WELLS — As scores of people fill up the big, yellow barn and grounds of Wells Reserve next weekend, one small group will breathe a sigh of relief.

A Volunteers for Peace workcamp, comprised of five international students, has been working diligently for the past few weeks to help ready the site for the 25th annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival at Wells Reserve at Laudholm.

The students took a break from their work Tuesday to discuss their time at Wells Reserve, and for all, their first time in the United States.

“Since I was a teenager, it’s my dream to visit the U.S.,” said Lucie Pejsova, a 23-year-old student from Czech Republic. “I’m very happy here.”

In addition to enjoying the work and people at Wells Reserve, Pejsova said she enjoyed her first time swimming in the ocean.

“I am very surprised,” she said, “because it’s cold.”

Between cutting grass and tree limbs, organizing parking areas, preparing festival booths and clearing trails, the group did find some time to explore the beach and hoped to make it to Portland. The students, all of whom met for the first time on this trip, had a few more surprises in the new environment.

“I saw a deer,” said Francesco Castelli of Italy, laughing as he retold his account. He was afraid at first, since he had never seen one before, but the staff at Wells Reserve assured him he had nothing to fear.

The group members also said they were surprised by the friendliness of Americans, and when pouring over a map in town, it was just seconds before a local resident offered assistance.

“It’s nice to see locals,” said Marius Burgschneider, 25, of Germany, who added that the three-week-long workcamp allows them more time to get to know the area and meet people who live here. He said he was also struck by the national pride here. The group noticed many American flags waving in the beach breeze, hanging off of homes along the town’s shoreline.

The students also had a chance to get a taste of Maine ”“ a state, they all admit, of which none had heard ”“ eating lobster, which Burgschneider described as “very good.”

Founding member and board member of Volunteers for Peace, Judy Cohen, of South Berwick, organized the camp along with Nancy Viehmann, volunteer coordinator at the Wells Reserve. It’s been many years that groups have been coming to Wells Reserve to do the camps, and thanks to Cohen’s efforts, the volunteers have food and transportation costs mostly covered while they’re here. Cohen said she has a lot of great friends who donate to the cause.

The volunteers must pay their own way to get to the U.S. and bring their own spending money, and without fundraising, they would have to pay for all their other costs, like food and transportation. Cohen said she enjoys helping out, though, and has raised funds year after year to help the visitors.

The work they do and the relationships they build will have a lasting impact on their lives, Cohen said. And often people continue to sign up after their first experience.

“It is life-changing,” she said. “They go home with a totally different view.”

Burgschneider spoke to those changing views.

“Here there’s a (perception that) there’s a lot of big cars and waste of resources,” he said. “I wanted to get another impression.”

Now, Burgschneider said, he is pleased to see the work and research going on at Wells Reserve, and that the U.S. isn’t comprised of only gas-guzzling cars and excessive waste.

Cohen said Volunteers for Peace tries to educate Americans about other cultures as well, sending U.S. residents to workcamps all over the world. The trips allow people to do needed work, make new friends and learn about international voluntary service, she said.

“It’s important to meet people from other countries and work together,” said Alex Seltsame, a 25-year-old business student from Germany.

In addition to the experience, the students said the opportunity also seemed like it would be fun.

Guilherme Uehara of Japan said he’s heading back to school later this year, and this is his last summer vacation and chance to have some fun before he starts work after graduation.

“I’m really enjoying it,” he said.

For each student ”“ most of whom found out about the program through school or friends ”“ it was their first VFP trip, but it may not be their last ”“ at least that’s Cohen’s hope.

“It’s such a great experience,” she said, “most people do it again.”

The group will get to see the fruits of their labor next weekend as the 25th annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival begins on Saturday, Sept. 8 and runs through Sunday. Both days, the festival will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It boasts 100 New England artists and craftspeople as well as food and Maine-crafted beers and wines. On Sunday morning, there will be an open-air concert.

The Wells Reserve is located at 342 Laudholm Farm Road in Wells. For more information, call 646-4521 or visit wellsreserve.org. For more information about Volunteers for Peace, visit www.vfp.org.

— City Editor Robyn Burnham can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 329 or rburnham@journaltribune.com.