Last week, Paula and me went for an adventures trip. We visited one of our partner organizations which is an eco community in Nyím.
Our journey started already with an unexpected turn when we took the wrong train and ended up being on the opposite site of the lake Balaton. Since we didn't know our way around that area, it was a bit tricky to find our way back, but after treating ourselves with ice cream, we managed to arrive in Siófok. From there, Fanni, the coordinator and volunteer of the project, picked us up with Igor, another volunteer and one of the community members.
When we arrived at the community house, where we would stay with the other volunteers, we received an unexpected welcome by Harold, their cat. Especially Paula had a strong bond with him from the beginning which is probably also, why he shared a bed with us. After getting to know the place and helping Fanni, to cut some branches in her garden, we went for a "forest bath". I can only recommend this to everyone, because "forest bathing" can be done everywhere and it is an amazing way to connect your body and soul with nature. Anyways, Kriszta, one of the community members, leads a lot of forest bathing sessions and we where lucky to have her as our guide for this experience. It took place on the 26 ha big land that is owned by the community.
The following morning we had to get up early, because Paula, Fanni and me where preparing a patio of another member, in order to welcome fifty Ukrainian kids in total. They would arrive in two separate groups and learn about permaculture and volunteering in an ESC project. During the sessions Paula, Igor, Adedayo and me, prepared food and drinks which was nice, since we could also snack something from time to time.
In the evening, we helped building a yurt which was handmade by one of the community members. As you can see on the picture, Paula and Igor are having a lot of fun doing that!
Since we were working quite a lot on Thursday, we had a free day on Friday. Paula and me where very happy about that because we were able to use the free time to go to the beach. It was very refreshing and revitalizing to have some water around us.
In the afternoon, I went back to Etyek and Paula back to Nyím. Her way back was connected with some more "adventures" since her bus didn't stop in Nyím and she ended up being three hours away from it. Luckily, she could manage to arrive back after all.
Saturday, she spent helping to prepare the space for the upcoming training course which included painting the door and window frames and cleaning and organizing the kitchen.
I think all in all, it was a unique experience and we were happy for this opportunity. Also, I was surprised how good it felt, being in nature and having time to observe it without any pressure from outside.
- Paula