Dezembro e Sol

Two mounths has gone so fast.I am working in the sol de abril .Sol de abril it means Sun of the April ..it´s so nice isn´t it?.

 we go to take the children from school to sol de abril with Fernanda and Elizabeth everyday. I take care them and I try to help them for their homework.I play some game with them and really  it is so funny also I help  Fernanda to give the food to children.Some children come very poor family and some children haven´t warm clothes and coat ..

 You can easily make them happy with a piece chocalate or cooky. Everytime all around me are lovely faces when they start to dance and sing a song  it is unexplainable.There is nothing very nice like their smiles in the world...I would like see a nice future for ourchildreen..me and sandra we call them like this ´our childreen´ because they are really ours..

Esma IPEK
kisses...

Festa de Natal!

Our kids at Sol de Abril had event just for them! they prepared a show for parents, Santa Claus, teachers etc. They are the nicests children! Some pics from the event:

Turkish Dinner!

One night volunteers decided to host a dinner. So it would be a bit more fun we created a theme and this night it was the Turkish night! Trying to create as authentic athmosphere as possible we set the lighting, our kitchen, clothes and of coures the food to be as Turkish as possible. Thanks so much to Esma for all her amazing cooking! Now let's wait for the italian, lithuanian, brazilian, portuguese, spanish etc. dinner!!!!!!!!!

Work in Sol de Abril

It is already couple weeks that we have been working in ATL Sol de Abril. Already know the names, characters and moods of the children we work with. They all so different but they all have one feature together - this innocent cute smile and the sparkling eyes. Even though they all come from more or less difficult background, the living area is not suitable for young children but still they are happy and interested in so many things.

Through most of the days the smallest group paint, play, conctruct things of plasticine, do homeworks, dance... At the moment also kids are preparing for the Christmas fest. Youngest ones will be duklings that just love to dance and older ones will sing the song about Christmas during the big day!

I will try to make some photos of the place. It is amazing how much children can do. Even if facility is not the nicest but they decorated it so so well. With all kinds of handcrafts and their smiles of course.

Deineta, my sending organisation

The aims of the organization are: - To promote international cooperation and understanding among young people from different countries and different cultures;
- To help young people realize their voluntary ideas;
- To provide opportunities for young people without distinction to race, language, religion or social status, who wish to acquire cross cultural skills and gain international experience for their personal and professional development.
- Through the activities to promote ideas of volunteering in Lithuania
- To provide young Lithuanian volunteers with local and international volunteering opportunities

The page of organisaiton is Deineta.lt Sadly it is only in Lithuanian. If you are interested more it is possible to trasnlate it with google or just ask me for some help.

EVS MEETING IN AMADORA - LISBOA 11-16/11/2010

Vista da Ponte 25 de Abril 

Apresentação dos voluntários - O Polvo

A hora da mùsica!!!

à descoberta de Lisboa

O tempo do jogo...

de Bilhar!!

Momentos da arte

O queijo feito por voluntários

Conversando com uma mula!!!

Relaxar na praia...

O LUNGO CAMINHO DOS VOLUNTARIOS EM PORTUGAL!!!

                                             BOM TRABALHO E BOA SORTE!!!!!!

My sending organization canakkale onsekiz mart university

EU YOUTH AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS are coordinated by a unit within the International Relations Office of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University (COMU). The aims of the unit are;

- To introduce the European Union Youth in Action program to COMU students, and to give students the opportunity to carry out international social responsibility projects.
- To support the personal development of university students in terms of engaging them in team work, leadership, project cycle, and budget management by organizing their active involvement in national and international training courses about EU Youth in Action programs.
- To strengthen European Union citizenship by providing intercultural interaction between European youth and local students/the community as part of international projects.
- To send COMU university students to European countries for a period of between 2 and 12 months as volunteers with the EVS (European Volunteer Service) program.
- To develop the intercultural richness of COMU by hosting university students of European Union countries as volunteers under the EVS program.

- To develop the initiative and dynamic personal development of university students in modern life; to encourage them to be open to scientific, technological and artistic development; and to support their being open-minded, respectful of human rights, inquiring, and productive individuals.

 http://dis.comu.edu.tr/abgenclik/

(Esma ipek)

Work at sol de abril

Me and Esma started to work at one after school centre for local kids. It has been just two days there and now we will continue to do that for couple of months. I like it a lot! Still have a lot of difficulties while talking in Portuguese and even more when trying to understand children. But so far they are also helpful and say things a bit more slowly or use hands to explain things to me. My communication also is done in the mixture of Portuguese and Spanish and of course the body language.

It seems children like having strangers foreigners around them and I hope to get to know them very well too. And already looking for words to explain games or activities that we could do together.

Sporting somos nòs!!! Vamos para o estàdio

Games

Last Thursday and Friday our organisation took part in activity for seniors that was held in Amadora. We proposed for people to play Wii. This artifial sporting game. It is fun thing to do. Activity also promoted healty lifestyle, yoga tips, medicine offers and so on. But it was organised in a school so the most intersted people in the playing Wii were children studying there. It was crazy! Me and Nicolo played with children for a bit cause to play the computer came is only possible for two and there were a lot more kids there.
I loved spending time with these little angels. While playing there were more like little monsters but in a good way. I hope to visit the school again. Here are some pics from the event:

Intergeneration volunteer - apresentation host organisation, evs and project

2. sve intergeneration volunteer - apresentation host organisation, evs and project

View more presentations from coopracao.

WE'RE HAPPY FAMILY!!!

Vapor da Vida. The cinema last night

Yesterday we went to a cinema. Finnish movie about Finnish men in Finnish saunas. For me personally Finland was always magical place where nature and humans live in perfect harmony.  I had travelled there a bit. Recognised places that were shown during the film. Had a bit of saudade. For Finland a bit but also for my home. Nature there is so similiar to the one we have in Lithuania. And also I do miss sauna as well!

I like how Portuguese go to cinemas. No chips, no phones or loud talking. It is so strange a film about Finnish men talking about most dificult parts of their lives while being in sauna and of course naked had attracted so many people. Cinema was full. And full of young people. And it is really not a mainstream film. Maybe that is why I like Lisbon. It is just not mainstream and it has this a bit of taste of uniqness.

Strangely after a film that is about a place so cold today it is not too warm in Lisbon either. And it is not a bad thing. Sometimes one needs some cold wind to appreciate the warmth that surounds him most of the time.

Here is live.. Here is living...

A Turkish poet says:

Your life is as long as you love
You are happy as much as you can lough
And strong as much as you  feel strong 
You are wet as much as it rains and hot as much as the sun heats you .
A flower  is beautiful as long as it’s watered
Birds are cute as long as they can sing
You are loved as much as you love.
Everything  is hidden in you..

I love to whistle like a bird when I wake up in the morning.I love to see people happy, cheerful from my window.I love where I live passionately and deeply.when I walk the street  I  love to hear  melancholic tradional portuguese music. The songs,I  need to hear to always get me  through the day.

I don't speak portuguese and don't understand yet. But I swear I can feel the pieces of my heart these songs..I never felt this way before.

Esma IPEK

Nicolò:First real weekend in Lisbon

Finally the first week end to explore this wonderful European capital!!
It's october but the weather is still beautiful. An amazing sun heats the city.
From Rossio to Cais do Sodre the streets are full of people.
Along the banks of the river Tago lovers who hold hands. People walking silently, families and group of tourists.
In Belem everything is wonderful. From Monastero dos Jerònimos to Belem's tower, with background the Atlantic ocean.
Saturday night in Bairro Alto is always party. Students and not come togheter for celebrate the City until the early morning, when the seagulls in flight stand and Lisbon wakes up on a warm autumn morning.
These are my first impressions of Lisbon.

Weekend!

Weekends in Lisbon are something worth to expierence. From the mornings that are spent visiting cultural places till the nights in Bairo Alto. Not forgetting everything is done with great mood, company and weather. Not that I am bragging but it is around 25 degrees during the day. And not too cold during the nights either.

Friday night started with some hanging around with my lovely flatmates and finish enjoying the promenade of the centre of Lisbon.  Saturday I went to the beach! there were peaople sunbathing. In the middle of October! I am too spoiled with good weather so I just enjoyed being so near the ocean. The beach was the same I went for the first week, in a place we had our first exchange Oeiras. So nice memories! I miss all of the people I met there!

Sunday was for a visiting museums for free. Lisbon has this nice opportunity of getting some culture without paying anything but it happens only on Sundays. So we explored Belem. And its cakes. Mmm. Then just laying in the park near by was perfect end to this nice day. Laying on the grass in the mid of October is a lovely thing.

Best wishes,
Sandra