Interns in our park

Hey, my name is Silke. I am 20 years old and I am form Netherland. Two years ago I was busy with my study: tourism and recreation at De Rooi Pannen in Eindhoven. We got the chance to have an intership abroad for 4/5 months. At that point I knew that that's the chance to start a really cool adventure. I wanted to do something with extreme sports but I had no clue  in wich country. After multiple talks with my teacher, he came up with a campsite in Slovenie. This was Kamp Menina. The only thing I heared was Slovenia. I didn't know anything about this country. When I told people about this offer they thaught the same. It's such an unknown country and there is probably nothing there. After more searching for other countries I again ended up with Kamp Menina. After doing some research about Slovenia and the campsite I was ready to give it a chance and start the adventure.

And so I came to Slovenia in april 2019. I came here together with a classmate who was going to work in the animation. My first impression of Slovenia was amazing! Everything is so green, there are mountains everywhere and around every corner there is a new little church or chapel. Our driver that picked us up from the airport taught us some Slovenian words. Well the first 'word' we had to learn was his name. Some Slovenian names seem to be impossible to pronounce let alone to read. After that we learned the basic words like ???hvala??? and ???zdravo??? meaning thank you and hello. The route to the campsite was breathtaking and I was loving all the nature around me.

Once I came to the campsite I had to get used to the way things go here in Slovenia. As a Dutchie we like to make plans and like to know at what time exactly we have to be there. That can be a little different here. But that ended up fine and I got used to it. After about a month the season started wich meant that the hard work also started. I met my colleagues and everyone who was working on the campsite. I worked a Funpark Menina, I met everyone there and I realised that I was the only girl who was going to work there fulltime. At first that was a little scary but after a while all the guys I worked with felt like brothers. That's one thing I learned about the people that live here. They are super welcoming and kind. They always try to have the best time, no matter who's there with them.

I started my internship with learning a lot of different things. When we went on sit-on-top trips I had to make photos of the guests, so I had to learn how to become a pro on the river. You have to know the lines and the rapids on the river. That was super fun! I also had to learn and get better at abseiling for in the canyon. Or I had to know how to rescue someone from the adrenaline park. They really give you the chance to get better at the job and to have more and more fun at it.

On saturdays I had a day off. So saturdays were for relaxing or exploring Slovenia. There is a lot to do on the campsite but Slovenie in general has so much to offer. For example when you make a day trip to the coast it feels like you are in Italy or go to the mountains and it feels like Austria. Slovenia had also some awesome caves and beautiful rivers and waterfalls. I went to the Skocjan caves. They are breathtaking and for sure worth your time! Or waterfall Rinka it's the second highest waterfall in Slovenia and has a beautifull view on the mountains. The best way to explore the beauty is by car or bike. I made some really nice tours on the bike to Nazarje. But you can really go almost anywhere by bike.

But it's also fun to stay on the campsite. Every wednessday we had (and there still is) live music on the campsite. It always was one big party guests but also people who work on the campsite get together have a drink and enjoy the music. I was a moment to relax and become closer with my colleagues. So the drinks were good but don't forget about the food! I always had dinner or lunch at the campsite restaurant. One of the favorites was definitly the fresh maked and baked pizza's or the pasta carbonara, or the ravioli, or the goulash. I can go on and on about the food.

Before I knew the 4 months came to an end, and I already had to pack my bags... Releazing that I had to leave this amazing place not knowing when and if I will be back was not a nice feeling. I said my goodbyes and went back home. Once I was home I really realised what just happened and all the things that I did. My whole life I've been on camping holidays on lots of differnt campsites but no other was like Kamp Menina. There is a relaxed and fun vibe along the whole campsite. All the people who are camping found the place for there tents that they like. I am not saying all this because I worked there and I have to promote the campsite, I really think about it this way.

Now 2 years later I couldn't wait any longer and came back to the campsite as a surprise. Nothing change in those 2 years. I got welcomed with open arms and a lot of hugs. The people here are still awesome and I am still secretly in love with Slovenia. That's why they call it sLOVEnia. Be carefull with coming here because before you know it you don't want to leave anymore.