in Integra. Elena wrote a play in which she had the role of an alien who had gotten lost on Earth and needed to find a way back home on her planet Fantasia. I was SuperMerike, the protector of Slovakia and Ivan was Yellowman, the king of carnival. If you’re curious, there’s an album on Facebook about the event.

And thus, I survived the busy month.

I already have some exciting stories and events that are coming up in April so stay tuned!

Until the next time!

Čau!

→ Another way to informally greet people in Slovakia. Or Latvia. Or Estonia but in a different written form (tšau). Maybe some other places as well.

I promised to be back soon and here I am. Be prepared, I have A LOT of photos. This post is going to be more like a photo album with a little bit of commentary.

I left my story off to when Elena was going to introduce herself and present Greece at the Tea Meeting. The same day was also the day when a new habit in the office was born – lying on the floor because we needed a break from uploading the workcamps or in general from working behind the computer.

 

The next day we were off to the on-arrival training. It took place in Trenčianske Teplice which is a thermal bath town about 1,5 h train ride + 30 min bus ride away to the North-East from Bratislava. To be honest, when I came here, I had no idea about other towns in Slovakia except from Bratislava. Actually, I think I’d heard about Kosice but didn’t really know where it was. By now, I already have an idea where something is when they say it’s close to Poprad, Prešov, Žilina or Kosice. It’s always easy to say that something is this and that many hours from Bratislava or… in the middle of nowhere in Eastern Slovakia.

By the way, the interesting thing about Bratislava is that a lot of people commute to work here and then leave back to their homes in Eastern Slovakia every weekend. That’s why Bratislava doesn’t really feel like a capital. In February, it was really empty and quiet during the weekend when I was walking around the old town. Once it started getting warmer, people have started to come out of their caves more and more and the streets are bustling a bit more. In the last days, it has already been T-shirt weather so I can completely understand why people would want to be outside.

 Anyway, I got a bit side-tracked. Let’s go to Trenčianske Teplice.

Ivan looked like a businessman on the train. 😀 Also, on the same train there were Morgane from France and Tsarimir from Bulgaria. We joined forces and took the same bus from Trenčin to our final destination. The hotel looked super pretty from the outside.

The inside, however, had some issues. For example, at the beginning, I was put to a room which was right above the sauna. It didn’t feel very different from being in a sauna, to be honest. Morgane and I were supposed to be in that room and we tried everything to cool down the room, went to the reception several times, someone came to fix the radiator, we turned on the air conditioning, opened the windows which didn’t open to outside but to an indoor atrium… Nothing helped. Luckily it was possible to change rooms even though the hotel was supposed to be fully booked. Some other people had opposite complaints. The heating was turned down for the night in the entire hotel and in some rooms with a lot of window space it was really cold.

 

Well, despite the hotel’s shortcomings, the training was wonderful. Our trainers Ivka and Martin were lovely and very accommodating to our wishes and needs. We had a good-sized group of eleven people, good rapport among ourselves and everyone was surprisingly open to the others. It was a lot of fun but also beneficial and necessary. Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t get enough sleep but that’s the thing with trainings and meeting new people. If you want to do a lot, some things have to be sacrificed.

This was the atrium where we spent most of the break time playing pool, singing, chilling.

 

 

We had to draw portraits of each other without looking at the paper. I drew Léa who’s represented by the beautiful artwork on the bottom left corner. 😀 Another task was to introduce our organizations and speak about our learning (goals), highlights, difficulties…

We also had sessions about tips and tricks about surviving in Slovakia, some history and important people; EVS statistics; Erasmus+, youth portal, Eurodesk etc opportunities; treasure hunt around the town (the award was the knowledge about the place, how noble). There was time for energisers, games, meals, several of which were traditional Slovak food, and for two(!) trips. We went to discover Trenčin and the castle there, and on another day we hiked up the 500 m hill which was nearby the hotel.

Inserting photos here:

Trenčin

Museum in the castle

The hike

 

I love trees. They’re so majestic and peaceful. They’re strong and reach far far above. They protect us, they make us the oxygen to breathe, they’re just so beautiful. Hence, every now and then I’ll post some photos of trees, like it or not. I do. 🙂

On the top

On the top of the hill each of us wrote a letter to ourselves about what we wish to have accomplished by the mid-term training. I don’t remember anymore what I wrote but I believe I was encouraging and kind to my future self. It’s important to be kind. To yourself and also to the rest of the world.

Now I know I can’t attend the mid-term with the same group which is a shame. However, I had to make some difficult decisions and this time I chose to lead the workcamp that I’m very interested in instead of choosing to be at the mid-term with the same people. If it’s meant to be, we’ll meet anyway but in a different context. It was a beautiful experience and I’m happy to have met everyone. 🙂

 

I’ll have to stop here for now and make another post or this will become the fifth book of Harry Potter.

Until the next time!

I’ve left this place for tumbleweed to roll across for the last three weeks. I feel a little bit bad but I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and chronicle all that’s been happening.

The last two weeks of March were intense. I attended two trainings and one workshop, went on a daytrip to Vienna, got the experience of meeting Slovak foreign police… I’ve also been introduced to many new faces and characters and stories, laughed and cried, re-evaluated the effect of my behaviour on others, had the most open and honest and respectful conflict management discussions I think I’ve ever had as well as enjoyed the sun and live music and felt happy. In sum, I’ve experienced a lot and I feel I’ve definitely grown as a person.

I could easily write about what has happened, add beautiful photos to the blog and make it seem like everything is perfect but this is not what I’m here for. I want to be honest with myself and with whomever might have inspiration to read this in the near future or in the next years when they’re looking for an EVS project to apply to. Of course there will also be the fun memories but right now I’d like to take some time to analyse not only to describe what I’ve been experiencing.

I’ve been thinking about conflict a lot in the last month. Conflict is something that I’ve seen in a new light ever since I attended the training course in the ASHA centre last summer. I learned there that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative situation as long as all the parties in the conflict are willing to solve it and it doesn’t escalate to violence. In the context of peace, violence and conflict, the latter can be considered a central point which has two possibilities to evolve to – violence or peace. Peace is also not just a state but rather something that has to be constantly worked for. The worst outcome, in my opinion, would certainly be violence so I will remove it from the table at this point.

Here, in this EVS project, I have to create a workshop to carry out at the workcamps (or international voluntary camps) about a topical subject or issue in the European society/societies. I wanted to choose something that is relevant not only now but transcends the limits of time and can be used even in ten or twenty years. The workshop is still in progress but it will be about non-violent communication. It’s been a wonderful lesson for me to practice this type of communication before I go and tell others about it.

I would like to thank one person in particular for being able to do it – the person literally the closest to me here in Slovakia, the person I’m sharing a common and also personal space most of the time, my dear roommate Elena. Coming here, I knew I had to share a room with someone else but I could never imagine it would be someone so open to share and listen, to consider other point of views, to accept and explain if something is truly unacceptable, someone so considerate and willing to make compromises. Someone honest but respectful.

Conflicts are uncomfortable yet they’re the birth-givers to growth, to (self-)development. And that’s exactly the reason why I’m here. I want to develop my skills but also in general to be a better person. I can’t say it’s been easy for me. Coming out of the comfort zone, re-evaluating the past habits, questioning the reasons for reactions or behaviour – it’s exhausting and unpleasant. Someone wise told me that often we can’t control how we feel but we can control what we do with these feelings. We can decide how to process them, how to react to them, how to get rid of them if they are not so pleasant. I’ve learned to take criticism less personally over the years. And here I’ve learned that perhaps it’s not the best to respond to criticism immediately. For me, it’s best to let it sink in, think about it and process it without too many emotions.

I’ve admitted to making mistakes and not always being right. I can’t say that I feel amazing. But I’d like to believe that I think and act better now and I’m very grateful for that. So… One more big thank you to you, Elena! ❤

 

I’ll be back shortly with a recap of the last weeks. Stay tuned.

Until the next time!

Ahoj!

Isn’t it weird that Slovaks greet each other like pirates?

Where should I start from? Well, Elena has arrived. She came and turned the world upside down.  Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but she did bring some Greek sunshine and spark with her. The way of life at home changed a lot from watching Netflix alone in my room to cooking parties in the kitchen, spontaneous dancing and singing all around the apartment, board games and wine in the lounge, you name it… I really like the little tradition we’ve established of making tea for two whenever we feel like it’s time for tea. I think I’ve trained Elena to drink tea instead of coffee, except in the office. 😀

But let’s not rush ahead of time.

On March 1, Ivan and I finished early in the office to go greet Elena at the airport. We made a little sign for her and helped to get her 500 (just kidding!) suitcases back to the apartment. After a little rest, we went out for some Slovak food. I tried the potato dumplings that I’d managed to avoid while studying in Lithuania. Well, lucky for me, the potato stuff is popular all across Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia etc.

After food, we found a nice cocktail bar where the names of the cocktails were inventions. Elena and I both ordered a Light Bulb served in a light bulb shaped glass. The atmosphere was lovely, swingy, jazzy, kind of French. Unfortunately, it was too dark for my phone camera to take a good photo but try to imagine.

The next day, it was my turn to clean the apartment, so I did that and after that all of us went for a shopping trip. The way back was fun, we went a little bit overboard with Elena and bought almost all of the store. In the evening, we had some wine and played my question card game.

Sunday was a lazy Sunday for me. Elena went out for the free walking tour and I stayed home doing nothing until the afternoon. At some point, I decided to do a little workout and after that I started baking vastlakuklid. These are buns with whipped cream eaten on the Shrove Tuesday. I think they’re also popular in Finland and Sweden.

I also tried boiled chestnuts for the first time. And then we had a dance party with Estonian pop songs. 🙂 🙂

 

Most of the next week at work was full of uploading workcamps but also some fun and some sun. Monika had gone to Turkey for the Technical Meeting of Alliance on Saturday so we had all the apartment to ourselves. In the evenings, we cooked together or hung out in our room. We do have an extra sofa, so…

For a couple of nights, we ended up in the bathroom at the same time so brushing teeth turned into a laughing disaster.

I taught Elena and Ivan to play potiknoi and they were really into it. They taught me Uno in return, somehow I’ve managed to avoid playing it until now.

 

Wednesday was really lovely and sunny. We had lunch outside and took some photos during the lunch break (and maybe some more during work, oops).

On Thursday, we had another Slovak lesson and in the evening, one of INEX’ volunteers invited us to a quiz night. We found a wild Anthony there, joined forces and ended up being second from the last. Well, it’s participation that matters, right? Ivan definitely killed it with the sports round and we all did pretty good with the music round. At least we tried. Kind of.

Anyway, some of us were hungry after the quiz, hence, McDonalds.

For Friday night, we had planned a board game night in the Dungeon pub. It turned out to be full once we got there, which was a shame, however, we went to Flag Ship and got the last table. Somehow almost every time we get the last free table wherever we go. I met Elena’s mentor Jarka, and a German girl Jana. Ieva from Quo Vadis also joined us a little bit later.

Who serves chips like this?

Around midnight, some of us went home, some of us wanted to explore the city more. We ended up in the Dubliner with Ivan, Elena and Jana. There was an amazing live two-man-band playing, one with guitar and vocals, and the other one with an electric cello. It was something for the soul honestly.

On the way back home, we ended up at the wrong bus stop, Most SNP instead of Zochova, thus, we decided to walk home. It was my first time to walk across the bridge. The view was amazing.

Me explaining to take a “portrait” photo instead of a “landscape” one. And the view.

 

We’d been planning to go to Vienna on Saturday but since we only arrived home aroun 3AM, we decided to go to the Devin Castle which seemed closer. Ooh, I think altogether we took over 200 photos there. Here are some examples:

 

 

 

 

Some wall were one Merike high. I’m an accurate measure unit.

When I got bored of pretty photos:

 

There was a hole in the wall, I wanted to see through it.

The reason why we ask Ivan to get stuff from the top shelves:

In the afternoon, we went to have lunch at a sushi place with Jana, then for an ice cream in the best ice cream place in Bratislava. I’d invited some EVS people to an improv that I randomly found but we had some time to kill before it started. Ivan went back home to prepare for some French party, Elena, Jana and I went for a walk around the Bratislava castle.

 

We still had some time after the walk and my phone was almost out of battery. Luckily, we were quite close to the improv place and there was a cat café just around the corner from the place. ^.^

By the time we arrived to the improv show, I had 3% of battery left so no photos from rest of the evening. It was a nice show, maybe not as smooth as I’m used to with Ruutu10 from Estonia, but Ruutu10 have a level of their own so I probably shouldn’t compare anyone else to them. Everyone I invited really enjoyed the show and were glad that they came. I was also delighted, it was a spontaneous idea!

After the show, we went to eat at u Zlatého Bažanta, Ieva’s suggestion I think. I ate so many fries and unhealthy stuff last week, oh nooo. Also pizza. We waited for an EVS volunteer from Bulgaria to join us. It took him a while so by the time he arrived, everyone wanted to go home already. Elena and I had the same direction with him, we walked, waited for his friends with him, then walked home. Again. This time a bit faster, no photo shoot. 😀

Sunday was a rainy day but Elena still encouraged us out of the apartment to a shopping trip to Kaufland. Good job! God some steps done. The rest of the day I had a rest from all the socialisation. Elena was out and about, baked cookies in the evening, I was moral support. I was in the other room, occasionally peeking into the kitchen and stealing some cookies.

The cookies were for Majka’s birthday which was yesterday. In the morning, we also rushed to find some flowers for her. She brought some food and cakes to the office. I think it was the best cheese cake I’ve ever had. 😛 Yum yum yum! I learned to say všetko najlepšie k narodeninám, and of course I forgot how to say it and just googled to copy paste it here. Hopefully it will stick now.

We will have our on-arrival training coming up on Thursday:  5 days in Trenčianske Teplice, 3-star hotel, free sauna and pool, thermal baths, amazing! Can’t wait!

But before that, tomorrow is the Greek Tea Meeting. Let’s celebrate Elena!

Until the next time!

Hi again!

It’s been a couple of weeks. I guess I’ve been busy? 🙂

It’s amazing how quickly humans are able to adapt to new settings and situations. It feels like I’ve been here forever but at the same time it seems I only arrived three days ago. Time flies. Woosh!

So, on February 12, Ivan and I went to a workshop organised by BDC (Bratislavské dobrovoľnícke centrum) and met EVS volunteers from other organisations in Slovakia. The workshop was about project management and we used a tool from SALTO to plan some project ideas. I learned about the issues of a Roma community in Eastern Slovakia which was quite eye-opening. After the workshop we changed contacts with other volunteers and went home to prepare for the Tea Meeting on the next day.

I’m not sure if I already explained what Tea Meetings are but in short, a Tea Meeting is an informal educational monthly event organised by INEX Slovakia. Each meeting has a topic, for example, this time we, the new EVS volunteers, presented ourselves and our countries. After the more official part everyone could have a chat, drink coffee or tea and eat some sweets and snacks from France and Estonia. It was a long day, we finished around 20.30 but it felt like 23 or more.

 

The next morning, on Valentine’s Day, we had to get up early for an event in DSS Integra. It’s a centre for people with disabilities. I was a little bit anxious because this is a completely uncharted territory for me.

Our task was to assist the clients with thematic activities, such as drawing on hearts and throwing a ball at bowling pins that had hearts attached to them and we also helped to push wheelchairs. At the end there was a disco and everyone got a lovely message with a chocolate attached to it. There were moments when I felt like a fish out of water and I just stood there observing what was happening. Quite overwhelming. Hopefully next time I’ll be more comfortable now that I’ve had time to process for a little bit.

The day was far from over because we finished around 12 in Integra. Barbi had invited us to her place for baking Valentine’s bisquits and also for lunch. It was such a lovely afternoon. I fed a baby, Barbi’s son,  for the first time in my life, also I think Ivan and the baby became new best friends. 🙂 Such a chill little boy!

 

On the way back from work on Friday:

 

The weekend was calm, it was my turn to clean the apartment so I spent my Saturday mostly on that. In the evening I enjoyed “Eesti laul” and chatted to my choir girls from Estonia.

On Sunday, the weather was super nice so I went for a walk and saw many beautiful trees in the park. 😛

 

Monday was… an emotional day. First, it was my birthday. I didn’t sleep very well the night before, I guess I was anxious for some reason. Throughout the day I received all these wonderful messages and wishes from friends and family which made me miss them a lot. I have never felt so lonely and sad on my birthday. I tried to pull myself together and even got a sweet surprise at the office. I felt I should be happy and was thankful for everything but I just couldn’t help feeling a bit sad. Then I chatted with a couple of dear friends who talked me through and cheered me up, had a little cry and then decided I’m going to make the most of it. Went to Billa, bought some wine, cheese and grapes and had a little apartment party with Monika and Ivan. At the end of the day, everything was alright. 🙂

 

Starting from Wednesday, I got busy. There was another workshop at Quo Vadis organised by BDC. New faces, new volunteers, new contacts again. On Thursday I went to a choir rehearsal. I’d posted in a Facebook group on Sunday that I was looking for a choir and got a suggestion for Bratislava Community Choir. Everyone was super lovely and cheerful. We sang some arrangements form The Beatles’ songs, “Hallelujah” and Toto “Africa”. I’m used to more demanding repertoire but I’ll see..It’s a start at least. I need my weekly dose of singing. 😀 😀 Ah, and on Thursday we finally had the first Slovak lesson as well. Tomorrow’s the next one, I should probably practice my greetings and do the exercises.

The same FB post I mentioned before drew the attention of an Estonian lady living in Bratislava so we met up on Friday and had a chat. It was good to hear an insight of someone who has lived here for longer and knew all the tips and tricks what to do and what to avoid. 🙂 I was pleasantly surprised that she contacted me, usually Estonians do their own thing and don’t really stick together.

Saturday. Again a chance to meet EVS people. There was an event at a culture centre (?) A4. Previous EVS volunteers gave a presentation about their experience and later we could socialise and have some snacks. Around 20 the event was over and some of us, just girls, carried on at the Dungeon pub. I really loved it. Not smoky, a painting from “Rick and Morty” on the wall, Ministry of Magic toilets in the bathroom, board games, affordable, spacious enough. I had a meeting planned with Marta, my mentor, as well, so I just invited her there. Other girls left earlier but Marta and I stayed past midnight and just chatted about jokes and previous foreign experiences, life in Slovakia, dreams, goals etc. I really enjoyed that evening. 🙂

Sunday was Estonian independence day. I was feeling a bit under the weather, probably because it was quite cold on Saturday evening when we went home. I basically spent the whole day in bed watching series. I did vote though, that was my present for Estonia. What a joy to be from a country where you can vote from a bed while being abroad!

I’m a lot better today (EDIT: written on Monday). New week, new ideas. I’ve also had a lot of time to think and analyse myself. My birthday was a good lesson about how to be more humble. It’s not always all about me on my birthday. I’ve liked to think this is the one day when I can allow myself to be a princess. Well, perhaps sometimes I can be also a bit less. 🙂

I’ve been very conscious about my nature and actions as well. I came here because I wanted to learn how to be a better leader. I’ve caught myself from trying to micromanage someone else’s tasks. I’ve been told I need to be more chill. So yeah, I’m actively working on that. I’m not punishing myself for making mistakes though. It’s a safe space to learn and that’s exactly what I intend to do. I want to grow and learn. I’ll forgive myself for making mistakes and I’ll learn not to make them again.

The work load has been rather small for the first weeks, I’m sure there’ll be more to do in the future. I’ve really enjoyed the tasks which include designing. I like to play around and see what looks good and what doesn’t really work. INEX uses an online program called Canva which I’d never used before. It turns out it’s quite easy to work with. We’ve also had to update the database for work camps. It’s for Slovak people who want to go on a work camp somewhere abroad. This task is a bit more technical and not so creative but I don’t mind it too much. I’d like to think that I’m good with details and data.

Last but not least, I believe I’ve finally worked out what my project is about and what I’m supposed to do here besides learning and growing as a person.

What is INEX Slovakia?

In my own words, not copy-pasting from somewhere, it’s an organisation that organises, promotes and mediates work camps both in Slovakia and all around the world. It’s a member of Alliance (The Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations*) and a partner of SCI (Service Civil International). It also cooperates with other organisations, such as DSS Integra. The activities of INEX can be divided into four categories: volunteering, education, promotion and development.

I am included in the first three, the last one is more about policies and such. So, currently I’ve been helping out with promotion by designing invitations and posters and worked with the database. Each of us has to create a workshop to conduct in the work camps in the summer. I’m browsing for ideas but I already have something in mind. At the moment, I’m also updating the organisation’s Instagram. Let’s see what Elena wants to do once she arrives.

Speaking about Elena, she should arrive on Friday. Yay, a roommate! I can’t believe a month has gone so fast. I guess I should plan my time more efficiently so it wouldn’t just pass… To more adventures in the future! To spring and more energy!

EDIT: (written on Tuesday)

Ivan and I got lost today. An Italian volunteer Elisa whom we met last Wednesday is leaving on Friday. She arranged an EVS meeting/workshop to chat and discuss EVS stuff. It was held very far in the middle of nowhere and the maps didn’t want to cooperate. What is more, on the way, our tram was stopped by the police. I think there’d been an accident somewhere because later I saw ambulance as well. We got out of the tram and recalculated the plan. Soon a replacement bus arrived but it was super slow and its final destination wasn’t ours. So we got out of the bus and went to wait for the next tram. 15 minutes late to the workshop, we arrived somewhere nearby. 20 minutes later, we were still trying to figure out where we were supposed to be going. Finally, we gave up and went back home. At least we could see the mountains and a trash collection point. 😀 😀

Until the next time! ❤

___

* OK, this was copy/paste.

Ahoj!

Thanks for tuning in again.

It’s been a week since I arrived. Last weekend I walked around the old town so I was still feeling like a complete tourist. I’ll give myself a month and hopefully by then I’ll have more or less a clear idea about my new hometown.

On Thursday, it was Ivan’s birthday so we celebrated it at the office with Slovakian traditional snacks and drinks. We tried Kofola and Vinea, apparently the most iconic drinks that anyone can try. I’ve learned that Kofola is definitely not Coca Cola but to me, it seems something like a less fizzy Байкал (Baikal), which is a drink from Russia I think.

Other than snack time, the day was full of presentations, and they still keep coming. There’s a lot to get acquainted to and to learn about. It’s interesting though, I like seeing the behind-the-scenes of an NGO that deals with volunteering. Who knows, I might even look for a job in this field after the EVS. Let’s see what I’ll say in December.

Friday was a short day at the office. We had one presentation and then time for finishing our own presentations for the Tea Meeting on Wednesday. I finished mine around 14.30 and was desperately looking for something to do. I was so bored that I even took out the trash and put the bin outside of the door (which is actually one of our tasks but we’re still learning, right). By 15, there was really nothing else to do so I convinced Ivan it’s time to go. We went for an adventure to find a bigger and cheaper food shop called Kaufland. Near our apartment there’s Billa but everyone said it’s the most expensive. I’d say it was a successful adventure, it was such a nice weather and we could explore a whole new part of the city.

 

In the evening, I went out with Ivan and Anthony to an Irish pub which was too smoky for my taste but hey, at least I saw the old town during night time.

Saturday and Sunday were more about roaming around in the city as I said before, bought a few things from shopping centres and improvised with cooking.

I was trying to find The Body Shop in Bratislava because I left my vanilla perfume back in Tartu. 😦 I was completely trolled by the instructions on the Internet. Instead of a cosmetics shop, dear Google Maps brought me to a strip club. Not the body shop I was looking for. Also, in the end it turned out there is no The Body Shop in Slovakia whatsoever.

Now, talking about funny things that have happened here, I found out that out of the ten people I’ve met here so far, (at least) three people share a birthday month with me. What’s more insane is that two of them have a birthday ON THE VERY SAME DAY as me! I mean, WHAT are the odds, honestly?! And one of them is dear Marta, my mentor. 🙂 Elena from Greece arrives in March but her birthday is also in February, so… What a celebration!

I’ll leave my story here for now. Enjoy these photos from the apartment. If you want better aesthetics and filters, you can follow me on Instagram: @myrmelland. And for the office and work life you can probably find me on the photos and stories of @inex_slovakia.

Until the next time!

 

 

 

Hi!

Welcome! I hope you’re doing well.

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve taken up the challenge of doing an EVS (European Voluntary Service) in Bratislava and so far, I’m pleased with what I’ve seen.

I arrived on Monday (February 4) from half a meter of snow to almost spring time in the Estonian sense. It’s windy here but there’s sun and no snow. Lovely! Travelling was pretty smooth for a change. No cancellations, only minor delays, everything and everyone were where they were supposed to be at the right time.

I’ve met a bunch of new people already in the couple of days I’ve spent here. The first person I met is my mentor Marta who took me to the apartment, my new home. At the apartment I found my flatmates Ivan, a French EVS volunteer, and Monika who works at INEX (the organisation where I’ll be volunteering at).

On Tuesday, Monika, Ivan and I took the bus to the centre and went to have lunch with other INEX people: Jarka (Jaroslava), Mirka (Miroslava), and Barbi (Barbara), and Marta came as well. The restaurant used to be a theatre house before so for the first official meal it was an impressive venue. I had bryndzové halušky which is a traditional Slovak food. Dumplings with a specific sheep cheese. I was told it tastes better than it looks. I tried, it’s true.

After lunch, Ivan and I joined the free city/castle tour which was led by a lovely girl Eliška. Her storytelling was so fascinating that I couldn’t leave even though I got really cold already before the tour started. We walked around for two hours and after that rushed home to warm up.

I was so tempted to stay in the super soft and cosy bed after a hot tea and shower but Ivan had plans with his mentor Anthony so I decided to join them. Anthony took us to a deserted Mexican place for dinner. There was a strange atmosphere, as if I’d been in someone’s living room that had been decorated for a Mexican-themed party. One lady was watching videos from her laptop without earphones and the sound blasted on top of the restaurant’s atmospheric music. Oh, and the chefs were wearing caps. Not like McDonald’s caps but the “cool” ones. The food was good though. We finished our meals, had a drink at another place and headed home.

 

This morning was the first time to go to the office. The weather was still nice and sunny, and the office is super close, 5 minutes of walking from the apartment. Jarka showed us around and explained some of our tasks. It was a short first day, we finished around 12.30. Then Ivan and I went to the food shop because until then we hadn’t had the opportunity to shop for anything to eat. We just had the leftovers from lovely previous EVS volunteers as well as a little something bought by Monika. Then it was lunch time at home, followed by four hours of deadly silence. Both of us were so exhausted from travelling and the walking tour that we just dozed off. I finally got the chance to rest. And the bed is so soft and comfy and inviting that I almost slept until the next morning.

That’s it for now, just a quick update that I’m alive and well and I’ve settled in. I’ll write something more exciting when something more exciting happens.

Until the next time!