A Glimpse into our Paradise
When I stepped onto the bus
in Zagreb, I had no idea that the other people on it would soon become great
friends and leave such a strong impact on my life. I was sleep-deprived,
luggage-less, and yearning for a shower to rinse off the after-plane-ride
dirtiness I felt covered in. Drifting in
and out of consciousness, I overheard conversations of anxious people, eager to
spend a summer working in Croatia, and found myself unable to wipe the goofy
smile off my face.
The following 24 hours
were a complete blur; there were countless names to memorize, silly camp songs to
sing, and what seemed to be a maze of dirt paths to become familiar with. I was
beyond excited to live by the sea in Croatia, knowing it was only just the
beginning of my journey abroad.
Over 30 amazing souls from
all over the world came together to a small village in Croatia where we worked
together at an international summer camp and created our own piece of paradise.
Little did we know that we signed up for a summer of getting excited over fruit
yogurt, avoiding sea urchins, playing volleyball at night, eating bushels of
fresh fruit, falling asleep with camp songs in our heads, making lifelong
friendships, and falling in love for some.
The days at camp started
early and ended late. I was ruled by my
watch, yet found myself amazed at how quickly the time was passing. My typical day began with a run through Pakoštane, hoping for hot coffee at breakfast, managing activities,
food, more activities, more food, and an evening event where I happily was
going to make a fool of myself. It was wonderful and I wouldn’t have changed a
thing. Every night I went to sleep smiling and feeling so blessed that I was
able to have this experience. It was a major improvement from an unfulfilled life Farmington, Connecticut. I was lucky enough to live on the Adriatic sea,
swim daily in the bluest water, play sports and games with fun-loving people,
eat well, and be surrounded by truly amazing friends.
To add some excitement to
our daily routines, each week we were gifted with a precious 24-hours off. The anxious
wait for the release of days and names became a secret highlight of the week. These
days off were not a time to rest and recharge our batteries; but rather, they
were the green light to go ahead and explore Croatia and enjoy 24 carefree
hours together – which is exactly what we did. Once the list of names went up,
the cogs began turning and plans were instantly being churned out. We rented
countless Fiats, flagged down buses, and chartered a few boats throughout
the summer. These wonderful days brought us to Zadar, Pag Island, Plitvice,
Krka, Šibenik,
and multiple islands throughout the Adriatic.
Although it wasn’t always easy to reach consensus on plans, there was an
unspoken agreement that we were all itching for some sort of adventure. We
danced all night, drank a lot of wine, swam with dolphins, jumped off bridges,
island hopped, bungee jumped, ate delicious meals, visited pristine waterfalls,
and cliff jumped into the open sea. The
days off left us with sun-tanned skin, for the most part wound-free, buzzing
with adrenaline, and even more in love with each other and Croatia.
The summer was an
emotional roller-coaster ride from the constant tearful goodbyes that had to be
said at the end of every session. However, after we finished singing ‘Leaving
on a Jet Plane’ for the final time, my heart wasn’t breaking. I knew that our
adventures were going to continue beyond our upcoming backpacking travels and
throughout the year. Now instead of days off to organize, we have reunions in
Ireland, the United Kingdom, Hungary, and Italy to plan. The paradise we
created in Croatia this summer is now spread throughout the world, living
within us until the fragmented pieces can be joined again next summer.
I love this one, Meals!
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