It was a hot summer night in Benevento, a small town between the mountains and two rivers in Southern Italy, when I saw a Facebook post made by the “Noi@Europe” association in Napoli about a volunteering project in Sibenik, Croatia with the association “Mladi u EU”.

My heart skipped a beat.
I’ve been looking for new adventures in the Balkans for a long time. I missed the sound of the language and my stomach has been craving burek and rakija for too long: I needed to get back on the road. My comfort zone was getting too big and I needed new challenges, new experiences that in the in the future would be an important part of my cultural baggage. I filled the form in three seconds and in my mind I was already on the ferry going to that croissant shaped country that is Croatia.
The main driver of my choice to join this adventure is to improve my skills in both English and Croatian language, so that, maybe, one day in the near future, to be able to work in this part of Europe.
The opportunity to volunteer for the association, to give my contribution to their cause is what drove me here. Also, they gave me the chance to live in the lovely city of Sibenik and to get to know its people. This was very appealing to my nomad soul.
I have very big expectations on this project and on the overall experience, and I’m sure they won’t be let down. Even If I’ve been here for only few days, I already feel at home in the narrow streets of the center of Sibenik. I just can’t wait to get more involved in the work of the organization and to explore Dalmatia and Croatia.

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Bila je vruća ljetna noć u Beneventu, gradiću između planina i dviju rijeka u južnoj Italiji, kad sam ugledao Facebook objavu udruge “Noi @ Europe” u Napoliju o volonterskom projektu u Šibeniku u Hrvatskoj sa udrugom “Mladi u EU”.
Srce mi je poskočilo.
Dugo sam tražio nove pustolovine na Balkanu. Nedostajao mi je zvuk jezika i želudac mi je predugo žudio za burekom i rakijom: trebao sam se opet pokrenuti. Moja zona komfora postajala je prevelika i trebali su mi novi izazovi, nova iskustva koja će u budućnosti biti važan dio mojeg kulturnog obrazovanja. Ispunio sam obrazac za tri sekunde, dok sam u mislima već bio na trajektu i išao do one zemlje u obliku kroasana, Hrvatske.
Glavni pokretač odabira da se pridružim ovoj avanturi je bio poboljšati moje vještine na engleskom i na hrvatskom jeziku, tako da bih možda jednog dana u bliskoj budućnosti mogao raditi u ovom dijelu Europe.
Prilika da se dobrovoljno prijavim u udrugu i da dam svoj doprinos njihovom radu je ono što me povelo ovdje. Također, pružili su mi priliku da živim u lijepom gradu Šibeniku i upoznam njegove ljude. Ovo je bilo vrlo privlačno mojoj nomadskoj duši.
Imam vrlo velika očekivanja od ovog projekta i od ukupnog iskustva i siguran sam da ih se neće iznevjeriti. Čak i ako sam ovdje samo nekoliko dana, već se osjećam kao kod kuće u uskim ulicama stargog Šibenika. Jedva čekam da se više uključim u rad organizacije i istražim Dalmaciju i Hrvatsku.