The Hitchhiker's Guide to Alt Urgell    

Traveling without any money? Yes, it’s possible: you don’t need anything else, just your backpack, some courage, and your right thumb…

Fortunately, I was never afraid of hitchhiking. When I was 18 and moved from Hajdúnánás to study in another town, I become to have a new friend from my hometown, who is 10 years older then me and had lot’s of hitchhiking experiences. So I started to practice this way of traveling with him. I never had any fears. I felt safety: first of all, because of his age, and of course because of my age: I was really young without too much sense of responsibility. During the 4,5 years of studying, I did it several times: after a while, sometimes, alone. But alone always just the half way or smaller distances - cause I was brave, but not totally mad. Then when I started to work and earn money I thought, I’ll never do it again. But my early career wasn’t so booming, so I decided to do an unpaid, foreign volunteer project, instead of being a slave in the „money-factory” .

So as we know, volunteerism is not about money:) And if  there is something expensive here, that is public transport. If it exist at all. It was a bit surprising for me, because of course it exist in Alt Urgell comarca, but to tell the truth, it’s not the best organized. If there is a bus to a small village, it’s rare enough and sometimes it doesn’t exist at all. So after about one month when we managed to discover La Seu and the neighboring villages on foot, we felt that we cannot stop now. So we looked for some possible travel aims, that were not too far, seemed possible in 2-3 hours, and didn’t cause problems if there was no other way just to came back by bus. Everybody can see, I act like an adult now: I have sense of responsibility.

So with this marvelous opportunity we managed to visit e.g.: Martinet, Puigcerda, Solsóna, Oliana and Ogern. Till now. Most of them were beautiful, some of them seemed a bit boring, sometimes you feel all of the villages look the same. But the real experience was always to get to now the people with whom we were traveling. I think this is a really good way to get to know more about the Spanish nation and to see and feel the differences. Here in La Seu, I work and meet with Catalan people, and I think I can say I have some Catalan friends now. But in my opinion, Catalan people are not so different from Hungarians. Some of them are opened, but usually they are a bit closed for the first time, and it takes time to get to know them better. I think it’s normal, they don’t look „aliens” for me, just because I don’t need to get acquainted with all of their life and tell everything about mine for the first time. 

Puigcerda

But during hitchhiking we managed to got to know different people: Southern Spanish, Catalans (of course), once a French, and some Romanians also. And the difference between the nations are appreciable: the French didn’t speak at all, Catalans usually ask some polite questions, just the basic things, where are we from and what are we doing here, and then silence...or listening some music. But the Southern Spanish people…:) Talking and asking and talking and laughing…:) You can get to know their whole life without ask anything…and I think they are able to talk about problems (ok, maybe not so personal, e.g. economic or some financial difficulties) without grief. Or I just think it, because I don’t exactly understand Spanish yet?

Romanians are another topic. My feelings with them are a bit dual: I’m a little bit jealous, because to learn Spanish is not too complicated for them. And not just Spanish, Catalan also not an issue for them. But on the other hand, I feel a bit sorry. Because they had to leave their country in the hope of a better life, they have to live here so far from their home. All of them were satisfied in a way: they have job and flat here, but the satisfied sentences sounded a bit false…As they have to feel themselves happy.

Oliana

In fact I don’t exactly know how it is going at home nowadays, I don’t think there are too many hitchhikers on the roads, but people are not socked if somebody does it or speaks about his/her hitchhiking plans. As I remember my parents never forbid me, in spite of the fact that they didn’t do it. And I think it’s better. They knew it, we were talking about it, never encouraged me but didn’t forbid. Of course – and now I’d like to underline – I’m not mad, I know it is dangerous for some reason, but what is not nowadays??? (Nowadays, when people are dying in terror attacks, airplane crushes, natural disasters, or just a madman shooting on the street, cause he didn’t find anything better for today…) 

But here in the Pyrenees it doesn’t have too much culture. Here people who stop are usually those ones, who had hitchhiked when they were younger. And everybody is a bit shocked when I mention, that I did or planning to do it. It’s not common for them, and you can feel it mostly when you are at the edge of the road: the huge luxury cars with one or two passengers are just passing, passing, and do not stop…It can happen (and it did) that people with a luxury cars stop, but usually "average" people stop with average cars who are not awfully rich, but more kind and nice people. For example once a Southern Spanish couple (without a huge brand new luxury car) picked us up: the women had some accident, and her head was bleeding. Not too much, but it could be painful enough. But in spite of this, they  did stop. Do you feel the difference?…

 

And finally: hitchhiking has a sense of humor: La Seu is a small town, everybody knows anybody else (or his/her relatives:), and everybody knows that the town has some foreign volunteers. So when we do it, the whole town knows, and people are sending curious massages to our mentors:) So, let's laugh La Seu, we keep going...:)

Subimos el Cadí

El fin de semana pasado, fuimos de excursión al Cadí. Éva, Umut, yo y nuestros dos guías de montañas. Salimos de la Seu a las nueve el sábado, y la primera parada fue Martinet. Allí tomamos el obligatorio café, y nos enseñaron la ruta que íbamos a hacer. Los guías eran una pareja con su perro, que siempre les acompaña en sus excursiones.  

Seguimos en coche hasta Estana, un pueblecito cerca de Martinet, y desde allí continuamos andando. Hacía muy buen tiempo, sol pero no con tanta calor, y también hacía un poco viento. Supongo que era porque estabamos tan alto, pero si hubiera hecho más calor no sé si habría podido hacerlo. Empezamos a andar en un paisaje muy bonito, veíamos el Cadí más cerca que nunca, y era maravilloso. Todos teníamos muchas ganas de subirlo. Primero había prados, después muchas piedras. Andabamos a través de un bosque con coníferas y muchas flores, y cuando salimos del bosque estuvimos en el Prat de Cadí, justo al frente de la montaña

Allí comimos y discutimos la mejor ruta para subir. Habíamos hecho una subida de más o menos cuatrocientos metros desde Estana, y ahora estabamos en más o menos 1800 metros de altitud. Para llegar a donde queríamos ir, todavía nos faltaban ochocientos metros de subida, el doble de lo que ya habíamos subido.  

Empezamos a subir otra vez. Ahora era mucho más duro, y el camino hasta el Prat nos parecía como un paseo comparado con esta última subida. Mis piernas me dolían y me costaba mucho respirar. Estaba más alto que nunca en mi vida y me daba cuenta. El guía me preguntó porqué tenía una cara tan triste, pero no era porqué estaba triste sino porqué no podía respirar y estaba agotada. Al fin llegamos casi a la cima, en una piedra con unos arboles y una vista increible. Me daba un poco miedo estaba tan alto, pero era una experiencia inolvidable y estoy muy feliz que, al fin, pudimos subir el Cadí.    

My new life in La Seu :)

          If you decide to be a european volunteer, actually this means, you decide to begin a new life too. New culture, new city, new country, new language, new friends... So it´s time to write something about my new life in La Seu. I want to start to write my new home, firstly.
         As you know from my previous blog, I will live with Kim and Eva. It can be really funny. Eva is from Hungary, Kim is sweeden and you know I´m turkish. So, there are lots of subjects that we can talk and share.
          Home isn´t big but is nice. I have my own room. And home is near the center of La Seu and the office. We don´t have an internet. Doesn´t matter for me,  I didn´t bring my computer.I prefer to get to know new cultures, new friends,new meals instead of internet.

           In my first day in La Seu, Eva and Kim showed me the city, there was a big bazaar is near the cathedral. Eva said me that it sets up in every tuesday and saturday. You can find what you want in there. We maked the tour of  the city, there is a cathedral that is called Santa Maria, I had seen the photos of it on internet, before. There are two rivers in this region, La Seu is between them, their names are Valira and Segre. And there are lots of mountains, they called Pyrenees as you know. One of them name is Cadi. Kim and Eva said me that we will climb it. Later I saw the ol part of La Seu. There were lots of old houses.
Mountains, rivers, old romanic cathedral and old part.... Sounds good.

        Another day, Nuri and Kim showed me the hospital, the office of tourism, the bank, the library, the municipality etc.
        And I had started to work in Office. We are writing a blog, as you know, and then we will start to get to know culture of Pyrenees and Catalunya for a documentary. We will film some videos about dance of Catalunya, it called Sardana, some events like Festa Mayor and we will interwiev with people who lives here. Sometimes, we will be a volunteer in some festivals, my new volunteer job will be in Arsegul Acordeon Festival. So, now I can say, everything looks like such a perfect, doesn´t it?

Empiezo a acabar...

Yo, febrero 2011

Yo, ahora, julio 2011

Estoy aquí en España, en Cataluña, en La Seu d’Urgell des de hace cinco meses y una semana. Me quedan tres semanas de proyecto, y parece casi nada. Tengo muchas cosas de hacer, y muy poco tiempo para hacerlas.

Ahora no sé exactamente como me siento, es que aunque tengo muchas ganas de volver a casa, todavía no quiero dejar todo lo que tengo aquí en La Seu y en España. Ahora más que nunca echo de menos mi país, mis amigos, mi familia y todo lo que tengo en Suecia. Recuerdo mi primera semana aquí, entonces también eché mucho de menos mi país, aquí me sentía fuera de lugar porqué todo era totalmente nuevo y desconocido, me sentía un poco perdida y sola en un nuevo país. Ahora ya no me siento perdida ni sola, pero Suecia me parece cada vez más lejana, y eso no me gusta. Quiero volver y quedarme al mismo tiempo, y eso me confunde. Si hubiera una manera de volver sin dejar nada aquí, ¡sería genial! También sé que aunque vuelva a mi país, siempre puedo volver a España y ahora también es mucho más fácil.

He hecho tantas cosas aquí que no puedo escribir sobre todas, algunas las podéis encontrar aquí en el blog, pero claro, no son todas. He conocido a mucha gente, he aprendido muchísimo y creo que también me ha cambiado, o por lo menos me ha dado perspectivas nuevas. No quiero ponerme nostálgica, todavía queda tiempo y tenemos que hacer muchas cosas más (subir al Cadí, por ejemplo), pero no puedo evitar sentirme un poco triste ahora mismo, escribiendo esto. Y cuando me siento triste, siempre pienso en las cosas que voy a hacer cuando vuelva a Suecia, como por ejemplo: bañarme en el mar cada día, quedar con todos mis amigos, disfrutar de las recetas de mis padres, coger setas con mi abuela, bråka con mi hermana, jugar con mi perro etcétera. Será muy bueno hacer todo eso.

Otra cosa que querría repetir es que si tienes entre 18-30 años y tienes ganas de hacer algo en otro país, debes leer esto, por qué el SVE es una experiencia muy buena, no me cansaré de repetirlo.

Todavía estoy aquí, así que si queréis decirme algo, ahora es el momento de hacerlo porqué el siete de agosto ya me voy, ¡y me gustaría veros antes! J

Començo a acabar…

Soc aquí a Espanya, a Catalunya, a La Seu d’Urgell des de fa cinc mesos i una setmana. Em queden tres setmanes del meu projecte, i sembla casi res. Tinc moltes coses a fer  i molt poc temps per fer-les.

Ara no sé exactament com em sento, per què encara que tinc moltes ganes de tornar a casa, encara no vull deixar-ho tot aquí a La Seu i a Espanya. Ara més que mai m’enyoro del meu país, dels meus amics, de la meva família i de tot el que tinc a Suècia. Recordo la primera setmana aquí, llavors també vaig trobar molt a faltar el meu país, aquí em sentia fora de lloc perquè tot era nou i desconegut, em sentia una mica perduda i sola en aquest país nou. Ara ja no hem sento perduda ni sola, però tinc la sensació que Suècia es cada vegada més lluny, i no m’agrada. Vull tornar i quedar-me al mateix temps, i això em confon. Si hagués una manera de tornar sense deixar res aquí, seria genial! També sé que encara que torni al meu país, sempre puc tornar a España i ara també serà molt més fàcil.

He fet tantes coses aquí que no puc escriure sobre totes elles, algunes les trobeu aquí al blog, però no són totes. He conegut a molta gent, he aprés molt i crec que també m’ha canviat, o almenys m’ha donat perspectives noves. No vull posar-me nostàlgica, encara queda temps i queden moltes coses a fer (pujar el Cadí, per exemple), però no puc evitar sentir-me una mica trista ara mateix, escrivint això. I quan em sento trista, sempre penso en les coses que faré quan torni a Suècia, com per exemple: banyar-me al mar cada dia, quedar amb tots els meus amics, gaudir de la cuina dels meus pares, agafar bolets amb l’avia, bråka amb la meva germana, jugar amb el meu gos, etcètera. Estarà molt bé fer totes aquestes coses.

Una cosa que voldria repetir és que, si tens entre 18-30 anys i tens ganes de fer alguna cosa en un altre país, has de llegir això, per què el SVE és una experiència molt bona, no hem canso de repetir-ho.

Encara estic aquí, si voleu dir-me alguna cosa, ara és el moment de fer-ho perquè el set d’agost ja me’n vaig, i m’agradaria veure-us abans! J

Intercultural meeting in Picasso´s Málaga

            Last week (between 3th-8th July) I was in Málaga for my arrival training. You know, it is about EVS, volunteering, obligation and rights. But I wasn´t in that mood to go, because as you know, I had already arrived here,so firstly, I wanted to explore La Seu.But it wasn´t posible to go another time. The time to go there,now.
            I arrived there the 3rd of july, it was a bit hard to find the hotel where we were staying, hotel Albergue de la musica in Toremolinos. Fortunately, everybody was very helpful there, and it was possible to find it. For example, the bus driver told me where I were supposed to get off =)
            After I arrived to the hotel, in the evening, all of the volunteers meat each other. There were about 25 volunteers from different countries, for example France, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Russia, Letonia, Romania, Belgiue, United Kingdom, Ukraine...There was one volunteer who was from Turkey too. I was thinking, this education was like a cultural meeting! I could ask them what I wanted to know about their country and culture! Before, I haven´t been in this kind of meeting, so it was so exciting to me, everybody was from another contry. everybody has different culture and language, sure. But we had meet together in same place. We were going to talk same language in there. Differences weren´t important, we would understand each other. Surely, there were lots of subject to share and talk. So I can say that I tried to talk almost everybody:)

 What did we do on the arrival training ?

            In fact we had a busy education program. It started at 9 o´clock in the morning and finished at 11 o'clock at night! So we did a lot of things about EVS. Of course we talked about a lot of subjets about EVS, volunteering, Spain, organisations, European Union etc.
            First, we talked about our country and culture. Everybody had to bring one typical thing from their country, for example food or a drink. Then we shared them and talked about them, too.We played some plays about our projects.

       
           The next day,  we visited Málaga to learn about the city. First, we visited Málaga Cathedral. It was very big and amazing.This cathedral is very famous. Then we visited Alcazaba. From there we could see all of the city, so it was really amazing. After that we visited some more important places.
           Málaga is really amazing and surprising for me. I suppose Spanish culture is still living there. They keep their culture, for example: flamenco, guitar, corida.. I liked Málaga and the people of Málaga very much.  

       
           We also learned a lot of things about Spanish culture and music. They teached us about the flamenco and the Spanish spirit. We could listen to Spanish music. It was really fun.
            We also had Spanish courses everyday!
            During those days, I think we really learned a lot and had fun =) So It was really useful, I think.

¡Hola a todos!

       Hi everybody! I´m Umut. I´m a new volunteer in Oficina Jove. I´ll live here 6 months like the other volunteers, Kim and Eva. I have already begun to work today. This is my first blog. As you know, I´ll share my ideas and experiences in this blog. Unfourtanetly I don´t know spanish, that´s why I´m writing in english, lo siento:( Perhaps after a few months, I´ll able to write in spanish or catalan, I hope. Well, are you ready to get to know something about me? So, let´s start. Vamanos !
        First of all, I want to write my trip, from Turkey to here, yes, it´s such a complicated story, as you guess. Before I came here, I was in my before-arrival training, It´s another story, actually.I wasn´t in that mood to go there because it was my last week in Turkey, so I was wanting to spend more time with my family and my friends. But it was obligatory to participate that. So I went and participated, it was in Ankara, is capital of Turkey. And I talked with my mentor Ruth, she said that I was going to come here from Ankara, as soon as the training finishes. I got my luggage and said good-bye to my family and friends.
         There were too many volunteers in training and two of them are in same situation with me, they were going to be volunteer as soon as training finishes.So we shared our feelings and enthusiasm. In fact, it was really good training, training team was saying us almost everything about evs, even they gave us some advices how to pack the luggage, what can be necessary, yes in that time, it wasn´t for me but in that time. I wasn´t knowing to get back to Izmir! When I was in there, I got an e-mail from Oficina Jove, it said that the plan had changed! I was going to
come here, from Izmir.

My volunteer friends in training

So, after training finished, I got back to Izmir and when I had to entree of the house, my family was surprised at that.They asked me that "Didn´t you go to Spain? " and I explained:) So I could spend one day more with them. I ate my mother´s delicious cook last time and I checked my luggage again, sure. Could I sleep at home? Not really. I had some questions in my mind about the trip. I had two tickets to come here. First ticket was from Izmir to Istanbul, second ticket was from Istanbul to Barcelona. But the problem was they were in another airport. I mean, my barcelona ticket was from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport but I was going to arrive to Istanbul Ataturk Airport. It doesn´t seem hard but they were in another continent, and you don´t know Istanbul. There is always traffic jam in Istanbul.It´s normal., of course, 10 million people live in there. Okey, I had 4 hours to go there but I wan´t sure to arrive on time to there. And as you know, check-in, pasaport control take time.
        And another thing that I worried about, I didn´t go abroad alone before, so I was nervous enough. Anyway ,I managed to sleep 3 hours.

Map of airports in Istanbul

         Next day, while it was 8 o´clock, I got in airport bus and I arrived to Izmir Airport. 1 hour later, I had arrived to Istanbul, then I waited my luggage about half hour.Right after, I got in bus to go to another airport, I had to change bus later, because there is no bus to go to another airport directly. Fortunately, the road wasn´t busy. And finally, I managed to arrive in airport ! I didn´t carry of plane! It was 15.00 o´clock. I had enough time.So, I was really happy. I bought something to eat with my last turkish money.
          And after 3 and half hours, I had arrived to Barcelona Airport. It was about 19.00. My new mentor Nuri and my new volunteer friends Kim and Eva were waiting me!When I realized them, I felt really happy, of course. I could to take a good breath:) Then we got in car to come to La Seu.

           Well, It was dark, when we arrived in La Seu. So It was quite mystical for me, La Seu was waiting to be explored. Then we arrived to my new home, i was going to share it with Eva and Kim. At home, Anna and Ruth were waiting us, i met with them and we talked about my trip. What adventure! :)  

 

Traditional Catalan Dance