About a year ago, I made the decision to leave my small hometown in Germany and move to Croatia- on my own.
Now, almost twelve months later, I have spent an incredible year in this beautiful country and have had the privilege of calling it my home. It is safe to say that this experience has been truly life-changing.
As I write this, I find myself in a bittersweet state. I am enjoying my last remaining days here in Zagreb while quietly dreading the moment when I will have to say my final goodbye.
But maybe it is best to start from the beginning.
On September 1st 2025, I boarded a plane from Cologne to Zagreb, unsure of what the year ahead would bring. I didn’t know the language, the city, or the people. Apart from a few Zoom meetings with my supervisor and my future roommates, everything about this new chapter was unfamiliar. So, arriving at Zagreb Airport with too much luggage and even more doubts was, understandably, nerve-racking.
The first month was all about adapting to my new home. I met my roommates, settled into our apartment, explored the city, learned how the public transport worked, got to know the Amazonas team, and received my first introduction to my volunteering work.
What surprised me most was how quickly I fell in love with Zagreb.
There always seemed to be something happening- musicians performing on the streets, festivals every other week, or simply the lively conversations you can hear when walking past the countless cafés you find here. The people I met were incredibly welcoming and always appreciated my attempts to speak Croatian, no matter how limited my vocabulary was.
In October, I attended my On-Arrival Training in Orahovica together with around twenty other volunteers who worked in different parts of Croatia. Although the town itself offered only a limited number of activities, I still remember that week as one of the highlights of my experience because of the incredible people I met there.
After a week in Orahiviza I had a great network of friends all around Croatia which led to fun meet-ups throughout the following months.
Hiking in Gospić, doing road trips across the country, celebrating the Rijeka Carnival together, travelling outside of Croatia, or simply hosting gatherings here in Zagreb were some of the highlights of this time.
Alongside the volunteer community, I also became friends with Erasmus students from all around the world.
My circle of friends grew into a diverse group of open-minded young people and through these personal connections I learned so many interesting things about other cultures, norms and ways of living.
One of the things I loved most about spending such a long time in Croatia was getting to experience this beautiful country in all its forms.
I celebrated festivals, discovered new traditions, and slowly built a daily life here. To me, a place truly becomes home when it is no longer just exciting- it becomes familiar.
Home is finding your favorite café, greeting the cashier at your go-to supermarket, knowing exactly which tram to take without checking Google Maps, or recognizing the neighbors you see around the area. Over time, Zagreb stopped feeling like the place where I was volunteering and simply became home.
My volunteering work added to this feeling:
The main part of my job, was holding language courses in German and English. While my German classes were on a medium level, the English lessons were held in a more natural, conversational style.
Both classes were very special in their own unique way and I always enjoyed going back to the library where I held the lessons. Especially during my final English class, I was rather emotional saying goodbye to my wonderful students, who I had grown very close with over the last year.
Looking back, I feel like I grew a lot as a teacher. With every lesson I planned, every activity I prepared, and every class I taught, I became more confident in my abilities.
Beyond teaching, I had the opportunity to lead a creative writing workshop, help create content for the Amazonas social media accounts, and visit high schools around Zagreb to share my volunteering experience and inform young people about European volunteering opportunities youngsters can participate in. Unexpectedly, I even rediscovering my own love for writing through the monthly blog articles I wrote for the Amazonas website.
And last but not least, the Amazonas Team made sure to include us in their volunteering network and the Capoeira community.
It is hard for me to find a specific time or person that has made my experience so special. Because the magic of my year in Zagreb was not hidden in exciting events or big trips.
It was in the quiet afternoons eating lunch with my roommate on our small balcony overlooking the street. It was in the countless coffee breaks where friends and I would sit for hours, catching each other up on our lives. It was in office days where, sometimes, we spent just as much time talking as working. It was in the Saturday mornings when the main square was filled with market visitors, in the pastries from our favorite bakery, and in the laughter of my students during our language lessons.
Looking back, I realize that the magic of this year was never tied to places- it was tied to people.
Every single person I met left a small mark on my experience.I arrived in Croatia carrying too much luggage and too many doubts.
I am leaving with countless memories, beautiful friendships, and a version of myself that is stronger, more independent, and far more confident than the one who boarded that plane a year ago.
Of course, saying goodbye is difficult. But maybe that is exactly how you know an experience was worth having. The harder the goodbye, the more beautiful the time that came before it.
And I truly believe I spent my time here well.
Amy Watson, ESC volunteert
