Our fourth and final week in Bansko was busy—and somehow, it feels like it went by even faster than the first three. There was a little bit of everything this week: birthdays, swimming, hiking, D&D, game nights, hot springs, rafting, ropes courses, sushi, street dogs, and plenty of time with the friends we’ve made during our month here.
We started the week by celebrating Camden’s birthday. We also celebrated Gabe and Josh, even though they are already back home in New Zealand. The group headed to Space Zone, a restaurant serving a unique combination of pizza, sushi, and borscht.
We also organized a Worldschool Hub meetup at a pool in Bansko with water slides. It was the perfect way for everyone to spend some time together, especially after so many busy days of activities and hiking.
One of our favorite adventures this week was a survivalist hike with our plant and herb specialist. This was much more than just walking through the mountains. The kids learned survival skills and played games that challenged them to think about what they would actually need if they were stranded on the mountain.
One game involved choosing the best items to bring if we were stranded in the wilderness. It was interesting to see what everyone thought was essential—and even more interesting to hear the arguments about why their choices were better than everyone else’s! We also played a compass game. One team hid notes throughout the area while the other team used a compass to find them. It turned the hike into an outdoor treasure hunt and gave the kids a chance to practice some real navigation skills. We ended the hike around a fire, where everyone got to cook bread on sticks. After spending hours hiking through the mountains, sitting around a fire and eating freshly cooked bread was the perfect ending.
Back at the Hub, Henry took on a completely different kind of adventure: he ran his first D&D campaign as the Dungeon Master. Henry put a ton of work into creating the campaign, preparing the story, and figuring out how to run the game. It was really fun to see him take on the role of DM, and even better, the kids loved it.
There were also plenty more game nights throughout the week. One of the parents also hosted a sushi-making night. The kids got to learn how to make their own sushi, which was both a fun activity and, conveniently, lunch!
And, of course, we had to squeeze in some of our favorite Bansko activities one last time. We made it to our final hot spring, went river rafting, and tackled a ropes course. It’s hard to believe that after doing all of these things over the past month, there won’t be another weekend where we casually decide to head to the hot springs or go on another mountain adventure.
We also made one final visit to the Bansko street dogs. This time we met a very sweet three-legged dog named Oishke. Despite everything he’s been through, he was incredibly friendly and loving. We’re really hoping that Oishke finds a forever home and gets the happy ending he deserves.
And then, somehow, it was time to say goodbye. Leaving always comes with the hard part: saying so long to the people we’ve met along the way.
It’s definitely bittersweet to end our time in Bansko. Over the past month, we’ve made new friends and had so many experiences that would have taken a lot of effort to plan on our own. A huge thank you to Emmy for organizing the Worldschool Hub and creating such a wonderful community for all of us. This month wouldn’t have been the same without all of the effort she put into bringing everyone together and making Bansko such a special place to spend a month.
The good thing about worldschooling is that “goodbye” doesn’t necessarily mean goodbye forever. We’ve learned that the world can feel surprisingly small when you’re traveling. We have a feeling we’ll run into many of our new friends somewhere else in the world someday.
