Sunday, August 30, 2009

Nomad Life

My last month in Croatia after the conference was one of the best gifts I could offer to myself. It was just what I needed to adjust to the fact that I was returning for good to Portugal, to say goodbye and see you soon to my good friends, reflect and finish all transition with the new team.
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I started the month by coloring my hair (actually, my successor did it) and by participating in another drinking marathon in Zagreb which was amazing and crazy :)

Then my friend Teresa came to visit me, we went to Slavonia (the north part of Croatia) to Slavonski Brod where my good friend Ana hosted us, then we travelled to Osijek to a party which was also by goodbye from this amazing city and people which always made me feel like home.

Then we went to Budapest where we meet Barbara and Marijana. I had time to get to know the city better and then we went for a day to Bratislava. We took a bus which cost 5€ and we paid 2€ for the return ticket from Bratislava to Budapest – only in Central Europe! I really liked Bratislava, it's small but sweet city.

Then we returned to Zagreb for a night, had a great breakfast prepared by Miran who hosted us, went to the coast, to Rijeka, then finally I visited Istria by going to Labin and Rabac where Alen and Irma received us :)

It was the perfect ending for the crazy trip with Teresa where we could rest and go to the beach.

Afterwards we got back to Rijeka for a very cool goodbye party that the Local Committee prepared, and Teresa left and I stayed in Zagreb.

Had good fun for a week, drinking Porto Wine by the river with good friends, went to birthday parties and visited Varazdin for a night. It was really worth going there to meet such people which I will miss a lot.
Then AIESEC in Croatia hosted the European Presidents Meeting in Zagreb where I meet some good friends and then some of us went to Split. It was rainy but for me what mattered were the people with whom I had great experiences, nights, morning and laughs during those days.
Back to Zagreb, Marta arrived, I had some goodbye party with Zagreb people and not only, including my non-AIESEC friends and the day after I finally visited Bosnia & Herzegovina. We went to Sarajevo where we were so well received by Dan and Zlatko, then travelled to beautiful Mostar where Reno hosted us. It was a very nice experience to visit this country, it's visible the huge effort being made to put the country in place after the war and the people are as nice and welcoming as I have been told several times.

Finally, back to Split for some resting because I got sick. But even so I went night swimming and had opportunity to visit Brac and have some crazy nights as usual.

Marta left to Zagreb and I went to visit Marijana at Kukljica where I finally had time to rest, relax and reflect. I also visited Zadar and then I left to Zagreb to catch my flight…

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It was a crazy and hard month. I was sick and tired of packing, travelling, sleeping here and there, I was sick of that nomad life but it has good things… The best was the possibility that I had to see all those people again, to realize that I made great friendships during my period in Croatia and that no matter what, I will return because these people are now part of me.