Volunteering break

In the last post I told you I got in touch with a guy named Massimo. A person with a big heart who welcomed many travellers! No matter if space became scarce, we always found a small piece of ground to put a mattress on or a piece of sofa! In exchange for lodging and bedding, we (volunteers/travellers) helped him in his vegetable garden for a few hours a day.

Weeding, picking, storing. . . There was no shortage of work! Massimo is an amazing butsomewhat messy person: he wants to do everything at the same time, which is a bit complicated to handle. At the same time as my stay, pimples appeared on my body and we came to the conclusion that it was either an allergic reaction or bed fleas. It was quite disturbing and it was not getting any better so I decided to look for the next volunteering opportunity.

The magic of Facebook works and after an interview with the volunteer manager, I was
accepted into a hostel in Zagreb! 2 days later I packed my bags, thanked Massimo and took off in the direction of Ljubljana in Slovenia (desired route: Trieste to Ljubljana then Zagreb). When I get to the hitchhiking stop I get to work and thumbs up, waiting for a car to stop. 45min later the first car stops and we leave in the direction of Ljubljana. Well, that’s what I thought. We are talking and it happens that the driver is going to a small village 30 minutes from Zagreb. « Super plan Cédric it’s perfect! ». We find ourselves in the Slovenian countryside, driving for 3 hours before arriving at some Slovenians to make a transaction for his work and then we head back towards the motorway. Throughout the journey, the conversation boiled down to repeating the
same things over and over again (it’s a long 4 hours drive, eh). In short, I was expected in Zagreb for the evening and not wanting to end up in the Slovenian countryside in the rain, I stayed with him until he dropped me off on the highway between Ljubljana and Zagreb.

After this adventure, I arrive in Zagreb after another 2 hours drive and at the hostel a good hour later. I am greeted by the other volunteers who arrive in triumph and then give me a tour of the room and the premises. The dormitory is in a mess but the atmosphere looks very relaxed and friendly. We are 12 volunteers from all over Europe/world (Finland, Belgium (Frak), Lithuania, Germany, Ireland, United States. . . ), most volunteers are between 18 and 20 years old, with a few exceptions, but generally young. I quickly sympathize with the group and start my « work » as a volunteer. One thing to know, the hostel has several bars: garden, rooftop, bunker (nightclub),
a kitchen and the « Housekeeping » for the maintenance of the hostel. The work will consist of helping the staff in their work: dishes, cleaning, stocking, maintenance. . . Nothing complicated. The working conditions are very good: accommodated, fed + tips / pay, 5 hours a day and 5 days a week.

So I’m going to stay 1 month in this hostel, right in the center of Zagreb. I will have the
opportunity to visit the city, its parks, its museums, its sunsets. . . I was also added to whatsapp groups of locals/foreigners living in Zagreb, which allowed me to meet people from all over the world, play chess or just hang out! Most of the volunteers stay for a month so I had the opportunity to meet a lot of new faces. At present, a few days before my departure, I am almost the oldest volunteer, which earned me the nickname of « dean » among the newcomers. We managed to create a great group with the people present and the atmosphere is great! I will not be able to quote them all but a big thank you to Colette alias Frak, Anna, Emma x2, Morta Queen of Lithuania, Sophia, JB alias Joe Biden, Annika, Annaluisa and Lorenlai, Amanda, Émilie, Eva, Charlie, Carmela and many more ❤

Now it’s time to leave this bubble and go back to the island of Vis in Croatia with 2 new friends that I will soon introduce to you to live in a tiny house with dozens of cats. . .

See you soon for new adventures!