My 1^ week..
My story
My name is Silvia Moruzzi, I'm 30 years old and I'm (proudly) Italian!
I arrived here in Craiova on 07 May 2014, with some heavy luggage and many expectations..
The day after my arrival I met the other volunteers at the office, we're 3 groups with 3 different EVS projects, and we are from many different countries: Spain, Germany, Jordan, Georgia, Poland, Belarus, Portugal and I've forgotten for sure some countries!
I've loved at the first time the atmosphere at the office, we're so many different people with so many different background and cultures, and we represent, in a certain way, the whole Europe and Middle East!
I've just noticed , after a few days, that people here in Romania are more kind and nice than what I am usually used to.
The city center is so nice, with a lot of fountains, and in the first days I discovered it with the other volunteers. And what should I say about the Romanescu Park? 90 hectares of green area with 4 lakes and his suspended amazing bridge, the second largest park in Europe!
Anyway, my project is Second Chance, and as you can see in the section “about us”, this is an European Volunteering to rase awarness about problems that youngesters from Juvenil Detention Center are facing, regarding the post social inclusion and to implement activity like football competitions, art workshops, music and so many other..
I came here because in Italy I’ve already worked in a Penitentiary, in order to my studies in Psychology this is I’d really want to do in my life..and because I had really need to change something in my life, meet new people and do an important life experience!
So, stay tuned on our website and here you can see all the things that we’re going to do in this 9 mounths!
La revedere
Silvia
The first week here in Craiova was amazing. First of all we met each the other volunteers, we're 3 groups with 3 different projects, and we are from many different countries: Spain, Germany, Jordan, Georgia, Poland, Belarus, Portugal and I've forgotten for sure some countries!
We did some team building activities in order to know some things about each other and have fun of course!! Then we planned all the activities for the week with our Coordinator.
The most funny thing was thinking about and making the logo for our project “Second Chance”; it took almost the entire week but I think that we've done a very good job (as you can see!!).
We also met our mentor Cristina, she is so nice and helpful, and I'm happy about this.
Another wonderful experience was the meeting at an Art School where we saw a wonderful concert made by those guys and girls of the Art School and also some guys from the Juvenile Penitentiary. They were amazing!!
Hi guys, here we are in the second week of my new experience here in Romania! We did a lot of work this week, and moreover we met the guys from the Juvenile Penitentiary. We had fun with the sport activities, that was the first activity that we've done, and we also met the guys from the art workshops. They played for us several songs, and it was amazing! Another group of them also recited some poetry and theater! So it's been a really full and wonderful week!
But now we're making the promo movie for our project, and we're working very hard for that, so..
Stay tuned for our movie!!
In this week so many things happened! Our friends and colleagues Kian and Ahmed were not here, because they're at on arrival training as you could see..so me Sekip and Rasit have to work to our promo movie, that is almost finished! We went every day to the Penitentiary, as usual, we joined the guys for sport activities and music! We also played (and learnt a little bit) drums!! For the next week we're thinking to sing some hip hop original songs from our countries..and let's see what is gonna happen! This week is also the week of Craiova, our city, and a lot of events are in the wind..a cross..concerts..public performance..can't wait for that! Now we have to go to our Romanian language class, so.. ne vedem mai târziu, la revedere!
Meeting the guys!
My 3^ week in 3!
AND THIS IS MY BLOG!
Silvia.
Hi guys, here we are with our Second Chance Project! This week we worked on a new thing that I hope will be wonderful: our E-Magazine!! We care a lot about that, and all the group is working to do a great job; in this E-Magazine we’ll talk about sports, art and psychology and of course our project! Personally, based on my studies, I will write in the psychological section and I’m so happy to do this! We also thought about our documentary that will be broadcasted on the TV of the Penitentiary.. we’re thinking about the interviews, the videos and the photos.. so you will see it!!
This week we’ve met also the guys that will do the painting workshop, we’ve seen some of their paintings, and they were so amazing! I cannot even draw a house with a tree, so I really hope that they can teach me something!!! We also played football and basket ball and I really had a lot of fun, ‘cause we're getting closer and the language is not a barrier anymore ! I'm so excited also because 3 new volunteers are coming (and one of them is italian!!), so see you soon, la revedere!
My 4^ week
My drawing week
Buna ziua guys! Here we are as usual, after my mini travel in Bucureşti on Sunday and Monday, my week started on Tuesday where we met the guys at the Penitentiary for the painting class!
We saw their painting, and what can I say..they were really beautiful!
The day after, we brought with us some drawings, that we downloaded from the web, and we tried to do these sketchs with the guys.. This was my first time that I drew something, but I'm quite happy with the result..anyway the guys drew it so much better than me! :)
On Thursday we have had some sport activities, and for the first time we met the girls from the Penitentiary! After 15 years I played volleyball again, and I enjoyed it so much!
After a few time the boys arrived , and we played basket as usual, and as usual I lost! But I'm improving my ability in sport, and I'm happy because we are starting to become friends...
And the last news is that finally the last member of our group arrived, Nana, the Georgian girl! Tonight we're going to show her around the city, and of course enjoy the football match...
La revedere și sa ai un weekend placut !!
My 6^ week
Oh my God this was really a full week, we have done a lot of things!
First of all we’ve finished our first TV documentary: we made a documentary about the volunteering service, the EVS, and our project…It was really a challenge for me because this is the first time that I edit videos, photos and music to make a kind of a “film” and I’m very proud of the result! Now this documentary will be broadcasted on the Penitentiary TV and the guys will see it!
In the Penitentiary this week we met girls from the music class, and we had fun in singing typical Romanian songs all together: it was nice also because it was a kind of Romanian language class for us, but I have to confess that some words are unpronounceable! Then they practiced many times their little dance\ artistic gymnastics show, and I have to say that they were very good; they remind me when I was a child playing artistic gymnastic at school, but If I try to do it now I’m going to break myself!!!
But also with the guys we did very funny things, we danced all together some Turkish typical songs, seeing that in our groups there are two Turkish boys; I was not able at all to do it, but I’ve tried, and then they taught us some typical Romanian dance.. We’ve laughed a lot!
To conclude, the main event of this week is the football competition of today between 3 teams of 3 Romanian Penitentiaries…all of them have been very good but of course we’ve supported our guys that have earned the second place! We gave them cups, diplomas for participation and also two diplomas for the best goal keeper and the best player!
Oh and I forgot, two of us this week were guest of a TV show for the Romanian National TV to talk about our project Second Chance in order to promote it!
The next week I will not be here in Craiova because I’m going to the on-arrival training in Bușteni in order to meet all the volunteers around Romania! I hope it will be funny!
See you soon,
Silvia
My On Arrival Training and 8^ week
Hello guys!! Here I am after my week on the "On Arrival Training" in Bușteni! I met a lot of people from all over Romania, volunteers like me, with some Italians among them as well! It was really a beautiful experience, we learnt a lot of things about our EVS and also about ourselves! I've also travelled around Transylvania and I saw such beautiful places (and of course also the Dracula Castle).. But this was last week..
This week we worked as usual at the Penitentiary, and guess what? Yesterday I have had my first basketball match with the guys! We had a lot of fun playing together, even if my team lost.. In the theatre class this week we started to think about a shadow theatre play and I have to say that the guys have had a lot of ideas, most of them were funny, so I really hope that it will be a nice performance, and of course we will take part as well in this performance.. We were planning to do it outside the jail, but maybe it will be easier do it inside and invite some schools to see it!
This week also, one of our guys left the jail, and finally he's free! I wish all the best for him and I hope that it's the beginning of a new experience and a second chance for him!
Goodbye Constantin!
Hello guys,
I came back from Italy yesterday, and this is why I couldn’t write anything on Friday. I spent few days with my family, my boyfriend and my friends..I missed them so much!
Anyway on my three days of the previous week in the penitentiary, we finished writing our script for the shadow theatre play, watched a lot of videos to have more ideas on how to create shapes out of shadows so we can start to apply the script. The guys were very happy and were involved in this activity and we had a lot of fun.
Also we played a lot of games, Iike <wolf and sheep> and of course I was the wolf who had to catch the sheep!
We played football, and basketball, I really enjoy my time in the penitentiary, because we are getting closer every time we meet them.
Now we are working on our art exposition, that it will be the next Tuesday, so stay tuned!
Bye!
My week between Romania and Italy
My 10^ drawing week
Buna guys, this week was full of many things to do!
I came back from Italy on Monday evening and a lot of news were waiting for me!
First of all, we lost one member of our group because he left the project and went back home for some personal reasons; but our association said that a new Turkish girl is coming so we're waiting for her!
In the penitentiary this week we worked with the guys in painting the wall of the Visitors' Room, and it was really great because the teacher and the guys helped us (because of course I've never drawn figures on a wall), so it was fun drawing all together especially because we started to paint each other on our faces and hands!
Yesterday we had sports as usual, and we played basketball for a long time. I was so tired because I'm not used to playing sports, and moreover because it was so hot in the Gym! But as you can see I survived!
In the office this week I worked hard with Kian to prepare the promotional stuff for our event on Tuesday! The guys are building the cell that I hope will be finished on time, and we printed all the photos and all the posters that we've previously done.. I'm very proud of the poster that we've done, I think that Kian and I have done a good job! We also created the event on Facebook, made some flyers and today we have to make a board with all the informations about our project, to put near our cell for our event!
I really cannot wait for Tuesday, I'm so excited!
OUR FIRST EVENT!
Buna guys! Such an amazing week has passed!
We did our first event, our Expozitia de Arta!
We spend the last few days building and painting our “wood cell”, we carried the paintings from the Penitentiary, and I have to say that they were really beautiful!
We put posters in everywhere in Craiova and we spread a lot of fleyers to let the people know about our event! The day of our event I was so excited, we brought all the things that we needed in William Shakespeare Square, and with the other volunteers of the other projects we started to build the cell and to hang our paintings and our photos with the guys! We have done a great team work and I am so proud of the result! It was just as I had imagined it!
Unfortunately after half an hour it started to rain so we have had to move our cell under a covered place in order to save the paintings! We were not so lucky but then the Craiova TV came so we were able to release some interviews with our coordinator and talk about our project.
I think that also the guys from the Penitentiary that arrived there, were happy about our work, and people that stopped for watching it were surprised and they kept on asking a lot of things!
We also started to give people our questionnaires for our research and also shoot interviews, and we found more people than myexceptations!
Today in the penitentiary we found a lady that was doing a movie about the situation in jails in Romania and what society can do to reduce the gap between inside and outside..and we released an interview for her, it was really a great discussion between all of us!
Now we're going to do a movie for this first event of ours and then we will organize soon another event so... stay tuned!
La revedere!
I'm so Medieval!!!
Buna guys, such an amazing week has just passed, I'm so enthusiastic!
Our week started with a wedding into the Penitentiary...one of our guys got married, and we were invited to the ceremony. It was great seeing that also in a Penitentiary something good can rise; we made a lot of pictures for them and I really hope that it will be a beautiful memory for them. Unfortunately Naniko is not here because she's on her On Arrival Training in Predeal, but I'm sure that she's having a lot of fun there!
For all the entire week we started to work at our shadow theater: we brought a big sheet and a lamp and we started to work with the guys doing some shadows. It was really fun because no one of us had a clue about how to do it, but we started to managing it!
In the meanwhile, in the office, we did a lot of different things! The guys were preparing all the things for our next event, the football competition, Kian worked so hard to make our movie about our Art Exposition of the last week, and I worked at our website! As you can see, I added all the photos that we did until now, the videos, the articles and I fixed some pages that weren't ok..
I really hope that now you like it more!
My life here goes on happily.. This week I have had my first Flamenco Class! I had so much fun with my friends, and I'm not so bad as I thought! Now I want to dance every Tuesday with them!
The last weekend we were in Sighisoara for the Medieval Festival, we spent all the weekend going around for the Citadel and we stayed all together in a camping! I also went to the camping's swimming pool trying to be tanned, but the result has been a huge sunstroke on my back and shoulder!!
For this week that's all, see you the next Friday!
Pa-pa!
Let's play Football!!
Buna ziua guys,
this week we have had our Football competition! On Monday we finished to prepare our stuff, like cups and diplomas, and all the schedules for the teams.
On Tuesday finally it was our Competition, 2 teams from the Penitentiary against 2 teams of guys “outside”. Actually I don't really like football but I enjoyed so much the match because I saw our guys happy to participate and stay outside to do something that they like!
They thank us for this opportunity and I felt good for this!
In addition, we took the opportunity to apply our questionnaires since that there were several people with us to see the match.
This was also the main activity during the week, but unfortunately not everybody knows English so it was a little bit hard to go in the street and stop people..But I hope we will finish soon..
In the Penitentiary we kept on working to the Shadow Theater. We faced some difficulties but the guys are very involved into this, so we were managing quite good! But I think that we will need more time to finish our show!
Now I have to finish my luggage because I'm going on holiday on the Black Sea, so next week I will not be here..
See you in two weeks guys,
Pa pa!
Came back from holidays.. :(
Hi guys, here we are again after 2 weeks!
I was on holiday in the Danube Delta and the Black Sea with other 3 girls and on the last weekend most of the other volunteers joined us, so we had a really good time!
As usual, also in this trip I met a lot of nice people, some of them hosted us, some of them just spent their time talking to us, others again offered us a really nice BBQ, and of course most of them picked us up from one place to another in their cars! It was also a great experience because of the places that I have visited, especially the Danube Delta!
But on Monday I came back, and I had to start working again..
In the Penitentiary we had only one day of sport activities and then we were going on again with Shadow Theater, to practice our script! Guys are becoming more good even if we are facing some difficulties with the light.. but we will figure out a way to have a good result!
This week we also started to work on a new documentary for the Penitentiary, it's about the countries of the volunteers (and we are a lot!), I think it's going to be a nice and funny movie!
All of the other volunteers are doing a great job, they are recording their videos and at the end we will edit everything and...let's see what will happen!
Tuesday and Wednesday were the most funny days in the week because I was around the city applying the polls but of course I'm not able to speak Romanian (yet) so I was trying to do my best but the result (most of the time) was funny! But at the end I managed, and I finished applying all the polls!
This weekend I wanted to go somewhere because my mind is still on holiday, but unfortunately it is going to rain, so I have to find out something else to do!
La revedere guys!
Go on with Theater!
Buna guys!
This week we did a lot of progress with our shadow theater! Finally we had the light and we fixed our sheet.. We write again some parts of the script that weren't ok, we decided finally the roles of each guy, and we tried again all the scenes. The guys are becoming better and better in acting, and I'm really happy for that!
Our play will be held on the 10th of September, so we have a couple of weeks to improve our skills !
In the office we worked a lot to create with the cardboard some of the shapes that we miss for our shadow theater, and at a certain point we started to act crazy and took crazy photos for us, and it was really fun as you can see!
We also started to make a new documentary film for the Penitentiary, about our countries, so we recorded with the camera an interview of each of us about our country plus some pictures to put them in the video. I cannot wait for the result!
During the sport activities, as usual I played basketball with the guys, and during a match I even scored 4 times! Yes, that sounds incredible, but I did it!! When I go back and remember how we have been I can feel the difference, and I'm happy that now we're closer especially when we play together.
Now I'm waiting for my mom to come here for the weekend, she will arrive in 3 hours now with my best friend, and I'm so excited!!!!!!
See you next week!
Theater again!
Buna ziua guys,
September has started and with it also the rain..
This week I wasn't in a very good mood, but working with the boys on the shadow theater was a good cure for me..
They are working very hard, and I was so happy when the teacher told us that he has never seen the guys participating and being involved in something like that before..
In the office we kept on working on building and cutting materials for the theater and now I can say that at least for this part, we finished! We decided to do theater every day this week in order to get ready for the show that will be on the 10th of September! I'm so excited!!
My team is also working on the new Promotional Movie and the new Documentary Film about our Countries, they are both wonderful! You have to see them!
See you next week!
Pa pa!
OUR SHADOW THEATER SHOW!!!
Buna ziua guys,
I cannot describe what this week was for me!
We had our play in the Penitentiary, and it was simply amazing!
On Monday we decided to cancel our sport activities and spent the whole morning to practice on our play. We moved the sheet to another place, and the guys worked so hard in that, then we started to cover all the windows to make the room darker.. it was so hard!!
On Tuesday we got the music and we started to practice with it.. I was the one assigned to put the music and mix it, and I really loved doing that.
On Wednesday ...the show! We arrived one hour before to arrange everything and practice for the last time, general prova! I was so excited, you cannot imagine!
When the Guards brought the girls of the Penitentiary to attend the play, I started to feel nervous! All of these people came for us to see what we've done during this month..
At the end, the play was perfect! The boys didn't make mistakes, they were just amazing.. if I think at all the work that we've done together, this is the best reward ever. They were happy same like us. We worked hard for almost more than one month, just for a 10 minutes duration of the play.
I hope that, from this experience, they could learn that most of the time you have to work hard if you want a good result, if you want to do something worth it.
For the others and for you.
Even if for 10 minutes.
“Nulla è veramente perso, se non quello che si abbandona”
Let's start with Flash mob!
Here we are again guys, with very beautiful news: our last member of Second Chance, Burak, arrived! He is from Turkey and you will discover him in these months through our website!
This week was calm and we rested a little bit after our shadow theater play.. we did sport activities as usual on Monday and Thursday, but unfortunately on Monday there were only 3 guys because they started to go to school in the morning, but yesterday we went in the afternoon so we could play with all of them. I played basketball and now I'm feeling more confident because I went to a basketball match last Sunday so now I know all the tricks of the professional players!! I'm joking of course, but I discovered that I really like to play basketball, and fortunately some of the guys are teaching me some tricks, so it was really fun for me!
For our music class we started to think with the teacher and the guys about our flash mob; most of them didn't even know what a flash mob is, so we brought some videos to show them and I have to say that they liked the idea, also because we will have this flash mob outside and they are always excited when it comes to go outside!
Now we have to find a song that fits and think about choreography because we have to organize everything and I'm very excited!!
We also participated in another Flash Mob this week of our colleague volunteers from Eco Youth, it was really fun and some people were watching and they were curious, so we hope things will go well also for us!
Tomorrow, if the weather will be fine, I want to go to Cazanele Dunarii before the real autumn will come! I have still so many things to discover in Romania!
See you next week
Let's dance!
Buna guys,
another week just passed, and it was really busy!
On Monday we had the last sport class, and I'm really sad about it cause I enjoyed so much play basketball with some of them, and also because we became closer in these months, but fortunately I will meet them in the dance class! We started to practice yesterday the dance for the flash mob and it was so fun but I have to say that the guys are pretty good..of course they have to improve, but we're here for that!! The moves are quite easy because the aim of a flash mob is that everyone has to join you and dance with you, so we tried to find something easy!
On Tuesday we met the guys from the music class, the teacher is trying to teach them how to play on our song for the flash mob, and in less than one hour they almost learnt it! I was really surprised!
We also met the girl on Wednesday, they are preparing a dance show, and they are pretty good we also joined them and it was fun!
But I have to confess you that I'm a bit sad cause tonight there will be the Goodbye Party of Tamara, one of the volunteers from an other project, she will come back home in Belarus on Sunday, I'm happy for her but I'm sure that I will miss her..
See you next week
Event in the High School
Hi guys,
here we are from Craiova! This week was so excited! A lot of things happened!
On Monday when we arrived to the Penitentiary we thought that we have to practice our dance for the flashmob, but instead we found the girls that were practising some songs! This because on Tuesday they had an event in the School: but also our guys were involved! In fact at the some point they arrived and they started in practising as well and playing some music!
The day after, me and my colleagues (without Kian that is on holiday around Romania) went to the School; we recorded all the play for them, and we did a movie for them, collecting all the pictures and all the video that we took. The show was really really nice! I liked it a lot! They played some theatre, played music and sang! It was really amazing, and the two school classes that participated liked it a lot as well.
The other two days in the Penitentiary we practised the dance for our flash mob.. at the beginning was quite hard because the guys are not used to dance..but yesterday I saw some improvements, so I think that they'll be better in few days!
In the office we're working to the research, I started to divide our pools according to the age and the sex, it's a really long work but I'll manage it!
This week we had also a lot of news! Our Coordinators gave us to do a movie about EVS, but we are not divided by project, we're mixed between us, and for example I'm with Elena, my favourite Spanish girl, and Rovshan, a guy from Azerbaijan. I'm sure that we'll do a very good movie!
The last thing is that Rasi Burak Naniko and Carla from our Apartment left to go in another apartment, and some of other guys went in ours, so a lot of changes this week happened! But I'm happy, I think is good to change the persons you live with after a while, also because is good not to live and work always with the same people, and to change sometimes!
By the way, I talked to much as usual!
See u next week guys!
Pa!
Bulgaria time plus Event in the University
Hi guys,
I have so many things to tell you that happened this week!
First of all, I went to Bulgaria during the weekend with Burak Rasit and Naniko, and you cannot imagine what happened! Of course we hitchhiked to go there, and our way to go there it was quite easy, and we enjoyed the city (even if it wasn't so that nice) and took a lot of pictures.. but then, we were really unlucky to come back! We started to try to go out from the city at 14.00 and we took the first car at 17.00, can you imagine?! But the most funny thing was that we reached the border between Romania and Bulgaria WALKING. We were in the middle of nowhere, on the highway, during the night, just walking. At the beginning I was a little bit scared but then, since that we didn't have choice, we just started laughing because it was a really crazy situation. I was realizing that it never happened to me and I think it will never happen again, so I just raised my head and saw the sky above me completely dark and full of stars, and I just thought “I'm lucky”.
By the way, we managed to come back in Craiova, at 5 am, but we arrived!
At 8 I woke up again, because in the morning we had an Event in the University with our guys from the Penitentiary. It was a sort of conference but actually I didn't get about what cause it was in Romanian. Our Coordinator talked a bit about our project Second Chance, and then the guys played their songs, poems and music. They were really good as usual, and we took a lot of pictures and videos of them.
For the rest of the week in the Penitentiary we applied the dance for our FlashMob, and finally I have to say that the guys learnt all of it, and now we are all pretty good in that!
We had also a great news; a school contact us because they wanted to do a project for their children, focus on some pro-social activities. So in the office this week we brainstormed between us to find something, and we choose the 13th of November to do our activities because it will be the “Kindness Day”. So now we're just waiting for the approval of the school!
That's all guys for this week, now I have just to plan my weekend cause I really want to do something!
Pa!
FLASH MOB!!!
Buna guys and Happy Halloween!!!!!!
Last week I didn't write my article cause I worked only 3 days and in the Penitentiary we just tried our dance, and then on Thursday I left to go to Serbia. What can I say?! 4 beautiful days! Serbia is simply amazing, we saw Belgrad and Novi Sad, and even if we found a very bad weather we enjoyed a lot...I think I slept 6 hours in 4 days, but really it was worth it. Serbia is an amazing country, with amazing people...and beautiful girls!!!
By the way, I can't believe that October is already finished! This week was so full that I don't know what to say first!
Actually I know.. we had our Flash Mob and it was a success! I'm really happy about it, cause we worked very hard for that...On Monday in the Office we thought at all the things that we need for that, like the speakers, the board with the explanation of our project and the roll up of the Association; we also printed our posters for the event and the flyers! Then in the Penitentiary we tried for the last time the dance, and we defined the last things, like the hours and the dresses..
On Tuesday we went with my colleagues in the center in front of the University to promote our event and to give our flyers. Unfortunately most of the people said to us that it could be difficult for them to participate because of the hour: I'd also prefer to have our event in the afternoon after working hours, in order to have more people around, but someone decide this hour so here we are..
And finally on Wednesday we had our Flash Mob! It was so cold in the morning and I was sick but of course I couldn't give up after all this work... There was the National Television and my boss and Kian released some interviews for them, and of course they recorded our dance and the guys while they were playing drums. Moreover some people stopped in the street to see us, and our colleagues and other volunteers came to join us, and at the end we were a lot!!!
After our dance, we received the proposal to join a group of volunteers that are here in Craiova from Romania and Greek, to work on a non formal educational topics. Me, Kian, Rasit and Ahmad went in this place in Craiova, we walked a lot to go there because we didn't know exactly where was, so we took something like 45 minutes to get there, and trust me I was about to gave up at the certain point!! Then we arrived, and the Coordinators were very kind with us, we join them in their activities, they were divided in different tables and they were discussing and trying to solve some problems related to the European Union, the Non formal education, the rehabilitation of ex prisoners, etc etc.. Meanwhile our colleague Naniko was in the National Tv to release an interview with my boss about the event that we had in the morning; I should go there instead of her, but as I said I was sick and my throat was hurting me so bad, so I asked my Coordinator to choose someone else for the interview even if she insist to make me go.
At the end of this week I can say that I'm satisfied for the result of our event, cause me, my colleagues and the guys from the Penitentiary did a great job moreover cause this week we were alone to organize everything because of this other project that our bosses are following.
Yesterday we had the Intercultural Night with these guys from Jordan, Georgia, Malta, Italy, Armenia and Turkey; they cooked some typical food for everybody and they dance their typical dances..I tasted all of those, of course, but still I'm waiting to taste something that is better than Italian food..
Cheers for that
Goodbye Judith
Hi guys, here I am again!
What can I say? Work-wise this week was quite calm.. Moreover the week didn't start in a best way, cause my friend Judith left Craiova to come back to German; I know that I will see her again for sure, but anyway I feel that there is something missing now.. I'm also realizing that I got wrong many times in judge people and I always expect to much from them.. but anyway life goes on.
I'm planning to have a trip with me, myself and I this weekend just to stay with my thoughts and that's it.
By the way let's talk about work now! This week we went only two times in the Penitentiary cause they were busy with some activities and we couldn't go there. But yesterday when we went, we met a lot of people waiting at the gate to enter, coming from different countries! So we asked what was going on, and they answered us that they were teachers working in the jails of their countries, and they were there for a kind of European project. There were also some Italian teachers and they were very curious about my volunteering here, and they asked me a lot of stuff! I'm always happy to share my EVS experience, so I told them the activities that we are doing and how is my life here..
We participated with them at this sort of conference about the situation in the Penitentiaries in Romania and about this one in Craiova. It was really interesting! And then the guys and the girls played a little show for them, and they asked us to dance our dance for the flash-mob: of course we all agreed on it and we did a really good job (as usual) :)
In the office this week we worked in creating our new event that it will be in December.. we want to collect money for the children in the hospital, so we're planning to sell some stuff made by the guys in the Penitentiary.. let's see what it will happen, I really hope that this event will be successful !
Meanwhile I'm doing the movie for our FlashMob, actually it's already done, cause I was the one that took all the pictures and collect all the movies so I already had in my mind what and how to do it!
Hope u like it!
See ya
Lion's Wedding
Buna guys,
this week started in a very nice way..We attended a wedding in the Penitentiary for one of our guys, and actually this is the second wedding that we had in the Penitentiary so far; I cannot say that it was a very romantic ceremony but at least for a moment I think that everybody forgot they are in jail and this remind us that sometimes good things happen even in a bad places.
Anyway this week we changed the activities that we must do inside the Penitentiary, because after our Flash-mob we had to think of something new. Since that we will have this event on December, we will have a fund raise campaign in order to collect some money for children in hospitals, we decided during the painting classes to create some stuff for Christmas made out of recycled material.. Now we have the material and next week we will start to create something! I cannot wait!
For the music class instead, we brought some songs from our countries, in order to have a karaoke, a funny karaoke. At least we hope so!! We started with the Turkish song, and I have to admit that it is not so difficult.. I really dread the Georgian and the Arabic songs practice..I think I'll pretend to be sick and stay at home! :D
By the way, in the office my colleagues finished the first part of the research so Ahmad and I started with the second part; I have to say that I'm excited to do that cause this is a part of my study during University, but at the same time it's the first time that I'm doing this, so it's a kind of a challenge for me, and I really want to do a great job.
This week was also special because a new Italian volunteer arrived here in Craiova for the Eco Youth Project, her name is Francesca, and I really hope we'll become friends! It's quite strange for me cause I stayed for 6 months without Italians around me, and I almost forgot how to speak my language!!!!! :D
So this weekend I won't leave Craiova as usual, but will stay here to go around the city with my new Italian friend!
See u next week!
Ciao!
Karaoke time!!
Hi guys,
This week we finally started new activities at the Penitentiary!
We divided ourselves into two groups, Naniko, Kian and I are working with the girls for the first time, and we are creating some decorations for the Christmas tree with colorful pasta. We also tried to create some necklaces and I have to say that the girls are really good at that!
Meanwhile the boys are working with a new group of youngsters, they are decorating some glass vases with autumn leaves and buttons.. We're still at the beginning so we're not completely satisfied with the result, but we're working hard to do better..
For the music class, we're teaching the guys our typical songs from our countries.. It's really fun because at the beginning we couldn't say even a word, but now we're learning and some guys are really talented at that!
Now we're learning Turkish and Arabic, and I really love those songs..but unfortunately I still don't remember all the words!!! But I will do my best to learn them fast!
In the office this week I worked so hard on our research, it was really interesting because this is part of what I studied at the University, but it was hard mainly due to the language, because my English is still bad and so I took a lot of time to finish! But somehow I managed, so I'm happy!
At the Penitentiary the things with the guys are working well, I cannot say that we are friends, but when you hang out often with someone and you share experiences and a part of your life, you become close to each other. And this is what is happening at least for me, and I started to feel sad because I have only 2 months left, and I really don't know what to do with my life, and I'm not ready to leave the people that I met here..
The next week I will be in the Mid Term Meeting in Sinaia, now it is snowing there so I cannot wait to go! After that I think I will go to Iasi because I really want to visit that part of Romania, and from Sinaia I will be closer, so why not?!
See you in December!
Pa
Mid Term Meeting!!
Hi guys! I'm back!!!!!! I was in Sinaia for my Mid-Term Meeting..
It is a meeting for all the volunteers that have a project longer than 6 months, and it helps us to reflect our experience until the recent moment and about our future.
It was really nice to meet so many volunteers (we were 42!!) from different cultures, cities and projects!
The trainers divided us into 3 groups, so in my group we were in 13 and we worked very well… We did some activities about personal development, about our plans for the future, and what we did until now. It was good but at the same time it was really sad for me... Most of the other volunteers have a project for 1 year so they are still left with 4 or 5 months, but for me I’m left with 2 months only and that is putting me under pressure for what to do in my life after the EVS... I avoided this topic for 7 months, and this was one of the reasons that brought me here in Romania, but now it’s time to make some plans and those 3 days spent with others volunteers helped me thinking it all over.
Of course we also had fun, and made some great parties, but that is another story
Now I came back to Craiova, I really missed my stupid colleagues and the guys from the Penitentiary, my energy is refilled now and I cannot wait to start again to work!
See you
Cheers
31 years old!!!!
OMG!!!!!
Hi guys,
here I am! I have to make up for not been shown up for 2 weeks, but last Friday I was in my free day cause on Thursday night I had my birthday party, so I needed a day to recovered my self after that! :)
Anyway in these two weeks in the Penitentiary we did more or less the same things.. For the music class we continued to practice our songs; I've never thought that I would say it one day, but Arabic is not that difficult, at least the song that Kian and Ahmad choose! Instead, oh my God, Georgian is impossible!!! Never heard in my life so many strange sounds like in this language!!!!! But fortunately we're managing it, especially one guy that is very talented!
For the painting class with the girls we gave up in creating necklaces with pasta cause the result didn't satisfy us, so we decide to make some bracelets with colorful ropes.. in my opinion they're pretty much better! We also decorated some glasses with paper, and I'm recycling some cans and glass jars in order to create some pencil/pen boxes! Hope u will like it! :)
In the office we are preparing all the material for our event on the 17th December, and yesterday we went to post some posters of our event to the schools and to the University. I really hope that it will be a success, because we need to collect money for the children in the Hospital..
By the way, In the day of my birthday I was in the Penitentiary for the karaoke class with our guys, and surprisingly they sang for me “La multi ani” and “Happy Birthday” and one of them gave me as a present a bracelet made by him; I didn't know what to say, because I didn't expect that but in a way, I was really happy to spend that day with them. I just realized that is my second year in a row that I spent my birthday in a jail.. Different countries, different people that, in a way, they taught me several things..
I'm far from home and from some of the most important persons for me, but here I met some really good people, that I never forget, and even the persons that sometimes hurt me, made me grow up, in a certain way.
“Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.”
O.Wilde
Our Fund Raise <3
Hello guys!!!!!
From where can I start?!? I really don't know!
Finally our Fund Raise event took place on the 17th . I said “finally” because it was really an exhausting event for me because of a lot of reasons. The main reason basically was, as usual, I organized most of the things, also I worked as a reminder to the others members of my team what, when, and where to do things. And 2 members of my team were missing during all the previous preparations of the event, so you cannot imagine how much difficult it has been on me! Moreover, my manager wasn't here this week to help us, but also absent on the flashmob event as well- wasn't there - so we are used to manage our events by ourselves alone.
Anyway, I am satisfied because we collected some money, and this was the main goal for me: to collect money in order to buy some Christmas presents for the children with cancer in the Hospital of Craiova. Personally I don't care about the Christmas songs, the karaoke or the flashmob that we did. I don't care about the arrows in the corridor, about the games that we thought for 1 week and then we didn't apply. I don't care about the media and the person yelling at me in the morning after all the hard work I did. I don't care if one boy from the Penitentiary didn't come for the Event, because at the end, we managed to go through all this anyway.
As usual.
Yesterday, when we went to the Hospital, I felt a lot of emotions within me, I don't know what was it exactly, because I had no words to describe it. When you see children in that condition, you understand how much you are lucky, and all of the things assume an other perspective. All the fights, stupid fights, lose importance. People are worried for stupid things everyday, and you just realized this when you see so much sufferance.
I have nothing else to say, I have a flight to take (hopefully) to come back to my family.
See you next year
After Holidays
Hi guys,
unfortunately Xmas Holidays are finished, so we came back to work!
As you know, I was in Italy during the Xmas week, and I spent my week sick in the bed! My luck..
At least I saw my parents and a couple of friends, but I really got bored to spend my only week at home, sick! Anyway.. I couldn't wait to come back to Romania, and finally on the 28th of December, I came back! When I arrived it was snowing so bad! It kept on snowing like that for some days, and I was so happy for this! I love the snow! I went to Romanescu park with Ahmad one day to take some pictures, under the snow, and the day after I went with him and others 2 volunteers, and we had a lot of fun, playing with the snow and making photos!!
For the New Year's Eve I went with them to Bucuresti, and of course we enjoyed a lot!! We stayed in the house of other volunteers, we played, we drank, and we went out to see the fireworks! It was really amazing!
Anyway on Monday we came back to work, at least some of us.. January is my last month, and we have plenty of things to do! From finishing the research to making the volunteer diary to doing the last movie.. I'm also planning a trip to Turkey so I really need to work hard to finish everything!
For this time we will not go to the Penitentiary.. I'm a bit sorry for that because I really miss our guys, and I couldn't even tell them “merry xmas and happy new year” so I really want to greet them before I leave..
and no, I'm really not ready to leave Romania..
Research finished!
Hi guys,
this week I don't have a lot to share with you, because we are not going anymore to the Penitentiary, and we just worked in the office... Finally on Monday we finished the research, and on Tuesday I started to work on my EVS diary... I finished yesterday and I'm very happy because I really like how I did it! This weekend we will have the goodbye party of Ali and Carla...I will miss them so much...Day by day all the people are leaving, and I'm feeling so sad for this...
But let's see the bright side! Tomorrow I will start traveling with Carlos to Macedonia, Greece and Turkey... I hope everything will be ok and I hope we'll enjoy our trip! (Let's hope the weather will be fine!!)
See you the next Tuesday,
Pa!
My last article..
I finished.
My last article...What can I say? I really don't know from where I should start..
The last 10 days I was on holiday, traveling in 4 different countries, visiting many places, meeting different people, waiting (or avoiding) for the moment to come back home. This home.
In 6 days I will leave, and there are a lot of things that I regret not to have done, and a few things that I regret I've done. But still, this was and is, the best experience of my life.
I'll miss everything, I cannot do a list because I'll simply miss everything. And everyone. Even the person which I fought with.
I don't know what I will do when I'll come back in Italy. Get back my old life from where I left it, after all, it would be impossible.
But these months made me stronger, so as usual I'll figure it out something, and every Friday I'll think that is the day for the journalistic activities.
See you one day Romania,
see all of you, second hand chance, second youth, alcoholic bastards, whatever.
Remember to close the door, update the calendar, at what time the bus is coming, and put some extra water for me.
I love you.
