Farewells and trip to North Macedonia

W8 – Farewells and trip to North Macedonia

The past few weeks we have had two farewell parties. One was for another ESC volunteer Peter and the other one was for work-away volunteer Melusine. For Peter’s farewell we did a bonfire with German breadsticks, and for Melusine’s farewell we gathered together to watch one of her favorite movies – Ice Age. Gathering together for the last time is a moment for closure, but also a moment to be grateful for the time spent together.

The farewell for Melusine was actually not the real farewell on my part. I had the opportunity to take days off to travel with her to North Macedonia. What a trip we had! It was only 4 days in total, but with all the exciting events it felt like month’s worth of life. We had lots of fun, encountered unexpected situations, and enjoyed our common interest – nature. We visited Mavrovo, which is a town by a lake and many mountains. The air was fresh, the hike up to the mountains was thrilling, and the people were very friendly. I cannot express enough my gratitude for this journey and for my travel companion. Matkailu avartaa (travelling widens your horizon), as they say in Finnish.

Coming back to Vegetarium was also good, as it now feels like a home base where it is nice to come back after travels. I was happy to discover that different plum varieties are ripe and that the greenhouse is growing with such speed that it is hard to keep up with it. The hike from Tserovo to Vegetarium also seems easier every time I do it.

Until next week!

-Inka