Media Camp in Nasutow 2012

Media Camp was my bright point in the end of my voluntary service. I have been dreaming to participate at list one time in Media Camp before leaving. But in this case everything was different. Beline and I we were supposed to make blog workshop for teens but we know nothing about it. We were doing our best to create our workshop. But the problem was that participants were not enough and in one time Organizer decided to quit but finally they managed to make it with 12 participants.

We were there during 4 days. In this short time we create a blog. We gave them lecture about media work and we made two short movies. First was horror movie and the second “Express Yourself”. My favorite is second one cause it is good example how different people are expressing the same feelings in their own way. About horror movie when we saw it without editing it was fanny but our participant Kuba did a great job and he edited perfectly J


                                                        "Express Yourself"

"Horror" 

Interview with Michal Wojcik

During 8 months I had the hardest period in January: I could not work… everything seemed for me very bad. I didn’t want to go to Foundation but I forced to go to work and exactly the same day Magda proposed us to make live broadcast with Michal who is director of Youth4Media Network association and I was supposed to be a journalist. I started crying and saying that I cannot do that, I’m not ready to make online broadcast but they made me to do it and now I’m very happy and satisfied that finally I agreed. Here is the result:

"Welcome" video post card for Croatia!

Croatia has been given to become a member of the European Union and is going to join in 2013.
That's why our foundation "European Meeting Center" proposed us (EVS volunteers) to make a welcome movie for Croatia to encourage and support them with our movie...
Here you go :)

My residency and traveling in Europe

This year I started my European Voluntary Service in Poland. In advance everything seemed for me very easy, but first trouble started already in Polish embassy in Georgia. I needed to collect a lot of documents for visa and I changed my photo several times because the consul didn’t like it. Finally I got the visa but it was quite difficult . The visa was only for Poland and it was valid for 3 months. After first month of being in Poland I started again to collect documents to apply for residence card. This card gave me right to travel legally in Shengen zone. To make this card it takes long time, dealing with papers and documents and is as well expensive. I can say big thank you for my foundation because they paid for that.

My first travels were to Germany, Netherlands and Belgium for youth exchanges. Certainly there was no problem, because in Europe the borders are totally open, so it’s easy to travel across the Shengon zone when you have residence card.

My next trip was to Great Britain but in this case it was quite complicated and absolutely different. United Kingdom as you know is part of Europe but it’s not in Shengen zone, that’s why I had to go to Warsaw for visa two times. When they were checking my documents in airport and especially when they realized that I am Georgian they questioned me a lot. They were checking my passport and visa validity for long time. When I was already in Stansted airport in UK, they stopped me because I needed to go to special gate which was for non-european citizens. Because I am from Georgia, I had to fill in a special form. As well they needed all kind of information – why I was going to London? How long? Where I was staying and who was in charge of me in London. I was thinking how unfair life was, when my friends were checked in two minutes, because they are from Europe.

I think it is a very big problem for countries which are not in European Union. It means that we don’t have many opportunities to travel. It is very expensive to make a visa and after at the border they are treating you like a “criminal”.

What do you think about this issue? Now we can solve this problem? May be there is solution without being in European Union?

Now I wish, I could be equal to travel across whole Europe without visa.

Local initiatives in Poniatowa

Our work in foundation is divided into three parts. First and main is Media work, second youth work and third local initiatives. That’s why one day Eliza proposed us to go to Poniatowa in primary school and to make our national days for children. We agreed and it was super time for us. We went to Poniatowa three times. First time it was Georgian day, second Estonian and third French. We needed to find some kind of famous stories for children and read in our native languages. My mom helped me to find a very simple story exactly for little children with deep meaning. The name of the story was “The Kind Friends”. As always from the children was coming positive energy. We were special guests for them. In the end of our meetings they were asking some questions, for example: how many times we were traveling by plainJ. They were very exiting from us.

The Vice-director of the school was very nice. She made for us some trips to Kazimierz Dolny and in Nalenczow for spa. It was very good time which we spend with her in Poniatowa.

Economic Forum of Young Leaders 2011

The economic forum of young leaders is a meeting point for young people from 42 European countries. The main purpose of the Forum is to discuss and reflect on the essential problems and challenges faced by Europe, particularly those relating to the role of the young generation in the modern world.

This year I was for first time in Economic Forum of young leaders in Nowy Sącz. It was great experience for me. There were people from 42 countries and as well from Georgia J Economic Forum was taking place in South of Poland near mountains. Before this project would start we were learning step by step media skills. During the day from 9am till 7pm we were working with professionals from Poland and from Germany. In Economic forum I met Georgian girls Natia and Nina. It was very good feeling when you are far from your country and you will meet somebody who speaks in your languages, has the same culture and country. By the way there I met Giorgi Baramidze who is Vice-Prime Minister of Georgia.

In this forum I learnt a lot and we were helping them as much as we could. The best feeling was when everything was finished cause we did a great job J

Festival "Sztukmistrze"

Working with media team started in July during “Sztukmistrze: festival in Lublin. It was first time when I needed to record and make some interviews in my life. That’s why I was quite exiting and in the same time afraid. During these days we were attending and recording almost all performances.  It was really huge pleasure for me to work with media.

Artists of this kind of festivals are coming from different countries and they are trying much to give good show. 

I remembered one day it was raining without stopping but still we were working whole day. It was very good time for us J

First Day in Poland

Everything started in 3d of June, when I came in Poland (Lublin) as a EVS volunteer.

I arrived in Warsaw airport at 7am and with me Beline from France was coming but her flight was a bit later and I was waiting during 3 hours for her. It was better for us to go together in Lublin. We were quite exiting about new culture, new country and place, where we were going to live during 9 months. When Beline and I met each other it was quite funny because Beline told me that she would wear purple hat but she didn’t but we found each other somehow. Our firs communication was terrible, none of us knew English normally, so we were speaking with body language J.

After we went to Warszawa Centralna to take train to Lublin. It took 3 hours, but for me in total more than 10 hours, but still with this tiring journey I was happy to see my new house and people with whom I was going to live.

The first impression of home it was impressive with beautiful garden and with good location but honestly I was in a hurry to see third volunteer girl Paula from Estonia, she was coming 1day later.

Later Beline and I with Polish local volunteers and with Jacek we went some restaurant, where we tasted polish food for first time. I ordered “Pierogi “ it was very tasty. We had a very good impression about Polish food from the beginning J.

After restaurant we were visiting city and we made first pictures in Lublin…