My name is Nathan Winder and I am 20 years old. I am a sports coaching degree undergraduate at University of central lancashire but my university campus is lancaster and morecambe college. I am currently undergoing a volunteering exercise with an organisation called Keric in Cadca, Slovakia. I have only been here for a few days so my initial working experience hasnt begun yet. All the people in keric have been friendly and kind which has been reassurring for both me and my classmate as we have never visited Slovakia before.
As part of the program we have undertaken several hours of slovakian lessons which has helped us communicate with the people in the community as cadca is not known for tourism therefore the english language, apart from volunteers and leaders in keric, is basically unspoken.
I have enjoyed my time and experience so far and am looking forward to working with the people involved in Keric. I am attending a survival camp next week where we look after and entertain slovakian children. One of the main positives for me, was the fact that our input and ideas have been valued and placed into the program for next week. I think me and my classmate feel more part of the team as a result of this.
The first week involves helping the people from cadca building dams and clearing forrestry as the town suffers quite badly from flooding. The second week entails the survival camp that I have already mentioned and the third week, we are sailing down the river Hron and camping in different locations throughout the week.
As a whole I look forward to the trip and feel it will be a great experience with many positives to take from it. I hope to make new friends, eat different foods and explore the culture of Slovakia as much as possible in the 3 weeks that im here. It promises to be a well organised affair with many learning curves along the way.

My name is Mark Anderson i am 18 years old and live in a small town called Dalton in Furness in North West England.
I study sports coaching at lancaster and Morecambe College, I have studied at this college for 3 years working on a sports coaching course also.
I Came to Slovakia to try and improve my communication skills during coaching and working with children and i feel that it will be a very good experience for me dut to the children speaking a different language to me so i will have a good chance to improve my skills as a coach and a leader.
Since i have been in Slovakia i have started to learn the culture and the language and have found it to be very different to England and feel the language is verz difficult to learn however i am slowley learning the basics
In the rest of the time i am here i hope to learn the language even more and will make the most of mz time by visiting places in Čadca but aldo in other places near by like Žilina.

My name is Rebecca Smith and I am currently studying a sports coaching degree under University Of Central Lancaster. For my degree I do vocational training at Lancaster and Morecambe College. I was given the opportunity to come to Slovakia to experience there culture and also to work with children through an organization called Keric which is in Cadca, Slovakia. Before my placement become we had to attend language lessons. This I found very helpful as it helped me become more comfortable with the Slovakian language before we flew to Slovakia. Communicating hasn’t always been easy but if you’re willing to try and use there language I have found they are willing to meet you half way. I particularly enjoyed playing sports with the children as they were all very enthusiastic. The whole experience has been amazing and I am very grateful for having this opportunity. Since being in Slovakia I generally feel like we have made a difference by contributing ideas. I also feel that the longer we have been here the more independence we have been given because the children accepted us and I feel they enjoyed being with me as much as I enjoyed being with them.
Keric offer a wide variety of different activities in many different camps. During my time in Slovakia so far I feel I have learnt lots which I can take back to England and use whilst finishing my degree and also whilst coaching in the future. Experiencing the Slovakian culture has been tremendous, Visiting Zilina and Bratislava etc has helped contribute to me enjoying my time in Slovakia. All of the staff at keric are very pleasant and friendly. They are always trying to make you feel welcome.  I will miss the Culture and also the experience I have had when I soon return back to England.
After reviewing my time in Slovakia so far I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Every day has been a new experience and in many ways I wish I was staying in Slovakia on placement for even longer. I would definitely recommend if anyone gets the opportunity to go working abroad they should not hesitate in saying yes. It is the opportunity of a lifetime. My favorite memory of experiencing the Slovakian culture was when I travelled to Zilina and toured Msk Zilinas football stadium. It was a fantastic day and we were treated like V.I.Ps by the Club manager and all there staff. Having the opportunity to play football on a professional football pitch is truly amazing especially when I am so passionate about Football. I do not have a favourate memory from any of the camps because I have enjoyed every single moment.

I am 44  years old living in Lancaster England, I am currently studying sports coaching at Lancaster and Morcombe Collage, as well as working as a gym instructor at Inspire gym and Carnforth High School. Part of my course requires a number voluntary hours, involving working with children. Working here in Slovakia for Keric has been a great opportunity to experience the different culture,share ideas with other professionals to take back to England .
My first week took me to Makov, where I experienced horse riding for the first time, this was both exciting and fun.The children  were so excited and were looked after by the professional team running the stables. The afternoons and evenings involved  a vast array of activities such as badge making, sewing, designing t shirts,  games and playing football on the astro turf. This was one of the most popular games with the children and soon atracted the locals. I had a great time here and learned a little Slovakian on the way.
The canoeing trip down the river Hron was one of my best memories, as it was both exciting and fun. Learning to control the boat down the fast moving river was teambuilding, as we all had to work together to keep the boat moving in the right direction. We met some fantastic people along the way and would recommend this to anyone.
There are so many great places to see and visit here, I wish I had more time. The staff and volunteers here at Keric are so helpfull and make your stay a wonderful experience.