Just chill

Hey, how are you my dearest readers? Hope everything's fine and that you're enjoying your summer.

After June things are going pretty relax for me, but I can not complain -after traveling that's what I needed.

First week after I arrived I was given the news that the youth exchange project Matiss and I helped to write was approved, yay! Therefore, in this week we discussed about the different sessions of the agenda we had prepared before. We realise that actually -except 3 or 4 sessions that are about more specific topics-, we didn't need to prepare much about what are we going to say because we would like to focus on what the participants will share, involving them directly in the topics. Not bad idea, eh? :)

Monday, 1st of July, it was the farewell party barbacue of one EVS friend, Seamus -from Ireland.  We didn't know each other very much, but I always enjoyed talking with him -and we have an 'Erasmus' program for parents that we should register, haha. It was also the celebration of the birthday party of Janka, a Slovak friend of him that is currently working in the National Agency of Slovakia. At the begining we were two close groups: foreigner volunteers and Slovak friends of Janka, but eventually we started mingling. In fact it was good, I met three girls interested in tandem conversation there -I have plenty of contacts now, great! Just need to organise my agenda, haha.

Then on Friday it was state holiday in Slovakia and I was thinking about going with another colleague on a trip to Prague to visit her brother. Unfortunately we both got a little sick and decided to leave it for another time. Instead we went the following Wednesday to watch The Great Gatsby in the cinema. I don't know whether the movie is mighty good or it just was really a long time for me since I didn't go to the cinema, but I really enjoyed the film -in original version, Slovak subtitles :P. I expected more from the story, that's true, but it was visually outstanding.

After some days that I voluntary shut myself away at home, hoping that the little cold I had healed properly but without getting any results, I decided to join Olga and her friend Julia -also former INEX EVS, from Belarus- in their visit to the lake on Sunday. For me is really funny the fact that people here go to the lake instead of the beach, but they have all the same stuff -or even more sometimes- than when going to the beach. I must say I don't like swimming in the lake as much as I like it in the sea, mainly because without salty water for me it's more difficult to float -which means I get stress when it doesn't work and rush to go back to the shore.

It wasn't until last Thursday that this cold -not strong enough to leave me resting at home, not weak enough to not be annoying- finally went away. Sadly, most of my tandem contacts were also away for the weekend, but luckily I have other friends.

On Friday I met Dasa that took me to a man-made beach by the Danube, just after crossing Aupark and Sad Krala park. There are plenty of hammocks and deck chairs to sunbath, and also some people were reading books from the open-air little library next to the beach. There is also a bar, volleyball pitches, an exercising playground and soon they will finish setting up the screen for the movie nights. It's quite a good place, I'm looking forward to visit it some time after the office hours, to mantain my tanning and just chill with some book.

Moving forward, Saturday I met Michele for attending some chorus concerts because of a international youth chorus competition taking place in Bratislava. I was late and I didn't watch all of them but the few I saw were great. Funniest part, sitting in the floor in front of the stage and suddenly seen ourselves surrounded by the different compiting groups. We decided to go with the South-African group and it was a good call, they won a lot of prices -though everybody did. After the prices we went to drink something to one of this boats by the river and later to grab some pizza. It was a nice afternoon.

Finally yesterday I met Mariano, another EVS friend, half Italian and half Argentinian. He was just coming from the Pohoda festival with my sleeping bag, which I had lend Azahara -also EVS but from Spain- few days before. His friend -from Argentina but currently living in Bristol- was also coming with him and I decided to take them both to this recently discover beach -all the way through the old town and with an icecream pause, of course. It's always good to have somebody to speak in Spanish every now and then, even when sometimes it was difficult for me to understand their expressions -very different versions of Spanish, indeed, but very funny guys.

It was almost evening when we said goodbye and I explored a new way home through Dvory bridge -I'm normally only taking the pedestrian bridges. I got home only to realize that I'm home alone for one whole week, since Sarah is in her on-arrival, Matiss in a workcamp and Olga -who was temporarily living with us instead of in her dorm- also in a workcamp abroad. Anyway, I think I can handle a little solitude -and even enjoy it. Calm times before the workcamps and crazy busy days that will start the 27th of July, with Jasenov workcamp.

Take care my pretty ones,
Hugs,
Ali