Szia!
My name is Laura and I'm 19 years old. I am from Hamm, a city in western Germanyin North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2025, I graduated from high school and decided to dosomething different before starting university. I wanted to travel. Then I came acrosskulturweit, applied, and was offered the position in Bükk National Park with Marah. Iaccepted immediately. And yes, here I am! I chose this UNESCO nature volunteer servicebecause I want to convey to people how important nature conservation actually is, I want to learn something new about nature myself, and I want to grow beyond myself by leayingmy comfort zone.
In my free time, I've always spent a lot of time in nature, whether hiking,cycling, or simply in the garden. Therefore, a nature volunteer service was a perfect fit.Here in Hungary, it was a big adjustment at first: suddenly living alone in my firstapartment, a new language, a new country. Nevertheless, we coped well and are trying tolearn the new language. We are meeting lots of new people and we are also seeing acompletely different side of ourselves in a foreign country, outside our comfort zone and innew situations that help us to grow. The work in Bükk National Park is varied. Three timesa week we work in Szeleta Park, the Visitor Center in Miskolc, and have already given ourfirst guided tour. It is perfect for teaching the topic of nature conservation. We are learningabout the national park its directorate and the geopark, but also about the connectionsbetween people and nature. We also hike a lot, have been to a bird catching camp andhelp out wherever we can. In addition to our work in Bükk National Park, we visit a highschool twice a week and help the students to learn German.
I will spend a year here in Hungary and I hope that this time will help me progress, eventhough it already has. I'm proud that I ventured out on this adventure alone and I lookforward to the many new experiences we will have here in Hungary. After my full year, Iwant to study. Currently, I'm interested in the media sector, and I will use my time here inHungary to figure out exactly what I want to do after my voluntary social year. Until then,though, I'm still excited about my time here in Hungary.In the following blog, we will share our own experiences and impressions and we hope thatwe can make these more accessible to you.
Enjoy reading!
