Project M.A.R.E.

About Italian class

Dear Sarah (o connor) and Büchli!

Since last Monday we are having Italian class here and will have for four weeks. The school is a nice old building directly at the sea. So when you have lessons at the right side of the building, you can watch the sea when you look out of the window during class. Unfortunately until now I’ve always had class at the other!

Usually I spend most time with the other 7 volunteers, not only in activities we’re involved in because of the project, but also in freetime. School is an exception, I’m in another class than the others because I’ve already learned Italian for four years in Highschool and the others just start to learn Italian here. My class is pretty small, we are just 5 people including me: One girl from Ireland, who has already visited this school in the past,

an old woman from New York who has a very strong American Accent, also the Irish girl has a strong Accent. I wonder whether my German accent is as strong as their accent; when you hear people from other nations you notice their accent very fast but you don’t hear your own accent, but I guess I have one becauseI’ve already met people here having fun when I say: Sono di TSCH – ermania. Then there is a woman from Switzerland, she studied psychology and I like her.

In breaks I like asking her questions about psychologystuff, bodylanguage..whether she analyzes people now more than before she studied it. find that to be very interesting. And there is a woman from Finland participating in the course, she reminds me of the intendant of ZWINGER 3 in Heidelberg, a theatre where I’ve made a internship once, and a bit of Bibiana Beglau: she speaks very calm but has also something hard stubborn, knowing what she wants. I think she’s smart.

So enough about people in the class-

When I sit in class I feel again like in school and remember old Italian classes by Signora Ickler and Wölfl and an assisstant teacher Alessandra Grammolini who is from Italy too. These were my favourite lessons in the past, and I like remembering it. We have class for four hours (five days a week) and two teachers a day. So the first two hours are held by one teacher and after break another teacher continues.

The first teacher Anna Flavia is what I imagine when thinking of an typical Italian woman, with much energy, very selfconfident, expressing herself and laughing a lot. Even in situations I find just a bit funny but not too much, she breaks out into big laughter. But I like these strange flashs. In her class

we also speak more often or do grammar exercises which I find to be more funny(talking) bzw. senseful(grammar) than the exercises the other teacher tells us to do, this second teacher is ok, but boring. And the exercises even more boring. Matching half an hour pictures of different kind of doctors with the fitting vocabulary is just not my thing.

But in general I enjoy school and having good old school atmosphere!

When I have break I sometimes meet the other volunteers or i try to have italian conversations with people from my class or with a guy from Hamburg and a French woman i got to know. We want to meet a day to have dinner together to practice our Italian during having a nice italian meal.

In the class of the other volunteers, there is a girl named Kate from England, she’s been at our Sangriaparty last Friday, too. She’s calm and nice, and between all these impulsive loud italian temperament ladies(not that i dont like that) – could be- ,as Karo would say, a good variety.

Ciao! Antonia

To meet 7 people from 7 different countries

My dear friend,

I write you, because I want to share my feelings from first 20 days on EVS. This EVS is great opportunity to meet people from other countries. There are people from Germany, French, Spain, Latvia, Tunisia, Jordan and me from Czech Republic.

And now we live together on one place.

Maybe we have same aim. (More or less).To share experiences, to enjoy this experience and work for Project MARE as well as we can.

You know, now I can go in each of this country and I have friend here. It’s good to have on mind, that because of other location of each other we have different roots, family, rules, culture, expectations, habits, which should be take in account in case of judgment.

Everything depends on our collaboration. Success of collaboration depends on every part of group. Each part of group (person) is unique and gives unique point of view. For understanding unique point of view we need open-mind, respect, tolerance, communication. And the most important thing, which is the most expensive commodity in the world – TIME.

I really appreciate that I have the opportunity to meet 7 people from 7 different countries. For me are human relation ships the most difficult thing in the world, so I can learn a lot!

I called this people Royal Family. For me it is! I hope i will have power to behavior to each other like people behavior to real queens, kings, princess and princes.

I wrote a lot, my friend.

With greetings,

Karolína.

Second impression: Capo di Sorrento

Dear dear friends,

I arrived in Sorrento 3 weeks ago now, can you believe it ? Time goes so fast, it’s frighten me ! I hope that I will have enought time to make all I want to do here, and there are SO MUCH things to do every day !

On thuesday the 2nd of june, it was a free day here : fiesta de la republica ! Even if all the italians around us said that their republic is not really a big deal for them, they easily enjoy the free day without work : the famous dolce vita !

So on this day,I and all the others volunteers (I forgot to tell you ? That’s it, the team is complete ! 8 volunteers from 7 differents countries, so many cultures, accents, way of life, it can not be explained by words…) we were supposed to go to Baia di Ieranto. You remember I made my first article on it ? Anyway, it was the birthday of an association very closed to the AMP, and they organised a classical concert on the baia. So it was the perfect plan for the day : enjoying music in a unusual landscape, and swimming the afternoon all together.

But we had a small problem : no bus until Nerano this day, « no autobus, feria de la republica, no lavoro ». Of course, I was the day before in the train station to ask about this bus, because some told us that we could face this problem, and my interlocutor reassured me, of course there will be bus. Anyway, I am here to enjoy the « piano piano » culture of Italy, it is a perfect example !

So to resume : 8 youngs europeans in Sorrento at 10 am, i admit that it could be worth… After walking around the smalls roads of this lovely city, we choose (thanks to some advices) to go to Capo di Sorrento. I don’t get used to the magic landscapes and spirit here : sea, mountains, vegetations, vespa, klaxon of cars, I can’t wait to fit in !

Capo di Sorrento : an old romain villa, near of the sea, with a crazy view on Sorrento, the Vesuvio of course, Napoli and Ischia. We spent our time to swing, bronze (with the first sunburn for me…) and talk. It was a perfect day all together, I really feel the strong connexion between all, even if i know them until less than 15days, this is a strange feeling.

Keep in touch for the next step ! J

Marion

[FR]

Deuxième impression : Capo di Sorrento

Mes chers amis,

Cela fait déjà 3 semaines que je suis arrivée à Sorrento, vous pouvez le croire ? Le temps passe trop vite, ça me fait peur ! J’espère que j’aurai assez de temps pour faire tout ce que je veux faire, et il y a TELLEMENT de chose à faire chaque jour !

Le mardi 2 juin ici en Italie, c’est un jour férié : jour de la République ! Même si tous les italiens autour de nous nous on fait comprendre que leur république, ce n’est pas hyper important pour eux, ils sont bien content de profiter d’une journée de repos : la fameuse Dolce Vita!

Ce jour-là, moi et les autres volontaires (j’ai oublié de vous dire ? Ca y est, l’équipe est complète ! 8 volontaires de 7 pays différents, tellement de culture, d’accent, de façon de vivre, ça ne peut pas vraiment s’expliquer) on voulait aller à la baie de Ieranto. Vous vous souvenez non ? J’ai fait mon 1er article dessus ! Enfin bref, c’était l’anniversaire d’une association très complice avec l’AMP, et pour cette occasion ils ont organisé un concert de musique classique dans la baie. On avait donc un plan parfait pour la journée : profiter de la musique dans un paysage inhabituel pour ce genre de concert, et passer l’après-midi à nager tous ensemble.

Mais on a fait face à un petit problème : pas de bus pour Nerano ce jour-là, « no autobus, feria de la republica, no lavoro ». Bien sûr, la veille j’étais allée vérifier si les bus fonctionnaient à la gare pour le lendemain, et on m’avait rassuré sur ce point. Je suis venue profiter de la culture « piano piano » italienne, me voilà servie, c’est le parfait exemple !

Pour résumer : 8 jeunes européens à Sorrento à 10h, j’admets que ça aurait pu être pire… Après s’être promenés dans les petites ruelles pittoresques de cette magnifique ville, on a choisi (grâce à quelques conseils) d’aller à Capo di Sorrento. Je n’arrive toujours pas à m’habituer à ces magnifiques paysages et cette vie italienne : mer, montagne, une végétation très diversifiés et différentes de chez moi, des vespas, les klaxons des voitures à chaque tournant, il me tarde de faire entièrement parti de ce lieu !

Capo di Sorrento : ancienne villa romaine en ruine en bord de mer, avec une vue superbe sur Sorrento, le Vesuve bien sûr, Napoli et Ischia. On a passé notre temps à nager, bronzer (avec le premier coup de soleil pour moi…) et papoter. C’était un jour parfait tous ensemble, je ressens vraiment la forte connexion entre nous même si je ne les connais que depuis moins de 15jours, c’est une sensation très étrange.

Je vous tiens au courant pour la suite !

Marion

Greetings from the busy-relaxing Sorrento

Dear Friend,

If you have ever wondered where I’ve been lost, fear no more – I am living happily in the sunstruck Sorrento Peninsula in Italy.

I won’t steal your time by making you read pages of my vain effort to describe the improbable beauty of nature and people around here but, god forgive me (^^), I cannot resist to share my excitement about our (me and my fellow volunteers) daily route with bicycles through the busy streets of Sorrento and the neighbouring towns.

I am sure that you, as me, have read of and seen in your mind’s eye the vitality of some busy seaside town in South America or the Carribean. The streets of Sorrento are very much like them but with the tidiness and wealth more charecteristic to Europe.

Pedestrians, mostly rich elders, move along leisurly while the cars and motorbikes are beeping and jostling, all trying to squeeze into the narrow roads. The buildings host an abundance of hotels, restaurants and speciality stores for the many tourists visiting this magnificent shore.The breath of the nearby Mediterrian and the swelter of the sun makes it all more colourful and intense.

Meandering with my bike between the vehicles and hustling for a space on the road and for the privilege to get going makes me feel like being part of this flow of people playing the game of life.

It is not the anxious rush and impatience of the big cities, though. Despite the buzz people seem more relaxed and less self-absorbed. Probably the vastness of the sea which is just around the corner and the mountains hanging above it all make one feel smaller. Or a less romantic but more credible explanation could be that a great part of the people are on vacation without the need to think about their daily chores.

After spending hours in this exciting but energy draining jumble it is a blessing to return to our outlying house surrouned by gardens and unwind on the terrace overlooking the busy towns on the seashore.

I hope you are doing well, and drop me a line, if you feel like.

Sincerely,

The Italian Job

Ciao amico!
I am writing to you to explain my recent absence. I am in Italy, Meta – a commune in the metropolitan city of Naples. Here for a voluntary job for 8 months with 7 likeminded animals. Surprised? Well, so am I!

My explanation starts on a Thursday evening some three weeks ago. In that particular evening I impulsively applied for a marine protection/ecotourism European voluntary service project. The following Friday I was already having a Skype interview. Not long after I was promised a place in the project. Why didn’t I say anything sooner? Doubt and uncertainty, and all of their friends where having a party in my mind. I had decided that I will only believe that I am going to Italy when I get the plane ticket.  I received the plane ticket only a couple of day’s prior departure. Departure that was a bit more than a week ago.

Here starts one of the greatest adventures in my life so far! I am in the Rome airport, where I have just gotten off the airplane. I call my mom and let her know that the plane landed when, where and how it was supposed to. Some 20 minutes later I am on a train to Rome central station. From there I take a 3 hour train ride to Naples. On my way to Naples I found it hard to keep my gaze of the ever changing landscape outside the window. Mountains after mountains. Big cities and small. Seaside and land, and so much more. When it got too dark to see anything outside, I turned my attention to what was inside – the Italians. Some moments after, I found myself having a conversation with an Italian man and his daughter. A conversation might however be an exaggeration, for we didn’t understand most of what the other side was saying. One of the last things they told me was that Naples train station is quite dangerous this late. Especially for tourists. Luckily, my next ride was just outside the station – A green WV bus. Together with it: the project coordinator and the volunteer mentor – lovely people. With them I had my first real Italian pizza and a drink. Both of which were more than fine. Oooh, the pizza. Whatever I had called pizza before lost its place in my heart. We stopped on the roadside, before our final destination. From that roadside I was able to see all of Meta together with its neighbour municipalities – Piano and Sorrento and some more. Amazing! There were fireworks somewhere on the beach and it struck me that those particular fireworks where under me. I was looking at them from above. I had probably never been so high, apart from being on a plane.
My first morning in Italy consisted of true Italian coffee and a light breakfast, and a view of the mountains, the city and the sea altogether. I have to say that it was one of the finest mornings in all of my 22 years of life. Still, I was not yet at my final destination, so we got in the car again and finished the journey to the residence of the next 8 months of my life. There I joined other volunteers that had already arrived before me. The place we live at has lemon, orange and olive trees all around, also some other trees of fruit, of whose existence I didn’t even knew. I am happy that I do now.  The first trip I had with the volunteers was to the supermarket. There we bought food for all of us for a week and a bit more. We had to divide some of the food in two parts for the guys and the girls had to live in two different houses until our planned casa was ready. However, most of the time we ate together at the same table anyway.
This is the part where I had a dream come true. We had a mountain hike. At this point already 7 of the volunteers had arrived. 6 of us + 3 Italians (our guides for the climb) took two cars and got to the starting point of the climb, which was next to one of the many small villages at the base of the mountain. I feel it important to add, that Italy is densely populated, so there is life even in some parts of the mountains. The name of the mountain we climbed will not be disclosed for I don’t remember it. The climb was everything and more of what I had ever imagined it would be. Full of trees, cliffsides, fresh water, some sheep’s with their three guard dogs and a lot of crosses (there for the people who had lost their life’s while climbing those mountain peaks). And at the top (which, I was told, was approximately 1400 meters high) we had a sandwich. Together with the view over a small bay full of yachts, on the other side, not so far away, the volcano Mount Vesuvius could be seen, with the ever so famous city of Pompeii at the base of it.I’ll make the last part of the beginning of my story short. I am alive and more than well. Intensively learning Italian language, which quite often confuses me with just how little sense it makes. The city is great. Everything is great, except the internet connection, which, come to think of it, is great. I am having my first diving lesson tomorrow! Will write to you when I can, until then salve!

Your friend,

A bit more italic version of Kristaps Zelavs