Hello! Rather, Bok! As we would say here.
First of all, we would like to introduce ourselves. We are Patricia and Angel and both of us studied psychology at the university. This year, we decided that this would be a great moment to give us a break of trying to find a job (there were better days for that) and living a new experience. The European Solidarity Corps gave us the oportunity and we cannot be happier of take the chance.
Nevertheless, everything is not as perfect as it could seem. On November 2nd, we arrived in Zagreb. We were very excited but felt insecure as well. We didn’t know anything about the country and its culture, so everything was a surprise as we were discovering it. The first week was an adaptation one. Before coming, you hear about cultural shock, a process that mostly everyone gets through when arrive in a new country. It’s defined as a feeling of sadness and nostalgia of your country, language, family, friends, culture…, but you can’t understand it at all unless you live it, and we did, at least the first week. Begginigs are not easy and to miss your comfort zone is something you’ll must to get through, but if you’d like living this experience, don’t let the fear stops you. You’ll need time and some missing buses (because you can’t understand the schedule, the system or the language) to realize that the city, little by little, is your new home. And you’ll love it, we promise.
The organization which hosted us is Slava Raškaj. It’s an educational centre for children and youngs with different disabilities, difficulties and/or problems in their learning process. As volunteers in the centre, we must do two tasks. One of them is help students who are finishing their studies in Ilica centre to make a video curriculum, in order to make the process of finding a job easier. On the other hand, we work helping in the different activities and therapies which take place in Nazorova centre with the younger children, as art-therapy, music-therapy or kinesiotherapy.
During the second week, we were in the on-arrival meeting, a training for volunteers who have just started with their projects. In our case, it was in Orahovica, a little town 3 hours away from Zagreb, with other volunteers who are doing their projects both in Croatia and in other countries (Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro…). This meeting is very important, because you realize you are not alone and it gives you the chance of meeting new people with similar interests, making friends and, later, visit them in the places they are volunteering.
Again in Zagreb, we continued our adaptation process and our jobs in the centres. Having luch at 12pm and having dinner at 7pm it’s not as weird anymore,
and we have planned a trip for December holidays.
Everything we have ahead seem so exciting. We will keep you informed, so stay tuned!!
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