Life of a Volunteer

Volunteering in Local Democracy Agency Brtonigla - Verteneglio, Croatia

[ldavolunteers]

We have decided to move our blog to another place. If you would like to follow our newest adventures, you can find us here!

[ldavolunteers]

Split - City of Sun

Last weekend we successfully escaped the cold and cloudy Istria to Split - the City of Sun in Dalmatia.

We enjoyed the sunny weather in company of friends from Zagreb and, of course, our dear host from Split!

The city has a beautiful and well preserved old town including an ancient palace from the 4th century. After exploring that, we found ourselves three days in a row in the same sandwich place.

Since Split has a lot to offer, we are already excited to return there for our mid-term-training next year.

[ldavolunteers]

Recycling Workshop and Exhibition

Last week as part of our work in the Center of Inclusion of Buje, we participated in their recycling workshop, which ended with an exhibition of the created artworks today.

We helped to give a second life to the furniture rescued from the local waste disposal as well as revived some old pieces from the center by giving them a new look.

The exhibition also showed creations made by the members and us in the past months like bookmarks, magnets and plates. 

We think the results are something to be proud of!

[ldavolunteers]

Karlovac - City of Fog

This weekend we decided to use the wonderful chance presented by the European Solidarity Corps and visit other volunteer friends who are spending their service in the ever - foggy home of our favorite Croatian beer - the city of Karlovac.

We spent our time there taking in the true Croatian spirit, formed by sturdy socialist architecture and gloomy scenery. We also took the chance to visit the Dubovac castle, the tower of which allowed us to overlook the whole city.

All in all it was a fun visit, but it made us further appreciate our region of Istria with its fresh seaside air and blue skies.

[ldavolunteers]

Thank you for coming to our movie night, we had such a blast! Hope to see you next time! :)

[ldavolunteers]

General Assembly of Local Democracy Agency Brtonigla - Verteneglio 2019

On the 14th of November we attended the annual general assembly of LDA Brtonigla - Verteneglio held in Trieste.

We got a chance to meet the partners of our agency as well as attend the meeting where LDA presented its main events and activities and called upon strengthening the bond with our roots and the cooperation between minorities and majorities in the bilingual communities.

It was an honour to meet the partners of our LDA and a good opportunity to learn more about the ways such an agency functions. 

[ldavolunteers]

A Day in Rovinj

Yesterday, a sunny Sunday, we took our Ugly Yellow (Citroen Xsara 1998) out to a ride to Rovinj.

We spent the afternoon roaming around the town and taking in the beautiful sights without the distraction of swarms of tourists. Rovinj also greeted us with locations perfect for “professional“ photoshoots. And the perfect light.

In summer we should definitely come back to take a swim in the turquoise water.

[ldavolunteers]

We hope to see you at our movie night, on Monday, 18th of November, at the Touristic office, Mlinska ulica 2. Drinks, snacks and a good time guaranteed!

[ldavolunteers]

Extracurricular Work

Sitting at the office all day, every day can be exhausting and a bit demotivating. That is why Julia and I decided to spend two days a week helping the local Center of Inclusion in Buje.

We mostly spend our time finishing the paintings made by the people of the center and preparing new art projects for them to work on as well as assisting them.

[ldavolunteers]

Halloween in Zagreb

The 31st of October we decided to change the scenery and spend it in the big city - Zagreb city.

We did not come for city exploration and polluted air alone. It was a chance to reunite with some of the other volunteers from the on-arrival training.

And actually costume-up before going out searching for parties to crash.

This was also a chance to finally enjoy the true joys of autumn - playing in the yellow leaves and wishing not to fall upon a dog poop.

With all the fun and games we had, the weekend felt like it flew by. ‘Till next time, Zagreb!

[ldavolunteers]

This Saturday we hosted our first event - promoting recycling by trying to make it engaging. It was not as successful as we had hoped but we did bag an interview with the local television.

However the sun was shining and we went to the beach afterward to enjoy one of the last warm days of the year.

[ldavolunteers]

We were featured in the local news for a bit (At minutes 2:00 and 2:20)!

[ldavolunteers]

Bicycling Day

Today we helped organizing a bicycling day at the local kindergarten taking on the roles of traffic regulators. Despite picture telling otherwise, Manu had the most fun with the kids

[ldavolunteers]

On-arrival training - Orahovica

As a fresh batch of volunteers we were required to attend the on-arrival training. After 16 grueling hours of travel we were greeted by the beautiful town of Orahovica.

The training was made to prepare us for the time ahead of us, talking about the meaning of the volunteer work, the dangers of culture shock and how to overcome it, conflict situations and compromises. Often times doing so through games or other creative assignments.

It was also a great way to finally meet other people volunteering in Croatia as well as get to know the local cuisine (hint, it was meat on top of meat with a side of meat).

We also took the chance to explore the surrounding area and found some great places.

All in all it was a wonderful experience shared with an amazing group of people. Thanks to everyone!

[ldavolunteers]

The Istrian Canyon

On Tuesday, October 8th Croatia celebrated the independence day. We decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go hiking along the Škarlina trail.

The walk was beautiful, even if some of the ways we chose were more challenging than others.

At midpoint we found ourselves at a sunny meadow so we decided to stop there and have a picnic.

Of course it would not be an adventure without getting a bit lost. But in the end we did find our way back home safe and sound. Altogether it was a wonderful trip, the forests surrounding the trail providing both a charm of a fairy realm and that of an old haunted forest. We would definitely recommend walking the trail if you happen to be in the area as it is beautiful, not too long (only about 10km) or difficult and taxing (that is, if you stay on the correct paths)!

[thesadghostclub]

One day at a time. One foot in front of the each other. It’ll work out, you’ll make it through, you’ll be ok <3

love from the sad ghost club

[ldavolunteers]

As it is the world mental health day, just a reminder to take care of yourself and the people you care about!

[ldavolunteers]

From M.E. to E.U

After our exploration of Zagreb we went to the hotel “Porin”, which is now home to approximately 400 migrants.

The LDA in collaboration with the Red Cross is participating in European Unions project “From M.E. to E.U.“ the purpose of which is to create an opportunity to become a more inclusive society and promote mutual help between the EU citizens and migrants.

Our part in the project was to interview the people who have migrated to Croatia and the citizens of European Union about what we can do to help one another to enrich our lives.

The migrants we talked to where lovely and kind despite the hardships they have endured. But their experiences had made them distrusting and it was hard to get an honest answer to our questions. We also noticed that they were disillusioned by the reality of the life in Europe. Contrary to our expectations the people there did not have clear goals for their future.

[ldavolunteers]

A Day in Zagreb

On Monday we were participating in a project in the capital of Croatia but as it was taking place in the afternoon, we had a chance to explore the city a bit.

Other than its sights, the city offered us a chance to make new friends

And experience its cuisine. (After the food festival not many things could rival its exquisite flavours though.)

We really enjoyed our time in Zagreb but our trip was not for entertainment alone. We had a serious task ahead of us.