Week 16

16th December – Day 98
Monday began with cleaning and tidying the youth center after the guitar concert the previous day. Pisti also brought some sacks of old clothes for us to pick through—I found a leather jacket that I liked.
In the evening, Roland, András, and I went out for pizza, enjoying a relaxed end to the day.

17th December – Day 99
On Tuesday afternoon, we gathered at the youth center for a year-end meeting to discuss the highs and lows of the past year. Since it was easier for the others to talk in Hungarian, I worked on an Info Pack for future volunteers during their discussion. Afterward, Roland spoke with me one-on-one to hear my feedback, suggestions, and what I thought went well.

18th December – Day 100
Wednesday brought a lively Christmas party at the youth center for a class of elementary school students. The kids baked cookies and drew pictures, filling the center with holiday cheer.

19th December – Day 101
Thursday was a free day, which I used to clean my apartment.

20th December – Day 102
On Friday, we celebrated Christmas at the youth center with colleagues Richárd, András, Roland, Csenge, Pisti, his wife Rita, and their children. Csenge gave me a photo I had bought from her auction a month ago, and Pisti surprised everyone with gifts. Mine was a unicorn, a nod to my interest in My Little Pony and the Brony community.

21st December – Day 103
Saturday marked the start of my journey home to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve with my family. At 1:29 PM, I left Szolnok by train and arrived in Budapest-Keleti at 2:58 PM. From there, I took the RJX train to Munich, where I sat next to another German volunteer who works in Romania. Like me, she was heading home for the holidays. We arrived in Munich at 10:32 PM, and I waited until midnight for my next train.

22nd December – Day 104
At midnight, I boarded the ICE 618 to Kiel HBF, which brought me to Cologne Central Station at 6:03 AM. Remarkably, the entire 16-hour-and-37-minute journey was free of delays or issues. From there, I took the Straßenbahn to my mom’s house, finally home for the holidays.
This week closed the chapter on my time in Szolnok for the year. It was filled with reflections, festive gatherings, and a long but smooth trip back to my family.