10th March – Day 170 to 14th March – Day 174

This week was dedicated to my On-Arrival Training in Budapest as part of the ESC program.

On Monday, I met up with Ricsi at 9:00 AM at the Szolnok train station. Together, we took the train to Budapest-Nyugati, where we met two other volunteers from Kecskemét.
From there, we hopped on the metro and made our way to the Ibis Budapest Castle Hotel, where the training was held.

There was a small hiccup when I wasn’t on the guest list because of a mistake from the National Agency, but luckily, since someone else couldn’t make it, I was able to take their room.

For the training, all participants were divided into two groups:

• I was in Group Two together with Ricsi and 17 others (19 people in total).
• The girls from Kecskemét joined Group One.

Over the course of five days, we participated in a variety of non-formal team-building exercises and workshops. We learned more about the ESC volunteering program, our rights and responsibilities, how to get the most out of our projects, and how to navigate life in Hungary as a volunteer.

The atmosphere was relaxed, and everything was taught in a non-formal, interactive way, which made it easy to connect with other volunteers from different projects and backgrounds.

For our meals, the hotel provided buffet-style catering, which was a nice bonus.

On Friday, the training came to an end, and everyone headed back to their respective projects.

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15th March – Day 175

On Saturday morning, we visited the library in Szolnok for a special event hosted by the French Embassy.
Our volunteer friend Jordan took part as a judge for a competition where local youngsters performed and presented in French. It was a cool event, and great to support a fellow volunteer.

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16th March – Day 176

Sunday was a free day — after a week full of workshops and social activities, it was nice to take it slow and relax.

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Summary

This week was all about learning, connecting with other volunteers, and officially starting my ESC journey through the On-Arrival Training.
It was a great opportunity to meet new people, reflect on my project, and get a clearer picture of what volunteering in Hungary is all about.

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Pictures will be added another time.

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