Let´s explore Europe!

     In my opinion, one of good oportunities to be a volunteer, to explore other cultures and contries, in this way to understand each other easily, to have a friend with people from another contries, to find something to share.
     When I learned that there will be an "euro weekend" in Solsona, i was happy because this meaned i was going to be with other volunteers and we were going to explore and talk about our contries !

     On friday, i arrived in Solsona which is a town like La Seu. There are about 9000 inhabitants. It isn´t far from La Seu, just 1 hour and 15 minutes.
     Then we went to a small village which Marta, Elefteria and Dimitri live in. Marta is director of that organisation. Dimitris and Elefteria work in her organisation as a volunteer. Without me, there was another volunteer, Linda. She was from Italy. Other volunteers were going to came next day.
      First of all, Marta explained us what we were going to do on saturday. Then we were at Dimitris and Elefteria´s house. We had dinner together. Linda cooked Italian Pasta for us ! I love italian pastas and this kind of intercultural meeting. We were 4 youngsters from 3 mediterranean contries, Turkey, Greece and Italy. So we didn´t have so different cultures. Even Turkey and Greece have lots of commun foods, drinks, dances, musics, cultural events and even some words !


I want to share some of them:

tarhana/trachanas

raki is also commun in Greece

Cacik (with yogurt and cucumber)

Kokorec (lamb)

Some same turkish-greek words:

adet (turkish) adeti (greek) custom(english)
baba (tr) babas (gr) father (eng)
bakkal (tr) bakkalis(gr) grocer (eng)
bayrak (tr) bayraki (gr) flag (eng)
bahce (tr) bahtses (gr) garden (eng)
benzin (tr) benzina (gr) gas (eng)
sokak (tr) sokaki (gr) street (eng)
tembel (tr) tembelis (gr) lazy (eng)
.......

zeybek/zeybeki

turkish and greek backgommon

       These are some of them, there are many commun things between Turkey and Greece. It´s really normal actually, before Republic of Turkey and Greek Repuclic, Ottoman Empire lived in this area for a long time.Because of this reason we have many commun foods, drinks, dances, musics and more.
        Next day, we were in Solsona with other volunteers, Chris (Poland), Jacop (Danemark) Ozge(Turkey) Clara (Italy).
        We played some games with children who came to Consell Comarcal. Those games were about Euroe. We tried to communicate with them and talk about our contries. One of these games to paint european contries flags. Every volunteer was responsable to one game. I liked these games. Even we had a compatiton each other and I won! :) Please Marta, don´t forget to send me my award:)

         Then we started to talk about our contries, firstly Greece, then Danemark, Turkey and Italy. We tried to dance of Greece with Dimitris then we eat really delicious greek meal, (it liked turkish meal:)) We listened Jacop´s song. He played a guitar and sang a song. Then we had lunch in Solsina, we walked around, i liked there, such a nice place.
        After that, Ozge and I talked about Turkey and our culture, then Clara and Linda talked about Italy and especially italian mafias:)

        In the evening, we come back to village,had dinner in nice restaurant. I won´t never forget the foods. Especially tortilla was really delicious, i have never eaten a tortilla like taht since i came here.Then we returned to Dimitris and Elefteria´s home. It was small for 8 person but it wasn´t problem.There were enough place to sleep. I liked thier home, it looked a caravan, small and sincere, especially it is between the montains, really cute :)

        On sunday, after we played games with children and Chris´s poland presantation, it was good also. we had to came back our towns, unfourtanetly.
       So generally, i can say that, i spent really unforgettable time with them and learned new things. I won´t never forget that greek food and dance (sure, lots of commun stuffs too) that small and nice village, that difficult trip (from Solsona to that village, because the road was full of turns) Dimitris and Elefteria´s cute home, Jacop´s good voice, Italian mafias, really delicious creeps that we aet last day :)
        Thanks to Marta (for her invitation and everything) and Dimitris, Elefteria (for their hosting)   

My evs story

Since long time, i would like to write something about evs. Now i have time to write,this article is about my opinions about my life’s unforgettable experince: Evs.

Why did i want to be a volunteer?

I have known something about evs, before i came here.What is evs, how can i choose project, what do volunteers do etc. Almost everybody was saying good things about that, then i started to research some projects. It was so hard to me, on website there were lots of projects, i didn’t decide which project could be good for me, how many times and which contry i prefer more.

To be a volunteer in another contry and work with somebody sounds good but it would be difficult or boring for me. So, it is really necessary to be courage and real volunteer. Then i decided to be a volunteer in France, it was so easy to find some projects for me, 3 host organisations said me yes but i had changed my idea. Because those projects aren’t suitable for me. Yes maybe, it would be very good to be in France and improve my french. Because i was studying french teaching. But I wanted to choose another way for evs. Before i began to study french, i had wanted to study something about art. First of all, theatre was my passion, since i was 14 years old, i have acted some private theatres as an actor. Then i was interested in cinema, i shoted some short movies with my friends.I have played the piano for 2 years. So until my this age, i was interested in art so to be a volunteer in art and culture projects,it was exactly for me.

Then i found this project, the whole project was so nice,different and interesting for me, to be in nord of Spain and to do a documentary with other volunteers! For these reasons, I immediately sended my motivation letter and cv, to be accepted by projects normally so difficult, but everything happened suddenly for me,and i received more questions to answer from oficina jove and then they sended me accepted mail, after that everything started, there were some problems about my sending organisations but then i found another organisation, Oficina Jove applied to me on 1th of february, then National Agence said yes, but i had another problem about my university, so it took time to came here but it wasn’t problem, my mentor was Ruth, she was so kind and exciting about me. I also was so exciting.

My life was good in Turkey, i was living in Eskisehir with my friends and I was going to university. But I have wanted to do something for my art passion. So this project was exactly written for me

Adios Eva !

       Firstly Kim has gone, now Eva is going, because she has already finished her evs, Anymore, i will work and live alone. Since i came here, i spent  lots of times with them As you know, kim had gone to her contry on 8th of august, now, eva is going to Hungary on 6th of november. So… What will i do without them?

            I don’t know who is reading our blog but if somebody read this, they can know what we did together. Do you want to memorize again?

What did i do with Kim and Eva ?

First month (July)

I had arrived in La Seu on 1th of July. Kim, Eva and Nuri picked me up from Barcelona Airport. Then in my first week, i went to Malaga for my arrival training.

After that they said me that we didn’t have a camera to do a documentary because it had broken before. Fortunately i had brought my personal video camera so we were going to film with it ! They didn’t have enough videos for a documentary,just 5 or 10 videos from Tremantinaires Festival.

Before we started to film something, they showed me around of La Seu, because i had to know where is hospital, library, police office, post office etc.

Then, on 23th of July we climbed the Cadi and filmed Cadi, Molina and Parc Natural Cadi. It was amazing, kim had written how it was in her post. After that we were responsible in Arseguel Accordion Festival on 30th-31th of July. Can you remember? I have posted about it. 

Second month (August) 
Before kim leaved from La Seu, we had tried to go somewhere to spend more time,get to know this region’s life and have fun. We went to Coll de Nargo, Andorra and Oliana. Our trips were so funny.We had gone to Oliana by hitchike ! (it was my first experince in Spain, I can’t say i have more experience in Turkey also, i was new to it ) As you read Eva’s post, nothing happened . 

Then we interviewed to some people for documentary about Cataluna, pyreenes, catalan cuisine, music, festivals etc.

Kim had talked to somebody, because my spanish wasn’t as good as to talk, eva’s too.But we wrate the questions together.

Then we said good bye to Kim, we spent really good time.

It was summer time and there aren’t many people in La Seu, so i decided to go to Barcelona for a holiday , i also went to Gracias Festival in there. I liked Barcelona very much.

After that I worked at Festa Major in La Seu. I tried to inform about AIDS with two responsible people near the concert area.

However Nuri found me one teacher who teach me Spanish.She was english teacher, normally in a high school. So I started to learn spanish in two hours per week.

Third month (September)

Eva was so good cooker, at home, i was tying to know how to cook when she was cooking. However we were talking about our contries, cultures, friends,families, many subjects…

Of course about documentary too. She was knowing more stuffs than me about Cataluna, Spanish, La Seu. She shared her experinces with me. Thanks to her, i could have friends and more informations about this region.

At the same time, we were trying to film people’s life in here. They sometimes angried of us because they never wanted to film to their life.So i can say next volunteers to be careful about that.!

We filmed Parc Del Segre, Valira, Catedral of La Seu, Library of Sant Agusti, in every saturday and Tuesday La Seu’s market, Museu Sant Ermengol, in every Sunday sardana dance, i mean  we filmed everything…   

Then we went  to Malaga together for our mid-term training.I had written something about that training in my post.

After that training, in here, we started to learn catalan in school.

Forth Month (October)

That month was difficult for us, because we wanted to finish a documentary. We had many videos, but we had to continue to film with our narrator, Anais. Because we had decided a narrator, it would be eassier for us. But it wasn’t easy. Anais was busy enough.

Almost every week we had to film to her, then we were going to start editing.

On 8th,9th of October we had to be in Coll de Nargo for champion festival, and also, on 15th,16th of October in La Fira de Sant Ermengol.

Eva was also very busy, it was her last  month and she had lots of stuffs to do, for example, she should fill youth-pass.

Last week of October, we spent our time for presantation about evs and our contry, we were in a high school for it.

And she also organised week of cinema in library with hungarien movies,I liked it. 

October was so tiring for us.

Now and result:

Eva has already gone to her contry. I have 70 gb videos and I should editing alone. Sounds good ha? J

I miss my friends, see you kim and eva .