Ines je bila naša prva EVS prostovoljka. Prosili smo jo naj našima novima dvema prostovoljcema napiše, kako je v Idriji. Tukaj je nekaj odsekov iz njenega pisma.
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Hi boy and girl,
My name is Ines and I'm the Spanish EVS who was in Idrija last year. Masa asked me to write you all you need to know about living in Idrija and I will love to do it. I guess you are already excited about starting your EVS adventure!
I'm sorry that the email is so long but you can just read the parts that are the most useful for you.
Well, first is first: food and beer.
Usually everyone goes for a beer at Gallerija bar, which is between the library and the main square. You can order the Slovenian beers Lasko and Union (2,20€ don't know why I still remember the price ) or if you have enough money to pay the quality, you can have a czech beer there! When I left Idrija, kavarna was close but if it's open again, you will probably go there now in winter.
You also have the lace cafe, in front of the primary school, where there are concerts sometimes. But bigger concerts are at Swenak, a pigs farm that the students renovated in order to get wasted there ;) since you will be at the MCI you will hear about every concert in the town, don't worry about that.
But, where is the best ice cream in Idrija? my opinion was always that the ice cream shop in front of the primary school is the best one. I really miss that ice cream!
Well hehehe you also need to eat in the day by day. The cheapest supermarkets in Idrija are Hofer (cheapest for cold food like cereals, pasta) and Tus (cheapest for fresh products). If you go out of the town direction to Ljubljana and cross Mejca park you will get to Tus, 10-15min walking. For Hofer you need a bike, it's in the way to Spodnja Idrija (road to Most na Soci). Mercator is generally more expensive but sometimes is the cheapest for fruits and vegetables. In front of Tus there is a Mercator which opens also on Sunday morning. Important: before april Mercator already starts selling chocolate bunnies.
About clothes, you need to be prepared for climate changes. Rain, forest trails, coast, Swenak floor... Idrijians are not fancy so you don't need to bring anything more elegant than jeans. I never wore high heels in that country.
About health, you will have no problem at the medical center. They speak English and they know the European Health Card. You don't have to pay anything in advance. If you have Cigna as extra insurance, it covers many things.
The language: ok it's not like Finnish hahaha but still is very hard. People will understand if you don't learn the language. Most of the Slovenians speak good English. However, it's important that you at least learn basic words for your social integration and for your work with children. In my case, I learnt enough Slovene to have a basic conversation, so you can also do it if you don't mind to study a bit at home.
How is the people in Idrija? Very nice. Everyone is willing to help a foreign volunteer and they will want you to feel happy and to enjoy their town however, you need to be aware that you will be in a different culture and you will find differences in relationships. If you don't know that something in the way poeple treat you is a cultural difference and you take it as a personal thing, you may feel sad or confused. Masa is really good at explaining the culture and you can also talk to your menthor. Sometimes I had problems with that cultural differences but anyways I made some good friends from Idrija and I met my boyfriend from Mexico in Idrija and now everyone is asking us why we met in Idrija!
I don't know which are your hobbies but if you like sport, Slovenia is the perfect country. there are many hiking trails for the weekend and during the week you can play sport games or go to the indoor climbing. I bought a bicycle and I was always cycling there, I know many paths and roads. If you like cycling, tell me and I will write you about that ;)
For sure you will want to travel around! You are coming to the most beautiful country in Europe This is a list of some fantastic places that usually tourists don't know:
-Kanomlja valley which you can get by bike from Idrija.
-Most na Soci: when you come from Idrija, just before the train big bridge, there is a nice place for swimming
-Kolovrat: very good view of the Soca valley
-Soska pot: there is whole path from Kobarid to the spring of Soca river. The spring is full of tourists but the path is peaceful and beautiful.
-Mangastsko sedlo: there is a road to almost the top of Mangart. The view is awesome but it's hard to convince someone to bring you there hehe
-Laghi di Fusine: there is a cycling path from Mojstrana and Kranjska Gora to these Italian lakes
-Zelenci
-Pericnik waterfall
-Radovna valley
-Babji zob: you can hike to this mountain just from Bled (6 hours easy) and have the best view of Bled lake and surroundings.
-Radovljica: you can walk there from Bled by the Sava river.
-Pizza at Spodnje Gorje: there is this village close to Bled where there is one of the best pizza in the country. The pizzeria is called Betelhem and is by the north road from SpGorje to Jesenice.
-In Bovec I recommend you the hostel Bovec because of its breakfast and in Bled, I recommend you the Castle hostel because of its good ambiance.
On the on arrival training they will explain you important things about EVS process. Since I had my on arrival training a bit late, I will tell you some things just in case: in most of the cases, first one or two weeks of EVS are great because you are excited to start and everyone is paying attention to you. After that, people have to continue their lives and you have to build your new life in a new place. At that moment it's normal if you feel frustrated, alone, sad or afraid. It's a part of the process to have ups and downs. Step by step volunteers get over and start to be more happy, open and creative. EVS is one of the best experiences in life, and specially at the MCI where you can develop your own activities and learn what you want to learn
I wish you to have a great experience in Idrija, to have many adventures and to meet people that you will always remember!!
Hugs from Spain!!
Inés
