07.07. It was a day to discover more about Estonia. It was planned to visit Maarja küla, Taevaskoja and Tartu. Because I am local I was already aware of those places and prefered to spend a day with my countryside. After allnighter it was a blessing to sleep one extra hour after breakfast before my parents picked me up. It was a warm sunny day and I used it properly. I know that you are all curious about my day I spent at home. First of all, I went to the potato field and picked Colorado beetles. Fortunately I found only one, on previous years we have had bigger problems with those bastards. Then I decided to relax a bit and sunbath with my cat :) Then I went back to work and picked raspberries, it was more pleasant work than monitoring my potato field. Among eating berries I found time to help my father with tractor repairing as well. But after couple of hours of work I gave up and went to sleep. I had sweet 4-5 hours of sleep but football match and empty stomach made me wake up. My grandpa had made barbeque and I even saw first half of England vs Croatia match. Then I drove back to Kivi talu. I don't know, did I speed up way too much, but the distance seemed so short. For Evelin I brought my cat with me. Muffin was afraid of this environment but she handled the situation nicely. Usually she becomes a true devil on a strange environment. My dad and cat went back home and I saw additional time + penalties of the soccer game. It was intriguing game with Croatian citizens with us. Actually I was surprised when I returned and saw people working on their videos. It took so much time from them and I really felt sorry about their lack of sleep. I mean, it is okey if it caused from your own will to enjoy the company but not because of compulsory task. For most of the people it was still a change to recharge their batteries at least because our team "let's stay up all night long" was smaller than usual. At least we learned from each other more. For example, Kaan is a true criminal XD 08.07. In the morning session we watched those brilliant videos. Unfortunately they are not online yet. Then we received more information about Photo Voice method. Behind that method is so succinct idea that you start thinking why you haven't heard about that before. Because I dealt with berries a day earlier I brought them with me to project as well. Heleri gave us also strawberries. So, coffee breaks were filled in with fresh snacks. We used our human resource to make "Seiklejate Vennaskonna suvepäevad" advertisment. Velislav and Kaan were great and helpful models for us. We also appreciate Zenaida's and Mihaela's help. After lunch we were divided by different target groups. I was in a domestic violence group. We put on a paper ideas how to Photo Voice should work on within this target group. It is more difficult than you can imagine, it is not easy to guess what other people are thinking and how to they react on different situations. Exciting part of the day was sauna. Totally exotic experience for most of the people. Sauna itself maybe is not anything special but cold lake afterwards make the experience memorable. It is funny to see people from south suffering in sauna, they always have more struggles than people from central Europe. People were shocked that Billy decided to go to the sauna on a traditional way. Kaan was totally surprised of the scene. After sauna was time for social games again, this time we had moved even level higher with the tasks. 09.07. On the last day we had a last activity with Andreea. We had to analyse a text and make a conclusion of it. After lunch we had more flexible schedule but our very last activity was really sweet. It was time for a last shopping trip to Ramsi A&O. Because Cristina had a birthday on a next day we had to make preparations. We made a ritual with black tea and water. If you poured tea into the bowl, it represented negative things you wanted to mention and pure water represented positive aspects. It was really emotional ceremony and the best conclusion for a project that I have ever had. After dinner was time for a last photoshoot. We walked with Karolina, Kristi, Kaan and Velislav to a bigger lake. On a sunny day it has really beautiful light blue colour. Even during the twilight water seemed pretty blue. Because there were local youth hanging out we didn't hesitate to interrupt them at the first place. So we went to the grass field to feed mosquitos. To be honest, most of the time I don't even notice them flying around but I totally understand how big problem they are for foreigners. Because Estonian younger generation didn't want to leave the place we just joined their party and made super-cool photoshoot while in the background they were swimming. Moreover, we used their JBL speaker and enjoyed their their music taste XD I am pretty sure that on a way back walking with my bikinis and wet towel I got cold (even though Karolina doesn't believe in it) Anyway, we tried to organize Cristina's birthday surprise secretly but I am convinced that she knew that we are preparing something. Her birthday arrived with a cake, candles and sangria. What else one Spanish girl can wish? :D Finally we had a proper night to dance like mads. I was afraid that this night would never arrive. Because I can truly live myself out only on the dance floor. On that evening I understood again how confusing person I am. I wish I could know myself as well what I want from life. 10.07. At the first place I had to go to the job interview on that day but I am glad that they cancelled it a day earlier. It would have been a hard task to do. I also wished that itinerary would have been longer because 2 hours of sleep in the bus wasn't definitely enough. In the airport we had to make our first goodbye round. Most of the people still came back to the city center but they put their luggage on the airport lockers. It took plenty of time for waiting for them there. And Goran surprised us all with his wideness to do check-in and avoid lockers at all :D Back in the city center most of the people followed me to my university to leave our luggage there. Then we started walking tour in Tallinn. I have somehow found a working route to follow with tourists. Firstly, Rotermanni Kvartal, then, Linnahall and Telliskivi Loomelinnak and of course Tallinn old town and panorama spot. In Telliskivi we went for eating. While sitting there we received new that most of the flights were delayed. We tried to figure out the reason but just couldn't. Participants even had time to explore Balti Jaama Turg but after that we headed directly (with some stops in front of souvenir shops) to tram stop. And it was time for a second round goodbyes. Now, only Bulgarians and Carlos were left. But because Carlos had an Estonian host they had to transport his luggage to her flat. Then we were hanging out with Bulgarians in the old town. Our famous seagull was also on his position and ready to receive all the attention. Thanks to Karolina's father we were able to move our luggage from university to Bulgarians Air B&B host. Then we went to a shisha place. Planka and Zenaida joined us as well because they didn't want to wait for their delayed flights in the airport. We were totally tired because we were just lying on the sofas. When Plaka and Zenaida left we started exploring Bulgarian and Estonian music. It was so weird feeling, after two years I finally have proper Bulgarian friends. Best thing is that Bili sent me sirene cheese and filo dough. I am eternally thankful for this gift. I had an amazing culinary experience when I went back home. For dinner we went to Kompressor to enjoy best pancakes in the town. Then Maria told us about her dream she had. I believe in this kind of predictions, so most probably Maria will move to Estonia (Y) On the freedom square we met Carlos once again because he was watching football there. But we headed to Bulgarians apartment. It was a tiring week and intense day and we were exhausted. That's why I rushed to the last bus to go back home. I definitely didn't expect this kind of project but I am grateful I was part of it. This training course seemed more like youth exchange to me. And best part was the fact that I had an opportunity to go home and recharge myself a bit. And of course the fact that I gave all my useless things to my parents, it made my luggage way more lighter. Even though I tried to avoid those bacterial sharing games I enjoyed being part of them. Even though I didn't set high expectations to the project it was one of the best. I am glad that I met all these people. And once again, I am super happy about Bili's gift. Homemade banitsa made my life even better. I am glad that most of the people can see each other in Wales again - UPDATED me as well :)
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03.07. It was another rainy day. In the afternoon I had my driving lesson and somehow I arrived one hour earlier to the spot than I supposed to be. So, I used that time to transport my bag to my university main house. Thank god that it has a perfect location in the city center. After driving lesson it was time for shopping because city was full of sales. Moreover, we had to buy stuff for cultural night and coffee breaks with Karolina. Then we headed together to my uni. There are only few months left until I can enjoy beauty of this building. When we arrived in front of the Russian Culture center only Mihaela with her baby and mother-in-law where there. We were afraid that others do not show-up on time but fortunately they arrived alltogether to the meeting place. Our next stop was in airport. We had some parking problems and in total we waited for missing participants more than we supposed to do. After picking up all Bulgarians as well, we were ready to start our journey to Kivi talu. In two hours we spoke practically about every topic you can imagine. We totally took an advantage of speaking Estonian all that time. After dinner we did a first meeting round to get to know each other more. To be honest during the first nights I wasn’t the most active on society point of view. I had totally different expectations about the project because I have had already too many projects during the year and I didn’t want to add one more on the list. My aim was more like to manage the project a bit more. To learn how to handle a project on my own. Because now I am in a stadium where I felt that I should contribute a bit more to the community and write a project on my own. Because I had that mentality that I am not one of the participants I was at first inactive during the free time activities as well. 04.07. We started our project with proper meeting games. For example we had to fill in our paper version Facebook page and find new friends according to it. We had to retell the facts what we picked up while having those meet & greet conversations. Everything went quite ordinary until Billy told us a secret that someone is pregnant. And in the end of the project we had to figure out who she should be. After intriguing secrets we got basic knowledge about Erasmus+ by watching the videos and having a discussion about youth pass 8 key competences. Do you see a connection between Hawaii islands and youthpass key competences? Both of them have 8 different üksust. So, with paper boats participants had to travel around those islands. Before dinner we had to solve mission impossible. It was the hardest one I have ever playes. There were so many extra rules and tasks were also unusual. There were plenty of ways how to fill in free time. By playing ping-pong, jenga, darts games, badminton etc. This evening we had our first reflection group. We shared our thought about the day. After that I showed surrounding to Elif and Velislav. And again, I went to bed super early. We discussed with Kristi that we are already too old for this project things XD 05.07. On the next day it was time for profound understanding of the topic as well. In general, what is evaluation and monitoring. And what methods to use to improve learning process. Weather in Vardi changes always quickly but fortunately we caught a right moment during lunch break to pick some wild strawberries. Right after our photoshoot by the lake it started raining. So, we were quite lucky. And Karolina was double lucky, because she almost fell into the water. Fortunately Kristi saved her on a last second. Best part of that sad accident is the fact that I captured the moment when it all happened. Even though it seems to be pointless situation it was a big thing for Karo, she mentioned that incident in her reflection group as well. Probably everyone knows that negotiation is not easy part of collaboration. To submit that participants had to make a play where they had different roles in orange trading situation. It was educating task but for me it didn’t involve all the group members. If only one person is going to represent your group following all the plot might become boring. I was late for my reflection group because I went for a running and discovered forest nearby. But when I returned I discovered a change on our group work. From now on we had to draw our position on the Blob tree to represent our learning progress etc. 06.07
We had more practical work to do and learn. Like what is the input and outcome of all the monitoring and evaluation progress. I liked the storytelling part when we imagined that we have to keep up a bonfire to survive in Estonian woods. Even though it was a training course we had active games and energizers all the time. Helena had recovered from her illness and Heleri was finally with us as well. Now we had two babies in the project. A total blessing. In the evening we had intercultural night. Bad thing about that was the fact that we had 13 different countries. We tried to put a time limit for a country presentation but in the end it all took way too much time and we finished with presentation about midnight. Estonian team is fault of long "time to shine" moment as well. Karolina and Kristi had a great idea how to integrate people to our culture by making tasks for them. And then we had culinary part as well. Was it caused by exotic snack and drinks but somehow we started playing weird Turkish game. We gathered together the younger generation of the project and had so much fun. Even Billy was surprised while seeing us. Zeinaida's application made the night last forever. It is really hard to explain that but nobody from us didn’t want to go to sleep. Okey, at some point we lost Turkish girls but in general we were duff. We even enjoyed first morning hours by the lake screaming out loud some weird Portuguese phrases. It was so cool night. I consider it to the best night I have ever had during the Erasmus+ project. 01.06 First day of June hid more natural spots on our timetable. Firstly we visited a huge tree Gigante Buono. Even local school kids went there to study more about nature. Then we went outside of Sersale again to walk to another waterfall. It was with a really good access but waterfall itself wasn't so high and powerful as others that we had seen. But it was enjoyable to take last days with easier pace and enjoy more the surrounding. I discovered old mill ruins and explained how it was constructed. Even though I do not study a lot in university I remember the most important things. In the afternoon we saw how to make soap out of weird ingredients like ash. The most important part of soup making was mixing. It was physically harming - a good alternative workout exercise. Unfortunately the soap was too liquid when we left and we couldn’t bring piece of it with us. I started annoying people with camels story. Those brain games and anecdotes were popular during the project. We also visited a gelateria. We saw the whole ice cream making process and the right ice cream machine. Best part of that visit was of course degustation. Wild strawberry ice cream reminded me taste of Estonia :) In the evening we had an Italian cultural night. We got an overview of Calabria and Sersale. We all received souvenirs of Sersale and ate good Italian homemade food. Locals had cooked a lot of delicious food for us. And by now we were able to dance tarantella and sing along all the folk songs. After dinner in information center we started preparations for Erasmus party. One club literally made an Erasmus+ party and even a poster about it. Huuh, karaoke parties never can end well. And also this time. I wanted to sing something so badly that I end up singing L'essenziale. I hate myself because it is way too difficult song for me but I still want to perform it :P Two years ago I did kind of the same thing and probabilmente solo Heleri e Quirino ricordano quanto è stato male. And free alcohol is even worst thing that make you do stupid things. But even though I couldn't hear my voice at all I somehow survived those 3 minutes and the support from locals was amazing and heart-warming. At least I finally had a change to dance along club music. 02.06. Last project day was a total bureaucracy. We still needed to deal with our train tickets and to collect and print all our invoices and travel tickets. Because we only had Mihkel's computer it took a long time. At some point Mihkel went away for a period of time and came back with a camera. Better sooner than later. He didn't have anything to record anymore because we had visited all the great places already but at least for his next trips he has it already waiting. Weather was again cloudy, so it was great to make a tour and photographed architecture. I was lucky that I went back home before rain started to flood the streets. Rain was actually really refreshing but after that all the heat was back. In the mountains the weather is totally unpredictable. At least I got free time to rest. It is not a right project when you do not need to sleep during the day XD I realised that I lost my T-shirt. I have no idea how it is possible but it is lost. Allora, quando trovi la mia maglietta nera "Eat, Move, Sleep" scrivimi :) Even though I thought I'll skip evening activities I found a power to join with others. I don't know why but I became mentally tired in the end of the project. But I am more than glad that I participated in friendship rituals activity. And I saw so many similarities between Estonian and Italian rituals. All other Italians that I have met are usually more than far from nature. I would say that they even hate everything which is related with living nature. So, that's why it was great to relate with Sersale citizens. For some reasons Liis and Mari mixed their wine. Calimocho is pretty well-known Spanish cocktail but this recipe hasn't reached France. I mean, the reaction of Guillaume seeing Liis pouring coke into her red wine was priceless. And even though we played a trick to him I guess Gui still consider us as his friends but really impolite barbarian friends. Gianni and Guillaume left us right after the dinner. It sucks when people start leaving, everything will be so quiet. We tried to make a farewell party but because audio system didn't want to cooperate with us our party was over soon. I said goodbye to all the people around me and made a last tour in the town to enjoy yellow lights around the area. Night ended with latte shots. 03.06. In the morning Fabrizio gave us a lift to the Lamezia Terme train station. It was time to say goodbye to our active Italian soul as well :( From Lamezia we headed to Naples. Surprisingly the train arrived on time but we still arrived later to Naples than planned. First impression of Naples wasn't great. Immigrants have occupied the area near train station and trash is litarally everywhere in Naples! I though that trash mafia days are over. Oh, and there are many homeless people walking around. Maybe the environment change was too drastic: from cute small Sersale to metropol Naples. Anyway, after short city walk and pizza stop (this family restaurant was funny) we went to a museum with Meriliis. Now we had to say goodbye to Jane because she had to leave to the Rome soon. The entrance was free because it was Sunday At least one good aspect of Sunday :) I loved the exhibitions in archaeology museum. There were so many connections with my university frescos and my countryside manor. There were 4 paintings for why I even visited the place and it was amazing to find them finally. There was also a concert in the museum. It was comic: musicians arrived late, conductor looked like Filipp Kirkorov and they haven't practice enough before the concert. This was total anthropological experience. After cultural experience we went to discover the old town. Narrow streets were great and made a special atmosphere. And there are so many churches hidden between the houses. Because old town looked almost the same we decided to discover seaside. And there are many castles around the city as well. At some point we were walking on a crowded street along the seaside. From there we saw a sunset and view to Vesuvio. In Italy you wait for the bus for a long time and the point where you are ready to give up on waiting it arrives. So, we had to run to the bus with Liis. At least it was worth it, we got another free ride because bus driver was lack of tickets. Night ended in a cafe in our neighborhood. 04.06. Our mission on that day was to conquer Vesuvio. Liis had gathered some information how to reach there. Our first stop was in Herculaneum. Because Marilind lived nearby she walked there. We had a breakfast on a cafe next to a train station. Mihkel strated morning with lasagne. ˇWhen we were full of food we were ready to start our hiking. We tried to catch bus nr 5 but it didn't appear. So, one private bus stopped and offered us a good deal. He was ready to drive us to a half way with half price. Actually it was a mistake because the way up there was fucking long and there were some busses and cars appearing behind the curve all the way. After walking more than one hour we reached the ticket place. We were rebels and chose a trekking track to go up. Even though it was forbidden we took that non-touristic path. It was worth it because we saw more nature than many other people on the top. We made a buzz when we arrived on the top, the lady was really surprised and didn't understand how it is possible that we came from that side. Volcano itself was a bit disappointing for us. Crater was closed not like what you imagine when you think about volcano. On our way down we tried to find a bus but they all were too expensive and the way how the system worked was rude. Taxi mafia is a right term how to call it. So, we called to the driver who drove us there and we made a good price. At the same time we started walking down as well. Salvatore was really our saviour. After 20 km hike it was time to eat once again. This time we chose a restaurant next to the morning eating place but it was a mistake. Everything was there really expensive. But we were hungry so it actually didn't matter. After lunch we had to say goodbye to Mihkel because he needed to go back to Lamezia Terme to catch his flight. Because Meriliis didn't have much time to visit Pompeii anymore, she headed to Herculaneum ancient town. We also walked there with Marilind and saw the complex. Then we split and I just walked around the town. Surprisingly I met Liis once again and we went back to Naples together. In the train station I visited book and music shop to make my dream come true. About four years I had a wish to own Marco Mengoni CDs. Now I finally had this opportunity. I bought 3 different albums and they are probably the best souvenirs I have ever bought. After refreshing shower I was already on a sleeping mode 9 pm. But then I thought why I even bought tickets back home for tomorrow if I now just waste the time. Actually at first I planned to spend only "Una notte a Napoli" but life wanted to extend that time. Anyway, I decided to try Couchsurfing hangout to meet some locals or other travellers who want to explore the area. Gerardo was a best guide, he knew many historical places and popular places among the youngsters. We also visited a place where youth celebrate their birthday on an open-air area with a beautiful view. He introduced me a real Neapolitan culture. For example, I didn't have any information about Liberato before. I don't regret that I went out for my last night even though I was tired as hell. 05.06. Travel day fortunately didn't start too early. So, I got rest from yesterday. Because we already knew Italian train system I recommendet to Marilind pick an earlier train to reach our airport bus station. Because the train was late we still got enough time for our flight. Naples airport is a way better than Malpensa's one. It has enough shops, plugs and comfortable chairs. To be honest, I slept all my way to Milan. I literally fell asleep as soon as we entered the air zone and woke up when we landed. Well-spent time because after munching in Bergamo's airport I couldn't sleep anymore. Even though any other day had been hot as hell our arrival evening weather was cold. Thanks Estonia for a great welcome present :P It was good to be back home and eat black bread instead of panini again :) This time I want to thank an occasion. It is totally a coincidence with whom Seiklejate Vennaskond makes partnerships. I am glad that this time they cooperated with Terra di Mezzo and particularly that project was held in Sersale. I had been looking for this kind of small town in my mind for years. I always wanted to find something similar but to be honest I didn't even know what I was looking for. But now I know! And I am pretty sure that without Erasmus I couldn't find this place. There is now even a community page. Yes, it was a totally different project comparing to my previous experiences but this was totally a thing I needed most at that time. I figured out what I want from life and how to receive them. Now I can say it out loud as well. I definitely want to buy a property in Sersale. Moreover, I want to return back as soon as possible. Mainly because I see similarities between Saku and Sersale. I have had an idea to write a project on my own about a year but I was lack of ideas about the topic. Now I have a vision and concept to follow. So guys, I'll start writing a project and the venue will be Sersale! I want to say big thanks to the local community. They were supportive instead of the fact that they didn't speak perfect English. And Terra di Mezzo organization that they hold Calabria flag high. They are actually doing a hard work to promote south of Italy. And special thanks to Jane for making so many photos that I can in my blog as well. Sersale è l'essenziale :) 28.05. Day was dedicated to eatable plants. So we followed the health road in the center to pick some flowers and other plants (for example dandelions) Because Romanian team had to present their culture in the evening they didn't participate in this activity. Actually it felt so lonely when one team was missing. But while others were collecting plants we discovered another cherry tree of course we attacked it with Estonian girls. After first round of harvesting we moved on to Monte Grozze continuing our expedition. Some local ladies joined us, they gave us pretty nice tips how to cook some kind of blossoms. Until the lunch we decided juts to chill in the nature. I was literally sitting under the bushes because I needed to spend time in the shadow. Sun was already too damaging for me. In the afternoon we washed all soiled plants. On the second part of the day we visited another waterfall. Cascata Campanaro was with easy access and beautiful as all the others. Before the dinner we had Romanian night. They presented us their culture via videos, songs and dances. It was hard to catch those steps but somehow the whole room were trying their best to dance those traditional dances. "Dragostea Din Tei" was a real party starter and then we were ready to eat all those sweets they brought with them. In the restaurant we tasted dishes made out of our collected plants. Actually the bread with some kind of green butter was surprisingly tasteful and frittered blossoms were great as well. For our surprise Romanians started cooking crepes to make our night even sweeter. 29.05. It was a really special day because it was Marilind's birthday. I had bought balloons and spread them in our room. We started our activity with a hike. Every time it is easy to go down to waterfall but it is hard to walk back. Anyway, Estonians always leaded the group and our group preferred walking instead of driving a short distance with a car. I guess it is in our blood because I have noticed the same tendency on my compatriots during my other projects as well. Singing competition continued while Carmine started singing Funiculi' Funicula' and changed the lyrics. He sang Jane instead of Jammo. So smoothly Jane were put into the song. After another panini experience we got some free time to discuss what we are going to do in our cultural night but it all took much more time than we expected and we missed the flute making workshop. Estonian cultural night went perfectly. Kahoot made a real buzz around the participants. Italians showed their skills and won the quiz. Wife-carrying competition seemed so silly but was actually really advertising. After our special dinner with birthday song and delicious cake we headed back to the information center. Night continued with Italian traditional music and dances. Tarantella - it is easier than you can imagine. You just need to jump like a grazy. It was really intense day but in the end I guess Marilind had an unforgettable memories. 30.05. We had another day on the beach. This time we went further and reached a nice resort Le Castella. As the name already refers, this place is popular because of the castle which we visited as well. Historical castle made me think about the life years and years ago. The life they had was totally different and the reason why they even fight for was insane. After culture we had a relaxation part on the beach. I liked this beach more because of the sand. But at some point the sand turned burning hot and it was impossible to walk on it. But some people still played volleyball, I have no idea how. I can only imagine how crowded the place is when it is high season. At least we visited the place with a great weather and a few people. To enjoy even more the sea we went to a boat trip. It had a glass bottom so we saw fishes and corals. Bravest ones even got an opportunity to jump into the water. At first the tour should have been longer and far from the coastline but because of the windy weather (actually I didn't notice big waves) we only were close to the shore. After beach we wandered around in the city. This place is totally devoted to tourism. A boulevard was full of shops selling souvenirs and beach equipment. I am content that I have reestablished my ability to sleep in different situations and places. For a while I struggled sleeping on strange places but this trip changed everything and I got sweet one our sleep in the bus on our way back. Swimming is always so tiring. In the evening we drove uphill and found ourselves from a courtyard with a pizza oven. They were already making food for us but we had a change to contribute as well. We put the top of the pizza and tried our best to put them into the oven as professionals XD This place had an amazing view to a night Sersale. Somehow Meriliis's creativity unfolded and she started telling stories that meed out of box thinking to solve them. 31.05.
This morning we had an option: wake up early and visit cheese factory or just sleep. Because I am addicted to cheese I chose the first option. So did all other participants as well. It was another family business. It was a small factory but it was enough for the citizens and people nearby. It was weird how mozzarella looked like a clue on the first stadium but in the end it still tasted like heaven. In the breakfast Meriliis made a fatal mistake while ordering latte instead of cafe latte. This is a typical mistake that an Estonian tourist do in Italy. After breakfast we headed to the northern part of the reserve. This nature there looked more like Estonian one. So, I felt like in home already. On our way we saw many ruins which were so romantically covered by nature. Now imagine that Colosseum were in the same conditions centuries ago inspiring many 19th century writers. Carmine but us again into extreme conditions. Actually just walking through the river wasn't nothing but walking on the unstable rocks was a challenge. The weather was cool and somewhere there was even a thunder. We walked some more and then Carmine did something that made me mad. We just walked uphill to see a huge tree and then down again. So, we made a circle. It would have not been a problem if this information would have reached me before. Then maybe I wouldn't choose this piccola giro. This time we had kind of buffet lunch. We had an option what to but between our bread. And the eating place was next to the planetarium. This area was full of tables but at that pint only we were there. In the evening we had museums visit. Firstly we went to ethnobotany museum. Local students also have classes there which is really cool because there is equipment to do small research. Then we went to the church. It is great that we were walking around people who had keys that opened any doors :D Wooden altar was great, reminded me one Estonian masters work. And the second church was even more amazing. It is not so incredible as in big churches, but still. And there was also represented Francesco's work. It would be an amazing feeling if your work is presented in local community. Our last stop was in municipality house. There were hanging historical photos of the town and another museum. It was full of everyday life items. We went directly to Bulgarian night. Their hospitality were amazing and all the food they had cooked for us made me want to visit Bulgaria again. It was our last dinner with Carmine because he had to left the place because of his child baptising. He put all of us an Italian name and made a rhyme out of it. After dinner we went to the Irish pub. It was difficult night for me I felt that end of the project is near and I was a bit nostalgic. This night they had a live music in Irish pub (like we had already every night in our restaurant) But all Sersale had gathered together once again. This time the audience was even younger. Many high schools students started to talk with us. Fortunately they spoke in English. And one thing that shows how lovely and sincere people live there is the fact when they invite you to their pizza oven to cook. I mean, it is a bit silly but it shows that people there are different from people who live in big cities. I hope citizens of Sersale never lose their purity. 24.05. This project certainly was a relief for me. I started my travel day in university. I did my drawings until last minutes and still couldn't finish them. Then I hurried to the airport. I met with Marilind already in the airport and saw Meriliis in the plane. In Malpensa airport we had to kill about 4 hours. It wasn't the best airport to hang out, but fortunately there was enough shops to do shopping because I forgot my bikinis at home and had to find new ones. Fortunately I found new swimsuit and my vacation was saved. Our second flight went quickly and soon we arrived to Lamezia Terme. Gianni already waited us with Jane. We all got pizza to eat. What can be a better welcome present arriving in Italy than eating pizza. In the bus we needed to wait for Bulgarian team. Romanians had already arrived. So we went outside to make first meeting circle. It was high humidity in the air. I was afraid that all the time it is going to remain like that. When all the participants were together we headed to Sersale. On our way I opened radio, finally the possibility to listen to Italian music has arrived. I already heard many familiar artists. Haha, and tunnels stopped all the fun. We arrived to Sersale like superstars. Group of locals were waiting for us. To be honest, I don't remember who came to greet us on the first night. Just too many new faces. Struggling with our accommodation took some time. But finally we got a room on a second floor with Marilind, we shared a bed. We were not aware of the fact that also in the downstairs we have a toilet. So, everyone came upstairs to use toilet. First night there was freaking cold. So, we had to heat up our room. Sounds ridiculous that you come to warm Italy and you are freezing while sleeping. 25.05. We had a breakfast in our houses so after balcony brunch we headed to the main square. We got our first coffee experience. Meriliis and Marilind were obsessed by ginseng coffee. Well, the first meeting between group leaders took some hours. At the same time we were discovering the streets close by with Estonian girls. It was a hot day already and we felt the temperature even more when we hiked up to the church. Magnificent view to the town made us creative because we though about games we can play within the group. We had a lunch on the top of the hill/mountain as well. At first paninis felt a good choice to eat on a hiking. Soon after eating Carmine's father arrived with his goat Fiocco di neve (snowflake) Because people were just sitting there and waiting for next activity we decided with Estonian girls to discover the area. On our way down to the town we discovered some cherries and of course we couldn't resist and had to pick them as much as possible. They weren't fully red but tasted already sweet. Because in the noon all the shops and gelateries were closed we went back home. Somehow we got a dog. She randomly came into our house and were super-friendly with us. I named her Fiorella. Fun fact is that now everyone calls her like that. My legacy definitely lives on in Sersale. I have done one good thing in my life and thanks to me one stray dog has a name XD In the afternoon we met with mayor. We had an opportunity to introduce ourselves. and hear about others. And they an article about our project to the local newspaper. We also visited a local shop and noticed a poster about our project there as well. We were totally superstars. First dinner we had on a pizzeria. But because we didn't have any locals on the restaurant we waited for them and killed time by playing ninja game with Estonians and Guillaume. Mișu occupied Jane's camera and made couple of random photos. By the way, first day under the sun was harming for Jane's skin. I was glad that I survived first day without getting sunburn. They brought us many Margheritas already and suddenly even more tasteful pizzas. So, you definitely wasn't prepared to eat all of it. After pizza orgy we headed to a local party. I guess it is the weirdest party I have ever seen. Band was playing in front of the bar and people were hanging on the street. It was a first time when we met with locals. To be honest, Italian pick up lines were really candid. "Vieni con me?" is pretty extreme one but yeah you never should give up and try this method. 26.05. Morning started as usual in the piazza. Day was dedicated to plants that are used to color things. After breakfast we headed back to the mountain church. Carmine's father had already prepared a fireplace and water for the first layer. We put white T-shirts in the pot with some plant roots. Then we went by cars to the Canyon Valli Cupe. We started our path without knowing how hard it actually will be. All the way down was actually easy and also walking along the canyon. And there were so many lizards (L) and we looked so funny with our orange helmets walking there. But the way uphill was exhausting. Down there we gathered bark and on our way back to the monastery we picked yellow good smelling flowers. Carmine gave us a real off-road experience. We discovered the beautiful view of the reserve. Mountains make landscape so much more interesting. For lunch we had paninis again. While eating Mișu showed his Romanian skills and Romanian guys had to practice Estonian. I have to mention that Romanians can speak Estonian really fluently, without any specific accent. Then we went back to the natural chemical lab and finished our shirt coloring mission. In the evening we went to the wedding dress exhibition. We were like VIP guest, they had reserved the whole row just for us. Erasmus was like a magic word in the village. I loved the exhibition idea. Usually a pride wears wedding dress only once in a lifetime but it takes so long time to choose the right one and it is a pity if it stands in the closet for next 30 years. And local models had a connection with dresses. It would be so nice to wear your mother's or grandmother's dress. After fashion show we looked around in labor museum and headed to planetarium. Actually the planetarium was funny but at least they tried to create something cool. This evening we had a dinner in a restaurant near by. Suddenly locals started gathering on the stairs and singing. At one point every national team had to sing something as well. We chose Raffaella Carra's notorious song Estonian version. And at some point we were surrounded by regional songs and then appeared a guitar and more singers. In front of the restaurant we made a spontaneous singing festival. I call Sersale a singing village. I guess all the citizens can perfectly sing and play some musical instrument. They should make a TV show orsm. about this talented place. 27.05.
Thanks to our great group leader we were able to sleep a bit longer and around 10 o'clock we went to the seaside. Actually I couldn't sleep long because 7 o'clock beautiful church bells melody woke me up. Fortunately Radio Italia is playing amazing music on Sunday morning and I didn't regret my lack of sleep. Oh, and after I understood that this church music was a holy call to me for visiting church like normal person do on Sunday. I just ignored it :P Beach was beautiful but a bit rocky. Even though nobody from locals didn't come to the water with us we didn't hesitate to swim in Ionian Sea. First time swimming in the sea this year, yeey. Romanians found a ray orsm. and started with anatomy class on the beach. Jane went for a walk but because we didn't have an information when we should go back she was lost by the time we were ready to live. But thanks to phone is possible to find every lost soul and after five minutes we were ready to leave. Then we went to a new place where to have a lunch. It is amazing that around Sersale are many dining places. For our luck, we didn't have bread anymore, we had pasta instead. Carmine showed us how to make coffee without coffee beans and other useful culinary tips. Then we drove a long time until we stopped. We had a beautiful view from there but then we started our way down. We passed some fences but actually there was a reason why they were there. I saw about 100 ways to die and understood why we had a life insurance. I handled the situation pretty calmly but Mihkel came without footwear and Jane wore a dress. It was a pity that they didn't warned us about their plan to visit a WILD place. Canyon itself was amazing but full of shit XD Anyway, after that extreme road all other paths felt easy breezy. I was content that I was alive even though my legs were scratched. After that hard hiking tour we needed some refreshing. So, we demanded Inferno visit. The way there was long but place itself nice. We had another opportunity to swim and jump into the water. I just couldn't throw away the idea of Dall'Inferno by Marco Mengoni when someone mentioned Cascata Inferno. I wouldn't say that the place was hell but it was inspiring and maybe the place inspired the song as well. I see a similarity by cascata water and a phrase "Tu sei acqua che scorre nel tempo". Chissà? Anyway back in Sersale we though that we should visit shops with Jane. But hell no (inferno ovviamente). On Sunday everything is closed! We already had suffered under that siesta habit. We usually had break during the lunch as well but it was kind of impossible to visit gelateries because they were closed :( In the evening we had another singing festival on our restaurant entrance. I showed to Liis Fy Faen dancing moves and no matter that Marilind and Jane had never heard the song it became haunting them as well. My humming is annoying and I know it :D And party continued between Estonian and Bulgarian team + Guillaume in Irish pub. They didn't offered any ciders instead of that only good beer and we all received free gifts from staff. Two bracelets and a keychain. Totally a superstar life, free gifts and a lot of attention. 08.04. Even though Mazdak left us a night earlier his presence was still recognizable. He left us a note made out of Estonian workshop's tasks. But now, when I think about that, maybe it wasn't Mazdak who made a collage. But anyway, it was time for Hungarians workshop on that day. They let us play some violent games and also super funny lip sync game. Or I don't know how to call it, youtubers usually play that game 😛 If you have loud music playing on your headphones, then it is not so easy to understand what the other person is saying to you. Hungarians sent us to the streets to discover local culture more deeply. For example, we had to take a picture with the oldest person we can find on the streets, learn how to make kebab and learn Turkish gestures. Istanbul Express task was successful, we got out of the seminar room and needed to do something physical. It was a pity that technology dysfunctioned and we couldn't watch the recorded videos all together. On the same day was Hungarian parlamentary elections. So, after lunch some of them went to the embassy for voting. With some Estonians we went to a Sunday market that was held on a parking house nearby. They sold super cheap stuff there, so I finally bought myself a cap. So did Karolina. I was looking for a right one almost for a year and I finally got it for 2 euros. Insane! We also discovered local shopping streets. You know, last days and you need to buy as much souvenirs as possible. I loved our neighbourhood you could find all essential services from there and still it was so homey. After free time we had Lithuanians workshop. They made us dancing "tibutants" 🐤 And then we had a serious Oxford debate about homosexuals rights and abortion. It was harsh because for and against topics made participants vulnerable and offensive. Somehow we managed to express our arguments even though the implementation wasn't the best. Kristen's Mexican friend joined us during the session and shared his ideas. In the evening we had our last cultural night. Turks filled in the whole night. Firstly, they showed great videos about their culture and land. To move on they had invited local musicians to perform folk songs. Their performance was great and enthusiastic because soon we were all on the dance floor. There we felt free dancing like mads. I love that Tarkan is an inseparable companion of everything that is related to Turkey. Singing along with songs that are as old as myself is not a problem at all. Talking about food . . . it is never too much delights. By the way, I bet Norwegians punishment baklava was also tasteful because it vanished on such a speed that slowly Estonians couldn't even react. Locals offered us bizarre tasting drink, it is probably the oddest thing I have ever drunk. To put a dot to the Turkish night we went to a shisha bar. Somehow we started playing strategic games. I am pretty sure that the group started hating camels. Actually it was such a relief seeing how Alexander solved the puzzle. It was a pure happiness that flood out of him afterwards. 09.04. On our last day we had an easygoing schedule. First of all we had a group work about Youthpass 8 key competences. I remember that during my EVS on-arrival training Görkem said that he has many of them already and they are kind of pointless. I didn't understand him on that point but now, 6 projects later, it makes totally sense. We moved on with Erasmus topic in general. We were divided into groups according to our Erasmus experience. The most experienced person from the group had to share his/her knowledge with others. After discussion we had a quiz. After lunch we were free to discover around once again. This time I decided to study. I had pushed all my responsibilities to the future all week long and now I had a critical situation with my university tasks. But I took maximum of my situation. Even though I couldn't visit Asian side of Istanbul I sunbathed on the rooftop. In the evening session we revealed our secret friends and received youth passes. Some Estonians already knew my secret friend because someone mentioned me something about him. After youth pass ceremony it was time to write down the most important adjectives about the people who we had met. To be honest, I didn't write to everyone's paper because I didn't get to know all the 60 participants and didn't learn all their names. In the future I prefer smaller projects. But it was sweet reading what others wrote to me. Mainly my lovely Estonian participants filled in the paper. Last day, last photos, last dances together with legendary Norwegian song and last crazy games. I am not playing this kind of bacterial sharing game again. I was suffering under illness almost 2 weeks after Istanbul 😷 On the other hand, it was fun but I guess guys took the game too seriously. I just imagine what people who had access to the cameras though about our bottle game 🤭 This "trumpas pimpalas" farewell party was something totally different the ones I usually have. Norwegians went to the airport around 5 o'clock and we went to sleep. Good thing about being awake so long was the fact that we finally heard the morning prayer call with Karolina. 10.04. Our flight was in the afternoon. We woke up on a normal time and had a last plenty breakfast. We had just enough time to pack our bags and say goodbye with rest of the people. Thank God that Katja checked her flight time otherwise she would have missed her flight. Because she had it almost on the same time we went all together. Way to the metro station was shorter than ever and metro stops felt pretty familiar already. Even though Atatürk Airport is huge it is easy to orientate there like in everywhere in the city. After listening to favorite music from Turskih Airlines playlist we were back in homeland. It was a sunny afternoon, at least this white shit had been melted by that time. I also put together a video about our project. Thanks a lot to project organizers and all national groups for making your workshops and sharing your culture with all of us. Special thanks to Estonian sending organization Seiklejate Vennaskond who is giving opportunity to discover different cultures to hundred Estonian youngsters every year. I am still a bit confused who is the real organizer of the project. So, I mention both of them. (Actually I know that Norway organized it but Turkey has big part on it as well) Thank you and Diyarbakır Çevre ve Kalkınma Derneği and Aktiv Ungdom for letting us enjoy the atmosphere of Istanbul. I am grateful for people who made photos and recorded videos during the project. I take the right to use them in my blog as well 😉 05.04. Today's topic was communication in your country. We had some ideas what we would like to present already in Estonia, now we only had to realize them. We had several plays to act that show how communication is Estonia works. You can classify the bus situation into the best example of Estonians behaviour. And we weren't the only ones, our situation was close to Norwegians one. After that we had to work out what prejudices we have about different nations. It was a good opportunity to go to the rooftop and discuss it. By the way, it was a perfect day for sunbathing. We decided with girls to make a poem out of prejudices we have. During the discussion we figured out that we don't have information about Hungarian guys. As hearing other stories, we heard that Norwegians are super kind, they were so sneaky that they almost didn't mention negative aspects of girls. In the afternoon we had short and funny game where we had to put ourselves into funny positions. After that we were divided into groups to introduce different ways of communication, especially among youngsters. One group threw us into ice cold water. One person had to close his/her eyes (close your eyes, open your mind, take off...) and try to figure out what is the emotion a word is said in other person's native language. It was not so easy as it seems. In our group Mazdak and Jeney told fascinated facts and I was totally speechless. Maybe our presentation was too focused on one person but the speech Mazdak had was amazing. In the evening the results of sunbathing were seen, at least I wasn't the only one who looked like a tomato (Viva la Estonians) We had an urgent meeting about night activity after dinner. In the evening we had an Eurovision party and we worked hard to find our songs. Until the last moments we weren't sure what to perform there. After having discussion in Janre's room we decided to perform Fix - Jaanipäev and "Seda paati pole tehtud linnuluust". I realized after that performance that I am totally bad singer. I need to start practicing more than just humming on the streets. Huuh, that public performance needed a lot of courage. Lithuanians nailed the competition with "We are the winners" and with Verka Serduchka. Turks of course performed Tarkan's "Şimarik" and engaged all the audience as well. After party we ended up on the rooftop. Eurovision party continued there. Unfortunately we were too noisy because we got complaints from neighbours. 06.04. Day started with Norwegian workshop. We had to create memes which results were amusing. It was funny, relaxing and advertising task. Of course many memes about room 404 and sausage party appeared. I need to explain them a bit. 404 was Mehmet's room and it's doors were opened to everyone and after midnight only for selected ethnic group 🤣 And we called Norwegian team "Sausage Party" because of their 12 participants 11 were guys. After memes we had to prepare a public speech and perform it as first to our partner and then to the whole group. Lars gave a good example talking a dramatic story about a local guy. I guess everyone hates tennis balls by now. We also got feedback about or performance but unfortunately we ran out of time and half of the group didn't receive a feedback and they were kind of under the pressure because lack of time. After lunch we had a meeting with Estonian team once again on the rooftop. But this time it was windy outside and not so pleasant weather. We had a quick brainstorm and somehow got a last minute idea about letting teams record silent videos. Kätrin wrote down a location, object and a mood to spicy those videos. Then we were ready to start our workshop. Video task turned out greatly. We also had some energizers and then another video task. We showed a video from Estonian parody show and asked from groups their opinions what they just saw. Then we showed the video once again with subtitles. Then we showed a Latin America telenovela and Turkish soap opera. It was a mistake because we could't find the same video with English explanation. My bad, sorry. In the evening we had Norwegians and Lithuanians intercultural night. We played a popular game among Estonian parties as well (bag running? orsm) and tasted weird cheese. We got new knowledge about our lovely baltics and drank some more kvass. Some people went to a club once again. Because yesterday's angels and devils night was lit enough to visit once more Erasmus party. 07.04. It was a day I waited the most. Actually we had to have the city day on a previous day but because of the wedding in the hotel we switched days. Our first sight was Grand Bazaar. We all used the metro to reach the place. It is difficult to walk with this huge group on the street but nobody got lost. On the market we had some free time to do shopping. We walked there with Lisete and tried to buy some jewelries but seller wanted to get more money than we wanted to offer. So, we decided not to buy anything from there. Blue Mosque was our next destination but unfortunately it was closed because of restoration works. Sorry guys, it is totally my coworkers fault. Actually I am confused, usually during the restorations part of the place is always open. Then we headed to Hagia Sophia just nearby. This building is AMAZING. It is gorgeous to see two different religions mixed together. And interior with golden details is enchanting. My dream was to visit Hagia Sophia for at least 5 years already. I was always jealous on people who have been there. So, for me it was even more crazier experience. We were looking for Vikings graffiti but couldn't find it. Because half of the church was closed due restorations (sorry again) then maybe they were on that part. Randomly we found a cat inside the museum. Its behaviour was unexpected. At first the cat was lovely but in the end attacked us. Then we walked to Topkapi palace. It was a disappointment for me. It wasn't so big as I imagined. After standing for minutes totally packed between people we got to see holy relics. On a royal kitchen museum and admired precisious porcelain exhibition. Some people went to a harem as well. They spent there about 30 minutes which is insane because I though it is going to take longer time to explore all the rooms. I don't assume that all of them are opened but still, like whaat. Then we went to Eminönü and had some free time to eat and to fulfill our shopping urge. Those streets were perfect for shopaholics, cheap prices and big variety of items. We went to a fast food place but soon we faced a problem related to Lisete's diet because in Turkey everything consists meat and cheese. Then we went to a Bosporus Tour. It was amazing, even though it was cold we danced actively to get warm. And those magnificent views. It was the best experience I have ever had during the Erasmus project. Colourful sky, Istanbul panorama and lovely people around you made a perfect platform for a photoshoot. After 1,5 hours we were totally frozen but satisfied. Most of the group decided to go back to the hotel.
Only 5 Estonians, 1 Norwegians and 1 Turk were left. We were the tough ones. We went to Galata Tower and from there to Taksim. We visited one church, because there was a concert we stayed there for a while. Then we went to a shisha place. We got lost at first but because I had been there before during APV we were soon back on track. Then many locals enjoyed. At the same time Norwegians invited people to Orthodox church for a Ceremony. After shisha time we went to a small shop and ended up drinking on a random street. We played "Never have I ever game" Then we went directly to the club. We partied until 4 o'clock. After crazy taxi ride we arrived back to our hotel. NB! Even in Estonian highways cars don't drive so fast (and Turkish taxis don't have seat belts 😳) 02.04. Morning started with a shitty weather in Estonia. Snow decided to fall down once again and made a total chaos in the country. Traffic jams and surly people were guaranteed. So many unexpected things happened with me already on my way to Tallinn Airport. After a delay I arrived to the airport and we shared our Estonian intercultural night goods on different luggages. We had a pleasant flight, even though we had to clean our surrounding and we spent one hour just stuck in Tallinn airport. The flight was nice because it was accompanied by Turkish music and movies. The flight was full of Estonian footballers wearing national suit. By a change, Karolina had the same outfit and everyone though that she is part of the team too 😄 In Atatürk airport we already saw familiar faces. Karolina saw Norwegians and I saw Hungarians. Project with 60 participants is insane. It is hard to imagine this huge group of people. We will see how the work funcionates. After the dinner we decided to visit a local shisha bar. All Estonians joined + Marius. Later one some people more but Marius is now officially part of Estonian team 😆 or at least part of Baltic gang. It was a fancy place, we sat on a throne. I still don't know how people are facinated by my shisha skills? I am not still so advanced as my friends in Estonia. (Greeting to my shisha club in Saku) On our way back from a bar something weird happened, police appeared and asked our documents. I am not used to carry my documents with me but after that night I just in case carried documents always with me. 03.04. Project started with an introduction of yourself. You had to walk in a circle until you talked about yourself something. Then bingo where you had to get to know each other more by filling in blanks. We used a coffee break to relax on the roof terrace. It is a nice quiet place with a great view. In the afternoon we played a hugging game and shared a lot of love. By the way the loser team gave a proper massage to the winners. Pretty good award I would say. We also set common rules and started with a secret friend game. To be honest, I was confused who is my secret friend at first. After stalking I finally understood to whom I have to give notes and gifts. After lunch we visited a mosque near by with an Estonian team. And also a police shops. Thanks to Anna's Turkish skills we got even invited to a locked mosque. We found a süpermarket and everything is so cheap and I hate that! During the last activity of the day we had to solve a mission impossible. At first we had some communication problems but at the end we figured how to manage all the work we had to do. Even though we couldn't write all our travel experience on the list, we completed the task pretty nicely. Then we had a signal competition, it took so long time but good side with those games is the taste of victory, when someone do you a massage that lasts minutes. During the dinner I got a laughting overdoze. Turks made so much fun but at least we got tasted many different wines. We had a game night to work as a group better. We act a pantomime style movie titles to each other. Night ended in a glass box. On that night I understood that caramel is my new favourite flavour of shisha and Norwegians are liars 🤣 Because we were next to a playground we decided to swing with Karolina. We had so much fun feeling like a kid again. 04.04.
In the morning our first task was a speed date. After that we had a free will how to fill in our morning. We had to change the paperclip to something more valuable and had many hours to solve the task. We had Murat in our team. Every time we tried to explain our mission in English we still ended up with Murat's explications. We exchanged a paperclip to a lollipop, book, candies, hair clips, prayer beads, hair clip and a cigarette. After the lunch I decided to visit Sultan Süleymaniye mosque and Sehzade Camii because they were nearby. Annabel, Anna and Lisete joined me. We went by metro there and firstly went to the seaside. It was a mistake because there was nothing to see and we just wasted our time. But after weird stalkers we ended up like in a paradise. It was a municipality house orsm. Cherries were blooming and clear water from fountains made the atmosphere so special. We visited two mosques. They were amazing and not many people visited them, so it was pretty calm atmosphere there. I led my group thanks to my tourist map and I was never too confident do we have a right sight or not. I am pleased that we found everything we wished.s I also had a change to visit Süleyman's and Hürrem's crypts. Those coffins were gorgeous. We even got educated about Islam and got a free Quran on top of that. So, guys watch out, we might change our faith soon. It is a great job that the volunteers do there, if you listen to them about 15 minutes it might be like a brainwash. Because we were getting late we tried to get a taxi, but all of them were already occupied. So, we still needed to use metro. We were about 30 minutes late and as a punishment we needed to dance in front of everyone. It was more fun that a punishment. In the evening we had to present our organization. We did a presentation about Seiklejate Vennaskond. Others made posters and showed videos. Night ended with Estonian and Hungarian intercultural night. We prepared our table full of goods and informative materials. Kätrin gave a start to our night with a soulful song. She is so talented and thanks to her skills many people had a great time on the rooftop as well. We introduced our hard language and did a Kahoot to make an interesting quiz. Then of course we danced Kaerajaan. It was complicated to do it in this big circle but we managed. Everyone had a possibility to get an Estonian flag to their cheeks to get more into the culture. Hungarians showed their singing skills and had a really interesting quiz as well. And those grazy dances, they went really quick in the end. In the middle of the night we got an idea to walk a bit on our neighbourhood. It was quiet around but we had one dreadful moment. We passed a dustpin when we heard noise from it, fortunately it was only a cat. In every project I love the private time with your compatriots, because only them can understand you deeply. The talk with Karolina was refreshing and gossip is one of the best things in life 😆 It was my first APV even though I have been a group leader before as well. Unfortunately things went bad with finding another participant to represent Estonians. It was a line of bad coincidents. At least I was presented there and I totally enjoyed the time. 22 of February I had a pleasant flight to Istanbul and after some time in subway and short walking I was in the hotel. I like that subway road is not going only underground but metro also drives like a train and you can see what surrounds you. On the way I saw an odd thing. People collect trash from the streets manually. No garbage truck, in Istanbul they have garbage carts. Probably this system works because of lack of space. 🤔 To a contrast, I was surprised how nice everything it is in our hotel. I guess it is the most luxurious accommodation place I have ever been even though I have been in 5-stars hotel as well. I had some relax time before we went outside. Because after Hungarians had arrived we went out to eat. They brought to tables a lot of appetizers: breads, salads and some spicy stuff. And then we had to choose what we want to eat for a main dish. Everything was in Turkish, so actually we based on locals recommendations in our choice. In the restaurant we had a first familiarization round. We have experienced group leaders, so participants shouldn't worry about at all. Because we were in Turkey we needed to get the real cultural experience by visiting a shisha bar. By the way, the taste of apple is so different from our ones. Turkish taste is way more better than in Estonia. When we went back to the hotel I wanted to see the terrace because participants from last years told me about that. It was lovely to see city lights and mosque lighted up. 23 of February Breakfast was in our hotel. Variety of food was good and tasty. In the morning I also met missing participants from Lithuania. They arrived really late at night and we didn't have a change to meet before. After a breakfast we had a tour in the hotel. We saw our activity room and other nice places that we are going to use during our project. Then we started to work hard and discussed through the timetable. There will be many interesting activities and I got so many ideas what I would like to do with my group as well. I believe it is going to be a really educating and interesting project for youth. After morning meeting we had some free time once again. I went to walk around the district. I wanted to enter the mosque as well but I was kind of afraid. It is really hard to adapt a new culture when you have no idea how it works. So, I'll leave this visit to April. In the evening we went by taxi to taksim square. Huuh, this taxi ride was insane. Overall, the traffic in Istanbul is grazy and tight conditions inside a car didn't make it more pleasant ride. In pedestrian point of view it is very difficult to cross the road. I just follow locals on their way crossing the street. It had been worked so far. And fortunately I have a really good Balkan school how to cross the road in difficult conditions. But back to the taxi ride, there was lack of space and too curvy roads. Somehow we managed, hopefully Jørgen enjoyed the ride as well 😄 The main street next to taksim was crowded. Locals said that it is always like that. We went to a shisha bar, it was pretty hidden but popular place. My restorer eye saw that the building has nice historical value as well. Because taksim is close to Suvi's place I invited her as well. It was a great reunion, usually we have met after the "Back to Our Roots" project in Tallinn with Birgitta and Javier for several times. I was used to talk in English all those days and that's why I started to talk with her in English at first. My brain just couldn't switch the language so quickly. Suvi fit into our group easily and we had so many Estonian moments during so short time. She gave me more energy and made me happy. It is always nice to meet with your friends, moreover somewhere far away from your motherland 😊 After plentiful dinner we went to a bar. The location of the place was kind of secret. As an average tourist I would have never found that place. It is weird that clubs/bars are located upstairs of the building. On the first floor there just might be a cafe or whatever but upstairs a real life reveals. If you want to enjoy nightlife of the city it is essential to take a contact with locals. The view to the night Istanbul was amazing. Live music made the place even better. Estonian independence day arrived for me in an international group. Suddenly Croatians, Austrian, Russian and Mexican joined with us. They met in hostel but Croatians knew our Turkish friends and thats why they joined us. I talked with many people but sometimes it is better to be quiet. Somehow a fake uncle story got viral and I bet that they will make even more jokes about that on April as well 😅 Because there was a band we went to the dancefloor as well. It was hard to dance while having your coat and bag with you but for safety it was the best option. It was great night and good start for an Estonian independence day. 24 of February I spent the morning in the hotel. But after the breakfast I said goodbye to guys and left the place. I reached the right metro station independently and met Anıl there. He is living in a new flat close to our project hotel. After I had put my things away we made a plan where to go and what to do. Firstly, we went to a Grand Bazaar. I have to mention that those paintings there need to be restored 😁 Then I saw Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed mosque. On our way we saw many more mosques but they were just "small" ones. Actually I was a bit disappointed in Hagia Sophia. On the photos and videos it has been more glorious. Maybe it was because of the cloudy weather. Then we went to the riverside. There were many fishers and they are not just standing there, they are really catching fishes from Bosphorus. We walked over the bridge and visited one hipster district. It was a good place to eat and drink something. From there it was easy to go to Galata tower. We went to a cafe and enjoyed the view. Weather was cold but luckily it wasn't raining. Because I had seen kind of everything in the city centre we drove to one neighbourhood which is not so touristic. It was really quiet there and I had a possibility to see real locals life. Houses were classical style and many of them were in a bad conditions. I loved tradidional wooden houses and of course restored colourful houses. In the evening we had a pretty odd taxi ride to taksim square again. It was a bigger taxi and I still really didn't get how the system works there but at least we reached our destination. We had a pleasant dinner following people on the street and then once again we went to a secret bar on the rooftop. Again, amazing night view to the city. There were only locals around me. Afterwards we went to a bar/club. It was a weird place. People were dancing around their own table and there wasn't a classic dancefloor. At first music was Turkish one, but when time passed they played more and more international songs as well. I can say that I even recognized 3 Turkish songs 😆 Ölürüm Sana was our farewell song with that place. I know exactly the meaning of the song! No need to read some hidden messages out of that. It is just a song I like. Unfortunately on my last evening in Istanbul it was raining. Then I felt fucking cold but I knew that in Estonia it is even colder. Also Anıl apartment's view was amazing. I love to watch Istanbul panorama. 25 of February
I totally needed those few hours of sleep before going to airport. The way there wasn't hard again. Even though Istanbul is a huge city its public transport works perfectly and logically. Everything is understandable for me. Plane to Tallinn departed from the farthest corner as usual 😒 I was kind of melanholic on my flight back to Estonia. It was super hard for me to leave the place behind. I am in love with Istanbul and my only relief is that I can come back on April. At least I had a nice flight while listening to Turkish music and watching Kardeşim Benim. Btw, it is a really entertaining movie. I have never seen so empty Tallinn city centre at noon than on that Sunday. People went too far with their indipendence day celebrations and wanted to recover at home I guess. PS! Important information that I received during my stay in Turkey. Tarkan becomes a father 😚 21. august Bussisõit tagasi Tallinna algas väga varakult ja seetõttu oli otsatarbekas bussis süüa. Jagasime koos Neidiga bussis saiakesi, värskeid puuvilju ja kohukesi. Toidu jagamine toimus raskendatud oludes, buss kõikus ja suure saiakotiga oli keeruline tasakaalu hoida. Sellepärast tulebki bussis ühe koha peal istuda ja ka turvavöö kinnitada! Sõit kulges sombuse ilma taustal ning umbes kahe tunni pärast olime taas Villardi korteris. Seal toimus kiire riiete vahetus, ja paljud pidid uuesti rohelistele kaartidele päevapileteid ostma. Peagi asusime Kadrioru poole teele. Teel presidendi lossi, suutsime enamuse väliseestlastest tee peal ära kaotada. Kadrioru lossi aed võlus neid ja nad läksid seda avastama. Õnneks oli neid lihtne leida ja peagi olimegi kõik koos turvakontrolli läbinud. Meile tehti kantselei hoones põgus ekskursioon ja tuuri käigus õnnestus meil isegi Presidenti ennast kohata. Ta oli oma olekult nii vaba, et paljudele jõudis alles veidi hiljem kohale, keda nad just enda ees nägid 😉 Hiljem nägime ka Presidendi tööruume ja ma sattusin juhuslikult istuma toolile, kus proua Kaljulaid diplomaatidega kohtudes istub. See fakt giidi suust tõi mulle ootamatult suure tähelepanu projektikaaslaste poolt. Pärast lõunasööki suundusime otse Tõnismäele, et kohtuda Haridus- ja Teadusministeeriumi Tallinna esinduses projekti rahastajatega. Meile tutvustati projekti tähtsust riigi seisukohalt ja analoogseid projekte, mida nad on korraldanud. Meile räägiti ka üldiselt õppimisest Eestis ja milliseid toetuseid jagatakse. Lisaks oli osalejatel võimalus küsida nende jaoks olulisi küsimusi. Koosoleku ruumis oli üsna formaalne õhkkond, aga kui nö ametlik osa oli lõppenud ja meid kostitati, muutusid ka jutud vabamaks. Lisaks saime kõik ka kingikotid meenetega. Need olid üsna innovatiivsed, näiteks pliiats, millest võib hoopis taim kasvada või veebikaamera kate. Lisaks leidsin enda kingikotist veel study estonia mütsi. Pean ütlema, et see müts on osutunud üsna vajalikuks, sest välismaal noortevahetustel käies teavad kõik minu rahvust 😊 Taas korteris olles saabus Selveri toit ja see tuli kolme korteri vahel ära jaotada. Seekord jagasin toidu mina laiali, see üli üsna nauditav tegevus. Õhtul oli meil Eesti filmi õhtu. Küsitluse tulemusena selgus populaarseim film – Viimne reliikvia. Osade jaoks kõlas filmimuusika tuttavalt, isegi teatud fraasid ja stseenid. 22. august Seekord külastasime veelkord ühte idufirma kontorit. Nii suundusime Transferwise'i kontorisse. Nende innovatiivne kontor avaldas meile kõigile muljet. Pallimeri pani meid tundma kümme aastat nooremana ja moodne kontorikeskkond avaldas muljet. Rahvusvahelistest töötamisvõimalustest räägiti meile hoone terrassil. Ei saaks öelda, et vaade oleks nüüd imepärane, aga õhkkond ise oli seal väga mugav. Sealt suundusime edasi Maksu- ja Tolliametisse. See oli üsna mannetu ettekanne nende poolt. Väga raske oli infot jälgida ja ega mind eestlasena see väga ei huvitanud ka. Pärast lõunasööki oli meil ekskursioon Bastioni käikudes. Jagunesime keeleoskuse järgi kahte gruppi, sest üks ekskursioon oli eesti keeles, teine inglise keeles. Enne maa alla minekut näidati meile informatiivset ajaloolist videot Tallinna ajaloost. Mööda pimedaid koridore liikudes muutus õhk üha niiskemaks ja külmemaks. Pärast Bastione oli meil vaba aeg ja me otsustasime minna Kassikohvikusse Nurri. Olin hiljuti käinud vaatamas Istanbuli tänavakassidest kõnelevat filmi Kedi ja tänu sellele oli mul prii sissepääs kohvikusse. Kõik nautisid kasside toredat seltskonda, kuigi kassid ise polnud meist nii suures vaimustuses. Õhtul nautisime Katariina poolt küpsetatud Kanada küpsiseid. Uudis maitsvatest maiustest levis kui kulutuli ja peagi olid need ära söödud 😁 Kuna projekti lõpp oli juba tuntav, siis nautisime veel aega üheskoos lauamänge mängides. Andrew õpetas meid projekti jooksul hullu Unot mängima. See oli väga hoogne ja lõbus mäng. 23. august Viimane projekti päev tõi kaasa keeleõppest kokkuvõtte tegemise. Viisime sessiooni läbi Suur-Ameerika tänaval. Ergutasime end massažiga virgeks ja saatsime väliseestlased linna peale elulisi situatsioone lahendama. Vastavalt keeleoskuse tasemele tuli neil tänaval inimestelt abi paluda ja võimaluse korral see jäädvustada. Kõik said ülesandega suurepäraselt hakkama. Tänu edukale sooritusele lõime kõik projektis osalenud väliseestlased rahvuskaaslasteks. Uku sai ülesandega suurepäraselt hakkama ja osalejad tundsid end hästi. Meenutuseks projektist ja Eestis veedetud ajast kirjutasime üksteisele toredaid laused ühistest mälestustest. Viimane õhtusöök Kohalikus Kohvikus oli erilisem kui muidu. Suundusime ülakorrusele, kus meile oli kaetu suur laud. Toit oli väga eestlaslik, kartul ja liha. Viimane ühispidu kulmineerus Hollywoodi külastusega. Paljud osalejad pidid juba öösel lahkuma, püüdsime neile korteris niikauaks seltsiks olla. Kuigi ma andsin oma parima, siis jäin ka mina siiski magama. 24. august Hommikul kraamisime korterid puhtaks ja jagasime hommikusöögi toitu osalejate vahel laiali. Kell 11 jätsime Villardi kortermajaga hüvasti ning suundusime igaüks oma teed. Pärast intensiivset kümmet päeva oli hea taas koduseinte vahel olla, kuigi tühjuse tunne oli suur. Õnneks hakkas meie grupivestlus kihama inimeste kodutee lugudest ja mõned osalejad jäid ka veel Eestisse, mistõttu oli põnev nende seiklusi jälgida. See projekt oli midagi enneolematut. Oli vahva kohtuda Eesti juurtega inimestega. Paljude jaoks oli see esmakordne kogemus viibida oma esivanemate maal. Õppisin Eesti kohta koos nendega, samas, sain ka neile midagi õpetada. Projekt leidis meediakajastust, nii raadios, teles kui uudismeedias. See lõi võimalused ka peale projekti lõppu kõige meenutamiseks. Tavaliselt siinkohal ma tänan kõiki oma blogis kasutatud fotode autoreid, aga selles projektis panustasid kõik imeliste kaadritega ja ma ei suuda kõiki autoreid identifitseerida. Sellepärast tänan teid kõiki, kes tegid selle projekti eriliseks 😘
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