ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS.
And another month goes by.
It’s amazing how I have to resort to my mobile phone gallery to remember everything I’ve done during the month when I get ready to write the blog. I promise you that when you are living abroad, and you live so many experiences, time is real, sometimes it flies by and sometimes not so much.
I started the month with the Christmas workshops that I had planned as a personal project to make Christmas even more fun for the kids and the truth is that it was incredible. Not only did we have children from 8-12 years old on Saturdays, but we also had the youngest children visit us during the week. With this last group the experience was completely different, as they were from the kindergarten they could hardly speak English and as we don’t know how to speak Croatian, it was a show. In spite of everything, the children’s love and care is the first thing they do to understand you and make themselves understood, and they certainly wanted to have fun and I assure you that they did!
It was a very nice experience, which certainly made us happy for the month of December. On the other hand, I continued exploring the island and although it seems incredible I keep finding new places that leave me with my mouth open. Also, with Juliette we walked to Tisno, it was a very windy day but we enjoyed it all the same.
Likewise, this December has left me one of beautiful sunrises and lots and lots of partying. The first one came with the Argonauta dinner, we all went to Tribunj to have dinner together and to celebrate Christmas. For Juliette and me it was a really cool thing to do, as it was an innovation in our routine. We sang, danced, laughed, ate…not to mention the top moment when they played reguetton in Spanish and gave us a show with flaming juggling.
Also, Petra came to visit us in Murter and we took the opportunity to go hiking, have dinner out, go for a drink, play pool, go to a live concert… It seems that after all Murter is not so bad and has more life than it looks like.
And just when I was discovering the other side of the island, the nerves and anxiety began, because soon I was going home to spend Christmas. To tell the truth, I was dying to hug my dog, see my boyfriend, laugh with my friends and spend time with my parents; but it’s true that it’s a bit of a shock to know that you’re going back to your old routine.
The trip home was long, first waiting for the bus in Vodice, then four hours to get to Zagreb and as I had to wait until the next morning to catch my flight Petra came to see me and we took the opportunity to see the Adevent. Then she dropped me off at the airport where I spent the night and finally after a 3 hour flight I arrived in Malaga.
Yes to Malaga, I still had to spend the whole day in Malaga and then take the next plane to Santiago de Compostela. Luckily my friends from the south welcomed me and showed me part of the city so it wasn’t bad at all, but honestly I was dying to get home and see my family.
Once I set foot in Galicia time flew by, it’s amazing how relative time is. I went to Asturias with my boyfriend, I went horse riding which I missed a lot, I walked with my dog on the beaches and in the woods, I had a drink with my friends, I watched movies with my parents on the sofa…and then suddenly I had to go back.
To be honest I didn’t want to go back, it’s strange because when I was there I only thought about the island, but when I knew I had to go back and that I wasn’t going to see many of the people I left behind for a long time, it was hard. I said goodbye to my family and my partner and went back on the road, first stop in Malaga where my friends welcomed me again and showed me what a Campero is. Then, at the airport I met Al and Maria who I met in Orahovica and we headed to Zagreb, once there everyone went their own way and at that moment I rethought a thousand things. Those moments when your reality changes completely and you find yourself alone are deadly, your head is spinning, you think about everything, but they are also the ones that make you strong and make you know what you want.
And after a whole rollercoaster of emotions, here I am on my lovely island again, knowing that I love this place but that I would love it even more if mine were here accompanying me on this adventure.
However, there are things that one has to live alone and luckily in this challenge that I have accepted to live, I am meeting people like Juliette or Petra who accompany me by the hand.
See you in the next blog of the month!
Romina, volunteer from Spain
About the ESC : The European Solidarity Corps is a program of the European Union to strengthen solidarity in various areas: from helping the disadvantaged and providing humanitarian aid to engagement for health and the environment in the EU and beyond.
The program offers young people the opportunity to respond to the needs of the community, make a concrete contribution to society, and in the process gain invaluable experience and develop new skills. The program is also intended for organizations active in the field of solidarity that want to involve young people in their activities.
