Orla's adventures II

Ciao all!!

So, it has been a week since I regaled my adventures to you! And surprisingly there have been many!

To start with, my fabulous teem and I went to the local kindergarten. It was a lovely bright , modern cosy place. There are fun and pretty pictures on the walls and the children were happy and clever not afraid of talking to new people. I have not been to a kindergarten since I was four. Looking around at this lovely place the four year old inside me was jealous. This pretty, happy kindergarten has little in common with my early education. At four I remember sitting awkwardly in a scratchy stiff uniform too big for me in a dark, huge soulless Victorian classroom. The education methods had remained the same as from those my parents had experienced. In this lovely modern kindergarten here we played games, singing songs and learnt the hokey pokey! A far cry from the miserable Presentation national school days.

EVS is all about challenges and already encountered one ! The YMCA were invited to organise an inter-cultural party with the local university students league. Were we each displayed an element of our culture.Yes . Organise. As in organise the Irish element..... It's a concept I had heard tell of but not actually witnessed, let alone done before! Each country decided to show an element of their national dances. So I, calling on my years of ceili attendance tried to remember the walls of Limerick.

However the night of the party I realised I needn't have been so nervous! I had three great volunteers from the university and they taught the party attendees the dances with passion and enthusiam! I believe a roaring success!

Bright and early on Friday morning (the night after the intercultural party) we went to a local school in a village outside of Baia Mare to introduce the concept of Photo Voice. Photo voice is a method where young people show, demonstrate and explain issues important to them in their local area through taking photos, explaining and exhibiting them. The students were very enthustic and for me it was so interesting to see what they considered positives and negitives about their community.

All in all it was a good week! I am really enjoying myself!