They say, “Look before you leap” but I often leap without looking at all. That’s exactly what happened here. I’d dropped out of college and bounced between minimum-wage jobs, with a few stretches of unemployment in between, so the next logical step was to leave Belgrade and volunteer in a town most Slovenians have to Google.

So far, the experience has been great, mostly because I already know the culture and understand Slovenian which apparently makes me a minor local celebrity. That said, I’ve only been here a month and a half, so this impression could still change fast so ask me in a month. What I didn’t expect was how similar the Slovenian mindset is to the Serbian one. It genuinely feels like home because of it. Getting to Zagorje means a plane, a bus, and a train. When I got off the bus at a Ljubljana train station that was under construction, I struggled just to find where to buy a ticket. After a long search, I finally did  only to face a new challenge: finding the actual train. In the middle of that chaos, someone walked up to me and asked, “Da li je ovo tvoj kofer?” It was the Bosnian bus driver, holding the giant bag I forgot in the bus. I didn’t know what to say. I had so many mixed emotions.

Anyway, the past few weeks have mostly been me playing with kids, wandering around a small town, and attempting to learn Slovenian. So yeah. Big leap with zero looking. Let’s see if this pays off.

Vukašin Vukobrat

ESC volunteer

 

Volunteering projects under the European Solidarity Corps offer young people opportunities for voluntary work.These projects must address important societal needs and contribute to strengthening communities, while enabling volunteers to gain valuable experience, skills, and competencies for their personal, educational, social, civic, and professional development, thereby enhancing their employability.