Despite initial fears that she would not be able to regularly participate in DOFE activities, Eliška Mayerová signed up for the program and made her dream come true.
At the bronze level Eliška chose photography as her skill and after six months she organized her own small opening. It was a dream come true for her! The vernissage started in the school library and then even moved to the premises of the Hostivice Town Hall. While completing the silver level, she learned Nepali as a skill. However, she soon discovered that she would not use official Nepali in the future as she was planning to go to an area where the Gurung people live, who speak their own dialect. Elisha learned basic phrases and then started playing a musical instrument called the kalimba.
She also volunteered at a nursing home while completing her bronze level. The latter interrupted their cooperation, so she started collecting waste in the woods as she liked to do something for nature. At the silver level, Eliska tutored her friend in French.
Of all the DOFE activities, sport was the most challenging. At bronze level, she started practicing yoga from scratch with the help of a mobile app. Her enthusiasm for this activity grabbed her so much that she continued with yoga at the silver level. She regularly practiced sun salutations.
The bronze expeditions were a test for Eliska and her team, during which they experienced some cruel beginner moments, which they still laugh about. The silver expedition was unusual as she and her team went snowshoeing in the winter in the Šumava Mountains. This expedition was an absolutely unforgettable experience for everyone, which they all remember fondly.
Eliška has also joined the DOFE club as a member and is now part of its leadership. Thanks to this she has met a lot of new and inspiring friends. Through planning club events and helping out during ceremonies and moderating them, which was a great challenge for her, she gained very valuable experience. DOFE has also strengthened her relationship with volunteering, which she tries to do especially when she travels. Her first such experience was her trip to Nepal, where she spent a month volunteering in a mountain village teaching English. Then she volunteered at a donkey sanctuary in Crete. If it weren't for her DOFE experience, she probably wouldn't have gone into this kind of thing.
The DOFE programme is a great challenge in itself and she owes it to it that she has learned to accept such challenges. She understood that if you really want something, strive for it and believe in yourself, you can really achieve it. "DOFE is about pushing yourself beyond yourself, pushing your own boundaries and fulfilling even your wildest dreams."
