August - September: outdoor programme, "Build up!" and Balkan trip
Seven months. Seven beautiful months I’ve already been in Croatia. Seems not so long, but it definitely is when I look back at how much I’ve experienced during this time here. And it’s not only adventures connected with travelling and meating new people. The biggest and most valuable experience is in relation to the professional development and just becoming a little bit better version of myself. More real and less judgemental.
But back to experiences I've had here so far - the last three months have actually been like a crazy rollercoaster. It’s been an emotional and fullfilling road, involving managing a two week volunteering camp, leading an outdoor programme, going on a hitchhiking trip around Balkans and managing an Erasmus+ training, that I actually wrote this Spring.
Thereby I’m sorry if you haven’t really heard a lot from me during the last three months, as most time of them I spent either in place with no phone signal (let’s not even talk about wi-fi) or just in foreign countries outside of Croatia.
But back to experiences I've had here so far - the last three months have actually been like a crazy rollercoaster. It’s been an emotional and fullfilling road, involving managing a two week volunteering camp, leading an outdoor programme, going on a hitchhiking trip around Balkans and managing an Erasmus+ training, that I actually wrote this Spring.
Thereby I’m sorry if you haven’t really heard a lot from me during the last three months, as most time of them I spent either in place with no phone signal (let’s not even talk about wi-fi) or just in foreign countries outside of Croatia.
EVS camp "Build up!"
So let’s start one by one. First project was short term volunteering camp “Build up!” in our newly built educational centre in Velebit mountains, not far from the coast side. First time when I realised that it’s actually gonna be me and another friend of mine – Ivana - in charge, my first question was – “Ok, but who else is going to be there from our “bosses”? – No one. We trust you” So there it was, so simple. A moment when you realise that others might trust you more than you trust yourself.
But during the project I proved myself that I am capable of doing this. I can manage a two week volunteering camp including aspects like managing a team, leading team building excercises for 30 people and so on. Of course there were moments when the neverending “to do” lists mixed up too much with emotions and problems that jumped out of nowhere, thereby I just had to stop and breathe for a bit but in the end it was so, so rewarding. And realising that the support from people around you is huge – only thing you need to do is - ask -, and sometimes not even that.
But the most fullfilling and rewarding feeling came when I saw participants of the project for three hours sitting outside in a circle giving feedback and sharing positive emotions to each others. Candles, sleeping bags, smiles, crying and a big, warm feeling inside.
But during the project I proved myself that I am capable of doing this. I can manage a two week volunteering camp including aspects like managing a team, leading team building excercises for 30 people and so on. Of course there were moments when the neverending “to do” lists mixed up too much with emotions and problems that jumped out of nowhere, thereby I just had to stop and breathe for a bit but in the end it was so, so rewarding. And realising that the support from people around you is huge – only thing you need to do is - ask -, and sometimes not even that.
But the most fullfilling and rewarding feeling came when I saw participants of the project for three hours sitting outside in a circle giving feedback and sharing positive emotions to each others. Candles, sleeping bags, smiles, crying and a big, warm feeling inside.
Outdoor programme
So that was “Build up!”. Next programme that followed was Outward Bound outdoor programme for youngsters from international school. And again – a moment when I was asked if I’m up for being an instructor my first thoughts in mind was – “I don’t have enough experience and hard skills.. it’s a big responsibility.”. Instead, what I answered out loud was – “Yes, I can try!”. And I did.
Few days before the start of a programme were quite crazy to say the least. What seemed to be enough time for preparation and understanding how things should be like, ended up in a big mess and rush in my head. So in the moment when group of sixteen teenagers arrived to the programme venue 3 hours earlier than planned, while I was still helping out other instructors with different group, the adrenaline rush in my head was quite high. But – again – I managed.
Some parts during the few day expedition in mountains went better than planned, some – not so well. Especially when during the evaluation circle one of the participants describing her experience during the expedition mentioned that during the expedition she hated everything, wanted to kill herself a couple of times and never wants to see me and the second instructor ever again.
In that moment I was just laughing about everything with the rest of the group, as the girl had quite of a sarcastic sense of humour and a tendency to over exaggerate, but the feeling afterwards when you feel like you’ve given your best to these kids but the evaluations are still what they are, is a bit sour. But that’s a part of a rollercoaster. After the greatest experiences that makes you feel like on the top of the world comes experiences, that makes you get back on earth. Because there still is soooo much to learn. And the same approach is not gonna work for all groups.
Few days before the start of a programme were quite crazy to say the least. What seemed to be enough time for preparation and understanding how things should be like, ended up in a big mess and rush in my head. So in the moment when group of sixteen teenagers arrived to the programme venue 3 hours earlier than planned, while I was still helping out other instructors with different group, the adrenaline rush in my head was quite high. But – again – I managed.
Some parts during the few day expedition in mountains went better than planned, some – not so well. Especially when during the evaluation circle one of the participants describing her experience during the expedition mentioned that during the expedition she hated everything, wanted to kill herself a couple of times and never wants to see me and the second instructor ever again.
In that moment I was just laughing about everything with the rest of the group, as the girl had quite of a sarcastic sense of humour and a tendency to over exaggerate, but the feeling afterwards when you feel like you’ve given your best to these kids but the evaluations are still what they are, is a bit sour. But that’s a part of a rollercoaster. After the greatest experiences that makes you feel like on the top of the world comes experiences, that makes you get back on earth. Because there still is soooo much to learn. And the same approach is not gonna work for all groups.
Balkan trip: Hungary & Greece
But, oh well, what’s done is done. Not a lot of time to overthink the expedition as the next day after returning back to Zagreb I was already sitting in a car on my way to Budapest from where the plan was quite unclear and, let’s say, full of unknown. After an early night party in Budapest (because of the tiredness I managed to fall asleep with my head on a bar table around midnight) I met my partner in crime – neverending energetic Daisy from UK – and we jumped into a plane to Greece, Thessaloniki. That simple.
After a late night wandering around an urban and a bit lost part of the city we finally found the address of my friends place where we were supposed to stay for couple of nights – old tabacco factory that was recently changed into “FIXinart” art centre. And, even better, we actually stayed in a room that was created in a backstage of a theatre stage, so everytime we went to our “room”, we had to go through the stage. It brought some really special and nice memories from some years ago when I was still playing theatre back in Latvia.
But even more special then our “room” was the community of the centre – even though we arrived around midnight, right after putting down our backpacks we got into great conversations with other travellers and staff members that were living and working there. After only two days in Thessaloniki, I must say, we addapted the greek “lazy-enjoy the moment” style quite fast, as we spent more time drinking coffee and commenting people passing us than actually walking anywhere. Greece is Greece. But two days of city was our limit – after spending a day in beach together with wild dogs and old people, we got our bags and got back to the road. This time – away from the comfort and urban areas – hitchhiking to the North, city of Edessa.
And away of comfort it was – after quite late arrival to Edessa city and realisation, that there’s not really a lot of options how to get to city 40 km from it where we were supposed stay at couchsurfing host we decided on wild camping. Well, half-wild as we were still in the middle of mountain city with a huge waterfall in the middle of it. After a “we really deserve this” beer in the city centre, we went to look where to spend the night, as the only equipment we had for camping were two sleeping bags. After short wandering around we found a secured place from strangers eyes – although we were halfly sleeping in a garden full of thorns and other plants, the night was warm and full of stars. So - both of us being quite of an optimists – we focused more of the part of the starry night instead of what we were actually sleeping on. In the morning, waking up with the first light, we realised that we were actually sleeping on a side of a really, really old swimming pool.
After an early morning frappe (very important part of our Greek adventures) and check-up if there are any leaves still in our hair, we got into a bus and drove to a city nearby – Loutra where we were supposed to meet our couchsurfing host and visit together hot springs of Loutra. After spending couple of last days in the city, a hike in the mountains and relaxation in the cold river, catching the places where the hot springs mix with river water was just what we needed.
After a late night wandering around an urban and a bit lost part of the city we finally found the address of my friends place where we were supposed to stay for couple of nights – old tabacco factory that was recently changed into “FIXinart” art centre. And, even better, we actually stayed in a room that was created in a backstage of a theatre stage, so everytime we went to our “room”, we had to go through the stage. It brought some really special and nice memories from some years ago when I was still playing theatre back in Latvia.
But even more special then our “room” was the community of the centre – even though we arrived around midnight, right after putting down our backpacks we got into great conversations with other travellers and staff members that were living and working there. After only two days in Thessaloniki, I must say, we addapted the greek “lazy-enjoy the moment” style quite fast, as we spent more time drinking coffee and commenting people passing us than actually walking anywhere. Greece is Greece. But two days of city was our limit – after spending a day in beach together with wild dogs and old people, we got our bags and got back to the road. This time – away from the comfort and urban areas – hitchhiking to the North, city of Edessa.
And away of comfort it was – after quite late arrival to Edessa city and realisation, that there’s not really a lot of options how to get to city 40 km from it where we were supposed stay at couchsurfing host we decided on wild camping. Well, half-wild as we were still in the middle of mountain city with a huge waterfall in the middle of it. After a “we really deserve this” beer in the city centre, we went to look where to spend the night, as the only equipment we had for camping were two sleeping bags. After short wandering around we found a secured place from strangers eyes – although we were halfly sleeping in a garden full of thorns and other plants, the night was warm and full of stars. So - both of us being quite of an optimists – we focused more of the part of the starry night instead of what we were actually sleeping on. In the morning, waking up with the first light, we realised that we were actually sleeping on a side of a really, really old swimming pool.
After an early morning frappe (very important part of our Greek adventures) and check-up if there are any leaves still in our hair, we got into a bus and drove to a city nearby – Loutra where we were supposed to meet our couchsurfing host and visit together hot springs of Loutra. After spending couple of last days in the city, a hike in the mountains and relaxation in the cold river, catching the places where the hot springs mix with river water was just what we needed.
Macedonia
Loutra was beautiful but as the time of the trip was running fast and we needed to be back in Zagreb in one week in the afternoon we decided to try our luck and try to catch a ride to Macedonia, city of Bitola. The start of hitchhiking was quite funny, when the first driver that stopped to Daisy’s question whether he’s going to Edessa nodded his head and confidently answered “Ne, ne, ne”. So, as any normal person, Daisy said thank you and walked away from the car letting it go further. In the same time I remembered something that I’ve read some time ago, that in some countries “Ne” means “Yes”. So here we were – one of the misterious countries was Greece. So we let our first lucky drive go away.
The rest of the day were mixed from great experiences of catching a ride with a group of musicians who went to a gig, group of friends who decided to take us twice further than they had planned and an old creepy men, that was driving with 20 km/h and promising us to show his house. So we got to a moment when we decided that it’s better to open the doors and tell him that we better stay right where we are and catch another ride. All in all, late evening we finally arrived to Macedonia, Bitola city where I had some friends from an NGO that we stayed at for a night.
As the trip was quite unplanned and we didn’t really had time to check or plan where we’re going (first plan was to go to Skopje after Bitola but unexpected earthquake changed our plans), the truth about low expectations proved it’s point several times during the trip. From two days we spent there it really associates with welcoming people with quite of a stubborn character and breath-taking beautiful nature. After visiting Bitola city and eating in the fanciest restaurant (as suddenly we were ritch comparing to Greek prices) we hitchhiked to Ohrid lake where we also had a couchsurfing host to stay at.
And Ohrid lake was truly, truly beuatiful. A quick google image check-up in a previous evening didn’t stay even close to the amazing sunset that we had the honour to experience while having a small tour around the old town by our couchsurfing host. Next morning after a quick swim in the lake and beach full of old people (September is definitely their time to shine), we hit the road again – this time to more wild and unexplored side of Europe – Albania.
The rest of the day were mixed from great experiences of catching a ride with a group of musicians who went to a gig, group of friends who decided to take us twice further than they had planned and an old creepy men, that was driving with 20 km/h and promising us to show his house. So we got to a moment when we decided that it’s better to open the doors and tell him that we better stay right where we are and catch another ride. All in all, late evening we finally arrived to Macedonia, Bitola city where I had some friends from an NGO that we stayed at for a night.
As the trip was quite unplanned and we didn’t really had time to check or plan where we’re going (first plan was to go to Skopje after Bitola but unexpected earthquake changed our plans), the truth about low expectations proved it’s point several times during the trip. From two days we spent there it really associates with welcoming people with quite of a stubborn character and breath-taking beautiful nature. After visiting Bitola city and eating in the fanciest restaurant (as suddenly we were ritch comparing to Greek prices) we hitchhiked to Ohrid lake where we also had a couchsurfing host to stay at.
And Ohrid lake was truly, truly beuatiful. A quick google image check-up in a previous evening didn’t stay even close to the amazing sunset that we had the honour to experience while having a small tour around the old town by our couchsurfing host. Next morning after a quick swim in the lake and beach full of old people (September is definitely their time to shine), we hit the road again – this time to more wild and unexplored side of Europe – Albania.
Albania
After couple of horror stories about regular fights and car explosions between mafia gangs and tourists being killed in the mountains (yes, all told by actual Albanian) we were excited and in the same time a bit worried. But – oh, well – everything ends well as long as we can still get out of Albania in one piece. Armed with this enthusiasm and ready for mountains made of garbage and exploding cars we arrived in Tirana – capital of Albania. And yes – the city was quite dirty, with half finished roads and huge contrasts between rich buildings and houses made of cardboards, but it wasn’t as bad as we expected. And during all the time we spent in Albania we didn’t experience even one exploding car.
So that’s the story about expectations. When you’re getting ready for the worse, it’s actually a bit disappointing to see a bit more civilised version of Albania than expected from the stories. And to the biggest contrast of all – together with our couchsurfing hosts we managed to have a sneak peak for a night into that rich and famous lifestyle of Tirana, eating in a great restaurant and partying in huge nightclubs. One thing I’m sure about – Albanians might have a weird sense of meaning of a word “order” and one hell of an economy, but they sure know how to party. And it doesn’t matter how big of a debt you’ll be at – a huge shiny car is a must have!
After a day in Tirana we jumped in a mini-van and drove to our next destination – Shkodar lake. If you ever have a chance, definitely try out Albanian public transport (it’s actually mostly privately owned, but that’s a deeper topic connected with laws and (non)organization in Albania). During the 2 hour ride in a mini-van to Shkodar we felt like we just joined a family dinner. Apart from the fact that we didn’t understand almost anything the locals were saying, depending from all of the looks to our direction and word “englesi”, we were the main topic of the ride. But the biggest star was definitely the driver, actively leading (basically shouting) all of the conversations and engaging all of the passengers in an active discussion. Even though each of them joined the fun ride in a different stop, seemed like they knew each other for a long long time. Italians really seem like peaceful and quiet nation after spending two hours in a public transport in Albania.
When we finally arrived in Shkodar, it turned out that our couchsurfing host works in a youth hostel and we had a chance to actually stay in one of the hostel rooms. After a fun night trying out all kinds of games where beer was the main object (didn’t really matter if you win or loose), in the morning we took bikes and cycled to Shkodar lake that was only 20 min away. Even though Shkodar city is famous for it’s bicycle culture and (apparently) infrastructure, 20 min drive in Albania equals 5 heart-attacks. The traffic really is crazy, especially for a Latvian person, who’s not really used to just crossing the crossroads with cars driving several different directions and totally not giving a fu*k about any rules. Well, I made it. But I’m not sure if I’d ever sign up to ride a bicycle in Albania again.
So that’s the story about expectations. When you’re getting ready for the worse, it’s actually a bit disappointing to see a bit more civilised version of Albania than expected from the stories. And to the biggest contrast of all – together with our couchsurfing hosts we managed to have a sneak peak for a night into that rich and famous lifestyle of Tirana, eating in a great restaurant and partying in huge nightclubs. One thing I’m sure about – Albanians might have a weird sense of meaning of a word “order” and one hell of an economy, but they sure know how to party. And it doesn’t matter how big of a debt you’ll be at – a huge shiny car is a must have!
After a day in Tirana we jumped in a mini-van and drove to our next destination – Shkodar lake. If you ever have a chance, definitely try out Albanian public transport (it’s actually mostly privately owned, but that’s a deeper topic connected with laws and (non)organization in Albania). During the 2 hour ride in a mini-van to Shkodar we felt like we just joined a family dinner. Apart from the fact that we didn’t understand almost anything the locals were saying, depending from all of the looks to our direction and word “englesi”, we were the main topic of the ride. But the biggest star was definitely the driver, actively leading (basically shouting) all of the conversations and engaging all of the passengers in an active discussion. Even though each of them joined the fun ride in a different stop, seemed like they knew each other for a long long time. Italians really seem like peaceful and quiet nation after spending two hours in a public transport in Albania.
When we finally arrived in Shkodar, it turned out that our couchsurfing host works in a youth hostel and we had a chance to actually stay in one of the hostel rooms. After a fun night trying out all kinds of games where beer was the main object (didn’t really matter if you win or loose), in the morning we took bikes and cycled to Shkodar lake that was only 20 min away. Even though Shkodar city is famous for it’s bicycle culture and (apparently) infrastructure, 20 min drive in Albania equals 5 heart-attacks. The traffic really is crazy, especially for a Latvian person, who’s not really used to just crossing the crossroads with cars driving several different directions and totally not giving a fu*k about any rules. Well, I made it. But I’m not sure if I’d ever sign up to ride a bicycle in Albania again.
Montenegro
So – next stop Montenegro! From all the Balkan countries I’ve been to so far, I must say – Montenegro truly was the most beautiful one! Just driving along the coastline and stopping for a swim between hitchhiking rides was a breathtaking and amazing experience. A lot of “ahhhh, look, how beautiful!” for one person (Daisy) to take in, before we finally arrived to our final destination for that day – city of Kotor.
As we didn’t manage to find any hosts or friends to stay at in the last minute, we decided to stay in a hostel instead of just doing the wild camping style. And luckily, as ten minutes after we arrived in a hostel started crazy rain and thunderstorm. Next morning started quite dark – after last night’s storm, biggest part of the old town was left without electricity, including our hostel and electricity-fixing company. Quite of an irony. Despite of the rain that couldn’t decide whether to stop or go on, we went up to the old fortress of Kotor – hike with so many beautiful views that I’m still surprised that my camera had any battery left.
A little bit wet but in a more happy mood, we hit the road again to the direction of Croatia, Dubrovnik. Although at first hitchhiking didn’t go so smoothly, we finally catched a ride and even had a coffee with judge/president of a local Harley Davidson motorcycle club (we’re considering coming back next year for a motorcycle festival) in his personal garden with several cats and canary birds.
But the luck didn’t last too long – we got stuck again in a city of Herceg Novi for two hours in a hard core rain. As always, in a moment when it was almost dark and we started to feel like two wet rats with no home – luck came back and a car stopped with two fun Spanish/Irish that were going right were we needed – Dubrovnik!
As we didn’t manage to find any hosts or friends to stay at in the last minute, we decided to stay in a hostel instead of just doing the wild camping style. And luckily, as ten minutes after we arrived in a hostel started crazy rain and thunderstorm. Next morning started quite dark – after last night’s storm, biggest part of the old town was left without electricity, including our hostel and electricity-fixing company. Quite of an irony. Despite of the rain that couldn’t decide whether to stop or go on, we went up to the old fortress of Kotor – hike with so many beautiful views that I’m still surprised that my camera had any battery left.
A little bit wet but in a more happy mood, we hit the road again to the direction of Croatia, Dubrovnik. Although at first hitchhiking didn’t go so smoothly, we finally catched a ride and even had a coffee with judge/president of a local Harley Davidson motorcycle club (we’re considering coming back next year for a motorcycle festival) in his personal garden with several cats and canary birds.
But the luck didn’t last too long – we got stuck again in a city of Herceg Novi for two hours in a hard core rain. As always, in a moment when it was almost dark and we started to feel like two wet rats with no home – luck came back and a car stopped with two fun Spanish/Irish that were going right were we needed – Dubrovnik!
Back to home: Croatia
Even though my original plan was after reaching Dubrovnik get in the last night bus to Zagreb, where my work was already waiting for me, the plans are made to be changed. So instead we spent a night catching a bit of a Dubrovnik nightlife and even going to a restaurant with our newly met friends – guys from hitchhiking.
Lazy morning/afternoon in the beach and we hit the road again. It’s not so smart to start hitchhiking at 4 PM, when you have a nine-hour drive to Zagreb. But – ahhh – how can you say "no" to sun and beach?! So there we were – two entirely exhausted girls by the road with no cars stopping. That’s when the strategy of hitchhiking in two levels came alive – I was sitting and holding the sign “Home”, while Daisy was standing next to me. And it worked – few minutes later we got a free ride by a tour agency bus with those beautiful big windows in front that allows you to enjoy the view to the fullest.
An hour later and just a little bit closer to Zagreb there we were again – standing by the road with the sun almost dissapearing in horizont. The plan from the beginning was to hitchhike as far as we can and then just take a night bus back to Zagreb. While waiting for the bus and hitchhiking in the meantime, we met our hitchhiking competition – a guy from Italy with a guitar, that wasn’t really hitchhiking very actively (if you can call sitting at the bench and waiting for an opportunity to come - a hitchhiking). To the question where is he hitchhiking and how long has he been travelling the answer was – “I’ve hitchhiked for around two years so far. I’ll go where the road will take me.” So quite free spirited.
After couple of minutes a small van stopped with driver offering to take us 40 km further. Although it was almost dark and we knew that we’ll have to take the bus anyways – eh, why not. Besides, looked like the Italian guy might use a ride as well, thereby we invited him to join us. And luckily as it turned out that the driver after stopping a bit in his home city is going further to Zagreb where he has to take a group of tourists next morning.
When we arrived in his home town, driver left us in a caffee nearby and promised to be back after an hour to take us to Zagreb. After ordering a coffee in a small family owned caffee, an owner of the place approached us being interested in where do we come from and what are we doing in this small village. Few words and free beers from the coffee owner were already coming to our direction. After some time I went to toilet for 5 minutes and when I was back, the scenery had already changed – the Italian guy was playing the guitar, 5 old croatian guys were sitting around us and one of them was singing Italian songs in a great opera singer voice, which he apparently was. Of course, more free beers arriving. When our driver arrived after some time – he was quite surprised to find us singing and laughing with the locals.
When we finally got back into the van the rest of the 7 hour drive to Zagreb was spent mostly sleeping as the Italian guy were greatly entertaining our driver sharing stories from his travels. 3 AM – we were finally in Zagreb – back home!
Lazy morning/afternoon in the beach and we hit the road again. It’s not so smart to start hitchhiking at 4 PM, when you have a nine-hour drive to Zagreb. But – ahhh – how can you say "no" to sun and beach?! So there we were – two entirely exhausted girls by the road with no cars stopping. That’s when the strategy of hitchhiking in two levels came alive – I was sitting and holding the sign “Home”, while Daisy was standing next to me. And it worked – few minutes later we got a free ride by a tour agency bus with those beautiful big windows in front that allows you to enjoy the view to the fullest.
An hour later and just a little bit closer to Zagreb there we were again – standing by the road with the sun almost dissapearing in horizont. The plan from the beginning was to hitchhike as far as we can and then just take a night bus back to Zagreb. While waiting for the bus and hitchhiking in the meantime, we met our hitchhiking competition – a guy from Italy with a guitar, that wasn’t really hitchhiking very actively (if you can call sitting at the bench and waiting for an opportunity to come - a hitchhiking). To the question where is he hitchhiking and how long has he been travelling the answer was – “I’ve hitchhiked for around two years so far. I’ll go where the road will take me.” So quite free spirited.
After couple of minutes a small van stopped with driver offering to take us 40 km further. Although it was almost dark and we knew that we’ll have to take the bus anyways – eh, why not. Besides, looked like the Italian guy might use a ride as well, thereby we invited him to join us. And luckily as it turned out that the driver after stopping a bit in his home city is going further to Zagreb where he has to take a group of tourists next morning.
When we arrived in his home town, driver left us in a caffee nearby and promised to be back after an hour to take us to Zagreb. After ordering a coffee in a small family owned caffee, an owner of the place approached us being interested in where do we come from and what are we doing in this small village. Few words and free beers from the coffee owner were already coming to our direction. After some time I went to toilet for 5 minutes and when I was back, the scenery had already changed – the Italian guy was playing the guitar, 5 old croatian guys were sitting around us and one of them was singing Italian songs in a great opera singer voice, which he apparently was. Of course, more free beers arriving. When our driver arrived after some time – he was quite surprised to find us singing and laughing with the locals.
When we finally got back into the van the rest of the 7 hour drive to Zagreb was spent mostly sleeping as the Italian guy were greatly entertaining our driver sharing stories from his travels. 3 AM – we were finally in Zagreb – back home!