July started a little differently for me than previous months. On Monday morning I got up and with my backpack began my mid-term evaluation. It was an extremely instensive and exciting week, as we covered more kilometres each day to reach the seaside on Thursday. But maybe I’ll start at the beginning. Our adventure started on Monday morning in Divača, where we went for a walk in the area. During the “speed-dating”, we had the opportunity to get to know each other a little better, and to exchange experiences of volunteering.
After returning from this very fruitful walk, we picked up our backpacks and set off for our first night’s accommodation. The next day greeted us with a beautiful morning in Ocizla. As this was also where we were to spend the next night, we went for a hike on a nearby trail where, during breaks, we had the opportunity to talk about the challenges we encounter during our volunteering and how we deal with them. After returning, another challenge awaited us. We were all supposed to cook dinner together. Although we were a bit sceptical about it at first, we managed to prepare an ‘international dinner’ with dishes from different countries and had a lot of fun in the process. We ended the day with a workshop on how to talk, both our needs and the other person’s needs were met. On Wednesday, first thing in the morning, with renewed energy, we began our journey.
This day was accompanied by beautiful views, so we easily made it to the volunteer center in Kastelec. During our visit there, we met extremely positive people and also discussed the competences we gain during volunteering and how to apply them in practice, which proved very helpful. Towards the evening, energizing ourselves with singing, we arrived at the Osp where, tired, we went to bed to gather our strength for the next day, which turned out to be the most demanding.
Thursday was the last day of the trek, but also the most demanding. First thing in the morning, we had to climb a hill, where our sweat and doubts were rewarded by beautiful views. We also managed to see most of the routes we had walked in the previous days. After a short break and taking a thousand photos, we continued on and our next stop was a forest kindergarten. We had the opportunity to talk to the kindergarten teachers, learn more about the idea of the forest kindergarten, and see how it all works. I am grateful for this opportunity because the idea of spending time close to nature is close to my heart and I have always been curious about how such a kindergarten works in practice.
Charged with positive energy, we set off further to reach our goal – the sea – after more kilometers in the sun and countless conversations. It worked, we completed our hike and fulfilled the dream of the past few days of swimming in the sea. Friday greeted us with a calm morning and the last workshop, during which we talked about the opportunities we have after volunteering and, as it turned out, we have a lot of them. After long goodbyes, it was sadly time for everyone to go their own way.
When I think back to that week I am extremely grateful for the experience. Although it was difficult at times, everyone helped each other and supported the energy of the rest. I’m glad I got the opportunity to be a part of it because I came home with loads of memories, inspiration, and new valuable friendships.
Teden odkrivanj
Julij se je zame začel nekoliko drugače kot prejšnji meseci. V ponedeljek zjutraj sem vstala in z nahrbtnikom začela z “Mid-term evaluation” oz. “Vmesnim vrednotenjem”. Teden je bil naporen in razburljiv, saj smo vsak dan prehodili veliko kilometrov, da smo v četrtek prispeli na obalo. Začela pa bom na začetku. Naša pustolovščina se je začela v ponedeljek zjutraj v Divači, kjer smo se odpravili na sprehod po okolici. Med “hitrimi zmenki” smo imeli priložnost, da smo se udeleženci malo bolje spoznali in si izmenjali izkušnje s prostovoljnim delom.
Po vrnitvi s tega zelo plodnega sprehoda smo pobrali svoje nahrbtnike in se odpravili proti naši prvi nočitvi. Naslednji dan nas je v Ocizli pričakalo čudovito jutro. Ker naj bi tu tudi prespali, smo se odpravili na pohod po bližnji poti, kjer smo se med odmori lahko pogovarjali o izzivih, s katerimi se srečujemo med prostovoljnim delom in o tem, kako se z njimi spopadamo. Po vrnitvi nas je čakal še en izziv. Vsi skupaj smo morali pripraviti večerjo. Čeprav smo bili sprva nekoliko skeptični, nam je uspelo pripraviti “mednarodno večerjo” z jedmi iz različnih držav – pri tem smo se zelo zabavali.
Dan smo zaključili z delavnico o tem, kako se pogovarjati, da so pri tem zadovoljene tako naše potrebe kot potrebe druge osebe. V sredo zjutraj smo se z novo energijo odpravili na pot. Ta dan so nas spremljali čudoviti razgledi, tako da smo brez težav prišli do prostovoljskega centra v Kastelcu. Med našim obiskom smo spoznali izjemno pozitivne ljudi in se pogovarjali tudi o kompetencah, ki jih pridobimo med prostovoljnim delom ter o tem, kako jih uporabiti v praksi, kar se je izkazalo za zelo koristno. Proti večeru smo s petjem pridobivali energijo in prispeli v Osp, kjer smo se utrujeni odpravili spat, da bi si nabrali moči za naslednji dan, ki se je izkazal za najzahtevnejšega.
Četrtek je bil zadnji dan pohoda, a tudi najzahtevnejši. Zjutraj smo se morali najprej povzpeti na hrib, kjer smo bili za znoj in dvome nagrajeni s čudovitimi razgledi. Prav tako nam je uspelo videti večino poti, ki smo jih prehodili v prejšnjih dneh. Po kratkem odmoru in tisoč fotografijah smo nadaljevali pot in kmalu prišli do naslednjega postanka, to je bil gozdni vrtec. Imeli smo priložnost komunicirati z vzgojiteljicami, izvedeli smo več o ideji gozdnega vrtca in si ogledali, kako vse skupaj deluje. Hvaležna sem za to priložnost, saj mi je ideja o preživljanju časa v bližini narave blizu in vedno me je zanimalo, kako tak vrtec deluje v praksi.
Napolnjeni s pozitivno energijo smo se po več kilometrih na soncu in nešteto pogovorih odpravili naprej do cilja – morja. Uspelo nam je, končali smo pohod in izpolnili sanje zadnjih dni o kopanju v morju. Petek nas je pozdravil z mirnim jutrom in zadnjo delavnico, na kateri smo se pogovarjali o mnogo priložnostih, ki jih imamo po prostovoljnem delu. Po dolgem slovesu je bil žal čas, da se vsak odpravi na svojo pot.
Ko pomislim na ta teden, sem izredno hvaležna za to izkušnjo. Čeprav je bilo včasih težko, smo si med seboj pomagali in podpirali energijo drug drugega. Vesela sem, da sem imela priložnost biti del tega, saj sem se domov vrnila z veliko spomini, navdihom in novimi dragocenimi prijateljstvi.