A Natureza dānu*

I onda... (and now)

2009-04-16T13:38:00.002+02:00

Zdravo svima, olá a todos, hello everyone!!!

Sometimes it feels as if I'm gone forever, but it's not true. I've been busy, busy, busy, and that is wonderful, because I have been filling my EVS calendar with great moments and experiences.

For now, I'll do as the last time, some updates with dates and words. One day I'll have time to dedicate to post pictures that I hope you'll enjoy.

So, After coming back from Christmas holidays, all the work for the Youth Exchange "Youth for Nature" needed to be done. Finding a partner leader for Serbian group, sending out the call for participants, selecting participants... and finally starting with the preparatory meetings that in total were 5 and took place during February and March.
Getting to know each other, intercultural learning, preparation of ecological workshops for the Youth Exchange, that's what we did during those sessions at the Ekološki Centar in Sremski Karlovci.

On the 30th of January, Ti u ackiji had a very successful Living Library at the Centar za razvoj kariere e savetovanje studenata, at the University Campus.
And the day after we had our first, crowded and great Book Releasing Party, at Stara Frida, an event aiming to launch/activate "Book Crossing" in Novi Sad. For this, we had the colaboration of Matica Srpska, the National library in Novi Sad, that donated 100 books to Ti u ackiji for this purpose.
From 3rd to 14th of February I was a trainer in a Training Course of the Youth in Action programme, that I mentioned on my previous post. The experience was quite strange, being the group a bit unusual for this kind of actions, because of the unexperience. All in all, there were some learning outcomes, but much less concerned to the aims of the training than expected.
To make it even a bigger challenge, I twisted my right ankle and partialy broke its ligaments. So, I came back to Novi Sad with "gips" on my leg (the white, hard thing).

In Novi Sad, there was so much snow! And my dear friends took very good care of me. I had to sleep at their place, first at Manue and Carmen's and then at Carmine and Irene's, because it was so close to the Klinica from Doctor Vladimir Galetić. This was a doctor that I found through a friend that adviced me, and that took care of me for the last 2 months. He was the doctor of Yugoslavia's national football team before 1992.

There was another Living Library in Radio Café, Novi Sad, on the 16th February, and another in Arka Barka, Belgrade, followed by a Book Releasing Party, on the 22nd.

Unfortunatly, I couldn't join Ti u ackiji for the Living Libraries in the south of Serbia, in Kruševac and Leskovac, because my movements were limited and I had to go everyday to therapy.

Then, Austria, Tulln. I was invited to represent Rota Jovem in a Training Course about Group EVS, from the 8th to the 14th of March. It was great to have this chance to meet more people, specially dedicated to Youth Work, Youth in Action and EVS. And it was a wonderful opportunity to share my experience as ex short term group EVS volunteer, in the World Sailing Games 2006, Neusiedl am See, Austria, and member of the coordinating team of short term group EVS, in the World Sailing Championship 2007, Cascais, Portugal.

Between meetings from Ti u ackiji and preparation for the Youth Exchange together with participants, a lot of fun and enjoyment, good company, snow...

From the 22nd to the 24th of March, Tania visited Serbia for the first time, for the Advanced Planing Visit of Youth for Nature. Short, full, exausting, but very rewarding and with good results.

Meanwhile, a report to write, from the training in Mostar... stress, some frustration... but somehow it was done.

And starting the practical preparations for the Exchange, first shopping for material and food, last meeting with participants...

Macedonia hosted the EVS Mid-term evaluation meeting, from the 30th of March to the 3rd of April. It felt a bit useless to spend my time there, when I had so much to do for the Exchange. But it was still worth it, because of metting again some people that I've met in the past months, and other new people. There was time to enjoy the sun, the lake, the walks... I was even inside the freezing lake!

Back to Novi Sad, a whole lot of stuff to think about, to organize, to do...
And then... going to Belgrade's airport on the 5th of April, to welcome the Portuguese particants of Youth for Nature.
A week full of new experiences, laughter, music (guitars and singing), remembering the Portuguese taste of food (cheese, chourico, ovos moles, pao alentejano, folar da Páscoa...) and sharing Serbian tastes (gibanica, plazma, eurokrem...)
Walking to Fruška Gora, making barbeque, playing games, sharing ideas about environmental protection, sharing challenges with team leaders (no water for 2 days), and above all, learning and enjoying each moment as the most precious in life, because that's how I feel it. Each moment a gift.

Now I've been planning the last travelling before the end of EVS. Luís will join on the 10th of May and together with Manue we'll go to Istambul, Bulgaria and Romania, from the 11th to the 22nd of May.

It's still not a concret date, because the flights were sold out and Cláudia is trying to help me with finding a good soluntion, but around the 30th of May I'll be landing home... :)

Until then, keep in touch and feel my hug

Always grateful,
Natureza

Some things that happened meanwhile...

2009-01-15T12:17:00.005+01:00

On-arrival training, Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 3-8 November

Training Course - EVS, a response to young people's needs!, Sanski Most, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 8-15 November

Ti u Akciji (direct translation of "You in Action) - A group of EVS volunteers gathered in a project for the promotion of EVS around Serbia. Since then we've been meeting almost everyday, developing a lot of ideas. - http://tiuakciji.blogspot.com/

Luis' visit, 21 November to 7 December, Serbia (Novi Sad), Montenegro (Bar, Kotor, Hercegnovi), Croatia (Dubrovnik), Bosnia & Herzegovina (Mostar, Sarajevo)

First snow in Novi Sad (the one that doesn't stay on the ground and roofs),22 November

Brother's visit, 13-21 December, Belgrade, Novi Sad (by himself: Sarajevo, Mostar)

The Youth Exchange that I've applied to in the 1st of November was APPROVED! Youth For Nature will happen from the 5th to the 12th of April. - youth-for-nature.blogspot.com

I was invited to be a trainer in a Traning Course: Facing Religious and Cultural Clashes - Encouraging Dialogue in Europe! Creating, sharing & learning of theatre drama methods for intercultural youth projects, 6-14 February, Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Christmas Holidays, 22 December to 7 January, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vila Amélia, Roça, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Budapest

Arrival at white Novi Sad, snowing in the night, snow on the ground, on the roofs, on the trees...

Srećna Nova Godina! (Happy New Year), 13th January, Orthodox New Year's Eve, dinner with friends in Novi Sad

Hopefully I'll update more things here, some pictures, details, stories...

Thank you for reading :)

Република България - 25, 26, 27 October

2008-11-20T11:16:00.019+01:00

After 4 weeks of permanent staying in Novi Sad, I got an invitation to join two wonderful girls on a journey to Bulgaria. Valerie (Belgium) and Elodie (French) are also volunteers in Novi Sad.

We took the 6am train to Belgrade on Saturday. I couldn’t sleep because of the excitement. There were two guys on the same wagon, smoking. Yes, in Serbia, as in other South East European Countries, it’s common to find people smoking everywhere, even if the law says it’s not allowed. In this case, there was even a no smoking sign, but someone had taken the cigarette picture out of it.

At Belgrade’s train station, we had time to grab some sandwiches for the long way, buy the tickets, use the toilets and get in the train to Istanbul. Many times we wished we could stay until the last station, but this train was taking these three girls until Sofia.

We found a compartment with three other people: a Serbian guy – Daniel, and a Dutch couple – Joshka and Tobias. Daniel (I think he wasn’t more than 20 years old) was going to his home town, he is working in Belgrade during the week. So, until he left on his home town station, he was thrilled with the chance he got to meet foreign people. As me, Valerie and Elodie looked sleepy, he got into a conversation with the Dutch couple (they were both around 22 years old, art and photography students, travelling to break the routine). Daniel, in his rudimentary English, tried to find an opportunity to go to Holland, asking them how much they earn, how much they pay for an apartment (“wow! Expensive… expensive”), or for a room (“very expensive…”), gave them his address and number and asked them to call him as soon as they’re back to Holland. Daniel left, the rest of us stayed.

When we got to Niš the train started going backwards we got confused. Should we have left the train there? This was when Owen, an Irish nomadic in his twenties joined our compartment, saying that he was bored because in his compartment he was surrounded by people who don’t speak English. He also said “if you notice some weird movements in the train, like big women walking forward and backward with cigarette pack’s, don’t worry, this is normal”.

Finally, we reached the border with Bulgaria. That’s where the real fun started. We laughed so much that for a moment we couldn’t stop. It was true, the big ladies were wandering around the wagon, becoming bigger and bigger as they were shoving more and more packs of cigarettes under their clothes. Then there were those who we called “the pimps”, smiley guys wearing golden rings and chains, doing nothing, just checking if the women were doing ok, and probably making friendship with the train controller. After a long time stopped at the border - it could have been something like 30 to 45 minutes - the train finally started again. Then, it was the time to see bags flying out of the train’s windows… In the first stop after the border, the big ladies and the men normally evacuated the train.

Elodie started explaining a card game and when we started trying it, there was Sofia’s train station. Me, Valerie, Elodie and Owen stayed in Sofia, Joshka and Tobias continued to Istanbul, being their last objective to get to Iran.

In Sofia we took a coffee offered by Owen that left after. Then, the three of us met Nadia, the sweet, nice girl that hosted us in Sofia. We went to her apartment and then went out to look for something to eat. It was late so the only thing we found open was a Chinese restaurant where they served us food to take away, supposedly for 4 people but the doses altogether were enough for at least 8 people.

The morning after, we took a three hour bus trip to Veliko Tarnovo, a historical important point of Bulgaria and a wonderful city…

On our way there I saw signs showing the direction of Stara Zagora, a city in Bulgaria that gave the uncommon name to my street in Barreiro, Portugal.

In the evening, we took the bus back to Sofia and met with Nadia for a night tour in the city. Then we found the “Apartment”, a cosy kind of tea house, with homemade deserts and many special rooms, as if we were home. I heard someone speaking Portuguese and of course I went to check where do they come from and what were they doing there. Two Portuguese girls, working in Brussels, decided to spend the weekend in Sofia, because a low cost flying company had really good offers.

After a good night sleep, we took a vigorous breakfast at home and went to discover the nice city of Sofia.

I was positively surprised, the idea that I had of it was totally different from what I found. I thought I would find disorder, tight streets with noise and a lot of people in confusing masses. I found wide streets, green spaces and a peaceful city (as much as possible, being a capital).

We took the night train from Sofia to Belgrade and slept all night on our sleeping bags, with a compartment just for us. Novi Sad welcomed us at around 8am, with time for a shower and go to work by bike. It was a hard day for working, after such a special experience in Bulgaria.

Novosadska Jesen

2008-10-23T23:25:00.005+02:00

My bus pass
- notice my name in cyrilic ;) -

A sunset from the balcony
in the apartment

Inside Spense,
Novi Sad's biggest mall

Novosadska Jesen
Autumn Novi Sad
A fair with products from earth,
organized by the organisation where I volunteer

Healthy food

Boa noite / Laku Noć / Goodnight...

I am grateful

2008-10-21T22:45:00.003+02:00

Understanding who I am, each day having the chance to believe in myself by remembering the ones I love.

Being able to let my feelings be shaken by the confusion of the unknown, so then I can collect the pieces floating on the air and realize how good it feels to have my life.

Have the gift of thinking, pondering and being grateful for each moment, each person, each feeling, each colour, each dream, each hope, each day of an existence that draws smiles, comfort, enlightment, love…

The EVS

Before departing, my perspective on how it would be to adjust to the new circumstances was totally different from how it has been. Now that I’m here for almost three weeks, I can start seeing it from a distance. I start to understand what it is that belongs to me, what belongs to the culture of the country where I’m living, what it is that is the shock between both, what it is that is from the personal character of people here and what not. Sometimes I forget I’m here and I feel as if I’m in Portugal. Very often I’m walking on the streets and suddenly realize that I’m hundreds and hundreds of kilometres away from home. I wait for the camera to show up from behind that tree, and then I just feel dizzy because I accept the fact that I’m actually living here.

The friendly smiley girl that works on the market next to the apartment is the closest relation that I had up to now. This doesn’t mean that I don’t bond with anyone else. In fact, it hasn’t been easy to bond, but I believe that this is a consequence of my choices. Back to the friendly girl. We connect through the eyes. From my lousy Serbian, I could understand that last time I was there she asked how I communicate here. I told her that I speak in English but I’m Portuguese. Her eyes said much more than any other eyes here, until now. I know that if I improve my Serbian or she tries to speak a bit English, we can develop a friendship.

The guy from Foody! (the most busy fast food restaurant in the center, but actually with good warm and cheap food) is also a good connection. He speaks English and he knows me already. His eyes speak a bit too. He has grey hair, is thin and wears a Foodys’ hat.

In the bus people push themselves against each other, faces are tired, as tired as the bus that comes and goes all day.

At the office, I started bringing my laptop because I was ending all my days with such a headache that I thought I was starting to be ill with something. It was from the screen of the computer that I was using there. Now I’m not getting headaches. My friend Tania and I are thrilled about a project that we are creating together. This is what I have been doing. The deadline to give in the application for this project is the 1^st of November, so until then I’ll be busy and motivated. After that, we’ll have to wait for the approval (cross your fingers). If it all goes well, I’ll update on this subject.

The food… well, here there’s good food, but so far I’ve been waiting for the money for my EVS project, which means that I’ve been kind of short on budget. I’m not starving or anything; I’ve just been controlling better the costs. But from next week on I hope everything is solved. Something that doesn’t help, the apartment has an electric cooker and it doesn’t have an oven, which limits my cooking. As I was writing, they have good food, some of it. Unfortunately a lot of it is fried, either pastry or meat and fish, a lot of things are oily. For someone who found out about her high cholesterol levels before coming it’s not something thrilling…

I’ve realized many times that I still didn’t write about the police episode, but today I also don’t feel like doing it, so maybe one day…

There is no Bostik/Blutak in Novi Sad! I've searched every possible paper store/drug store, and there is no way to find it. Without mentioning the searching process... explaning what Bostik is without speaking Serbian with people who don't speak English... I had fun. So, I need to get out of here to find it, and stick some postcards on my wall.

One image is worth more than a thousand words...

2008-10-19T20:37:00.006+02:00

Do you read me?

2008-10-18T17:10:00.005+02:00

Dobar dan, my dears.

How are things doing over there, from where you see this blog?

After all I didn't went to Belgrade this weekend. Couldn't take the early train on this saturday morning so I cancelled the bed booked at Hostel Centar in Belgrade and decided to enjoy a lazy day.
Maybe tomorrow I take a bus somewhere nearby...

Today I finished reading:

Very disturbing... Reviving a Lisbon that I never met but that touched me through people I know. Travelling to Portugal in the words of a lonely character. Thinking about a war that does not belong to my time but it a part of it, as a cause for social attitudes and diseases. Living sex as the salvation for a pointless life. Though, feeling the tenderness and gentleness of a belief, something that never dies...

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It would be very motivating, rewarding and pleasing to have some comments from those who take the time to visit my blog. Where there is "Participation", under each post, you can click and add something to this space that I share with you.
Thank you, from all my heart.

Yours sincerely,

Ana Teresa

A journey to the heaven of Novi Sad

2008-10-16T20:17:00.011+02:00

Yesterday I put my camera on the shoulder and left for work.

Another boring day, collecting ideas for future projects. Some interesting information on how to reuse stuff. One of the websites that I bumped into on my research: www.squidoo.com

As soon as I left home, at 10h in the morning, someone was cooking outside, on the street's sidewalk.

After a day at the office, including a break for a typical serbian meat meal, I finally had the time to disappear and find myself in the most beautiful and quiet place of Novi Sad.
Here are some pictures of my yesterday's walk to Petrovaradin, the fortress over Danube.

Waters that purify a city of discontentment.
The river that reflects the frowning faces of sorrow.

Colours that I don't find in Portugal...

Há gatos na rua, com bom ar, simpáticos, mimados, independentes. Gosto quando me cumprimentam com o seu ar altivo ou quando acorrem aos meus tornozelos numa investida pela fofurice.
Não há cães abandonados pelas ruas e não se vêem muitos pela trela.
(There are cats on the streets, looking good, friendly, indulged, independent. I like it when they greet me with their proud looks or when they run to my ankle rushing for cuddling.
There are no abandoned dogs on the streets and there are hardly any dogs wearing a leash.)

Children play with their imagination. Each time I cross this park during the day all of me smiles.

Dear Novi Sad

2008-10-14T16:12:00.004+02:00

For today, only a few pictures with no words to them.
Hope you enjoy!

Wandering...

2008-10-12T23:19:00.005+02:00

Não é tão-somente a existência que faz com que sejamos senão a consciência de que somos.

The essence of oneself remains untouched while it carries on the flame of belief that one day those who care and love will understand.
The instant of reluctantly fear that bothers the peace of a heart that found quietness may tremble the earth that is holding the roots. Two hazy eyes hide behind the bush and the body finds no way to cuddle.

U redu (ok), here I am

2008-10-11T17:05:00.012+02:00

So… it’s been more than a week since I’ve landed in Srbija.

During this time I’ve been trying to absorb and filter the information, trying to understand my position, from inside out.

On the day that I arrived my conscience was too blurry, as a result of the exhaustion from departure and 5 hours of flying across Europe. It felt like Summer. I was expecting to put on the coat that I was holding in my arm since I left Lisboa as soon as I landed, but in the end I had to take off my sweater and feel as if I was still in Portugal.

My colleague and flatmate Nuno was at the airport with our “boss” Nataša. From there we passed through Sremski Karlovci where the Organisation where I’m volunteering has an Ecological Centre.

After that, we headed to Novi Sad, to Bonaca Hotel (it reads “Bonátsa), a place that rents apartments. There I slept the rest of my first day in Srbija. I slept for around 15 hours…

On the day after, there was a meeting at the office of Pokret Gorana i Volonterski Centar Vojvodine / Volunteers’ Centre of Vojvodina and Nature Conservation Movement. I got to know my colleagues, my workplace and heard some encouraging welcome words from ‘Aleks, the President.

Officially, I only started my working time 5 days after my arrival, which gave me time to have my honeymoon with the city of Novi Sad, without wondering about anything else. I’ve walked, got lost, found the way home again, met some people, made some friends, tried the food, felt the cold that arrived two days after me…

When the cold period started I felt I was back to childhood. Cold in the countries that we can say that are cold, which means in countries where people actually live with snow, gives me a special feeling of comfort. When from inside we look outside the window and we guess the cold. Then we put our coat on, under it a fluffy woollen shirt, our scarf, thick trousers and a smile of one who wants to tickle the nose with the fresh air that welcomes you outside.

The yellow, orange, brown leafs make a carpet that softens the ground and make the feet float while one slides through the alley of tall trees that lead the way. The blue sky that tells you that cold doesn’t have to mean rain, but that you should enjoy each moment of Sun, for soon enough there will be clouds. Then it will rain, then it will snow…

The weather changed a few days after that and now there’s Summer here again. I expose my skin to it, trying to suck as much energy from it as I can, for I know that in one week we will have one less hour of light, which means that at 4pm we’ll start feeling that the day is ending.

People are warm. When I’m recognized as a foreigner, I get a smile and an expression on the face that shows compassion and curiosity.

I still don’t know how to ask for things in a shop or restaurant, on a personal matter that’s where I feel that I need to evolve the most, for now.

Walking alone through Novi Sad is the thing that has been satisfying me the most so far.

On the working sphere, there have been some misunderstandings and challenges.

My expectations have not been met and as much as I can do to try to make this a rewarding volunteering experience, it will be very complicated to achieve my prior goal.

I’m putting my effort into finding alternative ways to the situation and it’s all much in the very begging to come to conclusions, so I know the most useful tool I can keep now is patience.

There is an extremely high possibility that I will end this experience earlier that planed, making it last 6 months. I’ll be giving you my feedback on this…

I’ll now leave you with some pictures I took. So far I haven’t been going out with the camera that much, but I’m sure that soon I’ll be doing it more often.

A lot of themes were not approached in this post, like my dear mentor Aleksandra, the language course, the accommodation, the Portuguese lessons that I’ve started lecturing in cooperation with Nuno and a lot more… This was just a start. Can’t give it all in one post, right?

Keep tuned, on the next episode you’ll read about the Police Trilogy, already consecrated the greatest literary success of the year 2008!...

Yours truly, with saudade no peito e alma,

~Natureza~

The view from breakfast table at the apartment, on the first morning

At Sremski Karlovci, the town where Pokret Gorana has an Ecological Centre

Novi Sad

On the right you can see a green logo. This is the entrance to the office of Pokret Gorana, my working place.

Blog title's roots

2008-08-28T00:28:00.002+02:00

Ana Teresa... A Natureza...

Going to Serbia, Novi Sad.

Danube, the river that flows...

Danu, flowing through life, death and Earth.

It is becoming.

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Natureza = Nature

Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" may refer to the general realm of various types of living plants and animals, and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects – the way that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and geology of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. It is often taken to mean the "natural environment" or wilderness – wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches, and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The Danube (In German: Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow, run", Slovak and Polish Dunaj, Hungarian Duna, Romanian Dunărea, Old Norse Duná, Turkish Tuna, ancient Greek Istros, Croatian Dunav, Serbian Дунав/Dunav, Bulgarian Дунав, Ukrainian Дунай) is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the eponymously named German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance of some 2850 km (1771 miles), passing through several Central and Eastern European capitals, before emptying into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The goddess Danu can be found under many names from Dana, Anu to her Welsh equivalent Don. She is the ancient Irish mother- goddess and was considered to be the goddess of rivers, wells, magic, prosperity, fertility (her totem animal being the mare) and wisdom as well as being a moon goddess.

By Elswet, in suite101.com