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Summer at Park Istra: Full House, Hot Days and Work in Progress

July 2015 was a busy month in Park Istra. The weather was hot, the house was full of volunteers, and every day brought a mix of work, shared life, local activities and small summer adventures.

The previous month had been very hot. Almost every day, temperatures rose above 30 degrees. For a project based on physical work, that made the daily rhythm more demanding.

Luckily, Park Istra had two good ways to cool down nearby: the natural pool at Veli Vir and the sea. These places became important during the hottest days, giving volunteers a chance to rest, swim and recover after work.

At the same time, Park Istra was becoming increasingly full. In those weeks, the project was completely occupied with volunteers. Some days, the team received as many as ten new requests from people who wanted to join, which meant that not everyone could be accepted anymore.

This showed how quickly interest in the project was growing. What had started as a small and improvised initiative was becoming a place that many people wanted to experience.

A full house of volunteers

Having many volunteers in one place made every day active.

The work continued, but the atmosphere was also social. People came from different countries, with different habits and personalities. This created a daily life that was busy, sometimes chaotic, but also full of energy.

One of the small events from that summer was a celebration of Canada Day. Volunteers marked the day with colours, maple leaves and Margaux, a Canadian volunteer. The group even learned to sing the Canadian anthem.

Moments like this were simple, but they were part of what made the volunteer community work. People did not only share tasks. They also shared pieces of their cultures, humour and traditions.

This was one of the strengths of Park Istra from the beginning: people could arrive for practical work and still leave with a much wider experience of community.

Work on the house

Renovation work was still a major part of daily life.

During this period, volunteers worked on pointing the walls inside the house. This kind of work takes time and patience. It is detailed, repetitive and physical, but it also makes a visible difference to the building.

The house was not only being repaired quickly. It was being restored step by step, with attention to its materials and character.

Another important task was the construction of the bathroom. This was a practical milestone for the project. As more volunteers arrived, the need for better basic infrastructure became more urgent.

A volunteer house depends on simple things working well: a kitchen, bathrooms, sleeping spaces, water, shelter, cleaning routines and shared responsibilities. Without those basics, community life becomes much harder.

Building a bathroom may not sound dramatic, but for Park Istra it meant improving daily life and making the project more prepared for future volunteers.

The first clean-up action near the future education centre

Work was not limited to the house.

In late June, volunteers carried out the first clean-up action around the future education centre in Hrvoji. This was part of the wider aim of Park Istra: to improve local spaces and prepare them for community, education and environmental activities.

Clean-up actions are one of the simplest forms of volunteer work, but they can have a strong effect. They make a place safer, more pleasant and more usable. They also show local people that neglected spaces can change when people work together.

For the volunteers, actions like this were also a way to understand the region better. They were not only staying in Istria; they were helping care for it.

Cooling down at Veli Vir

During the hottest days, the nearby natural pool at Veli Vir was especially important.

It gave the volunteers a place to cool down, swim and enjoy the landscape around Hrvoji. These breaks were not just free-time activities. They helped balance the intensity of the work.

Volunteer life works best when there is a balance between effort and rest. Long days of physical work need moments of recovery. In Istria, that recovery often came through nature: water, shade, walking paths, the sea and evenings outside.

Veli Vir became one of those places that helped volunteers feel connected to the area. It was close, beautiful and part of the daily geography of summer at Park Istra.

Culture in nearby villages

The summer also included local cultural events.

Volunteers attended a beautiful ethno concert in the nearby village of Labor. These experiences helped them see another side of Istria: not only the work sites and renovation projects, but also the villages, music, traditions and social life of the region.

For Park Istra, this connection to local culture was important. Volunteers were not meant to be isolated from the place where they were working. They were encouraged to explore, meet people, attend events and understand local life more deeply.

This made the volunteering experience richer. It also helped build stronger links between the volunteer community and the surrounding villages.

A project growing quickly

The July 2015 field note shows a project in the middle of growth.

The volunteer house was becoming more functional. More people wanted to join. Work was expanding beyond renovation into clean-up actions and local activities. At the same time, the everyday life of the project was becoming more international, social and active.

This kind of growth also brought challenges. A full house requires more organisation. More volunteers mean more food, more coordination, more sleeping space, more tools, more transport and more communication.

But it also meant that Park Istra’s idea was working. People were interested. They wanted to help. They wanted to spend part of their summer doing something useful in Istria.

The field note ends with warm greetings from Istria. That simple ending fits the moment well.

It was hot. It was busy. The house was full. The work was continuing. The volunteers were learning, helping and living together.

Summer at Park Istra was in full motion.