On-Arrival Training on 23-27 May 2012

A very good example of informal learning and of sharing of ones experiences, the training in my opinion was a complete success. It gave an opportunity to meet new people that benefit from the same EVS program and to learn about their projects, organizations and daily life.

The activities were quite diverse but mainly centered on our projects, our hosting organizations, out general experiences here in Turkey and about the sharing of experiences and ideas so that we could make our experience here better.

All the volunteers got a chance to present their projects and their organizations as well as other practical information; about their mentor, their accommodation, the money they receive, the activities in which they participate. 

We also benefited from a short language course consisting mainly in learning new, useful words and the way we should use them in daily life.

Because we were almost 40 participants and at least 10 countries, we also got a chance to make a short presentation about our own countries and their cultures, as well as practical information, such as the level of English spoken in that particular country or the attitude towards foreigners.

We also had a quiz about Turkey’s culture, history and language , which my team won, of course. And a course on conflict management and how to solve problems that might arise in our daily life and in our projects. As most volunteers were living 2 or 3 in the same room, or 8-10 in the same apartment, everyday conflicts were sure to arise. So we talked about our experiences in this regard and on our ideas about solving any issue that might come up.

We also enjoyed a trip to Antalya and its amazing waterfalls, bazaar and center; especially the view with the mountains that seemed to rise from the sea, was quite amazing.

Ibrahim Demirel represent the Turkish National Agency and he told us more information about the next training as well as offering practical information on our stay here and offering to try to solve any problems that we might have with our respective projects.

The last day was occupied by a description of the youthpass, a final evaluation as well as reading letters written by volunteers that participated in a EVS program before us and gave their opinions, experiences and advices to us

So, overall a super experience and now, with the help of Facebook, we created a group so we can stay in touch and visit each other and our cities and organizations.

So, a fun filled activity but also a lot of things to learn

Take care / Have fun 

Dan