The Summer of my Life

Dominica. Photo: Private

by guestwriter, Dominika Mercová

I am Dominika, but many people know me as Merci. I am 23 and I am from Slovakia, currently living in my hometown Košice.

Summer 2019 was very special for me as it was the summer I completed my bachelor studies and I got to travel solo for the first time in my life. I travelled by plane alone for the first time as well and got to visit my internet friend – Camilla, in Norway, which became my dream city. Even though I spent only three days there, it was THE summer of my life as it changed a lot of things for me, especially in the way of living alone with myself and getting out of my comfort zone. 

Myself and Camilla in Norway. Photo: Private

Was KEiiNO in any way involved in your summer of 2019 and if so, did they have any impact on why 2019 was a special summer for you?

– YES!!! Thanks to KEiiNO and their entry in Eurovision 2019, I got to know Camilla and she offered me to stay at her place when visiting Norway. Also, it was thanks to KEiiNO I wanted to travel there, as they were having a concert not far from the place Camilla lives, so we both went there to see them live! All in all, thanks to KEiiNO two of my dreams came true – I got to see them live and I got to visit Norway.

Dominika with KEiiNO. Photo: Private

The reason why your summer of 2019 was better than others, is this still having a positive effect on your life in a way that you’re able to feel your life now is better than before the summer of 2019?

Of course! After the summer I went to Norway again in October and again went to KEiiNO concert with Camilla and our other friend from Latvia – Lana. The summer 2019 and the first solo trip to Norway broke the kind of fear of doing things on your own for me. Like, I was afraid to travel alone before because I feared that I would get lost or that I would feel homesick. However, I discovered the magic of not only solo travelling but also doing things on your own – what you want and when you want it. Thus, getting out of my comfort zone and taking risks, booking those trips to Norway to go alone were the best decisions in my life which changed the way I am today!

What is your most treasured memory of the summer of 2019?

Ohh, there are so many of them actually. I had so much fun with Camilla and her family so it is really hard to pick just one memory. Besides camping under the stage and waiting for KEiiNO the whole day, I would say that my most treasured memory of the summer 2019 would be the boat trip with Cam and her family to Svenner Fyr (lighthouse). It was…. well… I got seasick, haha! But the trip was beautiful and even though I was a bit cold as I am not used to Scandinavian weather, I really enjoyed the views from the small boat and also the views from the lighthouse and the seaside. Just beautiful! And the water was so cold my legs got red immediately after I got into the water.