FLASHBACK!!!

BASKETBALL COMPETITION 

The competitiveness transcends barriers, this is what I feel in this activity. Nowadays everyone has one role, maybe teacher, maybe student, maybe volunteer... This role helps us to describe our work. But all of this changes when you start a competition, because everyone has a team and all want to win.

Is in this moment, when your role changes, we aren’t teachers, students, and volunteers, now we are part of a team  and we need to cooperate to play the best and win. The others possibly are our friends but at that time also the opponents.

It is in these moments when teamwork, cooperation, the competitiveness, know how to lose but also to win, are required because if not the activity does not make sense.

Educate leisure is an important part of education and it’s this which has been promoted in the basketball competitions, because all of us can participate and learn new things.

The activity consisted in first place of different individual competitions in which every one, alone, had to do different tasks with a basketball. And in the second time, we competed against each other with 4 different teams.

Of course we wanted to win but the important part is that finally all of us spent a very good evening and have a good memory of this activity.

A hug

CHRISTMAS  IS COMING 

When Christmas comes all of us prepare to have magic days, in every corner there is something that reminds us that these days are special.

Here I could experience different but exciting Christmas, the children convey the fantasy that made you feel that Christmas is wonderful.

All started to make Christmas decoration, we shared different evenings that helped to create a perfect Christmas atmosphere, also we  made  a Christmas dinner and others events that made me feel at home.

But the most important moment for me came when we celebrated the different Christmas parties with my class and friends. I could go to differents  parties and feel the illusion that children have, surrounded by tables full of candy, I could see the traditions  and experience perfect moments with teachers, parents, children and friends. 

A hug

 

RIGA

Travel is maybe one of the best things. As a volunteer you can discover a lot of new things in your work place but also enjoy the free time, and to travel is one thing that  we usually do.

With some volunteers we went to Riga, the Capital of the neighboring country, Latvia. During the trip we could get to know us better and discover wonderful places.

We went  on Saturday morning, early in the morning we took the bus to go to the outskirts of Panevėžys where our trip started. For almost all of us it was the first time that we were hitchhiking. Maybe this is the reason why we were quite excited :) After 10 minutes  the first car stopped, that would take us to Bauska, a village 60 kilometres from Riga. During the trip we spent a great time because the man told us a lot of things about Lithuania.

In Bauska, we continued to hitchhike, this time we also were lucky because another man stopped and would take us to Riga.

We arrived in Riga at 11:00 a.m. Trip price: 0 Litas. Experience: wonderful and unique.

After we arrived in a welcoming hostel, we started to visit the old town. We discovered many beautiful places, in the city you can find spectacular buildings, cozy corners, big parks and a lot of different activities to do.  In the city you can walk with the sound of music, because almost in every street there are musicians singing and playing their instruments.

We spent all day visiting the city and crossing multiple markets that there are on the streets.

The most special part maybe arrived at the night because we visited different pubs where we danced thanks a live music and tried the traditional drinks. Also we could sing Karaoke and feel a little bit as rock stars.

We can say that it was a trip full of new sensations and although the weather was not very good  it was a nice experience.

A hug

LAIA :) 

the kaziuko mugė

Labas visiems,

Easter is not far away anymore and with that also the traditions for that event slowly get started. Last week the so called ‘Kaziuko Mugė’ took place, a market that is traditionally happening this few weeks before Easter in Lithuania. Our ‘Panevėžio Šviesos Specialioji Ugdymo Centras’ organized its own Kaziuko Mugė in the school’s hallways. That meant a very special and lovely day for all the children and youths. Preparations started already in the first lesson when every class set up their tables for selling the crafts they did the last few weeks and months in their lessons and afternoon activities. You could find the most different things on those tables, from Easter cards over ceramic bowls to bookmarks, all self-made by the kids. How those things were sold depended on the classes themselves. Some things could be bought with paper money that every pupil got before the market really started. Some things you had to buy for real money that would be saved for the classes. The market itself got really lively when it started. Everybody was looking at what the other classes had to sell and a lot of kids were proudly showing the things they had bought. Still while the market was going on my favourite part of the event happened: the cake competition :) From every class one child brought a cake or something similar from home as a contribution for the competition, Laia and me had also baked one the day before. I think I’ve never before in my life eaten so much different cake. But I can tell you, it was all SO good :p In the end the cakes got nominations in different categories about its looks, taste and so on. Laia’s and mine got nominated for the best taste, the certificate for that is now decorating our kitchen ;)

After the cake competition the market ended pretty much. At that time two quizzes happened, one time with competitors from developmental classes and one time for the pupils from the special classes. I did not understand all the questions but I think they were pretty much all about the time around Easter and all the traditions happening then. The winners got awarded of course with a certificate and small prizes. 

 some of the proud sellers at the school's market

Laia's and my cake :p

 

Besides our school also the youth day care centre in which Leslie, Olivia, Marie and Javi work, did their own Kaziuko Mugė. We got the chance to look at it for a short time and I can tell you I was very impressed. It was the very first time that I had been to the youth day care centre so it was quite exciting for me. I met a lot of the people working there, some of them already knew my name to my surprise and some were very excited to finally meet me. I got the impression that they’re all very happy there and that they enjoy the time they spend at the day care centre. Of course we also looked at all the things they had to sell and I could have bought all of it. The people there had made so many pretty and creative things, from ceramics over decorative glasses to jewellery. In the end I could not leave without buying some things because I liked them so much. I think the youth day care centre also has to be a really good place to spend an EVS, as comfortable as I felt there immediately I can imagine that the others are really having a good time working there.

Together with Fine, Javi from the youth day care centre and Anthony, a volunteer from France who had just recently come to Panevėžys, I also went to Vilnius to look at the real Kaziuko Mugė happening there. We had been to markets in Lithuania before and I had won the impression that they’re a quite usual thing here. But the Kaziuko Mugė still sort of impressed me. It was for sure the biggest market I had seen so far in Lithuania and we ended up spending hours of time there. You could find the things that I think are pretty typical for those markets like woollen clothes, wooden cutlery and plates or homemade honey, meat, cheese and other food. But besides that there were also single stands that sold really nice and special things and again I found myself in need of buying all of it. Which I could not of course. Nevertheless we all got some nice things as presents for friends and family or simply for ourselves :) Besides the market there was also a parade happening at the Kaziuko Mugė in which a lot of traditional Lithuanian groups took part. We got to see some really impressive costumes and wagons those groups had prepared which were really nice to look at. 

at the Kaziuko Mugė in Vilnius :)

 

I really enjoyed my time at the market and also I liked experiencing this part of Lithuanian tradition. I’m curious what’ll furthermore happen around Easter here and I’m already looking forward to getting to know more of those traditions. For now I wish you all the best and a great week, I will have one, so much I can tell you. Tomorrow Fine and me will start in our Mid Term Training and I’m sure we will have A LOT to tell you about it as soon as we are back :)

Iki pasimatymo,

Monika