Updated on September 5, 2015
I felt like a witch: TOMATOES EVERYWHERE
Probably nobody would have still anticipated this article coming out now, but incredible things happen..Two or three weeks after the event: Here something about the pomodoro day!
Two or three weeks ago, three of us had the opportunity to, instead of working on blog or other things we work on normally, experience something different.
At Mimi&Alba’s we followed an Italian tradition and made tomato sauce. We had lots of tomatoes, a mountain of tomatoes. I’ve never seen so many tomatoes in one place. Doesn’t metter where you look at: Everything red. Some of us couldn’t look at any tomatoes the week after;)
Nevertheless it was beautiful and I like a lot the idea to buy not everything in the supermarket but to produce also by yourself.
How did we do it? I drew some pictures to Show.
The work i liked most, was to stir the boiling tomatoes in a gigantic pot on fire. I felt like being a witch.
After we went home because we thought everything would have been done, the people who kept staying at Mimi’s found another box of tomatos which we obviously overlooked.
So: Happy Birthday! Let’s celebrate the night with tomato! …the spectacle finished at 3 o‘ clock in the night.
Updated on September 18, 2016
LATVIA-ITALY: step from M.A.R.E. 2014 to 2015
Ciao tutti!
Here is one more story about last year volunteer who is coming back to visit the new team of lucky bastards (volunteers 2015).
There is three things I realized recently:
1. It’s impossible to visit Italy without adventures, even in a first day.
2. It’s impossible to visit project MARE without being ready for mad days with people who left their usual life to get lost somewhere in small Italian village.
3. And it’s totally impossible not to miss all this atmosphere of freedom and inspiration created by one crazy curly environmentalist.
According to this theorem of “the 3 impossibles” I took wrong train.
Just for the your future safety: don’t trust anyone in Napoli. Even if on the train is written SORRENTO and people told it is going there, it doesn’t mean anything. You still could find yourself in Sarno in the end of the way.
According to other points of the theorem, today we are preparing for 3 day campaign. Nothing special – just 3 days and 2 nights of sea monitoring, kayaking, snorkeling and sleeping on the rocks of Punta Campanella and Baia di Ieranto.
If we will survive I’ll write some more stories.
See you!
Valentina
Updated on September 18, 2016
Excursion in Ieranto
And finally, the day arrived. The day of the boys have been waiting for a lot of time ago! The tour in the Bay of Ieranto!
At 9:30 we were all in Nerano: Imen, Andris, Mimi, I (Joaquin), 32 small “wild animals” and some of their parents! A day full of unforgettable moments to enjoy, to go with friends to a place of dream … in general, a day full of adventures to be in compliance with the marine environment.
The descent to Ieranto was slower than usual, because we all went together and we were so many! which marked a slower pace. I went in the vanguard with more impetuous youth, Mimi and Andris took care of most of the group not to have accidents, while Imen was in the back of the team with the others.
Once in Ieranto, the faces of the boys once they saw the bay showed not only their youth but also a lot of happiness and amazement!
But before they started with the bath in the sea, the boys listened to the information on the biodiversity of Ieranto bay, thanks to Mimi. Valuable information that I am sure will be useful for them in the future. He talked about the animals that they could see in to the bay, the places where they live, etc.
Then, we split the kids into 3 groups. The first did kayak and snorkeling for an hour and a half.
While, the other two groups had carry out different activities: draw their favorite animals or marine plants, color, design a seabed and, of course, receive information from us about the animals that have drawn! It ‘a good way to learn, because it is easier for children to remember that any information relating to their intereses and who love to draw. Among the finished design and drafts we took the opportunity to eat a sandwich or take a bath, waiting for colleagues from the sea.
The anecdote of the day concerns two guys who tried to stand on the kayak and … splash! Both in water !!!! But I was close to them to turn the kayak and help them climb. The others children laughed a lot! Those in the water a bit ‘less …
The day ended with the strawberry on the cake. Paint and assemble a series of puzzles that we designed for them, that is, a turtle and a jellyfish! Really nice.
To sum up the day: 32 children, 15 parents, a blue sea, canoes darting, fish that we cuddled, a bank of anchovies, a moray eel in the cave, Liggiu bluer, a sargasso sea grass here and there, so many mullets and colorful guarracini like children who came with us in the most beautiful bay in the world!
Posted on August 25, 2015
A sea to explore
The 14th of August, we started with one of the parts of MARE project more exciting and rewarding.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WITH CHILDRENS!
The theme of the day was presentation of the park, attempting to give a little information about the marine park Punta Campanella. The young boys and girls from 5-12 years received the information.
For this session Karolina, Imen and Joaquín worked together.
We began the round of activities with the objective of meet the guys. “What is my name? What is your name? Can you write your name on a sticker and stick it on your shirt?”- A series of dynamics to try to break the ice and let us know in front of others. Once presentations made, we started to introduce … Punta Campanella Marine Park! Some of the boys who attended the meeting Proloco in the square of Massa Lubrense already took the course last year, so the elderly kids have a basic understanding and a remarkable understanding of what is a marine protected area, why it must be protected, etc.
Although we always try to provide a little more information! This part of initial presentation was the responsibility of Karolina, who displayed an acceptable Italian!.
After that I had to talk about the zoning of the park, why are there in the park three different areas with different levels of protection… Why some areas are more protected than others, etc. It was easy, a simple, but full of sense comparison between the park and a traffic light caught the attention of the boys for 3 minutes at least!!! Just what I needed. The marine park works as a traffic light. Three colors, red, green and yellow. The red zone means stop. Prohibited. The green means ok, yellow area attention! thanks Pippi’s idea the day before.
After presenting the park, we gave each child a blank map for draw areas and nominate the terms that are part of it.
For the better understand which activities are permitted or not in the diferent areas we make a game with the guys, show a series of drawings (an anchor, a kayak, a motor boat, a fisherman …) and they had to say in which area It is or is not allowed. Simple and graphic. I expect that them learn something!
To the end, Imen introduced the theme of the course of this year. The biodiversity. With a series of drawings of marine animals that the kids had to paint previously and put them in a large map of the marine park in the sea area,The finality of this is show that the sea is rich and full of animals and plants to be protected. Full of life.
Overall it was a bit chaotic afternoon, but I’m sure that some of the guys really enjoyed it and went home with new information about the park. So I am really happy.
Personally I’m happy because Marion arrived in her free day to support us and take photos, thanks Gabacha!
Next Friday will discuss biodiversity. Surely the kids enjoy the activities we have prepared for them and they will learn a lot … or something … I hope so!
Updated on August 25, 2015
Our «On arrival Training» !
On the 25th of July we went to Orte for the On Arrival Training, a formation to talk about our form of volontary : EVS (European Voluntary Service). We left the house early that day for arriving here in the afternoon.
We had lunch and after we got divided into 2 groups. We tried to get to know each others names but it was hard because of 60 people from all around Europe !
We were tired of the travel that day so we rested before dinner and after that nothing special happened because no one really knew the other. The next day early morning breakfast, and after some activities to wake up. At 9 the Italian class started I had a lovely teacher, I really enjoyed the classes. It wasn’t new information for me, but it was good to refresh my knowledge.
After the Italian class was lunch, most of the days we had pasta, but it was good. after lunch we started activities, It was okay, but intensive. After activities was the dinner, sometimes we had some activities to do after dinner but it wasn’t that long. After the dinner always begins the fun part where we all see each other and talk to each other. It was very interesting and important to know where all the other volunteers work in Italy. Now we have friends all over Italy and if we want to visit some place we surely have someone to contact there.
The fourth day we had a free afternoon so after the Italian class we went to Bagnaia, a very very beautiful place. On the 5th and the 6th day we were working on some kind of interview we need to do to met the people of Viterbo. Our topic was about the Young people in Viterbo, we went out looking for some one to ask, it was nice experience.
For me the best thing happened in this training was us meeting others. No words can explain how much fun I had in that training. I will surely miss everyone but specialy the Spanish people I met. But for sure will visit them all around italy.
We already received the first group, waiting for the others ;)
