„We discussed and wanted to let you know that we would be happy to accept you for volunteering in Anne youth center! […] Arrival date latest 31st of August!” – I recieved this e-mail on the 14th of August on a Friday, on a very hot day in Hungary. After my first reactions – running up and down in the house, screaming with joy, calling my family members and friends – the despair ran through my brain: okay, but how can I manage to put enough stuff into a big luggage and a travel bag for a year? Because I undertook no less than to spend a whole year in a country foreign to me: in Tartu of Estonia. Anyone, who has ever been away from home at least a week may knows it is not an easy task especially for a woman like me – my father could tell some stories about that.
Let’s see, how I have dealt with this! Spoiler alart – if someone would be surprised: not very well.
My very first and most important mission was to find the right luggage. It seems trivial but it is very important to find and choose the perfect “travel partner” because you will spend togehter the next few months for better or worse. However most of the time it will be in a corner of the room or better yet in the wardrobe, there may be an opportunity at any time to visit more distant places and then it is the most needed thing to have. Also the appearance is not all: a beautiful green colour, a lot of smaller or larger pockets worth nothing if one of it’s wheels breaks the first time it is used. Well, transport is not easy for even for a person on the cobbled, potholed streets of Riga – but this is an other story.
After a lifel
ong or at least a year of friendship was made, I started to compiling a list about what I might need the next few months. Ahh, this sentence sounds so good but it has nothing to do with the reality. I am an organized person but since I only had a week to prepare for everything, I followed a less good solution. One day before my flight. I opened all the doors of my closet and I was waiting for a miracle: for the required garments to fly into my suitcase – meanwhile keeping the weight limit in their mind. Unfortunately this has never happened so it was my job to sort them out by one and decide which one I would love to wear over and over again. I faced the most difficult decision of my life: how many T-shirts do I really need from ten of a kind; how many sweaters will cover two seasons; which is the perfect coat for the rainy, colder autumn days – however since then I’ve learned that there is a difference between 13°C and 13°C –; and last but not least, which skirt and dress can come with me. I took a tearful farewell from some of them… (God save the parcel service!) Not to mention the shoes which should be comfortable enough for constant running because I am not that person who can walk many kilometers without any problems in high heels.
A few upsets and a couple of strenuous hours later I sighed: I succeeded. Then suddenly I realized that there is not enough space for the bathroom- and makeup products. But my friends reassured me: it is unnecessary to take everything with me because there are shops in Estonia as well – What a genious! 😀 following their rules I only packed the most important things for a couple of days until I could go shopping. I left the easiest part last, my computer and the electronic gadgets.
Finally I was really proud of myself, I managed to put everything into the luggage and the suitcase. However somehow something went wrong because according to the scale my packages were heavier all together. I started shouting in despair and my mother – my supporting angel – said that don’t worry, we could do this and she started to reorganizing everything. At the end I don’t know how buta t the end there was an extra unused kilogram.
The next morning before I pulled the zipper I checked at least five times that I had all the documents with me. Then I took a last measurement to see nothing happened during the night and then we headed to the airport and after saying goodbye to my family, my biggest adventure of my life so far has begun.
EST:
How to pack 28 kilograms for a year?
“We discussed and wanted to let you know that we would be happy to welcome you as a volunteer at Anne Youth Centre! […] Arrival date no later than August 31st!” – This email arrived on August 14th, a Friday, on a very hot day in Hungary. After my initial emotions – running up and down the house, screaming with joy, calling family and friends – despair struck me: okay, but how do I fit everything I need into my luggage for a whole year? My plan was to live abroad for a year: in Estonia, in Tartu. Anyone who has been away from home for at least a week knows that it's not an easy task, especially for a woman like me – my father could tell some stories about that.
Let's see how I manage that! A small hint – if it surprises anyone: not very well.
My very first and most important mission was to find the right suitcase. It seems trivial, but it's actually very important to search for and choose that ideal 'travel partner,' as we plan to spend the next few months together, for better or worse. Even though it mostly stays in a corner of the room or, at best, in the wardrobe, opportunities to visit distant places can arise at any time, and then it becomes the most essential item of all. But how important is appearance: a beautiful green color, many larger and smaller compartments, if the suitcase wheels break on the first use? Well, navigating Riga's cobblestone streets with potholes isn't easy even for a person – but that's another story.
After forming lifelong friendships, or at least friendships lasting a year, I began compiling a list of things I might need in the coming months. Ah, that sentence sounds so good, but it has nothing to do with reality. I am an organized person, but since I only had a week to prepare, I followed the best solution among bad choices – to pack the day before the flight. I opened my wardrobe and waited for a miracle: everything I needed would fly into my suitcase by itself – while keeping the weight limit in mind. Unfortunately, this has never happened, so my task was to sort through my things one by one and decide what I would want to wear again and again. I was faced with the most difficult decision of my life: how many T-shirts do I really need out of the ten I have; how many sweaters would cover two seasons; what is the best jacket for rainy autumn days – being here, I have realized that there is a difference between 13 degrees and 13 degrees – and finally, which skirts and dresses I can take with me. I said a tearful goodbye to some items... (thank God for the possibility of sending packages)! Not to mention shoes, which should be comfortable enough for running, because I am not the kind of person who can easily walk kilometers in high heels.
After some frustration and hours of effort – my suitcase was packed! But suddenly I discovered I no longer had space in my suitcase for toiletries and cosmetics. Luckily, my friends reassured me: you don't need to take everything, there are shops in Estonia too – brilliant, right! 😀 Following their advice, I packed only the essentials for the next few days until I could go to a shop. I left the easiest part of packing for last – my computer and other electronic gadgets into my hand luggage. Finally, I was truly proud of myself. I managed to fit everything necessary into my hand luggage and suitcase. However, for some reason, something still went wrong, and my suitcases were heavier despite my calculations. I started to cry out in despair, and my mother – my guardian angel – told me not to worry, that we would manage, and started repacking things. To my surprise, there was even extra space left in the suitcase in the end.
The next morning, before finally zipping up my suitcase, I checked at least five times to ensure I had all the necessary documents. Then I did a final weighing to make sure nothing had changed with my suitcase overnight, and we headed to the airport. After saying goodbye to my family, I knew that my biggest adventure to date had begun.
Beáta Pravetz
Volunteer at the European Solidarity Corps at Tartu Youth Work Center
