A pallette

Autumn, a time of change. Weather’s getting colder, pupils and students are starting school, Pekarna Magdalenske mreže is resuming its main activities. It’s the time to get more serious – about dressing warmer, about having more responsibilities again, about preparing for tougher times. I don’t wish to be gloomy – it’s still a lot of fun doing what I do, and the change in scenery after a hot bright summer is also welcome – it’s just that it wears on me a little every year, and this one was no exception.

At the start of the month a project we became interested in in summer was taking place in a village near Vienna – a mobile kitchen waiting to be put together by an enthusiastic group of activists. This kitchen loaded into two vans is supposed to drive around the borders in winter, providing free warm food for people fleeing and immigrating into Europe, using money earned by cooking at festivals and activist meetups in summer. We didn’t get to see it finished, but it was an interesting experience nevertheless.

The beginning of the month wasn’t very eventful at work after coming back just yet, so I filled it with excitement for our midterm training instead. It was set in a picturesque spa complex in Dobrna, a town close to Celje. As with the arrival training, it was a pleasant experience for me, this time even more so. Some of the volunteers I knew from before, the activities and excersises were more reflective and grounded, there was a lot of useful information, and since all of us had most of our EVS experiences done, there were plenty of stories and feelings to talk about. The only downside was a slight cold I brought back, but it was well worth it.

Later during the month a new project started – Brezmejni svet (Borderless world)! Every week we host twenty-something children from Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia who are still learning Slovene and we help them by playing games and doing exercises – and me and Ioana learn something as well! It has its difficulties and we’re not experts at it, so we’re solving things on the go, but at the end of the day, it’s rewarding and the children are slowly growing on me.

Just like that, September is over, and with it, I feel the end of my volunteering period approaching. Mixed feelings are starting to take place, some of them familiar, some new. Of course there are some regrets and last-minute panic as well – which I expected from myself – yet overall I don’t mind it coming to and end. But there are still a few months to go, and I’m planning to fill them to the edge, like a basket of autumn fruit!

Michal