I think this will be the most difficult experience to describe. First, my first experience as a “long term” group leader at a volunteering activity. Second, a beautiful place to stay and work. Third the best volunteers group possible so…

Where to start? Let´s try from the beginning:

First day at ELF and they proposed me to lead this group of Belgian volunteers at Haanja Nature Park. A great challenge for a just-arrived person but…Why not? :) Then, all the organizational arrangements: food, work materials, free time, information for participants… Imposible to deal with all this stuff without the help of Kadri and Elo from the office. We even made new friends at the supermarket when buying all the ingredients! :) 

Then, the talgud started. Haanja Nature Park is located at the Southern of Estonia. Here we can find lots of little ponds which are suitable habitats for anphibians. Our work consisted of cleaning up these ponds to let the light go into the water again. We worked by hand and made an overall of 5 full ponds! I have to say that some of them were harder that they seemed. All this work would have been impossible to finish whitout our chain saw men: Meelis and Arvo. Thanks for your work, for your drivings everywhere, for making everything easier and funnier for us! 

But not everything is about to work. We also took good time to explore the surrondings. Suur Munamägi, Highest point of the Baltics? Done. Rõuge Suurjärv, deepest lake of Estonia? Done. Hinni Cannyon, an unique sand stone monument from the Devonian period? Done. Picture challenge, board games, handycrafts, towers, lost children on the road and a hobbit foot ;) 

To summerize, all this is about you. Little ducks, hard workers and most cheerful and easygoing children ever: Tine, Emma, Benjamin, Tina, Simon, Kayleigh and Charlotte. Thank you for your work, for your company, for all the goodbye details… But mainly thank your for being yourselves all the time. You made this talgud.