{"id":31205,"date":"2025-03-17T16:40:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T15:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/?p=31205"},"modified":"2025-08-05T15:35:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T13:35:22","slug":"volunteering-in-split-an-adventure-sergej-will-never-forget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/news\/volunteering-in-split-an-adventure-sergej-will-never-forget\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering in Split: an adventure Sergej will never forget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In March, we wrapped up our time with Sergej Sarchevski, the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteer<\/a>. Although he was with us for \u201conly\u201d three and a half months, Sergej brought incredible dedication, creativity, and an amazing eye for detail to his work, contributing to various aspects of Sunce\u2019s mission, especially in increasing the organisation\u2019s visibility and helping carry out events such as the Swap Fair. Read on to find out how his volunteering experience went and what he enjoyed most about Split.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First impressions of Split and Sunce<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My name is Sergej, and I come from Skopje. Since December 2, I\u2019ve been in Split as the European Solidarity Corps volunteer. Before arriving at Sunce, I felt a mix of excitement and uncertainty \u2013\u00a0I was looking forward to new challenges, but I also wondered how I\u2019d adapt to a completely new environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the very first moment, Split charmed me with its atmosphere \u2013\u00a0a blend of historic heritage, mild climate, and laid-back Mediterranean rhythm gave me an immediate sense of calm. Although my first days were filled with adjusting and meeting new people, I quickly felt at home. It also helped that my friend Nana<\/a>, who\u2019s also from Skopje, was already volunteering at Sunce.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Arriving at Sunce was equally inspiring. I immediately felt the warmth and dedication of a team passionate about their work, and what won me over instantly was the incredible office view of the Riva. On top of that, the office culture was relaxed yet professional, which motivated me to get involved from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My volunteering experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During my time at Sunce, I took part in a wide range of activities \u2013 from photographing and filming conferences to organising the Swap Fair<\/a> and Quizos, Sunce\u2019s pub quiz. Each task brought a new lesson, whether in teamwork, event organisation, or communicating with the local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first week at Sunce, as I was told, was a true trial by fire \u2013 intensely busy and packed with events to be delivered. There wasn\u2019t much time to settle in; I jumped straight into action and did my part. Even though the pace was fast, I felt fulfilled because I could see the tangible results of my work. This variety of tasks and the constant opportunity to learn made the experience even more valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"volontiranje-sergej-fotograf-fotoaparat\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Getting to know Croatia and local culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outside of my volunteering duties, I made the most of my time in Split to explore the city and its surrounding gems. Strolling along the coast, discovering hidden corners of Diocletian\u2019s Palace, and enjoying local specialties like pa\u0161ticada<\/em>, black risotto, and fritule<\/em> became a regular part of my everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through conversations with Sunce\u2019s staff, fellow volunteers, and local residents, I learned a lot about Dalmatian culture, mentality, and life in this part of Croatia. That helped me experience Split not just as a tourist, but as someone who, for a short but meaningful time, became part of the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019ll take away from this experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As my time volunteering came to an end, I can confidently say this experience exceeded all my expectations. Beyond the knowledge and skills I\u2019ve gained, I\u2019m leaving with priceless memories and friendships that will last even after I return home. I\u2019m also taking home some new habits I picked up while volunteering at Sunce. One of them is waste separation \u2013 a practice that, unfortunately, isn\u2019t very widespread in North Macedonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Split has shown me the importance of embracing new experiences, stepping outside your comfort zone, and surrendering to the unpredictable but meaningful moments that come with an adventure like this. To anyone considering volunteering abroad, I would say \u2013 be brave, embrace the challenges, and let the experience shape you in ways you never imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you to Split and Sunce for becoming my second home!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"logo-eu-sunce-esc-\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sergej spent three and a half months in Split, gaining new skills, habits, and friendships along the way. Here\u2019s a look at how his volunteering experience with Sunce went.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":31194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1256,5,975],"tags":[663,785],"class_list":["post-31205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-development-of-volunteering","category-news","category-volunteers","tag-esc-2","tag-volonteer"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31205"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33337,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31205\/revisions\/33337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}