Pre-Easter Week (14-18th of April)

Spring has definitely arrived and not just because Easter holiday was just around the corner. This week was to be slightly shorter than usual becuase friday was a free day thanks to Easter.

On Monday, JACis had a special visitor, a friend of Luci from Bulgaria, who is currently doing her EVS in Hungary. Her name is Slovena and she stayed with us for 2 days.

On Tuesday, Pilar joined myself and Giorgi and prepared a very nice presentation about her home country Spain, which lasted over an hour. Full of many colourful pictures, I have to admit that it was the best country presentation so far.

Wednesday marked the beginning of new weekly activity. Since the weather outside is getting increasingly nice and sunny, time has come to introduce weekly football matches for everyone willing to kick the ball. With almost 20 participants, it was far from easy to score a goal, but it was all the more fun. In the end it did not even matter who won as everyone was super happy (and in my case super tired, too).

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After spending more than 2 hours on the pitch everyone was naturally hungry and thirsty, thus a slightly postponed presentation of spanish easter cuisine was more than appreciated. Unfortunately by the time we assembled the camera into photo mode, most of the food was already gone. Thus you just have to take our word for it. And it was delisious, too.

Thursday was our last day before Easter holiday and so a perfect opportunity to share how egges are being coloured in Latvia. A lot of onion skin and ever more eggs... everybody got a chance to do at least one on their own.

This day was all the more special, because our it was our dear Katjas birthday, too. Unfortunately we were unable to celebrate it with her as she was on vacation for the whole past week. But we still found a way how to let her know that we remembered.

At the end of the day, we all went to JORIK theatre to take part in country presentations of Russia and Spain wy their EVS volunteers Nastja and Kike. And it was great!

Happy Birthday, Katja!

Happy birthday Katja!
We wish you you new year to be even better than the last, filled with new excitingexperiences and emotions.
We hope that you will always be that cheerfull person that enjoys the life to it fullest.
You are loved in JACis!

7-11 April

                                        

On April 7, Pilar and I were in JACis. Prokop and Lucia were traveling abroad. Procopius was in Milan and Lucy was in Moscow, which is my dream city.

Pilar and I have done Miniatures plates with children. This was a very interesting and lengthy process, but the children liked it very much.

On Wednesday, I did Shaski tournament, in which 15 participants took part in the challenging. The participants were young, kids and my friends Prokop Teper. Our International Championships was tense and exciting. Several players played very well. Anriki Akmentinjsh took first place, second place - Renars Susejs , third place - Nikita Nazarov. The winners were awarded medals, diplomas and prizes. Also, all the participants were given certificates.

On Friday, conducted pilarma Computer Quizzes, which proceeded successfully. Participants were interested in how to make a collage of pictures in their blog posts. Now I want to try to do a lesson and teach computer architecture and show some interesting applications.

On Saturday, JACis officials initiative to  held a charity excursion to anchupan, where both of European volunteers and local younger took part in the charity trip.

First of all, we anchupanis Clean Up the nearby area. Then we set up fun activities for the children and took a video clip. I can not describe it with the word and offer you a short video clip.

Your George J

Holidays, Birthday, workshop and more activities!! (31st of March - 4th of April)

El lunes, 31 de Marzo, fue mi cumpleaños (Pilar) y fue un día realmente especial :) :) :)
Desafortunadamente, Giorgi, Prokop y Lyudmila no estuvieron en Rezekne porque estaban viajando.
Fue la primera vez que celebraba mi cumpleaños viviendo en el extranjero, ¡Pero yo me sentí como en casa! En JACis, Katja, Vija, voluntarios locales y los niños prepararon para mi una bonita fiesta :D .Me dieron muchos regalos y buenos deseos. Además, quisieron conocer más sobre mi, así que ellos prepararon papeles de colores con preguntas en Ruso, así que las leí y las contesté :)
Luego, comimos un gran pastel que estaba muy rico, y lleno de velas... una de ellas era musical :D
¡¡¡Muchas gracias por este día!!!

On Monday, 31st of March, it was my birthday (Pilar) and it was a day really, really special :) :) :) Unfortunately, Giorgi, Prokop and Lyudmila weren't in Rezekne because they were travelling.
It was the first time that I celebrated my birthday living abroad, but I felt like at home! In JACis, Katja, Vija, local volunteers and kids prepare for me a nice party :D They gave to me a lot of presents and good wishes. Moreover, they wanted to know more about me, so they prepared colorful papers with questions in Russian, so I read and answer them :)
Then, we ate a big cake which was really tasty, full of candles and one of them with music :D
Thank you very much for this day!!!


El martes, Sonora, una creativa niña quien viene muy a menudo a JACis, hizo un bonito e innovador bote para lapices :)) Para hacer la manualidad, utilizamos rollos de cartón reciclados, papel de colores, abalorios, limpia pipas... Y este es el resultado final :D

On tuesday, Sonora, a creative kid who come frecuently to JACis, made a beautiful and innovative pencil pot :)) For making the craft, she used recycled carton rolls, paper colors, beads, pipe cleaners... And this is the final result :D


El 2 de Abril, yo y Giorgi fuimos a Zeimuls porque estudiantes Erasmus, de Turquia, prepararon una tarde cultural sobre su pais. Nosotros asistimos al evento junto con otros voluntarios SVE y estudiantes Erasmus. Ellos cocinaron tipica comida Turca: Kısır.
La comida estaba deliciosa, para mi gusto un poco picante, pero es que la cocina de Turquia, entre otras cosas, se caracteriza por el uso de especias (Cilantro, azafran, alcaravea, menta, pimienta aleppo,etc)
Despues, ellos hicieron una presentacion con informacion sobre la historia, principales lugares para visitar, eventos culturales, y nos ensenaron unas bonitas fotos de diferentes ciudades de Turquia.
(Fotos por Ruta Ivone)

On 2nd of April, me and Giorgi went to Zeilmus because Erasmus students, from Turkey, prepared cultural evening about their country. We attended the event with others EVS volunteers and Erasmus students. They cooked typical Turkish food: Kısır
The food was delicious, for me taste a bit spicy, but the Turkey's cuisine, among other things, is characterized by the use of spices (Cilantro, saffron, caraway, mint, aleppo pepper, etc).
And then, they made a presentation with information about the history, main places to visit, cultural events, and they showed us a beautiful pictures of diferent cities of Turkey.
(Photos by: Ruta Ivone)

El jueves, fue un día de cocina. ¡Cocinamos tortilla de patata!! Es una tipica comida Española, yo creo que  conocida en el mundo entero :D .Giorgi, Gülüş, y los niños de JACis estuvieron interesados en conocer cómo cocinar este plato. Me dijeron que la tortilla estuvo deliciosa,  y yo también lo creo :)) La tortilla puede ser servida como plato principal o, debido a que esta muy rica servida en frío, es una excelente comida para picnic :D

On Thursday, it was a cooking day. We cooked potato omelette!! It is a typical Spanish food, I think knowed around the world :D .Giorgi, Gülüş , and kids in JACis were interested in knowing how to cook this dish. They told me that the omelette was delicious, and also, I think so :))
Omelette can be served as a main course or, because it is good served cold, it makes excellent picnic food :D

 Y....aqui la receta! En caso de que quieras cocinar Tortilla y compartir la receta :D
And...here the recipe! In case you want to cook omelette and share the recipe :D

Monica Galan Ilustracion

Tortilla (Spanish omelette)

Ingredientes / Ingredients:
(Para una tortilla grande / For a big omelette)

1 kilo patatas / 1 kilo potatoes

1/4 cebolla / 1/4 onion

6 huevos grandes / 6 large eggs

Una pizca de sal / A pinch of salt
Aceite de oliva y girasol / Olive and sunflower oil
(You can add vegetables like pepper, zucchini, etc; and also meat, ham, bacon, tuna...)

Preparación / Preparation:

1. En un bol o colador, pela las patatas y córtalas en rodajas finas. Haz lo mismo con la cebolla, verduras, jamón, etc. / In a bowl or colander, peel the potatoes and slice them into thin rounds.Do the same with the onion, vegetables, ham, etc.
2. Anadir sal a toda la mezcla anterior. / Add salt to the whole mixture.
3. Preparar una sartén con mas o menos "un dedo de aceite" y cuando esté caliente, añadir la mezcla / Prepare a pan with more or less "one finger of oil" and to add the mixture when the oil is hot.
4. Dejar cocerlo suavemente durante 20 min. o hasta que estén tiernos / Letting cook gently for 20 minutes, or until tender.
5. Rompa los huevos en un recipiente grande y batelos. Cuando esté cocida la mezcla, mezclala con los huevos en el recipiente / Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk them. When the mixture is cooked, mixed it with the eggs in the bowl.
6.  Ponga la sartén de nuevo en el fuego, añade un poco de aceite y fuego al medio. A continuación, vierte la mezcla en la sartén. / Put the frying pan back on the heat, add a little of the oil and to medium heat. Then, pouring the mixture into the frying pan. 
7. Espera unos 4 min. para que cuaje el huevo y dale la vuelta ayudándote de un plato. Luego añade otra vez un poco de aceite en la sartén y pon la tortilla. Espera a que cuaje, pincha un cuchillo o palillo. ¡Y ya tenemos lista una tortilla riquísima! :)))) / Wait around 4 min. to curdle the egg and turn it helping you of a dish. Then again, add a little oil in the pan and put the omelette. Wait until it curdle, check it with a knife or toothpick. And we have a tasty omelette ready!! :))))


El 4 de Abril, yo, Giorgi, otros voluntarios SVE (Carmen, Karina, Kike) y estudiantes Erasmus (Marta, Hazal and Gülüş) tuvimos la oportunidad de asistir a una clase maestra de cerámica impartida por el maestro Mihail Sabanskis. Fue una fantástica y experiencia única, disfrutamos y aprendimos mucho y pronto os podremos mostrar el resultado final de nuestras creaciones :D
Aqui, mas fotos. Fotos: Aleksandrs Tolopilo

 
On 4th of April, me, Giorgi, others EVS volunteers (Carmen, Karina, Kike) and Erasmus students (Marta, Hazal and Gülüş) had the oportunity to attend a pottery master class with a craftsmen Mihail Sabanskis. It was a fantastic and unique experience, we enjoyed and learned a lot and soon we will show you the result of our creations :D
Here, more pictures. Photos: Aleksandrs Tolopilo

week 24-30 march

I'd like to tell you about the last week of March. It was the most exciting week of this month. We have prepared a stand about evs and Erasmus Plus. We took part in choosing a career and career advancement in the evening. Also, various professions, university and high school officials  took part in this evening, who advised the young people.

We are explaining to young people what evs and Erasmus Plus, how to find a project, how to write a cover. After the end of the evening, we received a gift - a voucher for 25 euros worth of pizza from a pizzeria “LA pizza”.

Also, Carmen, Anas and me attended the discussion, which took part in the EVS volunteers as well as the Erasmus students. The first discussion was held latgale hotel, where we were discussing various cultures, lifestyles and people.

Other georgians also took part in the discussion, which is very pleasing to me. At the end of the discussion, all participants made a presentation about our country.

In JACis Prokop, Roman and Lenkam arranged the evening, they presentation their country and prepared a traditional Slovak food and games.

The presentation was very interested. In this presentation I have learned that in Slovakia are many towers and almost everyone has a mystical legend.

Everyone was very impressed Slovak cooking, I especially liked their traditional bun, which has a unique taste.

Lucis had coocking activiti in JACis,

she making bulgarian food Tutmanik it was so good.

Midterm EVS training in Umuri (17th-21st of March)

¡¡Y llegó la fecha de nuestra formación intermedia!! Después de seis meses de proyecto yo, Giorgi y Prokop fuimos del 18 al 20 de Marzo a la casa para huéspedes Umuri, cerca de Kegums.
En total nos reunimos 15 voluntarios que estan realizando su EVS en Jelgaba, Stalgene, Jurmala, Dobele, Sauriesi, Daugavpils, Valmiera, Kuldiga y Rezekne. Ademas de 2 formadores, Ieva y Stas, y una encargada de solucionar posibles dudas o problemas durante la formacion, Egija. ¡¡Realmente una gente muy maja!! :D :D
En cuanto la nacionalidad de los voluntarios, estábamos voluntarios de Georgia, Francia, Rumanía, Alemania, Italia, Moldavia, Eslovaquia y España.

Aaand finally our midterm training arrived! After six month of project me, Giorgi and Prokop went from 18th until 20th of March to the guest house Umuri, near Kegums. 
In total we gathered 15 volunteers who are doing their EVS in Jelgaba, Stalgene, Jurmala, Dobele, Sauriesi, Daugavpils, Valmiera and Rezekne Kuldiga. Also 2 trainers, Ieva and Stas, and the responsible for resolving any doubts or problems during the training, Egija. Really nice people!!!  :D :D
About nationalities, we were volunteers from Georgia, France, Romania, Germany, Italy, Moldova, Slovakia and Spain.


El primer dia fue el dia de reencuentros, porque había dos grupos de voluntarios que habían coincidido en su formación a la llegada. Después de los saludos, nos pusimos a trabajar, nos esperaban unos días intensos de reflexión, recuerdos y evaluación de nuestro voluntariado.

First day was the day of reencounters, because there were two groups of volunteers who had met on their On arrival training. After the greetings, we started to work, days of intense reflection, memories and evaluation of our volunteering were waiting for us :))))

Las actividades que realizamos fueron en grupo e individuales, dentro y fuera de la casa donde nos reunimos. Actividades grupales con la finalidad de ver cómo reaccionamos, cuáles son nuestras prioridades y objetivos en determinadas situaciones, observar cuál es nuestra primera intuición...y cómo no, hubo alguna que otra sorpresa... (Mira la foto en la que nos estamos "peleando" por las sillas) :)))

The activities that we carry out were in group and individual, indoor and outdoor activities. Group activities in order to see how we react, what are our priorities and objectives in some situations, observe which is our first intuition ... and of course, there were some surprises ... (Look at the picture in which we are "fighting" for chairs) :)))

Otra actividad fue ponernos en el lugar de nuestro tutor y Organización de acogida, y opinar acerca de algunas cuestiones de cómo vemos a "nuestro voluntario/a".  En cuanto a actividad individual, realizamos un cardiograma para reflejar los puntos altos y bajos en estos meses de proyecto. También, creamos un retrato de nosotros con recortes de revistas y anotando "10 cosas todavia por hacer" y "10 cosas todavia por aprender".

Another activity was to get in the place of our mentor and Host Organization, talking about some questions about how we see "our volunteer". As for individual activity, we draw a cardiogram to reflect the highs and lows points in these months of our project. Also, we created a picture of us with magazine clippings and writing down "10 Things still to do" and "10 things still to learn."

Estamos muy agradecidos a Ieva y Stas por estos tres dias llenos de grandes momentos, todos positivos y enriquecedores. En mi caso, puedo decir que he vuelto a Rezekne con "las pilas cargadas" y con ganas de desarrollar nuevas actividades y sobre todo....¡¡no dejar pasar ninguna oportunidad!!

We are very grateful to Ieva and Stas, for these three days full of great moments, all positive and enriching. In my case, I can say that I have returned to Rezekne with "batteries charged" and eager to develop new activities and above all ....  don't miss opportunities!!!

Pilar, Prokop, Carmen (EVS volunteer in Zeimuls, Rezekne), Ieva (Trainer), Giorgi, Staņislavs (Trainer).

How Luci went to On arrival training (3-7th of March)

Throughout most of this week, Luci was not present in JACis. Why? Because it was her turn to enjoy the On arrival EVS training, and she sure did.

Luci speaks:
On-arrival training was a really wonderful experience for me. It was a great opportunity to meet other volunteers around Latvia, to understand my project and the whole EVS system better, to understand what exactly means the mentorship and to just plainly have fun.
The training was in Umuri - a beutiful guest house near Kegums, one hour from Riga. It was right next to Dolgava river and near the forest so the landskape was enchanting. For that even if it was cold we spent a lot of our free time outise playing different games.
There were 12 volunteers with their mentors, three from Rezekne - Anas who works in Youth center Zeimus, Karina, working in the Polish school and me. During these 5 days I can say that we definitely became closer.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyd-6ZamG5Y
It was very interesting to learn what the others are doing in their projects and to get new ideas from their work. I came back full with plans about things I want to do in JACis and morivated to do it. I can't wait to visit everyone in their towns - a great excuse to go around Latvia.

Nevertheless the life in JACis moved on even without Luci, present. On Monday already, our task of the day was to brainstorm on two important ideas: