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Tko pita - skita!

Blog V: May the force be with you!

Russian language cafe – my own project!

It’s been already a few Russian language lessons! I have only three cute students so far and I am really proud of these girls! Croatian is similar to Russian so it’s easy to understand and learn, but still, it is very complicated. They already know a lot and are even able to read in Russian! I receive very positive feedback from them and I love doing it.

By the way, on the 16th of February, I will start a new Russian language course! Check it out! Come! Join us!

Being allergic to don’t-know-what is awful!

I’ve never had such a strong allergic reaction before. Waking up and being all covered with red spots is FRIGHTFUL! For six days I lived in fear that it could be an allergy to the sun or chocolate or something else that I adore. I have very pale skin so the fear of allergy to the sun was killing me. I discovered the hospital in Pula twice! Yes, I liked the injections that they gave me because they had a very hard sedative effect. The pills also helped. After 2 days without red spots I had a nightmare in which I had this allergic reaction again. I woke up in the middle of the night and was checking every part of my body…. do I really have these spots again?!

Luckily, no!

Gradska knjižnica i čitaonica Pula!

Finally, I got a card made for the local library! The first books that I took were Shakespeare`s sonnets and Stephen King 🙂 They even have a bit of Russian literature. Mostly poetry. From now on, a long road somewhere won’t be a problem 🙂

Be creative!

In Spain I started sketching some funny moments or memorable jokes in my notebook! After the winter holidays I was so inspired by my own emotions that I decorated an old table in ZUM with beautiful white flowers. Then it was the right time for something bigger. What about a mural on the wall in the office?

Bura

Crazy wind, rain and sleeping mode all day. This is the kind of winter weather you can see in the  Istrian part of Croatia; a day or two when you don’t even want to get out of your bed because you hear how the wind is blowing outside and it’s so frightening. But after this scary weather always comes sun. No wind, no rain. The grass is green, the skies are blue and the sun is smiling to you 🙂 You go for a walk and smile back to the blinding sun. A perfect moment!

 

 

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Čavrljanje

THE feeling dobivanja pisama u 2018.

P. S. Neću spomenuti račune! Ali Zakon privlačenja hoću!

Negdje sam pročitala da su pisma vrlo intiman način komunikacije jer sadrže neizbrisiv trag pošiljatelja, osim vizualno, pismo ti suptilno prenosi miris nečijeg doma ili čak osobe.

Nerijetko govorim kako sam stara duša, koja se voli pronaći na mjestima i situacijama kao što je svemir ili beskrajna vožnja autom dok se puštaju bezvremenski hitovi, ili u ovom slučaju – pošta.

Biti će uskoro gotovo dva mjeseca otkad sam se vratila iz Španjolske. Kulturni šok, nove vještine i znanja, puno smijeha, još malo kulturnog šoka, nova prijateljstva. Da ne govorim o reakcijama kada sam saznala da ću putovati onamo. “Što mi kupuješ?”, “Što ćeš mi donijeti?”, “Ideš u Španjolsku!”, “Sangria!”, “Želim (ubaci klasičan autohtoni suvenir po želji)” i tako dalje. Sve to sa još malo upitnika i uskličnika. Prethodno smo razgovarali na ZUM-ovom sastanku kako je običaj da se nakon svakog putovanja šalju razglednice na adresu ureda i poprilično mi se svidjela ta ideja pa sam odlučila kako će moj odgovor na sva njihova pitanja biti – apsolutno ništa!

Neću joj kupiti privjesak, neću mu kupiti magnet, niti majicu. Poslati ću im razglednice! Mislim si, i to je svakako alternativa za “zapravo sam te se sjetila”.

Čak ako nečija reakcija i bude “My friend went to Spain and all I got is this postcard!?”, imala sam spreman odgovor. Pa gdje ćeš bolje od dijelića španjolskog zraka, mrlje dobre pive ili Tinta, koji mi je slučajno kapnuo dok sam te pozdravljala na papiru?

Dva tjedna nakon što sam se vratila pristizale su mi reakcije prijatelja, poznanika i obitelji (poslala sam ih 15-tak, da), bili su oduševljeni. “Koliko dugo nisam dobila razglednicu!”, “Toliko mi je drago da si mi poslala razglednicu!” i slično.

Laknulo mi je.

Pomislila sam kako bih voljela dobiti i ja neku neočekivanu razglednicu, pismo. DA, pismo bi bilo lijepo dobiti! Još ljepše bi bilo čitati ga!

U tom trenutku valjda se aktivirao onaj Zakon privlačenja, koji se sve više u današnje vrijeme provlači po blogovima, ustima životnih trenera, kojemu se toliko diže čitanost jer ga pokušavaju razumjeti (čekaj… diže čitanost? Key words game strong, hm, pa ne mogu reći da ga nisam spomenula…).

Prije nekog vremena, čula sam se sa svojim domaćinom iz Španjolske, prisjećamo se uspomena sa njihovog putovanja nama, sa našeg putovanja onamo, razmjenjujemo iskustva. Zaustavi se odjednom i kaže kako nešto mora podijeliti sa mnom jer ga je strah (vjerojatno rečenica koja poslije one mamine “Moramo razgovarati!” u meni probudi najviše pitanja i nervoze).

Poslao mi je pismo! 

Nije siguran je li dobro ispunio onaj formalni dio sa adresom. Pomislim, ne daj Bože da skrene sa puta! Konačno ću dobiti pismo, ma kakvo da bilo, nešto na papiru, pisano rukom!

Ipak, neću vjerovati u taj Zakon.

Nekako mi je ljepše vjerovati da je netko zapravo dobro upoznao mene na tom putovanju koje smo isprva shvatili kao samo još jedno upoznavanje nečije kulture.

Odaberite osobu, odaberite riječi, uzmite komad papira i pošaljite pismo. Taj osjećaj neizvjesnosti ne može se mjeriti sa onim kada čekate nečiju poruku na Messengeru ili Viberu, jednako kao što se fizički dodir poruke ne mjeri sa samo seenom iste.

 

Stay tuned, kao što sam ja in tune sa poštom ovih dana pa možda podijelim sa vama dijelić te naše održane komunikacije.

 

Hešteg zakon privlačenja.

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BLOG III: NO CHILLAXITIMMO

Maybe it´s not about happy ending. Maybe it`s about the story – Albert Camus.

Ooh wonderful OKay Go!

Last week I participated in the training course “Community makers” which included sessions with the trainer ( @dejanhren) about marketing, time for inspiration (videos and lectures) and time for content writing. I organized ice-breaking games and energizers. I did a bit of photography as well 🙂

Well, if you need a bit of inspiration watch this – How to find wonderful idea!

I knew that the music group OKay Go are good, but I didn’t know they do all these things! Wonderful!

I need snow! 

Can you imagine all this freshness of white shiny snow? When millions of snowflakes crack under your toes. When it`s so cold that trees freeze and become white. Yes, cold, but so beautiful!
Now, imagine, you spent one hour just walking in the snowy park. You can feel that you have snow even inside of you. It cleans… your mind, your heart and your body. And now after this fluffy walk you come back home. You immediately go to take a hot shower because you cannot feel your fingers. You spend there at least 10 minutes just to enjoy this moment… Then you go to bed and quickly fall asleep with a pleased smile. Feels like a blessing.

But not in Pula! The last snow here was in 2009 and it lasted for 3 days. By the way, my lovely Ljubljana is a bit covered with a snow right now.

In my head is English, but I speak Russian! 

During these last 2 weeks I had been devoured by my mind. There is nothing funny about it. I faced my fears. I faced anger and mess in my head.

Going on this EVS was a very spontaneous decision. I had been approved very quickly. The thing is that before my service I had planned my life for the next 4 years. I had been sleeping and waking up with these thoughts. Nobody thought I would go so far away from home for 9 months. I was ready for EVS but I prepared myself for university. I had been packing things for uni already and then came this day: they approved me for EVS in Croatia. It was a lot of pressure from the outside and inside. No, I don´t regret that I made this decision. But there is one little breakdown. I am still there… in Estonia. I moved to Viljandi to study at the Cultural Academy. I can feel it. My soul still lives in Estonia. I am not homesick or depressive. I am not here.

 

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BLOG I: NO PRESSURE

My way to Pula :

3 HOURS BY PLANE

18 HOURS BY BUS

1 HOUR BY TRAIN

1 SLEEPLESS NIGHT IN THE AIRPORT IN MILAN

Seems like it was a torture! My first independent small journey!

I spent the whole night at the airport thinking about my EVS, drawing and writing my thoughts on paper, reading about being mindful. I have lost my favorite scarf and hat “NIRVANA”. I was so upset that I forgot about my tiredness and took a cup of coffee. The rainy night and morning fog reminded me of Estonian weather.

Bus to Ljubljana. I was so happy to be here again: enjoy the best mango ice-cream, big latte and a bun with blueberries. All that I needed. A walk across Ljubljana by night was memorable. Finally! My last bus on the way to Pula! Sleep! Sleep! Sleep! “Welcome to Pula!” – two strangers and one familiar Italian (but actually Serbian) face met me at the bus station. Our choice was obvious – pizza! A tasty dinner and lots of jokes gave me a little bit of power to sort out my suitcase. I love my apartment! Bath (no shower), two beds in my room, cute roomie and big kitchen with gas stove. Mandarine tree outside and TV on Croatian. My EVS has begun!

One month has passed…

1 ARTICLE FOR 3ska! MAGAZINE

17 GRAPHIC POSTERS ON FB PAGE

1 PRESENTATION

1 HUGE HANDMADE POLAROID FRAME

1 eBOOK ABOUT CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

4 SCHOOLS – LECTURES ABOUT EVS AND ERASMUS+

6 DAYS OF ON-ARRIVAL TRAINING

3 NEW CITIES – ORAHOVICA, ZAGREB AND ROVINJ

9 NEW FRIENDS

1 AEONIUM (plant)

4 PARCELS FROM HOME

EVS is the time when you miss your home more than ever. It is a big challenge because now you should be strong and independent, you should learn how to manage your pocket money, time and power. Sometimes you can be bored and then you just have to find something funny, exciting and incredible in everyday things. For example, instead of staring at the night sky and stars, search constellations on the iNet  and then try to find them among the stars. Try something new; for example, instead of cereal with milk try cookies with yogurt. Buy new sunglasses with orange glass and explore the environment with new colors! Remember, when you are bored it is your problem! You have to keep finding a solution all the time!

 

 

During this month I mostly worked in the design area. I used canva.com to make posters with interesting facts about Estonia and Macedonia! Check it here. Also, I downloaded beautiful photos for my presentation from pexels.com.
I have attended an on-arrival training, where I even met an Estonian guy! We did our own little projects and we bonded with other volunteers. It was very nice to work with them and we had a lot of fun!

 

 

Yes, I am satisfied with work! I am very excited to be able to show my abilities and try what I`ve never tried before!

P.S. Let go of your fears. All we need is LOVE!

Culture shock(s)

  1. People speak very loudly
  2. I understand a lot of Croatian words
  3. People can smoke inside (not everywhere)
  4. People are talking freely with strangers on the streets
  5. A lot of bakeries
  6. Strange milk and cheese/ sour cream is actually a yogurt
  7. A lot of paid roads
  8. NO noodles
  9. People don`t wash mandarin