Wesołych Świąt!

        It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… The Christmas is almost here and we are all waiting for it impatiently. Unfortunately we won’t be able to celebrate it all together because some of us are going to spend it with our family or friends who will visit us in Poland and some of us will go back to our home. However, we had a Christmas meeting with all the volunteers this week and we had so much fun. It’s been 2-3 months that we know each other but we all feel very connected like a family. It’s great to have someone who is there for you and ready to act with solidarity.

       Even though it’s the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also kind of sad for us because we are saying goodbye to some of our volunteers. Still, we are so happy that we had the chance to meet here and spent very good time together, learn a lot from each other and shared many good stories that will stay in our memories. Also we all plan to meet sometime in the future again. So, at least we know that we are not saying goodbye forever.😊

        Since I’m from Turkey and we don’t celebrate Christmas (even though the fact that Santa was actually born in Turkey), I’m very excited to see the Christmas time, all the traditions about it and the Christmas markets! I hope to experience the Christmas in Polish way in Warsaw and of course with a lot of Christmas pierogi!😋

        We as all the volunteers from 
Pultusk, wish you a merry Christmas. I hope it will bring all of you joy and happiness! Enjoy the holidays with your beloved ones.💞😍  

LOCAL ACTION

CZAS NA WYMIANĘ

A few weeks ago, we made -finally- the meeting exchange in Pułtusk: Czas na wymianę (Time to exchange). We exchanged clothes, toys and Christmas decorations.

People from Pułltusk came and participate actively in the event, while they could get nice stuff and then enjoy tea and cookies. 

This event was part of my intercultural project in Poland, due to the program Erasmus+ Key Action 2 project “Young Leaders for Social Change: Entrepreneurship through Volunteering. The idea was to exchange items people have at home, in good conditions, but they don’t use so often, so instead of throwing them away or donate them (although it’s a good idea, too), hey could exchange them and give their items a new owner. 

As you know, in the last decades, fast fashion has become very popular all over the world, although trendy clothes are very cheap, with insane prices especially on sales, it’s very easy to throw it away and buy prettier one at the same price, but this system has negative consequences for the planet and society. And the textile industry is one of the biggest polluters of water worldwide and responsible for labor exploitation in countries like Bangladesh and India, just to mention a few ones. We wanted to address this environmental problem somehow and together we came up with this idea.

We will see the impact in a few years, it’s a small initiative, but it can have a huge impact and change our lifestyle. And nowadays when we experience fiercely climate change, is necessary to change and do something about it. 

Every small action counts!

Once again, thanks to Pub/Restaurant Magdalenka for helping us to organize the event.  

Thanks to everyone who came, participated and supported us to make it happen. 

-Jennifer Soto

International Cooking

Hello everyone!

Today, we went to Zespol Szkol im. Boleslawa Prusa to have a cooking session with the students. Before the cooking, we had a presentation about our cuisine and showed them some pictures of our typical dishes. After that, we have started making groups. We were five volunteers so the class was divided into five groups. Each group had a different recipe from different countries.

First group was Tudal's, so he had two dishes from France; galettes and ratatouille. I can tell that he and his group had a lot of work to do, but they could handle it impressively! 💪

Second group was Jennifer's and she made a soup called Sopa de Frijoles from Honduras. There were platains, meat, black beans and potatoes in it and it was served with hand made tortillas which was really delicious.

Third was Cesar's group and they made Baleadas which is a typical food from Honduras. There was smashed beans, cheese, avocados and scrambled eggs in it. He said that they can eat Baleadas for breakfast lunch or dinner, so it is very common😄


Fourth group was mine-Hande- and we cooked Lahana Sarmasi which is a very popular dish in Turkey. This is basically cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and meat. In Poland, they have a very similar dish called Golabki, so the students could compare these two dishes and see the differences.

Fifth group was Marta's and they baked typical Croatioan cookies called Vanilin Kiflice. They were the fastest group but the cookies was really tasty! 😍

Finally, after everyone finished cooking, we tasted all the foods we prepared. They were all so delicious. We also learned a lot of things about different cuisines and their eating habits.

You can find the links for the recipes below! 

-Hande Ozdemir

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/26661/stuffed-cabbage-rolls/

https://cnz.to/recipes/vegetables-grains/buckwheat-galettes-recipe/

https://tasty.co/recipe/ratatouille

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/255917/honduran-baleadas/

https://hispanickitchen.com/recipes/sopa-de-frijoles-hondurena-slow-cooker-honduran-bean-soup/

https://www.chasingthedonkey.com/croatian-cooking-vanilin-kiflice-recipe-vanilla-crescent-cookies/

International Volunteers Day in Prus

Last week, we have visited Prus with Sylwia and Jennifer for the International Volunteers Day. Firstly, Sylwia had a presentation about our organisation and our activities. Also she talked about the importance of volunteering and what we gain from it.

After Sylwia, Jennifer introduced herself and her project in Helenow to the students. She had talked about her tasks as a volunteer in the project. She also mentioned what she has learned from her volunteering and what she will bring back to Sweden when she is going back home. 

Then two of the students of Prus had a presentation about volunteering at school and the importance of it. They have talked about what competences they have and what more can be done. 

After their presentation, a psychologist had talked about disabled people and she explained what disability is after having a discussion about it with the students. Then, the owner of the rehabilitation center, Osrodek Rehabilitacji Pio, had talked about their center and how they  work. She also gave information about people with disabilities. They also made students try to use a wheel chair to develop empathy with the disabled people so they could observe what kind of difficulties disabled people face in their daily lives. 

For me, it was a very fulfilling activity. We have learned a lot about the importance of volunteering, disability and the lives of disabled people. I believe that it was an awareness raising day for all. 

-Hande Ozdemir

Volunteers Day in Kindergarten

Today, we have visited Cesar's kindergarten, Przedszkole Miejskie Nr 5 to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day and International Volunteers Day. There were four different groups, so we were divided into four and prepared different activities for each group.

Me and Chien, taught them a game that we play in Turkey. They were a little shy at first but then they enjoyed the game. We sang some English songs and we decorated cookies. After that we have prepared the advent calendar with them. Everyone had great time. 😇

Tudal and Marine taught kids a traditional dance from their region, Brittany. They really liked the dance and learned it quickly. After that they have prepared flags of our countries with the help of Sylwia. 

Marta and Jennifer taught a song and a game to their group. They were too young but still they had good time together. Then, they have prepared cards for the Saint Nicholas day. 

Anna and Cesar sang songs with their group. Anna played ukulele for them and they really liked it. She sang some German songs and it was amazing. Also they have wrapped the cookies that children baked before.

It was a great they for all of us! We are looking forward to our next meeting with them. 😍



-Hande Ozdemir