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As it’s nearing the end of my volunteering project in Slovakia, I was looking over the memories of it in my head, and one of my favorite memories are definitely from On-arrival and Mid-term trainings. So, I decided to tell you more about these trainings and what to expect from them. 

On-arrival training takes place soon after your arrival in the host country. The purpose of On-arrival training is to welcome the volunteers and introduce them to the host country and the ESC program. Volunteers are provided with a detailed explanation of the ESC's goals, values, and expectations. Also they’re provided with essential information about the country, culture, and practical aspects of living and volunteering abroad. There are activities and discussions to help volunteers understand and adapt to the cultural differences and dynamics of their host country.

From my personal experience, the trainers were trying to facilitate team-building activities among volunteers and create a network of support. We were also given Information about our rights as volunteers, our responsibilities, and support mechanisms, including insurance and safety guidelines. As well as, Guidance on daily living in the host country, such as transportation, health care, and local customs.

In my case On-arrival training lasted 5 days, I had it with a group of other volunteers, all foreigners, who were volunteering at the same time as me, but in different parts of Slovakia. For me this was the biggest perk, as I was able to meet my peers who were in the same exact situation as me, far from home, in a new country, with new people and different cultures, trying to figure out our daily lives and function with unknown language. 

The second training, which is mid-term training, takes place a little later, around the 5th or 6th month of your volunteering, with the same group of people as before, and usually lasts for 3-4 days. The purpose of this one is to reflect on the experience so far and evaluate the progress of the volunteering project. Now the trainers want to hear about your personal experience and feedback with the project, to address any challenges or issues that may have arisen. Activities and discussions were encouraging us to reflect on our experiences, achievements, and challenges. We had a special problem solving session to address any difficulties faced by volunteers and provide solutions or strategies to overcome them. For me this training was also helpful To prepare for the remaining period of the project. I received guidance on how to make the most of the remaining time in the project and tips for life after the ESC experience, including career advice and further opportunities within the ESC or other programs.

These trainings also gave me an opportunity to travel around Slovakia and discover more of its beauty. Usually you won’t have these trainings in the same town, where you volunteer at, rather, you get to travel to a different city or a village, for example for my first training we went to Stará Lesná in High Tatras, it was during Fall, and the mountains were already covered in snow, which was absolutely beautiful. And during Mid-term training we went to Smolenicé, where we stayed in Smolenicé castle, and that was definitely an unforgettable experience. 

So, I will not spoil any more details, and just hope you will also find these trainings interesting, and make tons of memories from them. 

Text a fotka: Ani Datashvili

Ani je dobrovoľníčkou programu Európskej komisie Európsky zbor solidarity na dobrovoľníckom projekte v organizácii Mládež ulice pod koordináciou Bratislavského dobrovoľníckeho centra. Projekt bol podporený z programu Európsky zbor solidarity.

After (almost) finishing with the cold winter I can finally start enjoying the city with a lighter jacket! Winter has been cold but cozy with a super warm room, loads of hot beverages and of course the shine of the beautiful Bratislava Christmas market. 

To those who are lovers of tea I can totally recommend buying a few bags from the amazing Sakura tea bar, that has such a huge variety of teas! One more highlight worth mentioning of the winter that I passed in Bratislava is the lovely events of Nova Cvernovka. This is a creative cultural space that has a different program of events and happenings every month. There are even parties or concerts happening on a weekly basis. A memorable and new event for me was the silent disco. I have never attended a silent disco before in my life and the experience actually was quite fun and definitely healthier for the ears. So I can definitely recommend a night out or even, if your Slovak is good enough, a cultural event in Nova Cvernovka.

However, now the weather is slowly getting prettier and I can feel the spring entering. The energy is very different from the winter and I feel ready to do even more activities, enjoy the outside and ready to make plans come true. It is high time to enjoy walking or running outside and see how the nature is flourishing. The changes of nature are astonishing. I live in Raca and there is just the loveliest place to walk and run just at 10 minutes walking. I try to walk daily outside, preferably in the morning and I try to also get some running done every now and then. There are huge vineyards and loads of nature in this place and of course some mountains. My next step is to borrow a bike and bike to the next village but I would rather do that with other people too. The most incredible thing is that in these fields you can find a small café-restaurant with the friendliest owner. The buffet is all colorful with plenty of sitting outside but also there is a quite big inside area. They serve coffee and sweet Slovak dumplings with plum jam, which is my preferred order. But also you can find beer and proper food, which is what a lot of families or friends get after a long bike ride from the neighboring villages. It is just the most amazing place! With the spring entering I can feel my excitement rising and I am also welcoming future projects related to my volunteering because they are on the field I mostly love, which is the Circus Arts. After passing the winter I feel that now the life has become more stable for me. I am putting more focused energy into my weekly tasks; the weekly kids’ circus classes, the training, the studying for my circus workshop and the development of my personal project. I am not searching how to do the things anymore because I have found my rhythm now. Therefore, I am striving to make the things even better than before! I want to bring quality in my work and I want to progress here physically and mentally as an artist and of course as a person. But most importantly I want many lifelong friendships from this ESC program and want to make this an unforgettable experience.  Anyway, still the cold of the winter was a challenge for me, which I am very happy and proud to have successfully marked as done!

Text a fotka: Christina Bakain

Christina je dobrovoľníčkou programu Európskej komisie Európsky zbor solidarity na dobrovoľníckom projekte v organizácii Cirkuskus pod koordináciou Bratislavského dobrovoľníckeho centra. Projekt bol podporený z programu Európsky zbor solidarity.

Well, you decided to volunteer in Slovakia?! When moving to or visiting a different country, it’s most likely you will have to adjust to local culture, customs, and language of course. So,  are you ready to dive into the wacky and wonderful world of the Slovak language? How hard could it be, right? Well, you will need to buckle up before going on a linguistic adventure through Slovakia.

Imagine this: you’re in the heart of Slovakia, surrounded by breathtaking mountains, charming villages, and incredibly friendly locals. Wouldn’t it be awesome to impress them with your Slovak skills? Here’s why you should give it a shot:

It would be an instant Icebreaker: Knowing a few Slovak phrases will make you the life of the party, you can navigate the country easier, ask for directions, order food without any awkward moments, and actually understand what the cashier at the supermarket wants from you. And, from my experience, Slovaks actually love it when foreigners try to speak their language.

To go over basic facts, Slovak is part of the West Slavic group, so if you know some Czech or Polish, you’re already halfway there! Alphabet’s got 46 letters, and, most importantly the letters actually sound like they look – what a relief!  However, there are still some funky ones with hats like č, š, and ž. They look like they’ve dressed up for a party, but sometimes it could be tricky to pronounce them:

To get you sounding like a local in no time, here are some phrases to sprinkle into your conversations:

P.S for ESC volunteers BDC is really helpful with learning the language, volunteers are getting group or individual lessons for Slovak language, you are also provided with needed materials (textbooks) for studying. You will be able to practice speaking and conversations with your mentor. And from my personal experience being around local people and youngsters at the club is one of the best tools for better understanding the language.

Text a fotka: Ani Datashvili

Ani je dobrovoľníčkou programu Európskej komisie Európsky zbor solidarity na dobrovoľníckom projekte v organizácii Mládež ulice pod koordináciou Bratislavského dobrovoľníckeho centra. Projekt bol podporený z programu Európsky zbor solidarity.

Let's imagine you've just arrived in Slovakia to start your volunteer project. You are now in a new country and everything feels fresh and unfamiliar.  You're ready to explore new places, connect with people, and learn from this experience.

In the beginning, you might feel a bit disoriented about new things, including food. Every one of us needs to eat, and if it's your first time in a Slovak supermarket, you will probably be clueless about what to buy, especially if you are used to mediterranean gastronomy as I am. So, here are my recommendations.

First of all you have to know where to buy, there is a good variety of supermarkets so I recommend you to visit each of them that's close to you, because there can be a big difference in products between them. But before going, it is a good idea to get their “discount cards’’, most of the supermarkets have one, and you can save a good amount of money with discounts. You can get it easily for free by registering on their website or app.

Something I found out from Slovak supermarkets is that they use to have a big variety of some specific products. They can have an entire alley full of different brands and flavors of yogurts, but then you are unable to find what you are looking for. If you like cooking and you have time, it will not be a problem for you to find ingredients, but if you want to cook the same dishes as you did in your home country, you will see that some ingredients may be more expensive, so I recommend you to give a try, and get some Slovak food like Halušky, but don't quit yourself to buy important things like olive oil just because of the price.

In summary, if you don’t want to be eating the same dish of pasta everyday, just be curious, visit different supermarkets, take something that you haven’t eaten before, inform yourself about Slovak food culture, and most importantly, keep calm and enjoy it.

Text: Manuel López

Manuel je dobrovoľníkom programu Európskej komisie Európsky zbor solidarity na dobrovoľníckom projekte v Bratislavskom dobrovoľníckom centre. Projekt bol podporený z programu Európsky zbor solidarity.

When I’m thinking about my hobbies or what I genuinely like in life, one of the things that always comes up is music. Unfortunately, I was not gifted with the ability to play an instrument or a beautiful singing voice, however, a funny thing about music is that you don’t need to have a talent to listen and enjoy its beauty. And that’s exactly what I am doing, listening to my favorite artists from headphones while walking outside, cooking, showering, etc., but it’s so much better when you hear these songs performed live, in front of your eyes and ears. So, this is the exact reason why I started to explore the music scene in Bratislava and I want to share some recommendations with my fellow volunteers. 

If you’re like me and your music taste mostly consists of alternative and underground genres, one of the first places to check out should be Pink Whale. You can find a pretty diverse line up here, from punk to hardcore metal. However, the thing I like the most about Pink Whale is the venue itself, don’t expect an actual whale, but do expect a boat on the Danube river! 

Sticking with the underground theme, if you want to experience authentic punk or post-punk vibes definitely a place to check out is under the Pristavny Most, ‘Koncerty na garážach’, which translates to Concerts in Garages and that’s exactly what you’re getting. 

After boats and garages, why not attend a concert in a tram?! Yes, in a tram. I would suggest following T3 - Kulturny Postriedok on Instagram, as they’re the ones responsible for these tram concerts and not only. 

For more traditional venues, i would keep an eye out for Randal Club and Majestic Music Club, as they usually host both local and international artists. 

If you’re considering traveling outside of Bratislava, Slovakia has pretty cool festivals to offer. The most popular one, of course, would be the Pohoda Festival, in Trenčín. It’s an open-air festival and features pretty much all the genres, with a lot of international acts. However, the festival I’m looking forward to more is Hradby Samoty, this festival focuses more on experimental audiovisual arts, ambient, folk, and industrial music, which will definitely be an experience for me. 

I hope this blog sparks inspiration or motivation for you to check out these places and enjoy the sounds of music. 

Text a fotka: Ani Datashvili

Ani je dobrovoľníčkou programu Európskej komisie Európsky zbor solidarity na dobrovoľníckom projekte v organizácii Mládež ulice pod koordináciou Bratislavského dobrovoľníckeho centra. Projekt bol podporený z programu Európsky zbor solidarity.