Fresh news from Martyn, short term EVS volunteer who just arrived in Spain

SPAIN: First impressions:

 "It has been 3 days and 2 nights since I arrived, and already I have experienced so much!"

"As the clock ticks around to midnight on the 6th March 2012 in Aviles, Asturias I have been overcome with creative juices. That is the thing I love about travel and new places; it seems to open up your mind and makes you appreciate the finer things in life. It has been 3 days and 2 nights since I arrived, and already I have experienced so much!

At the airport I met the luggage guy who was funny about my wheelchair weight last time. He was in similar form on Sunday, but that would never have brought my mood down – I was landing in Spain to live here for 2 months. As you know I like to say “I was living the dream” once again. Having met the other guys, I unpacked and watched Aviles FC score 4 goals from my bedroom window. Awesome. Then I grabbed a beer and pizza with the nice german lad I am living with, before crashing.

Yesterday was slower. If the volunteers work Saturday then Mondays are free. Also 2 new volunteers arrived: one from Northern Ireland and one from Greece. So with a Finnish girl, the German lad and my Portugese and Polish care assistants, we are quite the pan european outfit. Later one of the paid staff invited myself and the guy from Northern Ireland out. I drank a beer, followed by plenty of the local cider. Beware: this stuff looks and tastes light but it is hardcore. You have to pour it a special way (bottle held up near your head and the glass by your waste) as the bubbles make the taste near to perfection. You then have to down it before the gas goes. I felt fine in the bar, but oh my god I was hammered walking (rolling) home. We even got lost and my hands were so cold that I could barely operate my chair. Still, all is well that ends well!

Today I have definitely felt sensitive. I just cannot drink like the uni days says the old boy… Anyway I met my coordinator and chatted about how I am settling in, what I will be doing and had a general catch up. I have taken some time to explore the town and really like the feel here. I am now feeling about right to get my head down, plan and deliver some projects. I have already started sourcing free music for my radio show and arranged to meet an Asturian artist to deliver a project around disability awareness in Aviles.

The town seems pretty accessible on the whole. I have had to be lifted up the odd step, but nothing insurmountable. Clearly no steps would be preferable but when people are happy to muck in and help; it removes the frustration of said step anyway. I have met lots of cool, open minded and friendly people. The town itself has 85,000 inhabitants, it is by a harbour, 10 minutes to the beach and has a lot of character. The colours of the houses are bright and distinctive, it reminds me of a cartoon sometimes. There is a lot yet to still explore.

The best part of the trip so far has to be this evenings Spanish classes. I have already been feeling slightly out of my comfort zone, but this was something else. I did spanish for 1 year 14 years ago, I really want to learn it well whilst here, but what a reality check. It was funny being in a situation of having no knowledge, feeling stupid and being helpless. I say this positively as I know I need to study harder now and this is the exact reason I chose to do EVS: to challenge myself. I will keep you posted on the lessons as I go…

I grabbed a Skype chat with my mum tonight. I definitely needed a little lift before bed from home, plus I am sorting my new wheelchair, car repairs and subletting my flat while away. As well as www.disabilityhorizons.com, the webinars and my new ecourse. Busy but amazing time.

I hope you are well, wherever you are reading this from."

Martyn Sibley, Short Term Volunteer in Spain

http://martynsibley.com/


Project part of YOUTH IN EUROPE
and supported by the British Council

and the Youth in Action programme

of the European Commission

For more information about YOUTH IN EUROPE, visit the special webapge in clicking here.

03-07 March 2012 Follow our 4.3 Training

Follow our 4.3 Training ''Inclusion in International Youth Work": Between the 3rd qnd the 7th March we will publish every 15 minutes, pictures, testimonies, tweets about our training and its activities on the blog created for this training. So if you want to know more about this special event supported by ECORYS UK and the Youth in Action programme, please click on this banner:

Testimony from Jamie, short term volunteer in Greece

Hi my name is Jamie Cecil I am 19 years old I come from Manchester. I did a short term 1 month E.V.S. volunteering job in Xylocastro Greece. It consisted of me helping to protect the local Orfeas forest and the coast line. I was living in a house located not far from the town square with 8 female volunteers. The house its self was very nice it had all of the essential equipment that you need, it was very big and everyone had their own space. The volunteers I stayed with were very friendly forthcoming and came from all over the world for example Portugal, Latvia, Italy, Poland, Austria and France.

My day to day activities consisted of getting up at 8:30 and going to work in the forest by removing any rubbish I find along the pathways and to help plant new trees and remove any plants that had died as well as paint the fences along the edge of the forest. In the night’s me and the other volunteers spent our time at the local bars having a laugh or in the house just talking and spending time talking with the locals and learning more about the Greek culture.

I also helped out the other long term volunteers in their projects which was very enjoyable because you can see the project from a whole new angel as well as learn a new skill you might not have known you could do.

This project has really helped me to figure out what I want to do in the future as well as help me become more confident and more knowledgeable about how others live and think. I would definitly do another E.V.S. project as I found this one very enjoyable and enlightening, as the local people and the other volunteers were very friendly and forthcoming. I would defiantly recommend E.V.S to others as it a life changing experience. As you have the chance to meet new people and make new friends from all over the world and to learn about different cultures and different ways of life.

Jamie, Short Term Volunteer in Greece.

Project part of INCLUSION FOR ALL

and supported by the British Council

and the Youth in Action programme

of the European Commission

For more information about INCLUSION FOR ALL, visit the special webapge in clicking here.

One month with John, short term EVS volunteer in Greece: Third Week.

Discover the 3rd week of John, who did an European Voluntary Service in Greece for one month in the mountain village of Krioneri in the Korinthos district. The volunteering involved working in the forest on a footpath, working in an English school helping students with their English. He also spent one week doing an arts project in the village Kindergarten with the local children.



On the 3rd week we continued as usual working on the environmental footpath, helping in the English school and taking Greek lessons. Also discussed with Kindergarten teacher about possible ideas for a mural on the school walls but doubtful about this as I’ve not yet been given the art materials I asked for from the mentors. On the Saturday someone from the village drove us to the supermarket in the city, then to a friends house for food, this was a welcome escape from Krioneri. On the Sunday some locals kids took me for a bicycle ride up the mountains to a nuns monastery, the views up there was great.

Monday - Trimmed grass verge at the hostel.

Monday - Helped in the English school, did a role playing and conversation exercise.

Tuesday – Met Kindergarten teacher to discuss art ideas for the school walls.

Tuesday – Helped in English school

Tuesday – Painted rooms in old filoxenia house, Kitchen and bathroom.

Wednesday – worked on footpath, continuing construction of side ridges along path.

Thursday – Worked on footpath, cleared mud and leafs from path near the house.

Thursday – Helped in English school, conversation and role play tasks.

Friday – Worked on footpath

Friday – Helped in English school

John, short term EVS volunteer in Greece.

Project part of INCLUSION FOR ALL

and supported by the British Council 

and the Youth in Action Programme

of the European Commission.

For more information about INCLUSION FOR ALL, visit the special webapge in clicking here.

We will publish  in the next few days, his next testimonies. Keep a look on Turn Up The VOLume

Picture of our new Leonardo Trainee, Luke, during his project preparation in Leeds. Luke just arrived this week in his Leonardo project (carpentry) in Sweden, supported by Clair Brown, Everything is Possible co-founder.

Project part of Gaining  Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme
of the European Commission.

 

Eva, EVS volunteer in the UK, in a spanish blog.

Our volunteer Eva, who is doing her EVS with Everything is Possible, just published a testimony in the blog of her sending organisation in Spain.

It is in spanish, but she will translate it very soon for us.

Anyways, if you speak spanish, you can read the article through this link. http://bit.ly/xW3HD1

Project part of ACTIVE EUROPEAN YOUTHS
and supported by the British Council 

and the Youth in Action Programme

of the European Commission.

For more information about INCLUSION FOR ALL, visit the special webapge in clicking here.

One month with John, short term EVS volunteer in Greece: 2nd Week.

Discover the 2nd week of John, who did an European Voluntary Service in Greece for one month in the mountain village of Krioneri in the Korinthos district. The volunteering involved working in the forest on a footpath, working in an English school helping students with their English. He also spent one week doing an arts project in the village Kindergarten with the local children.

Week 2

The second week began with warmer weather so we continued work down at the fountain and the footpath in the valley woods. We cleaned all the leafs and dirt away which was covering the paved area of the footpath. This week we also began laying down fallen branches along the edges of the route of the footpath, a thick branch is placed at the side of the path then pegged firmly into place with 2 smaller bits of wood. One of the objectives in the construction of the environmental footpath is that the materials used are all sourced from the woods thus making it more environmental. This week we also began helping students in the English school in Krioneri, we carried out basic speaking activities such as questions and answer excercises and role playing situations.most of the students had never spoken to native English speakers before and were nervious that they wouldn't be able to understand us, but they were happily suprised when they discovered they could talk to us in English. We kept busy most of the weekdays this week with work on the footpath and in the English school but by midweek the evenings were starting to get slightly boring has we were isolated in a small village with no access to the city.Busses here in Krioneri are only twice a day during weekdays and also very unreliable.

By friday the isolation and boredom was getting worse but we were saved at the weekend by Alexis who owns the house near the footpath. Alexis works in Athens but comes back to the village on weekends. Alexis who is a former youth mentor took us on an excursion in his jeep around the mountains of Korinthos. We visited some beautiful places such as lake stymfalia and the huge mountains which surround it. We also visited St Georges monastery and a nice little village called Goura where the tavern was lit with gas lamps and we tried some traditional cheese. On the way back from the Stymfalia to Krioneri we stopped at the tavern of Krazy Mike

and had some Greek food. This saturday was one of the best days so far while we've been here.

For me, the next day was also a good one as I began the morning by riding with some local kids from the Greek school up a mountain to a nuns monastery, the route was picturesque, as were the views from the monastery. The monastery gardens were nice,it was a very quiet and peaceful place. I could sit there for hours looking at the views. From the monastery we cycled back down the mountain, the route back was all downhill so there was a bit of a race on. A short while after returning me and Matt met Alexis and went back on another excursion to Stymfalia.In the village of Stymfalia we got bread from a local traditional oven, then on to a cheese factory which had coachloads of people arrriving to try the regional cheese, from here we went back to lake stymfalia where we sat in the ancient city ruins and tried the cheese and bread which was very tasty. Afterwards we then took a walk around the lake and even found a wile tortoise along the track. The weekend visiting the mountains was a much needed break from the isolation of the village.

Week 2 tasks:

Monday - Further cleaning of Ottomon fountain, Removing the mound of mud and leafs piled up the day before,continued raking awaking dirt around edges.

Monday - Cleared fallen branches, litter and debris from the fountain stream down to the main stream allowing faster flow of water.

Monday - Helped students in English school, carried out questions and answers excercises from text book.

Tuesday - Further cleaning of paving area at the Ottomon fountain, thowing pales of water over paving and brushing away smaller bits of dirt.

Tuesday - Helped children in the English school using interactive projector screen.

Wednesday - Removed branches and leafs blocking flow of water in the first section of the stream allowing clearer flow of water and reduction of future blockage.

Wednesday - cleared thick mix of mud and leafs blocking water flow in a contributory stream to the main stream.

Wednesday - Re-positioned a wooden bridge which had previously fallen into the stream during a heavy flow of water.

Wednesday - Began laying down branches to form the beginning section of the footpath from the fountain area into the woods.

Thursday - constructed wooden signs for botanical garden.

Thursday - Did a question and answers session in the English school.

Saturday - Cleared mud and overgrown grass and weeds from the beginning section of the footpath which curves around the house through the old village.

John, short term EVS volunteer in Greece.

Project part of INCLUSION FOR ALL

and supported by the British Council 

and the Youth in Action Programme

of the European Commission.

For more information about INCLUSION FOR ALL, visit the special webapge in clicking here.

We will publish  in the next few days, his next testimonies. Keep a look on Turn Up The VOLume