Friday, November 28, 2014

Orla's adventures II

Ciao all!!

So, it has been a week since I regaled my adventures to you! And surprisingly there have been many!

To start with, my fabulous teem and I went to the local kindergarten. It was a lovely bright , modern cosy place. There are fun and pretty pictures on the walls and the children were happy and clever not afraid of talking to new people. I have not been to a kindergarten since I was four. Looking around at this lovely place the four year old inside me was jealous. This pretty, happy kindergarten has little in common with my early education. At four I remember sitting awkwardly in a scratchy stiff uniform too big for me in a dark, huge soulless Victorian classroom. The education methods had remained the same as from those my parents had experienced. In this lovely modern kindergarten here we played games, singing songs and learnt the hokey pokey! A far cry from the miserable Presentation national school days.

EVS is all about challenges and already encountered one ! The YMCA were invited to organise an inter-cultural party with the local university students league. Were we each displayed an element of our culture.Yes . Organise. As in organise the Irish element..... It's a concept I had heard tell of but not actually witnessed, let alone done before! Each country decided to show an element of their national dances. So I, calling on my years of ceili attendance tried to remember the walls of Limerick.

However the night of the party I realised I needn't have been so nervous! I had three great volunteers from the university and they taught the party attendees the dances with passion and enthusiam! I believe a roaring success!

Bright and early on Friday morning (the night after the intercultural party) we went to a local school in a village outside of Baia Mare to introduce the concept of Photo Voice. Photo voice is a method where young people show, demonstrate and explain issues important to them in their local area through taking photos, explaining and exhibiting them. The students were very enthustic and for me it was so interesting to see what they considered positives and negitives about their community.


All in all it was a good week! I am really enjoying myself!

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Getting to Baia Mare

Hello everyone! My name is Orla and I am a new volunteer, volunteering for the fantistic YMCA! I have participated in so many exciting events and workshops in my last two weeks, World tolerance day and team building being but two of the highlights! I can't wait to contribute to the upcoming events.

So I am here and have arrived in Baia Mare! But my adventure did not start here, my adventure truelly started at Bucharest Airport in the wee hours of 30 October. Where I sat waiting with my bags and baggage. With many questions running through my head at this point. Why am I in Romania? Where am I going? What were my feelings? Simple. Nervous. Excitment.

Of all my questions the easiest to answer was : What am I waiting for? Fany. Who is Fany? Not a lover, not a friend , but the bus that will take me to my destination. Baia Mare. I am still waiting. Although I am hopeful, she is not coming. So after abondaning all hope of finding her in the airport my adventure truly starts! I get into a cab and start on my hunt for Fany and Baia Mare.

Fany is quickly found! And I the heroine of my story meet many interesting people abord her, those who help me, and thankfully give me lunch! The next thirteen hours are long and riddled with motion sickness and exhaustion , thankfully my donated lunch is not lost! A few sharp turns , pitstops beatutiful views and I arrive in Baia Mare! Where I am met with the fantastic YMCA team and quickly whisked away to a welcome dinner where I met my fellow volunteers.
I have recovered from my initial advebture and I am settling in well! I cannot wait to meet more people!