Goodbye

Dear readers,

Unfortunately my EVS Belgian adventure came to its end. Until this moment this blog had 1070 entries! Thank you for following me, it was my pleasure to be accompanied and to share impressions with you. This is my last post in this blog.
Dear Belgians, I will never forget how welcome I felt during living in your beautiful country.
Jullie waren mijn familie voor zes maanden. Bedankt voor al jullie glimlachende gezichten, jullie hulp en alles wat ik van jullie geleerd heb. Ik zal jullie nooit vergeten en ik zal zeker nog eens terug komen. Maar eerst zijn jullie welkom in Servie.
Dear international friends, you made my mind open to diversity of lives. I have never felt so rich as now after knowing you. Thank you for many unforgettable moments we shared. Wish to see you elsewhere again, hopefully in Serbia.

Love big like world from Maja

Useful websites about living in Belgium

Let me make an interactive post, for a change. Your suggestions about interesting things to know, see or do in Belgium are more than welcome.

I have got this document in English language "Belgium at a glance" in Inburgering, an organisation which takes care of integration of immigrants. They provide them with language and culture (orientation) courses with the aim of finding a job as soon as possible. They send a letter of invitation to each person who registers his/her presence in the municipality, which I did immediately after arriving to the country. Due to the fact I came to Belgium as a volunteer for only 6 months long period of time, I didn`t get a right to take those courses but I got an interesting book about culture, famous people, art of Belgium.

You can find and download it here: http://www.belgium.be/en/publications/publ_belgie_op_het_eerste_gezicht.jsp.

This is where I found a lot of fun: a list of festivals. There are gratis ones too:

http://www.musicinfo.be/festivalagenda/.

This is a website of the cultural center of Turnhout. It`s near and alive: http://www.warande.be/.

The theater at the sea: http://theateraanzee.be/en/.

A goat and cheese farm in the neighborhood http://www.polle.be/.

Funny pumpkin October in Kasterlee: http://www.pompoenengenootschap.be/nieuw/index.php?lang=en.

Don`t miss adventurous kayak in Kasterlee. Before you learn Dutch, ask friends for translations of this site: http://www.kempenkayaks.be/.

                                        

Kinder yoga is a great mix of yoga poses, active exercises, dancing, singing, drawing accompanied by a story for kids and parents, who get the opportunity to connect in a special spiritual way. That was a pleasure to see: kids laughing while their parents stretch their body. My dear colleague Hanne is an yoga expert now: http://www.patsja-mama.be/ .

In this Belgian organisation people will welcome new, even international, volunteers http://www.natuurenwetenschap.be/. You just have to show the interest and passion to science and nature. With dear Mr Sus and his dear colleagues I did glass engraving and spend a day in wonderful water paradise:  http://www.hidrodoe.be/. Kids (and adults) can learn a lot about water while playing games and having pleasant time. 

Belgium organizes many country and project markets where youth can get an idea about mobility and opportunities for going abroad. On this one http://www.gostrange2013.be/ in Gent, I presented Serbia and met representatives from Chine, Ecuador, Mexico, Ghana, all Europe and more. It was a great exchange of information for everyone!

Belgium is flat with the highest point at 400 m. It is in Ardennes, Vallonia. Find a map of Hoge Venen and hike through the beautiful nature. In the end , take a drink in the neighborhood - German speaking part of Belgium. What a small country, what a great diversity of languages and nature beauties. 

Weather

When you have to pack your suitcase for the period of six months and at least two seasons, you will have to think first. That is when I started my real investigation about the weather in Belgium. After I read about the average temperature in Belgium on Google, I started putting out my summer clothes. So, finally I could close my bag. :) But...
June was very nice, sunny with a bit of rain. July and August were so hot, up to 35 degrees that I even went to the nearest lake Lilse Bergen and swam. Thank God I brought the swimming suit, we all needed refreshments. So, yes, Belgium has a hot summer and you should bring your tiny summer stuff.
September started with raining every day and only 12 degrees, which was a huge difference. But still there were sunny warm days.
The real definition of the Belgian weather is that you never know how it is going to be. You have to be ready for everything: the raining (umbrella and rain coat always in your pocket although some Belgians do not wear them), wind (winter clothes) and hot sun (hat, shorts and swimming suit).

I am curious about the snow and how does the winter in Belgium look like. Anyway, it is coming soon... 

Nederlands les

Belgium is divided into 4 parts: Dutch speaking part (Flanders), French speaking part (Wallonia), German speaking part and the capital Brussels with 80% of non-Belgians residents. As an EVS volunteer I had to take a course of language and due to the fact I work in Flanders I learn Dutch. I took the intensive course which lasts almost 2 months, every week day for 2 h 45 minutes. Sometimes it was too intensive but after it I really understand the language more and I even speak Dutch. I can count, spell, present myself in details, I learnt how to fill the administrative documents (in the library, ambulance, police...), how to ask someone to go out with me, to say if I feel pain anywhere in my body, the names of the foodstuffs, right-left and other directions, days in the week, months in the year and much more...Tomorrow and the day after I have final exams and with 50% positive answers, I am getting a diploma. With it I can take another, higher level of the language course. The final exam contains: grammar, listening, writing and speaking. I am not scared about the results because we were practicing a lot and I had homework every day.
So, here is some Nederlands:
Ik woon al drie manden in Belgie.
Elke dag ga ik naar de school in Turnhout.
`s Middags werk ik met kinderen.
Ik leer graag Nederlands.

Besides learning the language I hear around me all the time, the language school was a place where I met some nice people from all over the world: Dominican Republic, Argentina, Poland, Czech Republic, Cape Verde, Morocco, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, Taiwan. My class was multilingual which forced us to use Dutch to understand each others. I found out more about Islam religion, Taiwan letters - signs, Indian food, Iranian film, the life style in Argentina, fashion in Cape Verde and more. I will miss my class, dank u allen!

Belgian food

The healthy food is made by people who cook with passion and love. That is proven so many times here in the restaurant of de Hoge Rielen by guests` words of appreciation, children`s songs and drawings for the kitchen staff. 

Belgian food is lekker (tasty)!  Smakelijk (Bon appetit)! Proost (cheers)! 

Gentse waterzooi  

              

Its name derives from the Dutch term "zooien" meaning "to boil". It is sometimes called Gentse Waterzooi which refers to the Belgian town of Ghent where it originated (Ghent is also famous by the music festival in July Gentse Feesten). The original dish is often made of fish, either freshwater or sea. 

Mosselen      

Blue mussels are filters and play a vital role in removing bacteria and toxins. It is very easy for preparation. 

Frieten (Belgian French Fries) 

Some Belgians believe that the term "French" was introduced when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I and consequently tasted Belgian fries. They supposedly called them "French", as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time. The term "French fries" was growing popular but there is also a name Vlaamse frieten or Flemish fries.

Appelmoes                                      

Apple sauce is made of peeled or unpeeled apples and a variety of spices (cinnamon...) as well as sugar or honey. It usually accompanies fries. 

Frikadellen met krieken                   

Another  Belgian dish with contrasting tastes, the saltiness of the meatballs goes great with the tangy sweetness of the sour cherries! In the past, and also today, this was/is a dish eaten at festive occasions, town fairs, family parties... It can be a desert or the main course.

Pure chocolade                           

Belgian chocolate has been the food of champions, a lure for lovers, the indulgence of the rich and later, the favorite of the masses. Over 172,000 tons of chocolate is produced per year with more than 2,000 chocolate shops throughout Belgium.

Brusselse wafels  

‘’Wafla’’ means honeycomb or cake. It is cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a characteristic size, shape and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of iron and recipe used, with over a dozen regional varieties in Belgium. 

Pintje bier (Trappist, Dubbel, Pills...) 

There are approximately 178 breweries in Belgium, ranging from international giants to microbreweries. For a beer to qualify for Trappist certification, the brewery must be in a monastery, the monks must play a role in its production and the policies and the profits from the sale must be used to support the monastery and/or social programs outside. Beers vary from the strongest 11% alcohol ones to ladies fruit taste ones with 2 %.

                                                                      Dank u Hanne Jacobs, Kevin and Google.

Differences between Serbia and Belgium

The capital of European Union Brussels is mentioned too often in Serbian media because my country wants to become a member of EU too hard. We always compare ourselves with West European countries considering them to be our ideals, teachers, leaders. But unfortunately people rarely know much about my country Serbia. Belgians usually go to have a holiday in their neighbor countries (Germany, France, Netherlands), also sometimes to Slovenia and Croatia, which are ex Yugoslavia countries just like Serbia and very close to Serbia by language, mentality, temper...

Serbia is an Eastern European country, always in between East and West civilizations. After civil war in 1990-s and NATO bombing in 1999. Serbia is nowadays finally a safe country to visit. The capital Belgrade is 2 million people city on the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube. There are opinions and marketing that Belgrade is one of the world`s top destinations by night life and parting. They say it is a city of kind people who want to help everyone, easily start communication and friendship with foreigners, like to drink traditional brandy "rakija" and in general don`t like to work as much as West Europeans.

Most of young people leave their smaller cities and villages toward bigger opportunities in the capital. So, it is not surprising that the rest of the country counts only 4-5 million other people. Majority of the population is Orthodox and write Serbian language using Cyrillic alphabet (ћирилично писмо). The weather is very hot during the summer (up to 35 and more degrees) and very cold during the winter with snow every year. 

The educational system is divided into 8 years of elementary school, 4 years of high school and later on the university with Bologna rules. Children start going to school at the age of 7 and spend first 4 years of obligatory education with one teacher. That is my job, when I get one, teaching in the first stage of education and I have to finish Master studies to be able to do it. Later on, pupils have different teachers for every subject. 

Kids can start going to kindergarten already as babies but obligatory is only one year of preschool education, when they are 6. Pupils can spend hole day in school (8-18 h) if their parents want it. There are classes half a day after which they can go home or stay in an after school club where another teacher helps them with homework and provides diverse leisure time. In Belgium, it is more common than in Serbia that kids go to kindergarten already at the age of 2,5 and spend all day having different classes. Obligatory school starts at the age of 6. They change teachers every year and go to elementary school for 6 years, after which is another 6 years period of high school education. After that is university period and teachers like me need only Bachelor degree to be able to get a job in school. 

Unfortunately, there are less kids than teachers in Serbia and unemployment of teachers is frustrating. The opposite, Belgium needs more teachers and I saw a lot of families have 3 or more kids. There is one disturbing question: how hard is it to work in international environment where some of your pupils don`t even speak Dutch or their parents don`t put enough effort to really integrate into Belgian culture. Serbian society doesn`t have numerous immigrants like Belgian, especially colored people are very rare. 

I will mention some of other differences between my country and Belgium: we learn in school the utility of selecting and recycling garbage but there are hardly anywhere containers for real usage of that knowledge. If you don`t select the garbage well in Belgium, you will pay the penalty. I saw people use solar and wind energy in Belgium, there are those special panels on the roofs of many houses and many big white windmills in passing. Bicycle riders are very respected in the traffic, there are paths for bicycles everywhere, public ones for renting, huge parking places only for bicycles, you can take your bike to the train, bus, metro. Cycling is the most popular sport, all generations do it for recreation. My colleagues even get bonus salary if they use a bicycle as a way of transportation to work. In my country all of this is just a fantasy but young fans of cycling are fighting for their rights bearing in minds what they have seen in Belgium and Netherlands. 

                                               

My free time

After 2,5 h by train from Antwerp I was in Amsterdam. Antwerp has the oldest and the most beautiful train station in Europe, you can get anywhere very fast and easy. 

Natives told me Amsterdam is European Las Vegas. So, here comes the famous citation: "What happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam." The right proof were crazy tourists wearing funny clothes and celebrating freedom in every sense. The smell of weed is all the way through the city and among tourists, businessmen, families, adults and youngsters. No taboos, no hidden desires, no fear on the streets of Amsterdam, easy going atmosphere cowers the main Dam square, more than 40 museums (Van Gog museum, Anna Frank house...), Red Light District, numerous channels with boats, colorful buildings, traffic jam with bicycle riders everywhere...

Also, I visited Cologne, one of the biggest cities in Germany. If you want to travel by car through all Europe and not to pay too much, register on this website http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de/. Simply I found drivers who want to share expenses of the ride and it took us only 2 h and 15 e from Leuven to Cologne. The world becomes a small place and impossible seems achievable when you are in West Europe.

Cologne is university city with students sitting in front of magnificent cathedral Dom and around the big artificial lake, holding barbecues. The coast of Rhine river and Old part of the city were crowded by couples because it was a weekend of gay pride in Cologne. They told me this city welcomes gay people more than others. Compared to my country, which is quite conservative about homosexual marriage and kids adoption, this was completely new reality for me.

Brussels is a big urban city with less natives than people who came from all over the world. You can see Africans, Islamic women, Asians and find their quarters with restaurants and stores. Belgium is one of the top destinations for immigrants and rare place where you can find a well paid job and plan the future. The social system helps everyone and people are very kind.

The Grand Place (Grote Markt) is breath taking, especially during the night because of the light show on buildings. Peeing boy, Botanical Park, Atomium, Belgian chocolate are some of the things you have to see and do.

Gent is a mixture of music and history. It is known by jazz and music festivals. I will mention Gentsee Festeen, a free 10 days long music festival with street art in the very center of the city. Stages with musicians from all over the world and many tourists blocks your view on a beautiful old castles, churches and monuments. The atmosphere on the festival changed my perception of Belgians as people focused on work and only work. They can also party a lot, dance, flirt and drink a lot of bier.

If you want to see different shaped skyscrapers, go to Rotterdam. I had an impression of New York because of numerous English speaking workers (in hostels, bars, shops) and a magnificent view from Erasmus bridge. A great traveler of Europe, Erasmus, was born in Rotterdam and many places and events got the name by him. 

                                      

 

Scheveningen is a seaside part of Den Haag in The Netherlands. I also visited Oostende, a city on Belgian coast of North Sea. Both beaches are sandy and huge with kids playing with dragons, paragliders, swimmers, surfers, sailers in the crystal clear water. The amazing fact is that only some meters separate the modern architecture and touristic attractions from the endless sea. Tip: don`t feed the seagulls because of the penalty up to 250 e.

Paris! What can I say about that huge and so beautiful city of very kind and artistic people? It is so bright, looks Mediterranean a bit, young people are alive, friendly and pretty. Simply, I want to go again! The best thing is it is only 3 h by car from Brussels.

Bruges is a Belgian city with the highest number of buildings from the middle ages. It is romantic, bohemian and respectful. There is an English movie called "In Brugge" which presents beauty of the city although the movie is with murders and blood, weird romance and friendship...

On arrival and mid term training

EVS volunteers usually have two training: on arrival at the beginning and mid-term at the end of their volunteering period. It means that all EVS-ers who are in the country at that moment meet to share expectations and learn from each others. I spent 5 unforgettable days in Brussels with people from: Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, France, Spain, Portugal, Estonia, Georgia, Macedonia, Croatia, Italy, Canary Islands, Slovakia and Turkey. We celebrated diversity of nations, religions, races and abilities. We exchanged contacts so we can visit each others and travel together. I have plenty of crazy funny photos of us and great tips from mid-term EVS-ers about how to take best from this experience.
Besides many interesting games for motivation or waking up, we had interactive workshops about "burning questions": integration into new society, our rights and duties, expectations, fears...The spontaneous answers came out easy after common international brainstorming. The main project of the training took place outdoor, which means that we had to work in teams on a chosen topic and try to get some answers from local people. After all, I learnt a lot during teams` presentation of projects about: protected nature in Belgium, underground touristic places in Brussels, popularity of cycling in Belgium, interculturalism in Belgian schools...My team met locals interested in the topic and the purpose of our project and they collaborated with us in an enjoyable, funny way and we didn`t have any problem doing it. 

On our last night on training it was my birthday. On midnight my new international friends turned off the lights, entered the room with a lot of tricky candles, gave me a birthday cake and they all sang a birthday song in Serbian language... then in English, Spanish, Turkish, Dutch, Slovak... It was unexpectedly easy to show love and friendship in this intercultural fortune. In the end, we are all the same. Doubtless EVS produces fascinating amount of positive energy in every group. I wish to keep this feeling as long as possible: the time is now, the world is beautiful in all its diversity, learning process is funny, people are open, the planet Earth becomes smaller and simpler... 

Mid term training took place in Den Haag, The Netherlands. There were less volunteers because some were already back home. The enthusiasm and energy were also missing compared to on arrival training. I guess we are all faced with real life now instead of hope and dreams from the beginning. I saw many of us like this reality I am talking about because there were questions about possibility of staying here more. Some of us were very determined to learn Dutch, find a job and continue living in a new interesting country. 

After long conversations about the experience in between two training and our plans for future, they organized a so called "City safari" in Rotterdam. We visited locals and get a chance to know real Rotterdam. It was special: being in a home of Iranian woman who saw her daughter after 20 years, hearing your voice and thoughts in "ether" in radio Barsa... 

The third and the last day of mid term, I cried like a baby. All I could say is "Thank you"...I will never forget this beautiful part of my youth, happy people I met, pace of learning while having adventures, transparent feelings we could almost touch. 

I envy new young EVS-ers and highly recommend this life changing opportunity. 

„Cold Belgian people“?

Before I came to Belgium some people in my country Serbia told me I shouldn`t be surprised if I find people without motivation to meet strangers. Serbians consider themselves as very warm, helpful, kind hosts. After 2 weeks spent in my „new country“, it was my birthday. I will tell you how cold my team colleagues were: they bought cakes and sang a birthday song in Dutch for me. Just like in Serbia, they kiss three times on a cheek. I found a birthday card in front of my door from Kim from kitchen. I don`t demand glory on my birthday but I usually become emotional. "In de gloria, Hip, hip, hip, hoera!" I felt welcome and loved. 

I can`t not to mention that my supervisor took me from the airport the first day and gave me a dinner at his home with his family. When I entered the door of my host organisation, everybody already knew my name and said that they were expecting me. Smiling faces are trying to support and integrate me into the system by providing detailed explanation about any of my interests and I am a very curious person.

I share apartment with Spanish guy Javi. He was here one month already when I came after long visa procedure. Even though he barely speaks English, he gentleman alike showed me all the neighborhood and practical things he had to discover by himself. He calles me Đoković, I call him Nadal, after famous Serbian and Spanish tennis players. We make jokes about our social life in forest but actually there is nothing to complain about. Sometimes I feel like a guest here: delicious meals in restaurant, entrance to every available service in the domain, my bicycle, healthy life in nature and everything free of charge. I must have been lucky.

When we finish work, all the workers go home and de Hoge Rielen stays alone with guests, housekeeper, Javi and me. Sometimes we interfere with groups playing guitars, making parties or just chatting but usually we spend time riding bicycles for hours. There are hardly ever the same paths through the domain but there is more out of it. Kevin from kitchen will show us some places that we heard about.

 We are making plans about traveling through Belgium, Netherlands, France and Germany. Everything is near here, transportation is easy- people are ready to help and offer free sits in their car for small amount, we have free days. The only obstacle is learning to save money and economize, which is one of the goals of the EVS program.

My host organization: de Hoge Rielen

De Hoge Rielen is youth center for recreation and non-formal education in a huge forest. It is a domain that welcomes more than 3000 young people and others. Most of our guests are scouts and schools, than sportsmen, families and businessmen. Here they find pure nature with a lot of rabbits, squirrels and vocal birds, wild herbs and a lot of trees that flatter your lungs. I keep saying the place has special aroma for your body and your soul. You can get your desired accommodation: in pavilions (for 8 or up to 100 people), camping grounds, hostel. You can eat delicious balanced meals in the restaurant, rent a bicycle (you will need it because the place is endless), enjoy workshops with guides or without them, have barbecue in several green places under the sky...Visit website http://www.dehogerielen.be/de-hoge-rielen or like facebook page https://www.facebook.com/deHogeRielen?fref=ts to find more about de Hoge Rielen.

The nearest bigger city is Turnhout (35 min. by bicycle or 15 min. by bus), well known city is Antwerp (1/2 h by train) and the capital Brussels is 1,5 h away by train.

My role in the organization is to help when and where they need me: sometimes in the restaurant, info service, but usually I do the workshops: cooking with herbs, the rope course, survival in nature, treasure hunting, creative painting on paper or tablets, exploring the animals, water and plants of the nature, using compass, maps...Our workshops are very detailed and organized, educative but in the same time adventurous and funny. During the summer there is a special program on Wednesday evenings with various topics: dancing, singing, competing in the tricycle race, kubb game, enjoying the rock concert. 

While doing voluntary work in de Hoge Rielen, I don`t feel that I am working, it`s more like long holiday in nature where it`s a pleasure to organize activities for kids. Besides that, I learn a lot here.  I am very focused on learning skills from my superior colleagues because I find them important for my profession as a teacher. I see here that teachers, trainers, leaders respect personality of children very much and do it very spontaneous and natural. Maybe that is why the kids are very smart and independent and they will be happy to speak English with you.

 The first language in this Flemish part of Belgium is Dutch but every generation speaks English good enough for any kind of conversation. When I hear them speaking in Dutch I hardly understand some words similar to English but I put a lot of hope in my Dutch lessons. Children usually come from Belgium and Netherlands, they speak almost the same language. Last week we had “European school” here and I had initiative in the workshop with them because they all speak English besides other European languages. It was really good to feel integrated into Belgian system of education.

About EVS (European Voluntary Service)

Dear all,

I am Maja from Serbia and I came to de Hoge Rielen on June 3th to volunteer for next 6 months. This blog is for future volunteers as well as for all people interested in my experience.

If you want to be a volunteer abroad, you should visit website http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_en.cfm. It is a program for young 18-30 years old people, sponsored by European Union in order to increase mobility of youngsters. All you have to do is write a good motivation letter. It takes several months to find sending organization in your country (many NGO, non-formal, youth organizations know and do EVS) and host organization abroad.

Start with choosing your field of interest and country in data base and apply for more than one project. If your competences and motivation meet expectations of staff in host organization, you will have a Skype interview. There are usually one or two volunteers for a project which lasts 6 months to 1 year, for long term EVS.

These facebook pages can help a lot in your process of searching EVS project in less formal way:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/10906777091/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/meetingpoint.evs/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/51839152704/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EFDCouchsurfing/

Why EVS?

Apart from getting to know other culture and language, gaining new friends and meeting your own personality more, EVS gives you a certificate at the end of the project. It is called Youth Pass and many European countries and companies recognize it as an asset to your diplomas from formal system of education. It contains 8 competences, which you have to develop through the project: 1. ability to express yourself in the mother tongue, 2. communication in a language of the country you volunteer in (my Dutch classes are included in my work time hours and paid by the program), 3. mathematics and scientific skills (you have to economize with a small amount of pocket money per a month), 4. digital skills (learning to use the latest computer programs which are used in your organisation), 5. social skills (being active and sensitive towards needs of local communities), 6. learning to learn (be aware of your learning process because you really learn a lot about yourself and the world), 7. sense of initiative and team spirit, 8. cultural awareness (integration into society and culture of your new country).
Your mentor and supervisor abroad should help you develop those competences.

https://www.youthpass.eu/en/youthpass/guide/