Tack vare Booster fick vi i maj i år möjlighet att sticka iväg för att arbeta som volontärer i Indien. Det är en resa som hitintills har gett oss många erfarenheter och upplevelser och vi kan starkt rekommendera andra som är intresserade av att arbeta som volontärer att besöka ungdomsstyrelsens hemsida, för att få mer information om europeisk volontärtjänst.

Vår organisation har sitt huvudkontor i 6 miljonersstaden Hyderabad och det är därifrån som vi utgår. I skrivandets stund är Jesper involverad i ett biogasprojekt, där organiskt hushållsavfall ska omvandlas till energi och skapar nu kontakter med olika företag som kan involveras för att bygga det. Maria skriver nya texter till organisationens hemsida, som senast uppdaterades 2006….

Vi har funnit oss väl tillrätta i en egen lägenhet på gångavstånd från jobbet. Nu är det gasspis som gäller, snabbduschar i kallt vatten och myggnät över sängen för att hålla envisa myggor på avstånd. Men vi trivs! På fritiden tränar vi, umgås med indier och passar på att vara turister. Vi kan konstatera att så här långt, saknar vi inte Sverige. Särskilt inte nu när temperaturen här börjar gå ner mot mer behagliga 25 grader.

Hälsningar

Maria och Jesper

Postad: 2009-10-14 i Booster, EVS.
Kommentarer: inga

Hejsan!

Jag heter Serap Caliskan , volunteer from Turkey, a 24 years old.

Firstly I want to say sorry, because of my English is not good. Hopefully everybody can understand me. I studied mathematics and Computer science .

This not first impression in Sweden, I lived here for an exchange student between 2007- 2008. My second impression started with EVS in Sweden. My EVS story has actually a little bit strange story. Around 25th august 2008 I got information about EVS and Natverket SIP. Then I found myself in the Natverket SIP volunteers:)

Firstly everything came to me so confused because the EVS deadline was the 1st September I haven’t got any sending organization (ı found in internet my sending organization and I was so new in the EVS:) . But Stefan and Sofie help me so much for the applying time. They behavior was so friendly and polite to me. That’s why ı came back Sweden.

The other hand I was lucky from the other volunteer. I was know where ı will work and with who. I already lived in Sweden for one year I know lots of information about it.

This time it will be different most of time ı will work Swedish people, it will be useful for learn Swedish culture more, share our ideas and get an experience. Also I will get some information how is working life going on and with the different people and different culture. It seems so nice and a little bit embarrassing.

My EVS project have started on January, I had visa problem that’s why ı am starting to project late.

Finally I came on Friday, my travel was fatiguing because of my luggage was the so heavy.

After all I was really lucky person lots of people help me from airport to until Vaxjo. Specially one Swedish teacher help me so much she carried my luggage all of travel. I hope ı can see her again.

Then around 9 p.m I came Vaxjo ( I can say my home) I already know Sweden but I was a little bit nervous ı felt lots of emotion same time . cuz ı remember all of my memory in here . Also ı was completely so tired. Then I heard one sound somebody was calling my name “serap” behind of me. They were a Stefan and Maurice. I really got so happy. I felt like ı found my relatives.:)

After that we went Grimslov . Stefan drove us. I observed Grimslov , it looks nice ,so silent ı think it’s nice to hear to your body and for the sleep. People are so enjoyfull ı like them. Sometimes they are organizing some outdoor.

My life style will be like Swedish – Turkish and a little bit German in here. I am trying to be adopted again to Swedish culture, specially food.

Now ı am in Natverket SIP this my first day and ı am making my tasks.

People are so warm and helpful, ı think we will make a together good projects. Today just ı meet people and ı got some information about themselves and I observed how is my working place where is equipments for the work etc.

I want to say “thank you”Stefan, my mentor Sofie and Maurice(volunteer from Germany)

Soon I will write more what ı do? What ı did? What will ı do?

Just follow me from our blog;)

Hejdo , Vises snart

Kramm

Serap

Postad: 2009-03-23 i EVS.
Kommentarer: inga

Incoming report from the battlefield:

The ground is shaking. Flying creatures chasing us trough large valleys and firespitting environments. The burning air, the gently falling ashes. Every breath hurts and every step is a step into a doubtful unknown future. Angels with ripped wings falling from heaven. Their blood rains down onto the boiling mud, and paints it’s monochrome inevitability on everyone who is still alive. The far yellow storm showed up on the horizon, it announces a new stage of slaughter. I take a short glimpse back, through the impenetrable curtain of falling ashes and broken wings...  We have lost our whole defending barrier. A sword cuts the air narrow air nearby with a highly singing tone. A few millimeters to the left and… no don’t think about that now… run! Just run!

There were more of those flying things appearing ahead and from the left and the right more and more creatures popping out of the earthy ground. One uglier and stranger than the other.

I turn sharply and run towards the only free escaping gap. But to late… I’am surrounded. As the black mighty gaping ball lifts itself highly in the air, first slow, then faster and faster. I know instantly that it was only to crush even more powerful back on the dirty ground again… and it did.

I see numbers flying while all the creatures were disappearing in pain… Wait, numbers??? Yeah well to explain that I have to get a bit back in time.

[flurring sound]

Well you might have heard the wildest stories about what happens at SIP. But be assured, there is nothing strange going on. Well, at least not in the daytime.

But seriously… The lunchtime is when all members, students and staff will come together to celebrate that they have made it through the half of the day… and of course to eat something.

This expresses in many different ways, but mostly it is the one…

When a few cardgame addicted people show up, it will be a battle about life and death. A warzone on the Kitchentable. They smashing cards with enormous power and scream their skills, points and blocks against their opponents.

This is what we know since the old times… bread and games. It still works today.

By the way: You may have noticed… It’s all about Magic the Gathering - The Card Game.

over and out

Maurice

Postad: 2009-03-09 i EVS, Nätverket SIP, Uncategorized.
Kommentarer: inga

A little late comes my report about the Kulturnatten. But better late than never.

It was the 31th of January. It was cold and I smashed myself against the biting storm and his down-coming little helpers. I went straight ahead to the well rekognizable street where the library is located. But that was not my goal… not now.

When I opened the door of the white building, an artful atmosphere was swinging around and it moves the people… room to room, stimulated and busy. Videoinstallations, iGhandi, calm Theater Backstage Film, Shit-Documentary Photos, Installations. Its was truly the Konsthallen.

Videoprojects, on the walls and in dark pure rooms. But the mainevent, waited for… curiously, hadn’t started yet. Tons of  cables, wires and uncovered electronical devices were lying on a table. Two masters of that mass behind that, intellectuals - no doubt. Table of chaos, table of fortune.

Then the show started. Noise over noise, shaked us, like waves they overcome us and a few people were escaping. Others were still sitting, trying hard to resist those scratching variable noises, that overlapped and harmonizes at the same time, just to find out if there will be any real music behind that. But no mercy… the intellectuals are going on. One was pushing and tuning and pulling those uncovered switches, the other one was singing, no, he was speaking, unforgettable swedish sentences in an old microphone, that sounds like they found it on a junkyard. But it was all planned. The “singer” was laughing while the people fled. Higher and higher the stormy ocean grew.

The waves were hitting us harder and harder. And when the 5th wave overcomes me, I can’t resist any longer. I joined the crowd that visited that event from the distance. They had reached their goal. The dadaistic electronical way.

Get the experience: Reality disturbed [click]

Over and out

Maurice

Postad: 2009-02-12 i EVS, Nätverket SIP, Volontär.
Kommentarer: inga

Greetings,

this time I don’t want to tell you was had happened so far. This time I want to tell you about a thing that is Art, Sport and Fun at the same time. Its all about Falling. Falling? Sounds dangerous… but it isn’t, at least if you are careful. I founded it spontaneously 3 ½ years ago in Prenzlauer Berg, a romantic and lively district of Berlin.

So what it is about? As you can see on the pictures, it is about people who are falling down stairs. But they are not really falling. It is just the ending position they are going to do for the camera. They just pretend to falling. So it is up to you to create interessting falling moves or positions. Originally it was crated as a one-man show. Means that only one person is falling. But Falling developed and so there are many subcategories today. And everyone is invited to develope it further.

There are several rules you have to follow, but there is also space to develope falling by yourself. You can check them and a lot of other stuff at: www.derweissesprinter.de/Falling_Portal.html

The goal of falling is always an experience. You may notice that there are different kinds of experiences, while performing Falling.

First one is the experience with the society. This happens, when you perform Falling at public places, when you may disturb or at least get the attention of people.

The second one is the experience with Nature/Enviroment. This happens when you are falling at places besides the everyday life. For example a wooden stair in the Forrest. It could be also in a city, but maybe at places where the nature rules the artificial constructs. This experience may not sound that spectacula, because you my get no direct feedback like in the experience with the societey. But this experience is very important. It leads you to the next experience and maybe to yourself in a way.

The third experience is the experience itself, with yourself. You could say that there is kind of a way, from the 1^st to the 3^rd experience. It starts with the view on the outer world and it ends with a view into yourself. There is no order, how to put the experiences when you are going to falling. It’s not about planning. Its just about doing and listening.

Beside that, Falling is a lot of fun. Especially when you doing it in groups, called „Mass Falling“. It is also art, because you set the performance on your own. You decide, how you fall and where the camera is situated, and you choose the location. Finally, it can also be sport. If you decide, like I do when I performed Falling the first time, to set the camera at the ground and run 5 meters to the next stairs and then 2 levels up. And that in 10 seconds. It can be exhausting ;-)

So run free and develope falling, yourself, and the society through your actions. You are welcome to send those pictures you take to me, I will present them then on the Falling Portal. I hope we see us on the stairs.

over and out

Maurice

Postad: 2009-02-04 i EVS, Nätverket SIP, Volontär.
Kommentarer: inga

…it was allready dark when I arrived one day earlier at the Hotel Lidingö.

As the next day was born, and we were all complete and introduced to each other, I felt, that we are a good group.

We were only seven, but maybe its better to have a smaller group. Better for the group-feeling.There was Stijn from the Netherlands, Andrea from Austria, Ann-Kritsin from Norway, Heili from Estonia, Anil from Tukey and Juan from Spain.

The first day we were doing outdoor activities with our project leader Daniel. We had to balance on an ironcable which was maybe 50cm above the ground. It was difficult but we mastered the task to get all together on that cable and go as far as we can. These things were fun, but they transported always important messages or expierences.

We have to act as a group to solve the tasks. After the tasks we reflected with Daniel how it was working and why it worked. In these things you are able to see behind the surfarce of the shallow expression “group-tasks”. You see the difficulties that may come up, and maybe how to avoid them. And it shows also that there are always different views about the efficiency you can’t easily said that this way it is completely wrong and the other way it is right.

After the outdoor tasks we had the day off. So we were in Stockholm, we were young and we had freetime. And you know what that means…. PARTY!

We were every single day out. It was great. The first day we were out in two bars in the old city of Stockholm. A really beautifull district. We were playing truth or dare in an old irish pub, it was fun.

The second day we went to the National Agency to get information about the EVS in genreal. So we had much time after that to discover the city. In the evening, we were of course out in the bars in the old city. Awesome and beautifull district.

The third day was very special because everone was looking forward to it. It was all because of the High-Robes course. There were iron cables and robes maybe five to seven meters up in the trees. It was like a pacour. All in all 3 stations with different challenges. We get all an introduction, how to lay on the security belts and all that stuff. Then we were splited into pairs. While one is balancing up in the trees, trying to figure out the best strategy how to get to next tree and the next challenge, the other one on the ground has to support him and talk to him. It was a good expierence, but I was a bit angry about myself, cause I didn’t tried all. I know that I could do this better or more couragely.

Of course we were also out on this evening too. Again in the old city… where else? Did I mentioned that this is a really, awesome, nice and beautiful district? This time we played “I never ever have…” Thats an evil game, I can tell you that.

The last day we have again some outdoor activities. It was again, much fun and great teamwork. Daniel said that we were the best group in his whole fifteen years lasting career, because of the way we solve tasks and also the speed we do that.

So whats the conclusion?

The on-arrival training is very important. Much more than the departure training, I think. You will meet people who comes from different countries, all with the same goal… to be a volunteer in the country you chose. When you get to know each other, during the tasks and also in the freetime, you will recognize that there are the same fears and the same hopes in a way.

It makes you feel more connected… you are not alone. This are the first steps into anew period, that maybe change things or you. Be aware of that.

As the sun scattered their new and warm rays onto our hopeful colored glances, pointing an unknown unknown future, one by one left… knowing that we were a strong group and that we will not be forgotten among each other that soon.

Over and out

Maurice

Postad: 2009-01-27 i EVS, Nätverket SIP, Volontär.
Kommentarer: inga

Hej alla

I’m Maurice, a 28 years old volunteer from Germany. And this is the story of my arrival and my first impressions… so beware! ;)

It’s true… I finally did it… that were my thoughts when I arrived late in Växjö with the train.

All in all the weather was milder than I expected. As I stepped out of the train with all my luggage, it was a bit frightening, now there was no turning back. Lelya from Nätverket SIP and Idriss, a jordan student catches me from the station.

They brought me to Idriss home, where I should live for the next time until the student houses in Grimslöv (a town, 25km from Växjo) will open.

In the next days, Idriss and Leyla showed me around in Växjö. It was very nice to have this support in the first days. In the first night at Idriss home, I got a bit paniced. Cause of all the new things that were bursting onto me, and a certain fear… the unknown… that is crawling around me, just waiting to bite. But the next day I felt much better, and this fear decreases day by day.

The next day, I went a bit around and entered a supermarket… the ICA. I was curious about the food here. But when I saw the prices, I was instantly very shy to buy something. It was mostly doubled, compared to the prices in Germany. I bought some little things… nothing expensive and went to the checkout.

When I payed with paper-money, I waited for the change, but the women behind the desk just stared at me, waiting for something. I didn’t get it. Then she pointed on that small machine besides me and I recognized, that this must be some strange kind of a pay/change system. Well that was embarrassing.

On Monday the 12^th of January I was with Leyla, visiting the office at Nätverket SIP. My first impression was, what a nice relaxing place. It doesn’t look and feel like an ordinary office, or something that comes directly into your mind when you hear, or think about that word. It is a open place, free to let your mind go on. There are two main areas.

The one on the left-hand side, which is the working-office and the one right-handed, which is called kaosroom (it doesn’t looks like chaos ;)). A very comfortable, chilly room with couches and large windows. This room is also used for the students to learn. Its not just a room for the pauses. These ones where mainly held in the kitchen, between these two rooms.

On the same day I went to Stockholm for the On-Arrival Training. It is a duty for all volunteers to visit a training like this. But more about Stockholm in the next entry. ;)

When I came back, I stayed again the whole weekend at Idriss flat. I catched a little cold in Stockholm (must  be caused of the parties ;)), so thats why I didn’t go out on the weekend as I original wanted to. Idriss and I spoke a lot about the swedish people and different cultures. I think I’m not long enough here to judge on my own if the cliches or things they say about themself, are true.

But all in all, I can say that swedish people seem to me very polite and friendly. Maybe an influence from the general more social model in sweden which melted into the peoples attitude.

However… Yesterday was my first day at Nätverket SIP, and Stefan (Mastermind of Nätverket SIP) introduced me to everything. Later on, I arrived at Grimslöv, where Stefan drove me to. It is a very small town. Compared to Stockholm you can say that you were living in the forest. The next ICA supermarket is about 2km - 2,5km away. But my first impression is good.

There are about 75 Students who live and study there at the Folkhögskola. The only thing I have to get used to is, that the toilets and the showers are on the floor.The Students there spend their freetime together in their rooms, by singing in a choir, or doing some sport-activities, like gym or badminton, and many other things.

So there are a lot of opportunities for me to get somehow involved.

Now this is my second day at Nätverket SIP and to write this Blog is one of my tasks in the beginning. I was a bit afraid that maybe I can’t fulfill the expectations.

That’s one of the major fears among volunteers. But the people in this project are really caring. I have received a list of tasks but I’m mostly free in the order and also in the way I do it.

So there is a lot of room to bring in yourself.

I think Nätverket SIP is a very special and unique place, where your advantages and skills can really make a difference. Because they work with them. Active and directly.

Stay tuned for the next entrys in this Blog.
Over and out…
Maurice

Postad: 2009-01-20 i EVS, Nätverket SIP, Volontär.
Kommentarer: inga

Nätverket SIP med projektet Samhällsentreprenörer söker 2-3 volontärer från Europa. Vi söker personer som är mediainriktade, som kan tala bra engelska och som vill arbeta under 6-12 månader inom ramen att stödja studenter som verkar som samhällsentreprenörer. För mer information så kontakta Stefan Johansson på Nätverket SIP.
/Stefan

Postad: 2008-06-21 i EVS, Jobbtips!, Nätverket SIP, Samhällsentreprenörer, Tips!, Volontär.
Kommentarer: inga

I Nätverket SIP och inom Samhällsentreprenörer har vi börjat undersöka möjligheterna att ta emot nya volontärer. Vi tänker oss två eller tre stycken som framförallt ska arbeta med Samhällsentreprenörsutbildningen. Samverkan kommer förmodligen att ske med Växjö kommun och Grimslövs folkhögskola.

Stefan Johansson

Postad: 2008-06-10 i EVS, Projektor, Samhällsentreprenörer, Volontär.
Kommentarer: inga

Rupert Pessl (everybody calls him Rupi) grew up on a mountain in southeast Austria. He was the first volunteer that Nätverket SIP approved and he ended up spending one year at SIP in Växjö.

He arrived in Sweden in the summer of 2006 and went, during his year, from being tourist to mentor to mentoring SIP’s second group of volunteers.

What did you do at Nätverket SIP?
- I worked with movies, photos and all Mac related stuff. Including telling people how great Macs are!

What are you up to now?
- I have founded the Mac Kindergarten, a website containing tutorials and how-tos for Mac Starters. See for yourself, www.mackindergarten.com.

What is your strongest memory from Sweden?
- The sun dawns and the girls, so beautiful.

What tips do you have for others that want to make EVS? What is a must when you are in Sweden?
- Eat lösgodis, fish and julknäcke, see sun dawns, enjoy the peace in the nature and the possibility to take a swim almost everywhere and make good friends.

Postad: 2008-03-26 i EVS, Nätverket SIP, Tips!, Volontär.
Kommentarer: inga