Volunteering during Covid19 times

How I experienced my volunteering experience in Nagyvázsony so far during Covid19 times

For me it is unbelievable that I have already spent more than 6 months here in Hungary. In  this time, I have already experienced so much, met so many new people (nationally and  internationally), built friendships and developed a lot.

In this article, I would like to share about my life here in Nagyvázsony.

When I first arrived here, I was a little unsure if I could actually spend one year abroad in a  country I did not know much about, where I couldn’t speak any word yet and especially  going from city life to living in a very rural area.

Now I am really glad, I made that decision and I would never undo it.

At the youth center of Fekete Sereg, I was able to get in touch with the local youth which  was a great opportunity to get involved into the village life at the beginning. We usually go  there every day, we play Csócsó, listen to music, talk and chill. I like the ambiance and it is a  nice activity for the afternoons. We soon began to spend time with the youngsters out of the  youth center, too. We have visited their football matches or had some get-togethers at our  home for example. I think, we have had a really good time together so far.

But we also did a lot of activities among the co-volunteers: We travelled, we visited and  swam in the Balaton, we helped with the grape harvesting to make Pálinka out of it, went to  an animal shelter near Veszprém and so much more. So far, I have lived together with 8  different volunteers, of which Eva from Estonia is the one who has stayed here as long as me  and I am really glad to have her by my side. We have become really good friends and I  couldn’t live here without her.

I also love the work in the Kinizsi Pál school in Nagyvázsony. I usually spend there 4 days a  week where I accompany the german teachers into their lessons and try to help them. My  tasks consist of talking to the children in German, preparing crafts for the lessons like crowns  or masks, playing vocabulary games or helping them with their homework in the afternoons.  The children themselves are amazing. They welcomed me from the first day on and I really  enjoy working with them. And I learn a lot of Hungarian myself while being there which is a  nice side-effect.

To keep it short: Even though my experience here without the current pandemic situation  would have been less restricted, I do not regret at all to come to Hungary. Every experience  that I could collect here so far made me love this country and feel home.

And now I can not wait for spring and summer to come!

Liza Kuto