Back in June I - Mid-term Training

Well, last time I wrote here it was 3 weeks ago, but don't get me wrong, I've been only back home since last week and I needed some time to rest and process all the places I had visited. So yeah, time to exercise the memory.

The 17th of June I took a train with some of my other EVS volunteers friends destination Novy Smokovez, in the High Tatras mountains -the highest of Slovakia-, with good mood to start our Mid-term Training for volunteers, which turned out being more a meeting that a training but still enjoyable.

We arrived in the afternoon, after around 5 hours train trip from Bratislava, close to the magnificent landscape you can see above. In some places of the mountain you could still see snow remainders. The train from Bratislava was picking up more people attending this meeting and when we changed in Poprad to take this tram-train we found more, what meant that half of the participants were arriving a little bit late -ale nevadi. You can never trust Slovak railway timetables on time, believe me.

Anyway, the place, the people and this great atmosphere that involved us all it was simply perfect. The topics of the discussion might not be for inmediate practical use like there was the first time in the on-arrival but still I learnt a lot about my past experience in the exercise of creating an evaluation graf of emotions of our project. Of course there were also group discussions, teambuilding exercises and games and more games -and breaks with watermelon, yummy!

Nevertheless, the most intense and interesting day was the last one (before the departure day). In the morning we went hiking and I loved the landscape. I know, I've already said it a few lines before, but really, so nice! An especially so different from back home, it makes you appreciate the diversity and beauty of nature.

Then, this night we probably had one of the nicest group conversation of all the meeting. We were discussing about what do we want to do once our EVS projects are finished and it was nice to hear how people describe a bright and happy future for themselves. Some of us were more optimistic than others, that called themselves realistic but sounded rather hopeless. Anywho, we had a moment when optimistics took the word and we all agreed that at least you need to try. Because it doesn't matter how much society insists on calling us the lost generation, they could never take dreams from us, and if we dream strong enough then we are able of doing anything ;) Aha! Forgot the context of this relaxed and inspiring talk: with the sunset as a background, and later the cover of the night, out in the garden, surrounded by stars and with the light od the candles.

Next day we got more practical and we made a bit of review of useful websites to continue volunteering projects, other kinds of youth exchanges and internships, study possibilities in Slovakia and ways to work abroad without money but without expenses either -like workaway or woofing. Note to self: make a word document with all this sites not to forget them!

And that was all. After that session in the morning we had a quick lunch -quicker than what I would had like to- in order to take our tram to Poprad. Then the Bratislava group took their train and I waited for mine just in the opposite direction: Kosice. Why I was taking this I would tell only in the next post, so be attentive, soon more and better :)

PS: that moment when I was waiting by my own -after 4 days without much privacy-, and then I noticed our beautiful trainers also waiting for their train two platforms far from me. That exchange of mimical hugs and kisses from the distance right before the first vagons makes them dissappear from my sight, and the sudden certainty of their magical cappability to take the best from our group. Geez, I feel so lucky I'm having this great experience^^

Hugs,
Ali