EVS IN KOCANI
March 2014 No. 8
Effective Communication in Multicultural Teams Ave-Gail Kaskla
We, the six students from University of Tartu, had the opportunity to take part in Finland, Joensuu in Erasmus intensive program international workshop, which subject was effective communication in multicultural teams. There were students and lectors from more than ten nationalities, representing a total of six different universities.
The course was built on a series of group work, where groups of students were formed different nationalities and that contributes significantly to communicate with each other. The final study groups were built to find the aim of an idea to create a business or organization, and then apply it to the European funding. Final study groups were formed by other students by previously prepared questionnaires and by analyzing those questionnaires. Every morning, the students presented their self, their home University and the country they represent. Due to this, we learned different customs, traditions and history of those countries, as well as a line sat out in the country on the myths and stereotypes that were confirmed or whether it was just around. Very interesting were also short lectures from various faculty members, with topics ranging from body language of neurobiology. All topics covered in the lectures later found practical use in group work. After the formation of working groups the course main focus headed to the project writing to get your organization / company European funding. For project writing the short lectures and in-depth lectures, started to take place in parallel, gave a strong foundation. In addition to intensive studying we had the opportunity to interact with the outside of the course as well as students' own initiative but also thru organized workshops and excursion context. We believe that the course fulfilled its task very well and we were very pleased with the results. Apart from the ability to take into account other people's ethnic identities and prejudices also acquire practical experience in the organization of meetings, generating ideas (brainstorming), the company 's image -making, project writing and other topics. Added value is also that we found a lot of new friends who will definitely enrich our lives and with those relations we change the boundaries in Europe more free and multicultural, which, after all, was one of the goals of this project.
Life in Kocani Yigit Yilmas
Hello, I am Yigit from Bursa/Turkey. I am 21 years old and I am studying at Uludag Universitesi in Bursa. My major is International Relations. I am interested in Erasmus+ short term projects. This is my first experience in abroad and also first EVS experience. I was very luckily about the my hosting organization eWorld Community. When we arrived the Alexander The Great Airport in Skopje our director Tihomir met us and he brought us from airport to our home Kocani. When we arrived to Kocani everything was arranged by our hosting organization eWorld Community. The house and our room with full materails, our office, our computers, the work and plans were ready and also before the I came here I spoke with Tihomir on the Skype he explained all of the things. I liked it a lot that the house it is very big and comfortable. My first impression about the Kocani was very positive. It is very cute and small city - everybody knows everybody.
In the organization during our project we learned how to make changes photos in Adobe Photoshop program, how to put the photos in the web site, how to upload new information and news, how to organize photos according to web site and some useful tricks and general information about creating the web sites. And also we had lots of activities with the other organizations Pavel Satev, Mobilnost and the other EVS volunteers and local people. In the Mobilnoct we worked with disable people we helped them to make new pillows, new designing covers for pillows and also we played backgammon with them. In the Pavel Satev Organization we organized Turkish Lesson and gave lessons for the local people. During our project we had Macedonian Course from the local volunteer, English speaking club with American volunteer and we organized Turkish Language Course for adult and children. In our free times we went to other cities of Macedonia and Balkan countries. We went to Skopje, Stip and Strumica in Macedonia and also we visited Serbia and Bulgaria. We had been to Belgrade and Sofia. I saw 3 capitals in the Balkans in a short time.I had a chance to communicate with local people, I tasted traditional Balkan foods and drinks. I really liked the Balkan culture especially Macedonian culture and also I really liked Kocani’s local people - they are very kind and helpful. I had a chance to speak with them in Macedonian Language and I had a chance to improve my Macedonian and of course I improve my English. I had a great time in Kocani, I experienced a lot of things, a lot of unforgettable memories, lots of cultural things and lots of fun. Thanks again to Tihomir and Dejan to give me this opportunity to learn new cultures, design the website, learn the Photoshop program and improve my English and meet a lot of great people. They are more than welcome to Turkey at any time.
The city of Denizli Harun Babadag
Denizli, is located in the Aegean region of Turkey. Denizli is the second largest city in the Aegean region. Population is about one million.
It’s also an industrial, export and trade center of the Aegean Region at the same time, the number of university students upcoming fifty thousand (49,000) in the town. The city welcoming millions of domestic and foreign tourists in a year, as a touristic city. In addition, the city is also wellknown for local, national and international activities in education. There are also congress, culture and Art Center.
Denizli is one of the most important city on textile as 10th largest city of Turkey. Also, the city has a good market in USA and EU with the products as towels, bathrobes and home textiles. What’s more, the city is populer with a saying as “water, the doughter and the rooster” by locals. When you visit city center you wills see a huge rooster statu made of glass. There is a district called “Babadag Mountain” popular with woven and textile for 700 years. The city has a natural travertine in Pamukkale where is so popular in the world. The area is in list of the UNESCO world cultural heritage. In addition, the Honas Mountain is the highest mountain (803 m) in the Aegean Region. The city of Laodicea, Hierapolis, Thriepolis etc to UNESCO in many of the ancient city.
Top Tips about hitch-hiking Özkan Kocabıyık
Take the most used roads There is an adage about hitch-hiking that you should never forget. “Hitch-hiking is always possible if there is a road and traffic”. This is why there is always a chance to take a lift. However, sometimes, you can increase your chance to hitch a car by choosing a road that has much traffic. Carry a good map It’s also helpful for a hitch-hiker if you have a map such as Marco Polo. Book-style maps are best. A lot of times, you'll be okay without owning a map, though, if you use your chances well to have a look at one - petrol and service stations and lifts - and keep in mind all you need to know. If you have a digital camera, photographing the map and using the zoom function later has proven invaluable. Find a good spot The most important thing in hitch-hiking is to find a best spot to leave the city. I prefer you to find petrol stations on the road towards your destination. In a petrol station, you can easily ask drivers to take a lift. By this way, you have more chance to affect driver than waiting near the road with a thumb finger. If you are near the road, you must find a place that cars can stop safely. Because, if they are going fast it would be hard to stop and pick you up.
Stay positive and smile It is easy to become bored or frustrated when waiting for a ride, but remember that a good attitude will help you get rides. Keep your spirits up by singing, humming, laughing and simply smiling. A grumpy hitchhiker may get rides out of sympathy, but a happy hitchhiker will get better rides and go further distances in less time. If you're in a group, try dancing or clapping your hands at the same time, it makes the drivers smile and lifts come much more often. Make eye contacy with drives Hitchhiking means making a connection with a person driving by, convincing him or her to stop. To best do this, make sure drivers can see the 'whites of your eyes'. Remove sunglasses and keep your hat higher on your head. Smile while you look at the oncoming cars. If you are looking a different direction or your head is down it is easy for drivers to pass by without relating to you. If you cannot see the person in the car, just look at the windshield where a face should be. Focus on each car until it passes. If traffic is light, let your gaze follow each car expectantly. If there is too much traffic, pay attention to each nearby car for a moment. The more you do this, the less time you will wait for rides. Making conversations with diver Drivers pick up hitchhikers for lots of different reasons: some because they are genuinely helpful, many because they once hitched themselves, some because they think you might be fun/interesting to talk with. On the chance that they want to interact with you, it is great if you can meet them there in a friendly engaged place. Some hints on how to start conversations are listed under hitching etiquette. Also talking with
drivers is the one of the best ways to get longer rides or better drop off places. Have a list of open questions ready: 'Where have you come from today? How long have you been driving trucks? What made you decide to buy this car?' If the driver is reticent it may be that they're still wondering if they've made the right decision in picking you up. Don't be afraid to say a simple 'Thanks for picking me up, it's kind of you.'then going quiet, waiting for them to indicate whether they want to talk. Some drivers are just shy humanists.
The Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Fatih Serdar Özgültekin
The Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Turkey’s first private museum to organize modern and contemporary art exhibitions, was founded in 2004 and occupies an 8,000 square meter site on the shores of the Bosphorus. The museum, located on the Bosphorus in a converted warehouse in the Tophane neighborhood
Istanbul Modern embraces a global vision to collect, preserve, exhibit and document works of modern and contemporary art and make them accessible to art lovers. As part of its commitment to sharing Turkey’s artistic creativity with wide audiences and promoting its cultural identity in the international art world, Istanbul Modern hosts a broad array of interdisciplinary activities. Apart from permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, a photography gallery, and spaces for educational and social programs, the museum offers a cinema, restaurant, design store and an extensive library. In order to establish museum visits as sustained leisure activities, to increase Museum attendance on a cumulative basis, and to constantly capture the public’s attention, we aspired to create a dynamic and evolving structure.
The Museum provides a multifaceted, attractive and accessible communications platform that engages first-time visitors, as well as contemporary art enthusiasts, primary school children and scholars. Beside this, with its permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, the photography gallery, new media area, library, cinema, educational programs, gift store, and restaurant, Istanbul Modern encourages a creative and interactive museum experience for its visitors.
The Museum has become a multipurpose cultural center for the encounters of everyday living and culture as well as serves as a catalyst for the collective energy that is generated by the interactive activities and experiences presented by the Museum. The number of visitors has increased rapidly and over the past seven years has now reached a total of more than 5 million. While all critical reviews agree that Turkey’s modern art legacy goes back a long way, they also stress that Istanbul Modern, which the New York Times called, "the changing face of Turkey," makes a very definite statement about Istanbul's image as a major cultural capital.
The Building The seeds for the Istanbul Modern project were sown in 1987, during the 1st International Contemporary Art Exhibition, known today as the International Istanbul Biennial. Motivated by the interest shown in the event and the dynamism it contributed to the Istanbul art scene, Dr. Nejat F. EczacÄąbasÄą embarked on the project to endow Istanbul with a permanent Museum of Contemporary Art. After a long quest, the Feshane, a former 19th century textile manufacturing plant on the Golden Horn, was converted into a Museum of Contemporary Art. Although the building housed the 3rd International Istanbul Biennial in 1991, the Project never reached its long term goal.
From then on, various institutions and individuals sought to establish a Museum of Modern Art in Istanbul. Unfortunately, these initiatives failed for lack of suitable space or due to difficulties in obtaining artworks to form the core of the permanent collection. The fate of the Project changed once again in 2003, when the fourth warehouse on the Galata pier, near the Mimar Sinan Academy of Fine Arts, served as the main venue for the 8th Istanbul Biennial. After Prime Minister gave his approval for the permanent use of the site, the Project’s main obstacle was removed. The 8,000 square meter dry cargo warehouse, owned by the Turkish Maritime Organization, was transformed into a modern museum building with all corresponding functions.
The Site For thousands of years, the Golden Horn area served as an inlet port of the Bosphorus and this natural port united Istanbul with other centres of commerce and culture around the world. In the 13th century, various Italian trading colonies located in Istanbul began to build harbours in the region. One of these was the Genoese port built in the Tophane district, which would later be known as Galata. By the 17th century, the KarakĂśy- Tophane waterfront had become the main arrival point for ships coming in from Europe.
At first, each shipping company had its own floating dock/specific anchorage location where it positioned its vessels, and provided a separate rowing team to bring goods and passengers ashore. With the increase in the maritime transportation traffic and the corresponding increase in the number of passengers, this system became inadequate. In 1879, the construction of piers began, all along the shore. In 1910, warehouses and hangars were built on the piers. With the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the piers were turned over to the Maritime Lines and Docks Administration, which would become the Turkish Maritime Administration in 1984. The current building was constructed as a warehouse during the realization of the 1957-58 Project, which was designed for Tophane Square by the eminent architect Sedad HakkĹ Eldem. Until 1990, the pier served as Istanbul’s main port and today continues to accommodate a great many passenger and freight vessels.
15 possible ways Coca-Cola comes handy in the household Mari P천ldma
With one bottle of Coca-Cola you can basically clean the entire house and you won’t need any other supplies. 1) Disinfect your toilet. 2) Use it to clean pan which has food burnt on it. Just pour Coca-Cola to the pan and after hour of waiting you can clean the pan easily. 3) You can clean rusty places. Just pour Coca-Cola on a swab and rub places what has rust. 4) If you have a bubble gum stuck in your hair then pour a little CocaCola on it at let it settle. 5) Remove calc from the kettle. Pour Coca-Cola to the kettle and leave it there for the day. In the evening just clean it. 6) If you accidentally dyed your hair too dark just soak them with CocaCola. It makes hair a little brighter. 7) Put a cup full of Coca-Cola in the garden between your plants. Snails and vermin will leave your plants alone and will go and taste the sweet taste of Coca-Cola. 8) You can free all the bolts and screws that are rusted or tightly fixed by wraping a cloth around it, which has been saturated before in Coca-Cola. Let the fluid work a little to get the results. 9) In the bathroom and in the kitchen Coca-Cola helps you to clean joint gap.
10) Coca-Cola removes fat/ oil stains for clothes. 11) Coca-Cola also helps removing blood stains from clothes. 12) If you ever been to Egypt then you will know that for abdominal disease the first thing locals say you should use is Coca-Cola. Just drink one cup of Coca-Cola and it makes the worst go away and pretty soon you feel good. 13) Remove the smell of fish, onion and garlic with washing your hands with Coca-Cola. 14) Marker traces in the carpet will come off when you soak them in Coca-Cola and after that you will wash the carpet with soap water and rinse. 15) You can clean old coins and make them shine with soaking them in Coca-Cola.
My Experience with Mobilnost – Kocani Maria Luís Metrogos
On my second day in Kocani, in the very beginning of my EVS experience/Project, I had the opportunity to hear about Mobilnost Kocani – Mobility Association, and to meet one of the responsible. In the first meeting, a casual conversation, it became very clear to me that it would be a Project/Association that I would love to develop work with and help in any way I could or that it was possible after I saw the passion and dedication in which the responsible spoke about the association and the excitement and enthusiasm he showed after learning that I was a social worker and had experienced in the area and so, hopefully in the future, we could find a way or a Project to work together.
On the same day I contacted Paulo, the other Portuguese Volunteer and my colleague, who was still in Portugal at the moment, and we started exchanging ideas about possible Projects or Activities that we could develop there once we knew their needs. After being in Kocani for a week it became very clear to us that the city isn’t accessible for people with disabilities, people with reduced mobility. Most of the public services – the buildings – like Post office, banks, police station, don’t have access for people in wheelchairs or people with some sort of reduced mobility so we decided to make our project about that, we created a Project in which we aimed to raise awareness for that problem and the everyday struggles people with reduced mobility go through in Kocani. After we talked with everyone at Mobilnost and told them about our idea, and after we got their consent, we decided to make a model of four main/public building, public services, in which two of them had access for people with disabilities – European Commission Office and Hospital - and two others that didn’t had – the Post Office and one of the Schools Rade Kratovce. The buildings would have lights, green for the ones with access and red for the ones without, and they would be connected by a bridge and this bridge would have both green and red lights that symbolized the connection between both realities, that we are all connected and we are all the same and so we all should have the same “access”. This model was built with materials that we could recycle, reused material. This Project was present to the community and to all of the Mobilnost Members on the 3 rd of December – International Day of Persons with
Disabilities, and on this day we also had the opportunity to meet all of their members and their respective families, we danced and singed together. From the very first day we started our work at Mobilnost I, personally, felt nothing but respect, love, and mostly I felt like we had been a part of the Mobilnost family for quite a while. At the beginning I was the only women in the room when we were working and everyone kept asking me if that was a problem for me, if I in some way felt bad or discomfort by that but truly for me it never was a problem, like I said before I’ve felt respected from the start. The support we received during the making of the project was quite overwhelming, since sometimes during our stay in Macedonia we feel like we don’t have the necessary support, everyone at Mobilnost supported – and still does – our ideas, our projects and, mostly, our work it’s the most. They always want to help with everything they can, when we need some materials everyone will volunteer to bring from home or to speak with someone who has it and they truly do everything they can to make us feel at home and to make sure we have everything we need to do our work. One thing that has been noticeable, and very rewarding for us, is that ever since we started going to the Mobilnost headquarters more and more members started to join us and want to meet the volunteers. So, in my opinion, if Mobilnost had the accreditation and therefore its own volunteers it would be a good thing for the Association and their members since a continued work, an everyday work for a certain amount of time, would raise even more interest in its members to go to the club and be a part of their activities. It would be good for the three parts, the Association, the Volunteers – since it’s a very rewarding work and they
would have eager people to work and would find the necessary support – and, mostly, it would be very important for their members to actually go to the club and be a part of the activities, to leave theirs houses. Even though the Mobilnost responsibles have their own visions and ideas, they are very motivated to work, they are also very open for new ideas and Projects and, most importantly, they want to share ideas and they want help to develop those ideas, they are a very open association which is a very good thing for a volunteer. Unfortunately other associations are not as open to develop ideas and Projects, they are no humble enough to ask “hey, we are thinking about doing this project and, since you have experience in that area do you think you could help us?” Fortunatly Mobilnost Kocani is a very humble and serious association with a very clear vision for what they want for their association and they know that they can beneficiate with the help from volunteers but, most importantly, they know that they can also beneficiate from the work, they have the interests of the volunteers in consideration and put them first – unlike other associations. For me the work in Mobilnost has been the best and most rewarding work I’ve done during my EVS Project. Every single person I’ve had the pleasure to meet and work with has become a part of my life and gained a very special place in my heart. Even on the days I’m not working I like to go to the Club Headquarters and spend time with them whether it’s playing Remi – which I’ve learned how to play just so that I can play with them – or learning how to play Tabla (unfortunately this has been more difficult to learn and I still don’t know how to play). We have all gotten very close and really bonded, more than once we have been invited to their houses and to meet their families which for us it is truly an honor. Some people may think that playing games it’s not important
at all or it’s just a way of “not doing anything, not working” but as a social worker I’ve learnt that it is extremely important to bond with the population that you work with and the best way of doing so it’s to find common interests or something that the public enjoys to do and give them an opportunity to teach you. Until the end of my EVS Project I plan on keep going to Mobilnost on my free days to play with them because I really do enjoy their company and feel like we are a big family. The communication, the language barrier, has not once been a problem since we can understand each other, either by drawing or by speaking slowly and pointing at things, and sometimes we have someone who speaks English (or other language) which helps. I cannot write this without mention Ljupcho, Ljupcho has been a fundamental part in our integration and in our work, he has been with us from day 1, since our first day at Mobilnost, he helps us with everything always making sure that we are alright, that we have everything we need to work and he’s there from the moment we arrived and stays after we finished. With his help and support our “integration” has been a lot easier from the start and the work gets done easier as well, he does everything to make sure we have the materials and most of the times gets the materials himself to helps us. We developed a different bond, a very special bond, with Ljupcho so Ljupcho has become our Macedonian Tatko in a way that we spend all the special occasions and special dates with him, because he really is special to us and we enjoy his company and we feel protected by him. I can honestly say that the best work I’ve developed in my EVS Project – in the last five months – it has been the work that I developed at
Mobilnost. I connected with the people, I felt respected and supported, I felt like everyone listen to our ideas and respected our work/Projects. Unfortunately it hasn’t been possible to have Projects there for the entire six months of my staying here in Kocani but fortunately we’ve always stayed in touch and we found ways of developing new Projects there – at the moment we are developing a new Project there with 3 real scale skeletons – and like I’ve mention before, during my free days – even when we didn’t had projects there – we would go there to catch up and to play Remi. I truly wish I could stay longer or who knows find a way of volunteering at Mobilnost for a longer period of time and this time really volunteer at Mobilnost Association. This work has been the most meaningful for me and everyone in the Association already has a very special place in my heart and this, this is what Volunteer Work and a Volunteer Project or Program should be and should mean, this is how every project should “supposedly” work and once I go back to Portugal I will more than proud to say that I volunteered at Mobilnost and developed Project there like I’m proud to say in Kocani to everyone who asks where are we volunteering at, or what are you working on that I’m in Mobilnost.
–MIDI– Paul G. Lux
Hi everybody, I hope you are okay. I must confess the last month (of March) was - as allways - particularly special to me. Beyond birthdays and celebratory dates, Spring time came filled with new desires. This transformation is reflected by each species and as a living organism I should work my legacy in order to fulfill the basic objectives for this year, for the provision of volunteer service and also from learning process. Thus decided to address an area in constant transformation and who also like to approach as music composer: MIDI – Electronic Music. From the late 70's and ex-season record, giving up to start a new era of music where traditional instruments are accompanied / replaced by new electronic equipment to aid in the creation and music production
/ sound. The concept of electronic music concerns two specific points of view - First, all the music that can be created or requires intervention via electronic devices - All music produced or modified from electronic equipment.
Fig 1 – Midi connections
To talk about the evolution of electronic music to this day since the emergence of the first scientists in this area in the 50s, an entire magazine would not be enough but I will certainly leave with you some terminology for this purpose. Nowadays increasingly we hear about specific terms that often seems more complicated than what they really are. What is MIDI actually? it is a protocol effectively applied from the beginning of the 80s that solved an existing problem so far: virtual communication between programs and devices. Nowadays any music productor can create music with sounds via VST1 wich can be transfered Fig 2 – Native Instruments to a keyboard and played in real time. So, Maschine the sounds are created and played virtually - in this case - analogically. A major advantage of the MIDI, is the fact that you can create tracks, sounds, sound effects for numerous uses as it does not restrict ourselves
to a single device. Moreover the Midi favors this sharing between devices and software. Nowadays, what appear to be live synthesizers are often midi controllers that cater to just that: monitor (touch) the sounds are signals sent by the computer. This allow us to live more closely, the experience of hearing a Grand Hall Jazz Piano or Minimoog, althogh we haven’t done it, actually.
Fig 3 - Minimoog
For example we can access today to the Drum/Loop Machines , Midi keyboards… For this, each note is taken of the instrument - one by one in each octave - and recorded in high definition in order to feel the approach with real instrument. The same happens with the Orchestral Libraries where you can experience the sound of a violin, a bass, or a full orchestra. Do not forget that is no equal to the sound of an analog instrument! However, and in my humble opinion, the process of musical composition, technological change has been a key factor gfor nowadays contemporary composer and virtual creation. And it doesn´t matter if it is a techno track, a soundtrack to a movie, or even a jingle for some commercial. If I can live without Midi? Simple answer: No, I can´t. Chek my sounds @ http://www.mixcloud.com/paulglux/
Nikola Karev’s girls handball team Gertrud Kõima
In my opinion in Macedonia handball is quite popular sport. For me handball is the best game ever. In Estonia I played it for 7 years. When I started my EVS in Kocani , I thought that maybe I could teach young girls how to play handball. My local association Pavel Satev and one of Kocanis’s school Nikola Karev helped me to do it. I was very lucky that a physical education teacher has also played handball and together with her, we started trainings in autumn. At first girls didn’t know how to throw or catch ball properly. So we started we with very basic exercises. Of course first there were a lot of girls, but after for a while some of them left. Anyway these girls, who are still coming to trainings have developed their skills a lot. This month, in March, they had their first match in nearby village. They got the strongest opponent and lost, but still they were so good and full of will to play.
I was so proud that they didn’t give up. They continued to play until the very end so bravely. They don’t know all the rules or moves. They still have many things to learn, but I believe in them that if they continue with trainings as much they have already, then they will be very successful.
ISTANBUL Yasin Onay
This is a city that I was born and raised in Istanbul, was born and raised in every city of the world for thousands of years people have been decorated by the fall. So we should count ourselves lucky that we are living in Istanbul. Because the world was born in Istanbul in other cities in the foggy dreams of seeing a large part of their lives they continue unfortunately are seeing this city. However, there's a part of what they do and whether they're coming to see Istanbul.
Many, many years ago, yet the absence of air transport, the road reaches the wheel and that gasoline powered cars not been invented, the sea and the ship floated. Because the ship had the manpower, ships had wind power. Here, therefore, came to Istanbul and Istanbul's old books describing today western travelers are tools ship. Most, after it enters the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul or his writing with great enthusiasm Constantinople, are caught up in the excitement of seeing a moment ago.And they found inside after hours depending on the speed of the ship in Istanbul like a dream come to see. Those ships that are sailing in need or wind, or are people who depend on the strength or newly connected to the steam engine that was introduced vertebrates wood, wood-framed vessels that are made from wood. But this ship, which was written by travelers who come to Istanbul with books everyone has been so appealing to Western Orientalism as the capital of the East and began to see Istanbul.A painting artists added to this traveler Istanbul engraving them as well tap the picture, the wonder has increased even more. However, today we examine some of engravings by artists of travelers read the books, we see that depict Istanbul. This surreal etchings people of Istanbul and Istanbul Show venues because they expose themselves immediately.
The magazine was created in cooperation with EVS volunteers in Assiciation Pavel Satev Kocani.
Association Pavel Satev Kocani Karl Marks 64 Kocani 2300 Macedonia