February was sweet. Both in terms of the weather and life in general. The flowers are already showing us their most beautiful colors and the butterflies are back. Which is both worrying and appreciable. Paradox of global warming.

It started with the carnival which was at the same time as Romi’s birthday. It was a very good time. The city had been preparing for several weeks to host this celebration with several successive parties in each bar in Murter, a concert in Tisno, decorations in the city… We were looking forward to it. The parades began on a sunny Sunday, the day Romi turned 28. The children showed to the public their disguise, their scenario, the staging. We had never seen Murter with so many people. It was a great time to witness so much joyful creativity, especially for Romi’s birthday. She blew out her surprise candles in the company of our Croatian mother Ivana and we finally agreed to a good restaurant to end this day of celebration in style.

The adult parade followed a few days later. It was a truly festive atmosphere, with sunshine, laughter and boundless creativity. Everyone played the game. We were ghosts in sunglasses for a day, a simple but effective costume and above all very funny to share it with my best sidekick with a contagious laugh. What a delight to walk around incognito while meeting questioning looks “but who is hiding under there?”. The parade was impressive and it was interesting to see Murter excited by so much joy and celebration!

We had the opportunity, thanks to Karlo, the great teacher who takes us into his great plans, to demonstrate in Zagreb against political corruption. It was a very strong moment, full of thrills. At the risk of matching the cliché of the French protester, I missed demonstrating in the street. Feeling the strength of a people rising up to demand more justice is always a great moment of brotherhood and sisterhood, even if we were not Croatian we felt part of the fight. I warmly thank Karlo for allowing us to live this experience which teaches us a little more deeply about Croatia.

This month was full of various activities but also very relaxing and pleasantly gentle. We shared an international meal with our neighbors sharing Croatian, Spanish and French dishes, it was a feast. We enjoyed the sun on the balcony, where Romi brought almost his entire bed so she could take her best nap. The Eco-Wednesdays workshops continue and are as stimulating as ever. We are going deeper and deeper into the topics and the children are interested and having fun! The next one will be the opportunity to do a little gardening, and the funny thing is that Croatian TV is going to come and film us…!!! And in addition to that, we just learned that we will be accompanying Suzana and Lucija to Finland for a business trip at the beginning of May. So I’m going to celebrate my birthday in front of the Northern Lights (if they want to show up that day). What a joy. Life is surprising sometimes, we have to let ourselves be won over by it which always brings pretty flowers in spring.

Romi is leaving today for a week in Spain, so I will spend a week alone here. I will read, write, draw, watch the sunset, work out, take time for myself, meditate, walk, the island offers us this sweet retreat. It will be very silent without her laughter, hahaha. In 15 days I will return home to France, I can’t wait to see my loved ones again and hug them.

Yes, February was sweet, and the coming weeks are expected to be even sweeter. Enjoying the moment is the best thing ever and the best way to be happy. 

Juliette, from France

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.