Volunteers of 2023 in Etyek

Project code: 2022-1-HU01-ESC51-VTJ-000065987

So far we are 2 volunteers in the Fülemüle project this year. This project is in partnership with the local elementary school in Etyek. It is the second year for this project that was just created and we are very excited to learn and create a strong relationship with the local community by collaborating with the school. Our project mostly includes language clubs and creative activities with the children. Check out our blogposts :)

Bee Hotels

Last week we hosted some groups from the elementary school in Etyek again given that the project activities have been relocated to Szatyor instead of the school. 

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School's Carnival

On the  8th, 9th, and 10th of February students didn’t have classes during the afternoon because of a Carnival party we organized with the school. 

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Fulemule Ball

On the 4th of February we participate to the Fulemule bàl, a charity dinner that the school organizes every year to support school expenses, cultural and educational events.

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Composting Indoors

Often those who live in the city think they have to sacrifice their green thumb qualities but today we learned that it’s not true, we can invite nature to come into our small apartments! 

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Hi, my name is Anna. I'm 18 years old and from Austria. After graduating and living the same everyday life (study, eat, study, sleep, study) for 8 years, I decided that I have to experience something completely different.

I wanted to escape the frantic fast life I lead, so the volunteering project in Etyek sounded perfect for me. To live a sustainable lifestyle was always one of my interest and nowadays it would be necessary for all of us. I really like the idea of exchanging different approaches and creating new projects together.
Moreover, I like working with children and teaching them the basics of nature and sustainability is a really good step to make a change.
I am really happy to be able to make many great experiences, to learn about myself and to do work with a good purpose.

Anna

Cecilia

Hi, I'm cecilia, a 20 years old girl from italy. I'm an enviromental science student; I'm studying the nature in all it's power in order to get closer to it. I always felt that, in the place I live (Northern Italy), life is going so fast and everyone is just thinking on his/her society role in which I can't fit.

That's why, besides studying the theorical side of nature, I develop the slow life concept, I grow my personal vegetable garden, I use to do outdoor sport and also I decided to join this wonderful project where I can consolidate and grow with people who has the same energy I have. Moreover, I love to study the children communication and their way to interact with older or peers. It's so useful to find new way to teach them and to introduce sustainable living since their childhood.

 Volunteers of 2022 in Etyek

Project code: 2021-2-HU01-ESC51-VTJ-000044695

We have been 7 volunteers in the Fülemüle project this year. This project is in partnership with the local elementary school in Etyek. It is the launching year for this project that was just created and we are very excited to learn and create a strong relationship with the local community by collaborating with the school. Our project mostly includes language clubs and creative activities with the children. Check out our blogposts :)

Saint-Martin's Day

This Friday, 11th of November, Saint Martin´s day hit Etyek with a lot of activities. Outside the school, the local children gave us wonderful dances and we also took a walk through the village with our handmade lanterns, a tradition that was new for most of us.

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Back To School

In October the Fülemüle volunteers started the collaboration with the school again. We already have a lot of things planned and a great desire to put them into practice! Games and creative and fun ways to teach English to children of different classes and ages.

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Live Sustainably - obvious and hidden facts

From the 9th to the 17th of August, Mathilde, Vale, Paula, Fi and me were participating in a training about how to live sustainably. While Vale and Paula supported the kitchen team and prepared delicious vegan food for us, the rest of the group was taking part in the program.We learned a lot of different and new approaches to sustainability. One was the consideration that if you care about nature, if you are connected with it, you will most probably act in a caring and supporting way towards it in the long run. Sadly, a lot of people see sustainability as a “Fashion” rather than a way to give back to nature and loving it. In order to experience this connection again we were able to have fun in the woods, doing a self-care oriented meditative day in nature or even hold a council like various indigenous tribes do.Also, we could see in a simple way, how the ecosystems are dependent on each other and everything we do has an impact on the wellbeing of our surrounding.Last, but not least, we got to know various theories and game constructs that we can apply in our daily work with children and adults in order for them to experience the theories we talk about. Finally, we had also time to create connections and networks with the other participants and even get to know ourselves a bit better.I appreciated this opportunity a lot because I think it will support me in my future life and job. Additionally, I was lucky to get to know beautiful people who gave me a lot of support and strength in these hard times.-Paula

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Cheese Factory visit

Recently, I joined the Fülemüle group for an interesting and remarkable excursion. This time, me, Vale, Paula, and Paula R visited the local cheese factory with the kids. After going by the wine yards and watching their charming beauties, we reached the cheese factory which is managed by one family. Actually, the first sight was quite deceptive for me because it seemed like just a village house from the outside, but later inside that place changed my mind completely. First, we got basic information and an introduction to the management of the cheese factory, the types of cheese, and their production procedures. I understood that it is quite a long process that demands lots of patience and connections. But we did not finish our journey by only getting information, because the main part of the journey began after it. We went down to the basement which has lots of different rooms. Although the temperature was quite cold, we still enjoyed seeing different types and sizes of cheeses, and witnessing the cleaning process of cheeses was fun, too. Finally, we also tasted some cheese with apple which was so delicious. So, that trip to the local cheese factory was so instructive and absolutely noteworthy for me. CHEESE😊

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Summer Camps

In July we, the fülemüle group, went on a lot of summer camps, organized by the local school. We learned a lot of new things about Etyek and the people from here.

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Graduation

Graduation day On June 22nd, the Fulemule volunteers were invited to the graduation day at Etyek school. We have seen some dance of the kindergarten kids and music with difficult instruments, a funny story about vakáció and szundikál. Many awards for students and there was an unexpected award for me and Paula, the Fülemüle volunteers. After the awards ceremony they inaugurated the new classrooms. A beautiful event, thank you etyek school!

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School trip

Since the school year is about to end, we were allowed to go on a school trip with the 7th grade of the local school. In the morning, we met in their classroom and split into two groups. We would play some games against each other and the winner was granted a price. Vale and me had to join in too, which was quite funny.First we went to the house of one of the children, because the mother was cooking for us and we would help her. On our way, we passed the basketball yard and had our first match there. We had to throw 20 hoops and who scored the most, gained a point. When we arrived the house, we helped to peel the vegetables, also in a competition. The vegetables had to be clean and good looking and it was interesting to see that obviously some of the children, especially some boys, are helping at home a lot, because they were very good at their job. After some free time and rest, we walked together to the lake in Etyek where we played another game. Everyone had a number on their forehead and you had to cover it with anything, accept your hand. While hiding after i.e., a tree, you had to find out the numbers of the other team members of the other team and if you did, you had to shout all four numbers. It was quite difficult and because of some unfairness, nobody won the game.After staying at the lake for another hour or so, we went back to the house and had a real Hungarian lunch with palacsinta at the end.All in all, it was a funny and interesting day and I think everyone enjoyed it. At least we did 😊

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On Arrival Training

So last week Alesia, Orxan, István and me went to our on-arrival training in Budapest (as well as Aysel and Nacho from the Budapest project). It was a really great and unique experience; we met a lot of volunteers from around the world and learned new things about the ESC-program.On Monday we had time to get to know the people from our training. We played some name games and presented our projects to the others. The following days were full of information and workshops. We learned about the ESC values, met the National Agency, planned our mini projects and did a city rally in pouring rain. Also, a great Hungarian musician and folk dancing group visited us on Thursday. We danced a lot and got to know a little bit more about the Hungarian culture. On Friday nothing much happened, we gave feedback and reflected about what we are taking with us from the training.

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Fülemüle Bál

On the 23rd of April, the Fülemüle bál took place. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a fundraising gala with the aim of supporting the children from the local school in terms of art, culture and public education.The day before the gala, Vale, Orxan and me, went to the local festival hall to help decorating and preparing the ball room. That included tasting the great homemade pogácsa, a Hungarian pastry, reorganizing the tables multiple times and folding hundred napkins for the tables. For me it was a fun experience to work with the local teachers and mothers who are so involved in giving their students and children the best learning experience that they can have.On Saturday, after going to Budapest, in order to find a suiting outfit for the evening, us girls: Mathilde, Alesia, Vale and me, started dressing up for the evening. We had a lot of fun and I think that we looked very fancy. Afterwards, we went to the ball with Enrico and Orxan and spent a great evening together. The program was very nice, some children from the school performed in front of the audience, there was a tombola and delicious food. The rest of the evening was accompanied by a band and at some point, we even started dancing with the local people which was one of the funniest moments, I think. Also, because there was this “game” where we were walking in one line through the room and then we had to take the hand from the person behind, through our legs. This was an act of balance and trust.Personally, the evening was a bonding experience for me, not only with the great people from our project, but also with the local people which is very important for me.Have a blessed day, Paula

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Ceramics Workshop

There is a one very nice and creative family here in Etyek that lives in a beatuful cozy house with a lovely humming garden full of flowers and bees. Kriszta and David are raising three kids, take care of numerous pets, bake bread, provide volunteers with psychological support. David is a ceramicist, and sometimes we go to his studio and work with clay.There is everything that you need for creative process - kiln, pottery wheel, rolling machine, all types of clay (different colours and properties), tools for carving and modelling, texture stamps, glazes etc. Once we made a set of items - a cup, a plate and a soap dish. We chose a clay with inclusions of volcanic nature - they are not visible in raw clay, but will appear after firing in a kiln and create nice texture. For a cup we took a piece of clay and formed a ball with our hands. Then we made a recess in the middle of it and slowly started to deepen it with a thumb, turning the ball around in one palm. This process should be very slow and we had to concentrate all our senses on it in order to not break the wall of a future cup and to gain uniform thickness of it. The process of making thin-walled tableware is almost always the same - you have to turn a piece of clay either on a pottery wheel or in your hands and press and pull and stretch carefully in right directions.When the bodies of our cups were ready we prepared 'hands' - long rolls of clay - and made some notches on its ends with a sharp tool and put some liquid clay - this helps the parts of the product to adhere securely.Then we moved to plates - for them we needed some rolled thin pieces of clay that we made with the help of a rolling machine and embellished with patterns that can be made with texture stamps. The same was for the walls of a plate - we cut thin long pieces or rolled clay and attached them to the main piece with a help of notches and liquid clay.Soap dishes were something that combines both approaches that we used for the plate and the cup, but in the end we added some 'legs' and holes for soapy water withdrawal.So now we are waiting for our pieces to get dry nicely and fired in a kiln so we can use our self-made items in our daily life. Pottery is very grounding and enjoyable procces that gives you a lot of space for creative experiments and self-exploration and is very good for community building process when performed in small groups of people united by the same values and ideas.

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Driss

I am Driss, but you can call me Didis, I am 26, and I am from Morocco. A few months ago, I had no idea about Szatyor Association or about this beautiful little village, when I applied for this project I wasn’t even in Morocco, I was in a totally different, noisy place, which is Dubai. When I found that project, I took enough time to think about it, what I would get from it, and what I can offer to make my experience more fruitful. So I decided to take the challenge and get out of my comfort zone, and now It has been only a few weeks here, and I am trying to enjoy everything to the fullest, and also I am learning many things about permaculture, which is totally new for me. I have always been interested in taking care of our nature because it belongs to all of us, but I have never had enough experience to do it as I suppose to. But with the unlimited support and help from both coordinators and volunteers, I am learning something new every day. I am so excited about the whole project and happy to make new INTERESTING friends.

alig várom, hogy találkozzunk ♥

Hello! My name is Miriam Estero, I am 22 years old and I am Italian. A couple of years ago I left and went to live alone in a city very far from the one I grew up in, in another region, to study but above all to live an adventure and discover new places and people. However, after spending two wonderful years there I realized that I was not yet ready to stop, that I still wanted to explore the world around me and the different ways of living it ... this is the main reason that pushed me to undertake this experience. However, if I chose this project in particular it is because eco-sustainability is a theme that has always been very close to my heart, I also deeply love nature and be able to spend time in contact with it, and what better way to put all this into practice if not this? Here I have the opportunity to live in close contact with nature, in a context of respect towards others and towards our planet, far from the chaotic and unhuman rhythms of life in the city. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Etyek is the air that reigns among the people who are part of this project, an air of great positivity and resourcefulness, of the desire to improve things, and I am excited to be part of all this too. I can't wait to learn everything this experience has to teach me and be part of the change too. It will be an important year :)

Miriam 

Paula 

Hi, I'm Paula, a Spanish girl, proud to be a recent graduate in Social Work, lover of nature, activities related to the sea and sunsets with a beer in hand. I am also a leisure time, windsurfing and sailing instructor and I enjoy summers working in children's camps. My interest in this volunteering is based on my desire to lead a sustainable life, learn as much as possible about permaculture, agro-ecology and degrowth and get involved in community projects, as well as working on these issues with children. Also, I have always lived in cities, with their noise and speed, so I wanted to discover the quiet and slow life in a village, so Etyek was perfect for that. Finally, I really wanted to meet different people, cultures, landscapes and countries.
I hope I can do my bit for the team and the project which, I am sure, will bring a lot to me.
Nice to meet you all :)

My name is Valentina, I am 26 years old and I come from Italy. I have worked for 6 years in a shop as an employee and I recently realized that maybe this life was not for me, or at least not the way I had planned it. That's why I decided to turn my life around and join this project. Etyek is a cute and peaceful village, and it's not far from Budapest. Everyday I am learning new things. Living here my habits have changed, eating healthy food and doing physical activities. My hobbies are reading, watching movies and tv series, painting, drawing... I'm a creative person. I like exploring new places and getting to know the local people and traditions.

Valentina

Paula 

Sziasztok, Paula vagyok :)
I am 19 years old and from Germany.
Due to my Hungarian mother and grandparents I always had a strong connection to Hungary.
In order to get to know the Hungarian language and culture better, I had the goal to live here for a while.
Before I came to Etyek, I was volunteering in a Hospiz in Stuttgart for half a year. Through this experience, my empathy, attentiveness and skill to organize projects got strengthened.
All in all, I'm looking forward to get to know you all, experience and learn new things and perhaps even dance with some of you in one way or the other :)

Hi, I'm István, a 28 year old guy from Transylvania. That idea that drove me to Hungary and become a volunteer was that I wanted to learn how to live a sustainable lifestyle in the 21st century without polluting our environment. I myself am mainly involved in painting. In recent years, I have tried myself as a carpenter, as an electrician, as a mason’s assistant, and as a gas station filler.

I like to be in nature, to cook, to read, I like to get to know the customs of other cultures. Through volunteering, I have the opportunity to learn about the customs of other cultures, to get an idea of ​​how a community works, what are the factors that contribute to building a sustainable future. It is only now that I am beginning to learn how to live in a community.

István 

 Volunteers of 2021 in Etyek

Spain trip

In the beginning of October, we had the opportunity to travel to Spain to gain experience and cooperate with other associations. The Hungarian team was represented by 4 people, including Italy, Germany and Israel.

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CECE project

This small village became part of our lives for more than 5 months. This is a big and challenging project that involves teamwork and fun learning from practice. We tried to learn how to grow up a great deal amount vegetables without any harmful chemicals and one hundred percent naturally. During this challenge, we faced all difficulties but experienced the great power of success when in the summer we had a chance to see the sweet harvest of hard work. This project also taught us to appreciate bio vegetables in the market and don't feel like they are too expensive for just a vegetable. It was the most enjoyable and impressive path that we get through during the year. You can see that in our faces in the photos. :)

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Kids courses

At our place in Etyek we started the English kids courses again. During the pandemic we had to stop the English lessons unfortunately. But for four weeks now, we are practising the courses again. There we try to give children from Etyek the opportunity to learn English, but for that we try to give them more of a light learning. We do not try to teach them like the school, where they already go in the morning. The courses are more like an educational relaxing time, where they can join for learning through drawing, playing and speaking or singing the English language.

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Birdhouse Workshop

Birds are a good and important part our environment. A lot of bird kinds are breeding in closed nesting sites, unfortunately natural nesting caves are getting more rare and uncommon. Also because of the coming winter and the coldness it gets more difficult, for the birds, to build a nest on their own. But with closed birdhouses we can support those birds.

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Kids Camp

Every summer a children's camp is organized in Etyek, where in addition to creative and playful tasks, various programs structure the children's days.

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Halloween in Etyek

Our Halloween was great fun, we made a lot of decorations, and the two of us did the halloween makeup workshop for the kids. We really enjoyed it and it seems like the kids and their parents too! 

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Community branch crushing II

As the summer ends and the autumn begins, most of the people trim and prune the trees and shrubs in their garden. From this occurrence their remains a lot of green waste. So to deal with this waste in a environment healthy way, we conducted a mulching tour through Etyek. There we drove to the people, which register before and crushed there green waste into woodchips. The people could decide if they want to keep the mulch to use or if we should take it with us.

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Seeds of tomorrow

We had an amazing “Seeds Of Tomorrow” project, that Etyeki Szatyor has made for young people from different countries as Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. The value of informal learning of how to make sustainable and healthy choices and live a greener life was well shown in this experience.

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I am Elias, I am 19 years old and from Germany.

After my graduation in the summer of 2020 I wanted to make a volunteering year in Germany, but I realised that I needed a change of my surrounding. So I decide to go outside the country. When I found Szatyor I was really fond by the project and its goals. The idea of being in another country, that I know very little about, making my own experiences, while learning about the environment and also doing something for it was very attracting to me.

Also the activities, like for example the bicycle workshop or the work with children sounded very appealing. Back in Germany I worked with kids and trained a group of kids doing athletics.

Also in Germany I went to a Waldorf School where I learned things about gardening which I want to use and expand.

All in all I can say I am really happy to be here, looking forward to explore the Hungarian culture and language, as well as Etyek with its people. I think that with this program we can achieve great things :)

Elias Klinger

Sherif Malek

My name is Sherif Malek, I was born in Sinai, Egypt (the most beautiful place in the world), moved to Cairo (one of the busiest cities) when I was young.

Out of curiosity to know other cultures and people, I decided to continue my studies abroad, so I moved to Hungary in the end of the year 2015 to continue my studies as a computer Engineer.

I was so lucky to choose Hungary and meet very cool people and get introduced to many different aspects of life which I haven't experience before like Hungarian folk parties.

I joined the project to take a break from the fast life and city hustle, take life more simple and work with my hands. I hope to learn from the people around me and maybe make a positive impact even if small.

Hey! I'm Roya. I'm from a small country bordering the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan. I'm a minimalist person who trying to simplify my life as much as I can. I have several hobbies, such as watching movies, writing, photography, editing videos, etc. I admire the natural lifestyle because it gives me endless energy, creativity, flexibility, and motivates me to be a better person.

When I first saw the project "Green Seeds" I realize this is what I was looking for and just stopped looking for others.

Etyek is a cute and peaceful village. I love riding a bike here and enjoy the harmony of lives around me.
Village and natural lifestyle make me appreciate the luxuries of our modern world. It is the right place for learning and putting in my life an ecologically conscious life. Every day I'm learning new things about gardening and how to live sustainably. Here I have a chance to integrate it into my life and the lives around me. I love the idea of bringing people closer to nature and to natural food-producing.
People are forgetting the knowledge and the joy of growing and producing food for their own use. And I would like to bring these back. For me, happiness is a simple lifestyle. And I want to remind the majority of people as much as is possible.

 

Roya Tapdigova

Səma Abdalova

I am Səma, I am 21 years old and from Azerbaijan. As I am finishing university this year, I thought that it can be useful to focus on international projects as ESC. I searched for the meaningful idea behind, ability to be among people from different cultures and inspirational activities which I can use in my future as a contribution to my identity capital. So the reason I choose to be a part of this project is sustainability topics, ecologically conscious lifestyle that really is needed to be experienced.
When I came here, at first it was too much for me to be surrounded by completely new people and a new environment, but it was easy to adapt because they all have the same purpose close to yours and really believe in what they are doing. People here really care about saving the environment and their enthusiasm is inspiring. Etyek itself is a beautiful village, which is not far from Budapest, silent, and kind of modern for a village. I like riding a bike and exploring beautiful parts of it.
I recommend this kind of experience to those who really want to be a part of something meaningful, who wants some change in their life, who is interested in the environment and reducing ecological footprint and of course, meet new people from different cultures and became more sociable.

I am Luca, I am a 27 years old Italian guy. I joined Szatyor as a volunteer because I wanted to learn more about sustainability and moved by the curiosity of lowering my standards of living since in a small village like Etyek there aren't all the commodities that I can find in a city.

One of the activities that caught my interest and that I am enjoying is English class with children, I like dealing with kids and I already did it in the past.

Since now I have met many interesting people that helped me feeling comfortable in a situation that is completely outside of my comfort zone, from the other volunteers that live with me to the persons that collaborate with the organization.

An interesting aspect related to Etyek is that is immerged in nature without being distant from bigger cities such as Biatorbagy and Budapest. I believe it is the perfect for anyone, in the free time you can choose either to go biking in the woods or to grab a beer in one of the characteristic pubs of the capital.

Would I recommend this experience to anyone else? For sure, especially if they are involved in  sustainability topics. 

Luca Nodari

Csenge Molnar

Hey! I'm Csenge, 22 years old. I'm from Eger and a Hungarian volunteer. I live with my bunny, and his name is Zsomi. I came here in April because I want to find myself and peace. I want to be here because I have so many plans, and this place gives me space for it.
My hobbies are make-up, dancing especially hip-hop. I need to learn here so much about gardening because I have not any experience of it. My other goal is to be more open to other people.
I am about a month here, and I love watering plants, participate in Szatyor programs, kids camp, Rapsody. And I love to help the other volunteers to learn Hungarian, and of course, I enjoy learning the Azerbaijan language. This place is very kind to me.

My name is Anna, I’m 30 years old and from Hungary (I actually live 5 minutes from this place). I chose Szatyor because I felt that they were offering something different to me. That’s why I always wanted to try new things, leaving my comfort zone puts me in a vulnerable position but maybe it has a positive impact on my personal growth. I like watching movies and series, I think we can learn many things from them, but I also love reading books, it takes me away or riding a bike is one of the best ways to explore new places in the village. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone, because it will inspire you how to be a better person, learn new skills or you can become a part of a great community.

Anna Himer

Past Volunteers

Volunteers of 2020 in Etyek! -

Project number:2019 -3-HU01-ESC11-077542

 

Our team in Etyek for 2020 consisted  7 volunteers from Croatia, Italy, Romania, Russia, UK and Ukraine. However the COVID-19 pandemic made our life more challenging than usual and we had significantly less opportunities to organize larger events.

However, given these limitations, we still optimised the situation we found ourselves in. Most significantly, we were able to devote a lot more time and effort into realising our permaculture garden project, which was very successful this year in terms of the variety of vegetables we were able to grow and the various installations we created such as a new greenhouse for off-season growing and a chicken coop for our newly arrived feathered friends.

The circumstances also led us to appreciate a slower pace of life in Etyek and developing fewer but deeper relationships with people within the community. 

Have a look what projects we were included or started in our following blog!

Kids courses

Here in Etyek we offer English courses for primary school children. The approach we try to adopt is to have a light learning, we don't aim to overcome school or act like it. Kids already attend school in the morning, in the afternoon, taking part to our lessons, they can join a playful learning through drawing, moving and interacting with the garden and the animals in it. 

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Eco-tamagotchis - our worm compost

Worm or vermicompost sounds weird for most of us, however there are many different variations of how we can host and take care for this mini excavators. They are very delicate and sensitive for any changes in their environment. They need little food - kitchen scraps, like carrots or tomato peels - air, humidity and darkness, if they get all these, they are happy, eating our organic kitchen waste and turn them to super valuable liquid or soil full of everything good for our plant both indoor and outdoor. If they are well maintained (content tamagotchi) they reproduce and you will have more of them. If they are for some reasons not happy, they try to escape from their bin.

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Permaculture - like - garden

When I have heart first the word permaculture, I thought that it is a newly created gardening approach attracting urban young people who have no clue about what gardening is, but they are happy to believe in something deep green, romantic happening in rural areas. 

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Cosmetic workshop

Home made cosmetics are not only free from any unnecessary preservatives, harmful chemicals, but also can be prepared based on our needs and with our favorite fragrances. 

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Bike repair workshop

During the summer we collaborated with the Budapest based organization Cargonomia in creating a workshop where people could come along and learn practical bike repair skills.

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Tony Douglas

My name is Tony and I come from Northern Ireland. I applied for this project when looking for volunteer opportunities which aligned with my values and interest in contributing to an ecologically sustainable future.

There was a bit of a culture shock when I first arrived in March, but that quickly dissipated as everyone here made me feel welcome and valued as a team member.

During my time as a volunteer here so far, I have had the chance to participate in a variety of projects and educational workshops, as well as meeting lots of interesting people who have opened my mind to new ideas and alternative ways of living.

What I like the most about the organization of this program is the flexibility and freedom to pursue your own projects if you have any you would wish to implement. For example, I started a weekly film group where we invite people from the local village community and hold critical discussions on ecological documentaries that we screened. Budapest is only 30 minutes away on the bus which I love as it allows me to go and explore and enjoy the city.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and have discovered many new things. I would recommend this program to any potential future volunteers if eco-sustainability and practical ways to achieve this appeals to you, and have an adventure in Hungary.

Hi, my name is Marina!

I am a 30 year old Croatian girl with a lot of passion for playing with children and doing body-oriented psychotherapy. I love having some quiet time with myself reading books, meditating and going for a walk in nature. If you want to know something new about emotions and our early development as babies, I am your person. Coming here to Etyek was a great experience for me. It allowed me to follow my own rhythm and live at a slower pace of life for a while. Rising early, feeling the cool grass on my feet, having my hands in the soil, watching our garden grow and taking care of our ducks and chickens, as well as building various things have all opened new ways of learning and living for me. I love the community spirit here. Our neighbours are friendly and we often exchange food and homemade gifts, it is the best! So I would say to anyone who is interested to come to Etyek if they would like to slow down for a while, practice some self care by living and eating well, meet nice people and be closer to nature.

Marina Horvat

My name is Aks. I am an artist & a filmmaker born in a small southern village of Russia. I’ve always been a rolling stone, moving from one busy place to another. As much as I adore cities, I felt like I needed a breather. The questions of sustainability and human impact on the mother nature have been worrying me for a long time, and then the application for the volunteering position from Etyek fell into my lap & I took it as a sign. “Green Seeds” is the kinda project, where you receive as much as you put into it. It gave me space for inner contemplation and provided me with the most valuable skills of growing my own vegetables and herbs and taking care of domestic birds. It allowed me to experience very different ways of living to the one I, as many modern men, was used to in the comfort of our urban environments. I believe, if we collectively started focusing our energy and attention on what truly matters, we can achieve great things together & protect what remains of the beautiful Earth.

Aks Huckleberry

Jánó Lóránd

I’m Jánó Loránd 18 years old. I have 4 brothers who I really like and of course my parents. I like to watch movies and do my own things. There are things I pay attention to, such as being able to live properly, etc. I like making friends and waking up late in the morning. 


BUDAPEST TEAM

For a couple of weeks now, we’ve been able to observe a smiling girl (though she’s less visible in a mask, but we’ll show her now) who recently joined our team as a volunteer for European Solidarity. Greet Erika, who is from Miercurea Ciuc, Transylvania, with great pleasure. During her school and college years, she was active in several student and NGO organizations, so he was happy to join our community as a new volunteer. Growing up in the mountains and going on a lot of hiking with her family as a child, nature has always been close to her heart. She became acquainted with the so-called sustainable economy and the green way of life during his time in Budapest, so she hopes that she can learn and gain new experiences during her work with us.

Erika Kelemen

Federico Apollo

My name is Federico, I was born in Cremona, a small town in northern Italy, 26 years ago from Sicilian parents. Even if agriculture is a fundamental part of life in Cremona, I actually lived and felt the soil only during the hot Sicilian summers in the tiny country house of my grandparents. Cultivating with my grandfather and having the excuse to be dirty was the best game. Thanks to my job I could feel again some of those flavours and perfumes of my childhood. I am an educator and I worked in the schools and in the fields with youngsters, who have mental disorders: we grew vegetables and sold them to the people and some restaurants. I also worked with disabled people: we managed small caterings during sport events and we helped serving in some bars. The contact with nature and being among people is very important for psycho-physical well-being, including mine. Besides all this, there was always the music. Cremona is the home to violin makers and the music flows through the streets. Since I was young I have been studying music, and teaching piano is another job of mine. I got to know Szatyorbolt 3 years ago thanks to my partner. I entered this shop and I could smell the perfume of the products. I was really interested to know more about them because I liked their ethics. I worked a lot in these years, and I loved my job a lot, but I needed to change air. The old country house of my grandparents has been sold, my Sicilian roots have been cut, so I decided to create new ones here in Budapest with my girlfriend. I wanted to start with the things that I love and I think that the volunteering at Szatyorbolt could be a great solution.