Volunteering has always been something I've longed to do, and it happened in a country I didn't consider my dream place at all. I had never considered it until one day I said to myself: "Why not?" And that's how I found myself in the land of a thousand lakes, Finland. Finland enchanted me with its unique atmosphere and left me with beautiful memories.

I am proof that you can volunteer even if you are long past college, have achieved several work experiences, and even if you are already in your thirties, it's never too late :)

My volunteering story started in a small village called Anjala (90 km from Helsinki), which was not very different from my home in Slovakia. It was also far away and there was not much to do there. My project lasted three weeks and we gathered a group of volunteers from Slovakia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Turkey and Egypt.

• 
• 
• 
•  

(Around Anjala and a photo of the house where we stayed)

The project started by preparing and organizing an event for the local community. As winter was officially over, the main theme was welcoming spring. The weather was kind to us for the first week and it really felt like the arrival of spring.  We prepared various sports games, creative workshops, people could try archery or have a coffee on the sun terrace with the popular Finnish munkki cake.

• 
•  

  (The school in Anjala, where we spent most of our time on preparations and plans)             

 

(Preparations for the "Fin(n)ish with winter, ready for spring" event)

(Café in Anjala)

After we welcomed spring, the weather returned to winter mode once again and the sun went somewhere to hide. The project continued with the preparation of activities for young people at the youth centre in Kouvola. By the way, getting there from Anjala was very time consuming. I remember we took a 40-minute walk to the town of Inkeroinen to get from there to Kouvola. The walk was nice, but we didn't care all that much on the way back as we were tired, it was getting dark and we were cold :D And this is what we had to do for three whole weeks. Later our travels were enhanced by bicycles, but not everyone was a fan  Nevertheless, the time spent at the NuPa Youth Centre was very enjoyable.  We showed them a little bit of our homes through the international games and songs from our parts of the world sounded in the background.

• 
• 
•  

(Our team at the NuPa center)

                                                                                              (With my fellow volunteer from Slovakia, Janka)

 

(Kouvola)

Finally, we presented at the Finnish school in Inkeroinen. We presented to them not only the best of our countries, but also the European Solidarity Corps. I rate this meeting as positive because I think the children liked the topic as well as engaging in conversation with us. In addition, I must say that the Finnish school was very inspiring for me, because in addition to the traditional lessons, they had non-traditional classrooms such as cooking, music, homework, workshops, etc.

The Finnish school was also very inspiring for me.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

(Presenting ESC)

(Sign outside the entrance to the cooking classroom)

                                                                                                       (Cooking and homework classrooms)

Thanks to the project, we were able to experience several activities that are typical of Finland, such as catching fish, roasting Finnish cinnamon korvapuusti nests, and the sauna we had right in the campus. We also had the opportunity to outdo ourselves with activities such as climbing a tree, or launching ourselves from several meters high and then swinging between the trees. In free time we visited the charming seaside town of Kotka, Repovesi National Park, where we were able to enjoy Finnish nature even more. Nowhere else did I experience rain, sun, hail and snow falling in one day like here. One of the most beautiful things I experienced there was the Northern Lights. Nobody expected it at this time of year, and that's why it was a very pleasant surprise for all of us. It was truly beautiful and I am grateful that I was able to see it.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

(Tree climbing)

(Kotka, one of the most beautiful places during my volunteering)

(Aurora Borealis)

(In Repovesi National Park)

All of these events and experiences were very nice, but overall my time in Finland was not as easy as it might seem. It was only three weeks, but time passed very slowly for me. Right at the beginning I encountered a language barrier. Even though I had experience with English in previous jobs, this time it was different. I found myself in a foreign country where only English could be understood and it caused a lot of stress and fear in me as to how I would get along. This block stayed in me the whole time and that's why it was harder for me to cooperate with others. I felt terrible because I was aware of how it was stopping me from giving my best. However, all of this brought me closer to understanding how much Slovakia means to me. It is in such situations that one realizes how much value lies in home and in the people I love.

(Kymi River, the place where I felt the best)

 

And why am I writing this? Because this can be part of volunteering too. However, I don't mean to discourage you in the least. On the contrary, I would like to inspire you to think that if you have the desire to volunteer, you can give it a try. Even though it may not meet your expectations, it may give you a different perspective on the things you are currently dealing with. It always moves you somewhere and it always makes a difference. Finland as a country will always remain in my heart. I am glad that my volunteering was there and that I could see such a beautiful country. Maybe I didn't feel the best in one of the happiest countries in the world, but it opened the door to somewhere else. But maybe there will be another article about that :)

 

((Finnish) smile, please!)

 Translated by deepl.com