The Last Blog... A Year of Many Moments

When I arrived in Plzeň back in September, I had no idea how many people, places, and experiences would become part of my everyday life.

Technically, my volunteering project doesn’t officially end until August. But June feels like the closing chapter of this part of the story—the moment to look back and realise just how much has happened.

Over these months, I have tried many different things. Nordic walking sessions with the fresh air. I baked with the ladies, learning many different recipes. English and Spanish conversation classes, where sometimes I taught, sometimes I learned, and most of the time we simply enjoyed talking.

Every week since January, I visited Ludka Pika Institute to work with teenagers. Those mornings became part of my routine and reminded me how rewarding it can be to connect with people of close to my age.

I also had Czech lessons with Lenka, who patiently guided me through a language full of impossible sounds and grammar rules that still surprise me. I can definitely say that my Czech is far from perfect, but it is much better than the few nervous words I knew in September.

One of the highlights of this year has been dancing with the ladies from ADETO. And even more than the rehearsals themselves, I loved the performances. Standing backstage before going on stage, sharing the excitement, and the laughs afterwards became one of my favourite parts of this experience.

Beyond the regular activities, there were so many smaller moments that made this year special: helping at the neighbourhood fair, walking dogs, supporting a marathon, creating my mini-project with memory games, and travelling to Prague twice to meet other volunteers who were going through similar adventures in different corners of the country…

None of these experiences alone define this year. But together, they tell the story of what volunteering has meant to me: trying new things, meeting people I would never have met otherwise, and finding a place for myself in a city that slowly stopped feeling unfamiliar.

I still have the summer ahead of me, new corners of Czechia to discover, train rides to take, sunsets to watch, and memories left to make before August finally arrives.

I hope the next volunteers have just as many wonderful experiences as I have had. As for me, I will leave the Czech Republic with the best memories!

Sara