Living in a community is challenging. Living in a community is even more challenging if you are a foreigner.
The language barrier is probably the hardest thing that I’m facing here besides my own self.
Learning to just sit and listen even though I don’t understand a thing, having to rely on others translating to you. A lot of the time it makes me feel excluded, which is a hard feeling. But the language difference also brings me happiness, to understand more and more words and being able to use them is a small victory.
Adapting to the flow of life of the community, and fulfilling my needs, to keep in contact with family and friends and to spend time alone is a lot to deal with at the same time. But as time passed I found my own rhythm and I feel more settled here. My life is more peaceful, it goes at a slower pace, but on the inside it’s the opposite: my self development journey is rapidly progressing.
The beginning of this December I took part in an on arrival training, where I met other volunteers from the Czech Republic and made some friends. It was a very fast pace event where our days were packed with activities, so it was the opposite of my volunteering experience. I enjoyed it a lot and it made me appreciate Vrábsko even more.
And recently, I had the chance to take part in a sweat lodge ceremony, which was a beautiful closure for this year. It was an impactful experience, where I really felt like we went back to the roots of existence. We sweated, prayed and sang in complete darkness, almost naked. It was a space for expressing emotions, cry, laugh or just staying silent. It was very powerful, now I feel clean, clear in my head and free. I’ll never forget this.
I’m highly grateful for being here and being accepted by the community members. This place puts my life into a perspective.