Hi everybody!
We are 5 Belgian guys who volunteered in Park Istra for two weeks through European Solidarity Corps program. Through this small text, we’re trying to explain our beautiful volunteer experience.
Park Istra is a volunteer project created by two amazing people, Petra and Janez. We were part of it for 2 weeks as youth volunteers, thanks to the SVI, that organized everything, and the European Commission, that financed it. We were known as “The Belgian Team”.
During this trip, we met amazing people who came from all over the world, Russia, Germany, France, Ireland and many others. Thanks to them, we discovered a lot of different cultures, ways of thinking, dishes, it was like travelling around the world by staying in the same place.
Furthermore, for some of us, it was the first experience of shared living. We learned how to live in a community by taking responsibilities, making compromises, helping each other and above all changing our eating habits. It was a great opportunity to discover more sustainable ways of living; we then took advantage of this situation and tried to replicate it at home.
We worked in teams, four hours in the morning, five days per week. The work and the teams changed daily, so every day we had the opportunity to learn something new and interact with all volunteers. The work mainly focused on helping old people with daily tasks in the house and on the land, as well as local associations. The persons we helped were so nice, welcoming and generous, and made the working experience pleasant and motivating to discover the local culture.
We made the most of our free time to discover the region with the other volunteers: we went climbing on impressive cliffs in two small nearby villages, hiking to beautiful waterfalls and caves, and visited charming cities like Piran and Koper. Sometimes we spend time in Park Istra to rest or participate in workshops with Petra, Janez and the others. We never had time to get bored!
To sum up, it was a rewarding experience with unforgettable people. Thank you Park Istra for hosting us and made our lives a memorable experience.
Stéphanie, Arthur, Benjamin, Bruno et Carleta.
