LINK #155

LINK #155

August 15 t h 2020

Sports 1

Content K.A.NE p. 4 - 6

Volunteers & Collaborators

QUOTE OF THE WEEK p. 7 Michael Jordan KNOW US p. 8 “Are you into sports? What kind of sports?” p. 9 “What do you think are the benefits of practicing sports?” p. 10 “What’s the role of sports in your country?”

p. 9

HOW TO SAY? p. 11 “No pain, no gain.”

MAIN ARTICLE p. 12 - 14 “Sports from an avidly active person’s perspective” QUOTE OF THE WEEK p. 15 Emil Zapotek WHAT’S DIFFERENT? p. 16 - 17 How to pretend to be a Greek - Poland

p. 18

MY PROJECT p. 18 Tania : Dream of a Safe Heaven Dog MY SENDING ORGANISATION p. 19 Asociación MUNDUS INTERVIEW WITH AN ESC VOLUNTEER p. 20 - 21 Interview with Olha Teteruk ART REVIEW p. 22 - 23 “Three of Codes” RECIPES p. 24 p. 25

p. 25

Arroz de frango Pastel de nata

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Annalisa

Editor & Designer

@kane.kalamata +30 272 108 188 2

Editorial

www.kentroneon.wordpress.com www.ngokane.org info@ngokane.org Salaminos 8 24100 Kalamata Greece

LINK 3

Volunteers Alix

Hi ! I’m Alix and I come from France, I‘m eighteen and I’m taking a break from my studies because I didn’t like what I was doing so i decided to go on ESC. I’ll stay here for 6 months and I’m so grateful and happy to do this experience in Greece with foreign volunteers. I work in the Therapeutic Equestrian Centre. I love horses, to share moments with people and to discover new places.

I am Annalisa, I come from the wonderful city of BologAnnalisa Hello! na (Northern Italy). I have an academic background in Inter-

national Relations (European Affairs) and look forward to become a project developer in international cooperation, tackling social issues through the participation of civil society. I am spending a year in Kalamata, volunteering at the K.A.NE’s office, helping out with the design and management of youth mobility and social projects.

Catarina

Hello! My name is Catarina and I’m a 21 year old girl from Portugal. After finishing my studies, I decided to stop for a year to clarify my ideas and decide what I will do next. Right now, I will be a volunteer here in Kalamata for the next six months, I’m working at the Therapeutic Horse Center Ιππόσχεση in Analipsi (Messsini). It’s the perfect combination between learning and being in contact with nature. There’s not much to say about me, I’m a calm person and probably my hobby is to listen to some rock music while reading a book or walking around the city.

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Volunteers My name is Hania and I come from Poland. I am a volunteHania Kalimera! er at K.A.NE.’s office and I will stay here in Kalamata until the end of

August. I really like to travel, because I think life gets boring if you stay in one place for too long! One of my biggest dreams is to live for at least couple of months in several different countries, so I can truly experience other cultures – not just as a tourist.

Kamil

Hi! I’m Kamil from Poland. I’m 22. I decided to try out EVS to experience something new in life and search for my own way, as I’m not really sure, what my future entails.

I’m a big fan of sports, especially football. In my free time I like to ride my bike, stay active in general, listen to music or watch some intricate movies.

Marlena

Cześć! I’m Marlena and I come from Poland. I’m 23 years old and I study in Kraków. I like new adventures and challenges and that’s the reason why in July I’m going to start my EVS in Kalamata. In my free time I like riding my bike, spending time in the forest and painting. Also, I love travelling and getting to know new places. My favourite painters are Picasso, Dali, Miro and Matisse.

Tania

Yuhu! My name is Tania. I come from a town in the northeast of Spain. I studied psychology, although now I don’t have in mind to dedicate myself to it. Honestly, now what I want is to know new places and live new adventures. My life plan is to live in as many different countries where I can. I will stay in Kalamata for a year and I’m volunteer in The Dog Shelter.

I love the nature, sea, music, photography and enjoying the life.

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Collaborators I am Filaretos Vourkos. For the last 15 years I am working Filaretos Hello, in the field of Non-formal education as a volunteer, youth worker

and youth trainer. 10 years ago,I decided to create the Youth Centre of Kalamata, in order to initiate youth work in Kalamata and promote active citizenship as factor for change.

Jelena

Hi, I’m Jelena Scepanovic,an EVS coordinator in K.A.NE. and a volunteer of the Youth center. I came from Montenegro in 2012 as an EVS volunteer. I really liked the idea of the youth center and the work that K.A.NE. does, so I decided to stay and be part of it.

everyone! I am Nadiana, ESC & VET coordinator in K.A. Nantiana Hello NE over the last few years as well as Greek teacher. I am passio-

nate in travelling around, meeting new people and organising festivals.

Spiros

Hello, my name is Spiros Koutsogiannis and since the beginning of 2020 I am a project manager and responsible for the Research and Development department of KANE. I hold a degree in Civil Engineering and I have been working in the EU funded projects field since 2010, having implemented almost 65 projects.

Anna

Hi, I'm Anna Charalampous. I'm here to help with K.A.NE. social media, website and administration. I'm happy to be part of the team promoting youth work, education and volunteerism, both locally and globally.

Nancy

Hello World! I’m Nancy and I have been working in K.A.NE. since 2017 as a Project Manager and EVS/ESC coordinator. I’m passionate about meeting new people and exchanging knowledge, experiences and ideas. I love the fact that many young people visit every year my hometown Kalamata and contribute to our society.

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Quote of the week

“I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan

Author: Alix

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Catarina

st Q U E S T I O N

For some years, I was swimming two/three times a week with a teacher, but at some point I needed to quit and since then I haven’t practiced anything else.

I would like to exercise I bit more, but either because I’m lazy or because I’m busy, I don’t do it that often.

Are you into sports? What

Hania

kind of sports?

I wouldn’t call myself an active person - in terms of sports I’m actually quite lazy. But I do enjoy movement and so I find yoga classes perfectly suitable for me. Some exercises require a lot of effort for me, even if it’s just simple stretching, but I feel very satisfied after I complete a full training session.

Alix

I’ve really liked sports since I was a child. I practised 7 sports in total during my childhood (and my parents were more tired than me because they drove me everywhere), but finally the one I enjoyed the most was ballet, so it’s the sport that I practice now. I really like discovering new sports, but I also hate some of them. In my opinion, the best sport is the one you are passionate about..

Kamil I’ve been really active since my childhood. I think my first love was basketball, but it quickly got overpowered when I started training handball with a primary school team. Then in middle school I got completely hooked on football and I joined a team, which I was a part of for a few years. In general, I’m into sports and I’ve tried a lot of them and still practice them regularly, for example swimming and cycling.

Annalisa I enjoy practicing some (those that do not involve playing with a ball), and watching the Olympics. I love being physically active (although some might not believe it, I was a competitive figure skater for 8 years), but I can’t stand gyms.

Marlena I love every kind of sports, I used to train basketball and crossfit, but I also like volleyball and riding a bike. What is more, I like watching football and participating in different sports events.

Tania In my case, in order to do sports or any kind of physical activity, I definitely need motivation. If I am motivated, I can be very physically active. But if that’s not the case, I’m really lazy. Many years ago, I played basketball. Now, I don’t practice any sport regularly, but I love swimming, biking and hiking.

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2

Catarina

What do you

nd Q U E S T I O N

Practicing sports is very important both for your mind and your body! Being active and practicing a sport will definitely help you improve your health physically speaking but also mentally because we tend to feel like we have a “clear mind” after exercising.

think are the benefits of

Kamil Depending on the sport of choice the benefits can be more physical or more mental. Although i think almost all disciplines contribute to your well-being heavily, whether it ‘s by building up your stamina, coordination skills, determination, lifting up your mood, etc.

practicing sports?

Alix

Firstly, for your body it’s really important to stay active. But also, I know that I need to do sport for my mental health. I love when I finish my school day and I go to my gym or to the dance class. Sometimes I´m tired, but after I´m feeling really better. Moreover, it´s also satisfying to surpass yourself and take risks.

Annalisa Marlena

Obviously, there are physical benefits to practicing sports regularly, especially if you have good trainers/coaches who prioritise health over results, but I think that sports are also a great way to make people get a better knowledge of themselves, bond with others and learn some important life lessons.

What I’ve learnt from sport, especially from crossfit, is humility. You need time and a lot of patience to set the bar higher and higher and at some point you realize that you are your the biggest competitor.

Hania First of all, of course - health benefits. Current scientific data provides us with strong arguments on the positive impact that sport has on our life expectancy, preventing diseases and mental health.

I’m pretty convinced that everyone experienced a direct positive effect of training on their mood despite feeling tired, we usually also feel happy and fulfilled. On the other perspective, group sports can teach us a lot about cooperation, competition and teamwork!

Tania For me, physical exercise is with no doubts the best therapy that exists. It’s ideal to channel emotions. Thanks to sport we can identify and learn to regulate our negative states. Group sports help develop empathy and social skills. This way, we contribute to improve our emotional intelligence.

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3

rd Q U E S T I O N

What’s the role of sports in your country?

Kamil The infranstructure is getting better and better, so there are more and more sports programs for kids, which we were lacking before. Either way Polish people are very proud of their accomplishments in all disciplines in the international scene and support their representatives in big numbers.

Alix

In my opinion, in France most people take care of their body and their health. All children do sports outside of school. Concerning adults, they run (especially on sunday), go to the gym or cycle.

And I think that, in order to have a healthy country, it’s important to promote sports in society.

Annalisa

Unfortunately, Italy is pray to football, which is part of its spirit and economy, way more than any sports should be. We have some really good athletes in other sports, but it’s just sad to realize that in every interview they give, they say that they cannot train in their own country because there’s a chronic shortage of investments and infrastructure.

Hania Sport unites us. Even if you’re not particularly interested in it, some sport events become a national celebration. We love cheering for our ski jumpers, footballers and volleyballers. We feel kind of appreciated as a nation when they are successful and in my opinion it helps us to feel proud of our country in a very positive way.

Marlena Polish people are crazy about football, even though we haven’t achieved anything special since the Olympic Games in 1992, when we got a silver medal.

However, we have “produced” some good players such as Robert Lewandowski, Wojciech Szczęsny, Arkadiusz Milik od Kuba Błaszczykowski.

Tania In Spain, a devotion to football outshines any other sport. “The Classic” is the name used to call the games between Madrid and Barça, who share a historical rivalry. The most awaited moment of the year, almost a religious experience. Don’t even think about going out to eat that day. All the bars are crowded with people, screaming like animals. Insults, fights.

Clashes between siblings, cousins, couples, friends, acquaintances, strangers. Quite a show, trust me...

Catarina Well… in Portugal football is treated as something sacred, so it is very very important, I would say that is part of portuguese identity (not of all portuguese people of course, but in general). Besides football, we are good also at some other sports, as futsal or roller hockey, I really enjoy both!.

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How to say?

“No pain, no gain”

Kein Schmerz kein Gewinn

On a rien sans rien

Senza sacrificio non c’è vittoria

Bez pracy nie ma kolaczy

χωρίς πόνο δεν υπάρχει κανένα κέρδος

Sin dolor no hay ganancia

Sem dor sem ganho

Ingen smärta ingen vinst

Author: Alix

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I

“Sports from an avidly active person’s perspective”

n this article, I would like to include my experiences with sport, a little bit of my biography, to paint you a better picture of the place I am coming from, everything that an active lifestyle brought to my life, where it made me head to and what positions it has put me in. Other than that, I want to present in general my subjective opinion about topics related to sport and my overwiev about an active and healthy lifestyle.

For a while, at the beginning of primary school, I got obsessed with basketball. The sport just seemed so elegant and demanding of precision to me. I was practising three-point shots everyday. At about 10 years old I started to train handball in a school sports program. For the last three years of my primary school I attended ten 45-minute sessions per week. I really started to take sport seriously then, as we had good coaches, who taught us about the importance of all aspects of sports: physical, technical, tactical, mental, recovery, nutrition, etc.

To start from the beginning, I was born in Lubin, a not so small, but definitely not big city in the south-west of Poland to parents who also come from there.

Both of them were fairly active and conscious about their health throughout their whole life and they have stayed like that to this day. Naturally, they were very eager for me to follow in their footsteps, so ever since I learned to walk, they were taking me on increasingly longer walks in the nearby parks, fields and forests.

Not long later, proper sports like football and riding then a 4-wheel bike - came into the picture. I learned to swim pretty young, when I was only a couple years old. I remember swimming far into deep waters of Silesian lakes with my father at an early age. I was really scared back then, but with practice comes the confidence, and now I comfortably swim far away from the shore in the Mediterranean Sea in Kalamata, having in mind that even if I get a cramp, I will be able to stay calm and stretch it out while floating in the water.

We were training in a sports hall near our school, in which the professional handball team from our city Zagłębie Lubin – was training and playing games, so we had very good conditions. I was part of the youth section of the team, we were representing the town on a State level in the same jerseys as our idols from the adult team, and it made me realise for the first time that sports may be a viable career for me, which would also keep me healthy and in good shape.

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(...) we had good coaches, who taught us about the importance of all aspects of sports (...)

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The only option to continue playing handball was joining a sports middle school, which I did not do, because another one was closer to my house and had higher level of education. Coaches were trying to convince me, but I did not find the sport as enjoyable anymore and did not think I had that much future in it, which I regret a little bit now, because no one can tell how far I could have gotten. As an energetic kid, I had to fill the gap with something. I already played football a lot after school in primary school. The first year of middle school I played almost every day. I would practice my shots in winter for hours all alone on a field covered in snow. After a few months, I realised I was easily good enough to join a youth football team, so I did it. By training and playing games with a group of teammates, who became my really good friends, that you have brought it to before, you have to train the next few years flew by very quickly. I was always like the top athletes, who across all types of sports use busy, in good health, shape and really happy with the strength and conditioning training to help them perform to the best of their abilities.

I was constantly disappointed in the beginning of my bodybuilding journey, because, like a lot of us, I have been influenced by unreal standards and miracle shortcuts to long-term goals. It took a lot of time, in whi(...) sports helped me mach I practised different workout regiments, nutrition ture well and limited the mannerisms and - most importantly - I learned a lot about fitness, my own body and what is best specifiweird moods that teenacally for it, to get to the goals I thought could be achiegers go through (...) ved much sooner. It’s a matter of trial and error and the lessons you learn are what’s most valuable. Thanks to sport you gain a lot in the fields of persistence, ability to take a loss well, you learn the importance of nutrition, recovery, rest. It’s as good of a physical exercise as it is mental. It makes you appreciate life more and path I had chosen. I think sports helped me mature follow a healthy path intuitively, as it grounds you and well and limited the weird moods that teenagers go reminds your body of its origins – hunter-gatherer through - especially those who are self-conscious like way of life – in the age of a sedentary lifestyle. me - in this period.

Then, about halfway through my highschool journey, the team got discontinued. I decided not to join another team, as once again I did not have enough courage that I may actually achieve something significant Sports (...) makes you as a professional. From that point onward I focused more on individual sports, practising team ones from appreciate life more and time to time for fun. I got serious about fitness and follow a healthy path inbodybuilding, and it was the thing that showed me tuitively, as it grounds you how much dedication and self-control sports really demand to gain significant achievements. You can and reminds your body of not accurately measure football skill, as opposed to its origins (...) the size of your arms or your 100 meter dash. Sports, when you are playing a game, are enjoyable, and surely get you in better shape, but if you want your body to function on a higher level than most of the population and are willing to push it beyond boundaries

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Nowadays, I believe in a balanced way of living and training, in which I include calisthenics – strength training with your own bodyweight, cardio – mainly cycling, a little bit of running and swimming, stretching and playing football from time to time. I also pay attention to my nutrition and recovery as it can’t be overlooked, especially when you are active more than the average. I recommend doing the same to all people, it will surely improve your mood, health, life expectancy and motor skills. Although individual people will benefit the most from a training plan specific to their needs - and it’s in their interest to find out what it should be - nonetheless everyone would profit from a little bit of sport.

All in all, I learned and gained an awful lot living a sport-filled life and all I regret is not being more active at times. It had a big impact on every aspect of my existence. I recognize its impact on the shape I am in and my health, but I don’t pay much attention to it, as I have always been athletic and got sick once in a blue moon. What’s more important for me is what sport brought to my life in terms of mental and spiritual development. I would have never discovered amazing philosophies of such people as Rickson Gracie, Bruce Lee or Wim Hof, if it wasn’t for my interest in sports.

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What’s more important for me is what sports brought to my life in terms in terms of mental and spiritual development

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Author: Kamil

“An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets.

He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.�

Emil Zatopek

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Author: Alix

What’s different?

How to pretend to be a Greek?

Poland

W

hat does it mean to „pretend to be a Greek” in Polish? What is the relation between the Polish and the Greek national teams and why does their performance on the field remind me of the economic, cultural and social situation of these two countries?

Each medal has two sides In 2012 Poland and Ukraine were organizing together the UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2012), and the opening match during this tournament was a meeting between Poland and Greece. Robert Lewandowski managed to score the first goal at minute 17: however, Dimitris Salpingidis replied at minute 51, and in the end there was a draw (1:1). The public opinion was divided – from the Polish side there were voices saying that we should have won this match, and as you probably imagine – the same voices in Greece were saying that they should have scored 3 points instead of 1 in the general classification.

That’s how I would descibe the main differences between our countries, even though I’ve been here, in Kalamata, only for 3 weeks now. There are, of course, small details between the countries which might make me think that Greece or Poland deals with some particular issues better than the other, but in the end of the day - it balances out and there’s a draw between us. This applies to the cultural, economic and social spheres as well. Three years later, in 2015, our teams again played against each other, in a friendly match. The result? History repeats itself – a draw, 0:0.

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Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to attend to a football match in Greece yet, but - from what I can gather from the streets - I have a feeling that the atmosphere is similar to the one in Poland. Here, also, I can spot many different graffiti or stickers stuck everywhere related to football teams. I have also talked with a few Greeks and they told me that the tension between the biggest teams is really intense, and the same situation takes place in my country – football fans would do anything to defend their team’s colours. versation. He had an attitude as if he didn’t know anything. This way he could get a lot of different answers, and also could annoy the interlocutor because the questions Socrates was asking were very often investigative.

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(...) we have a big commitment for our loved ones

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However, now that I’m in Greece I find this saying unfair, because it may strengthen a negative stereotype about the Greek nation in Poland. Through this, the Greeks might be perceived as people who play dumb and it is not true. I really don’t understand why this saying is so popular in Poland, we have even a very buzzing song that mentions it. What is more, and probably the most important, this saying has no basis in reality.

Another thing related to football that we have in common are the successes. Of course, it depends on the year, but let’s be frank – none of us is the European hegemon of the ball right now. We both have „produced” some good players, but right now the teams from our leagues are in stagnation.

Don’t play dumb We have a saying in Poland that goes like this: “don’t pretend you’re a Greek”. When I was a child I was wondering what it could mean. So, given that right now I’m in Greece, I feel it’s a perfect time to finally understand the meaning of it.

“Don’t pretend you’re a Greek” means don’t pretend that you have no idea/no knowledge about something; don’t play dumb and pretend that you don’t know something because we know that you do know this issue. It comes from Socrates who was asking many questions trying to go deeper and deeper into the con17

Author: Marlena

My Project Hello! I’m Tania and at the moment I’m volunteering in DASH, a non-governmental organisation and the largest dog rescue centre in Greece. It relies solely on donations and the help of volunteers.

Name DASH – Dream Of A Safe Haven Dog Address Epar.Od. Messinis-Kiparissias, 242 00 Messini, Greece Website https://www.dash-dogs.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dogsatdash/ E-mail julie_wilkinson69@hotmail.com People I work with: Since 3 weeks ago, another ESC volunteer, Kamil from Poland. Also, the owner of the Dog Shelter, Katerina, and other volunteers both local and from other countries, such as Germany, England... Right now we are 12.

What my tasks are: My main task is to take care of the dogs in the area I am assigned to. Every day I feed the dogs, put water in the buckets after cleaning them, and pick up the poo, hair, bones, plastics, garbage and anything that could hurt the dogs if ingested, but also to keep the area clean and tidy. Twice a week, I clean the food bowls. I also make sure that all the dogs are well. Sometimes, I remove their excess hair, check if they have ticks and if they do give them medication. I also bathe them. And when it’s pest season, we spray them with insecticide.

What I am learning from it: I was never able to own a dog, therefore, the amount of knowledge that I am getting in these months is enormous. I’m learning a lot about dogs’ behavior: their reactions, their moods, their body movements, their facial expressions... Sometimes I surprise myself being surrounded by about 100 dogs and feeling so calm. I’m also learning about the current reality of the dog abandonment situation. Hearing about it is not the same as seeing it. My awareness of this is much greater right now. I also reckon that I’m learning an important life 18

lesson. By doing hard physical work as a volunteer, I believe this is and will change my perception of work and the way I approach my future and my life forever.

What I love about the project: Without a doubt one of the things I like the most is seeing the dogs happy. When people think of a dog shelter, they imagine dogs locked in a cage all day, unhappy and sad. But, here, they are on a field, free, they can run and play with the other dogs. I like being with them and observing and laughing at the pranks they make! I also like the satisfaction I feel when I have finished all my tasks and I see everything clean and tidy and they are relaxed because they have already eaten. I really like working in the open air, surrounded by olive trees and nature.

Author: Tania

My Sending Organisation The Asociación MUNDUS is a non-profit organization with delegations in Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelona), Zaragoza and Girona. They are dedicated to managing international training and mobility projects for young people - internships, volunteering, exchanges, courses and professionals working with this sector of the population. With their projects, they promote values education, intercultural learning and volunteering through non-formal education. Their mission is to help young Europeans prepare to face the challenge of an uncertain life in an active and changing world by participating in new international experiences.

Name Asociación MUNDUS City & Country Barcelona | SPAIN Date of creation 2013 Website www.asociacionmundus.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MundusAsociacion

In the field of youth, they have sent, to date, more than 600 SVE volunteers and more than 650 participants in youth exchanges and training courses abroad. They are also a EVS and ESC coordinating and hosting entity, receiving every year volunteers who carry out projects under the program in theirs and other local partner organizations in Catalonia and Aragon.

rectly for the offers on their website. Before arriving in Kalamata, we had a pre-arrival training on Skype, where I received all the necessary information and was able to clear out all my doubts. My coordinator is always ready to help me when I need it. I’m happy and grateful to my sending organization, as I have a very positive experience both from my past EVS and the current project.

In the field of education, they specialize in international mobility projects for vocational training centers.

Every year, they send on average 300 students to do their internships in EU countries and host in Spain around 1000 young students from all professional fields. They work with a network of companies in Aragon and Catalonia committed to vocational training.

More locally, –mainly in Aragon and Catalonia, they organize different activities and events to promote international mobility and intercultural exchanges through non-formal education.

I met MUNDUS Association last year, when I was on a short time EVS. I found this project by looking di19

Author: Tania

Interview I met Olha during our on-arrival training in Volos in February. She is a motivated Ukrainian girl, who was volunteering in Athens until July 2020. She was working at the office, but in her free time she was documenting the daily life in Athens with her camera, proving she’s a very skilled photographer!

Erasmus+ Volunteer

Name Olha Teteruk Nationality Ukranian Hosting organisation The Institute of Research and Training on European Affairs Volunteering Volunteers united in diversity Place Athens | GREECE

Interviewer: What motivated you to become a volunteer?

Olha: All the opportunities behind it: learning new skills, exploring what I’m good/bad at through trying, experiencing a foreign culture and so much more. I am a travel addict, so I could not loose such a chance of living and exploring another country.

Interviewer: What was your project about?

Olha: My hosting organization does youth work, and I supported their projects through creating content for social media, writing articles for a youth-oriented blog, doing research on various topics, and developing ideas for future events and projects.

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“ Anything can happen, (...) and realizing it will spare you a lot of disappointment.

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organization and their project. Ask them questions if you’re not sure about something. And don’t have high expectations! Anything can happen, 2020 has proven that so far and realizing it will spare you a lot of disappointment.

Interviewer: This LINK edition is all about sport.

Are you into sports? What kind of sports?

Olha: I have never been particularly good at or into sports. I enjoy jogging and doing yoga but that’s about it. I’d love to do more outdoor sports, though.

Interviewer: What was the most important thing that you learned from this experience?

Olha: To realize the fact that my expectations do not always (or rather never) match the reality and to learn how to cope with that.

Interviewer: What do you think are the benefits of practicing sports?

Olha: The most important ones for me are that it makes your body healthier and it lowers stress level.

Practicing sports also makes you feel better because of those “happy hormones”, so that’s what I choose to do when I feel down, and it helps!

Interviewer: Do you think your ESC experience will be useful for you in the future? In what ways?

Olha: Yes, as I realized that I enjoy writing and will probably look for a job that deals with that in the future. Having such experience on my CV is useful, especially since I want to work in the non-profit sector.

There are also a lot of skills that I enhanced through this experience (including the lockdown) that will definitely be useful, such as self-organization and self-motivation, project management skills, cultural awareness etc.

Interviewer: What’s the role of sports in your country?

Olha: I think it’s similar to other countries in a way that it brings people together as spectators of some popular sports, which is mostly football in Ukraine.

Engaging in sports or some physical activity is becoming more popular each year with the general trend of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Interviewer: What did you like the most about Greece?

Olha: The nature. Despite living in a big city, I got to travel a bit and was astonished by how beautiful the country is. And not only the islands, but the mainland as well! It made me dream of a road trip through Greece, so I’ll have to come back for that.

Interviewer: A piece of advice for future ESC volunteers?

Olha: Choose your project based on what you would enjoy doing or what activities you’d like to explore.

Make sure you know enough about your hosting 21

Interviewer: Hania

W’Art?!

“Tree of Codes” - Olafur Eliasson, Wayne McGregor, Jamie XX

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wan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty or the Nutcracker are all classical ballet that everyone knows.

They have marked the dance world and they will continue to be performed over the years. However, people also like change and discovering new representations.

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ree of Codes made the change and included a huge artistic dimension to the dancing performance. Combining music, scenography and choreography, Tree of Codes is a real laboratory of experimentation. Bringing together the dancers of the Company Wayne McGregor and the Paris Opera Ballet, this piece is the product of an artistic collaboration in which space, bodies and architecture interact. The work opens up the spectators’ field of perception by immersing them in a disturbing play of mirrors created by the artist Olafur Eliasson and a techno-pop sound space conceived by the musician Jamie xx.

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ll choreographers have a personal style. But it would be hard not to recognise a ballet by the British choreographer Wayne McGregor – those sleek, hyper-extended distortions, the extreme articulation of the body, the unexpected twists and turns of movement.

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In his works, dancers - whatever the theme - look stunningly beautiful and confusingly strange. They are recognisably human and also bodies from another world.

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reated in 2015 for the Manchester International Festival, the Tree of Codes ballet is inspired by the novel of American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, published five years earlier. At the time, this unusual text - an artwork that takes shape as a book - struggled to get published, with many of the words that compose it being removed by the author.

A belgian publishing house was the only one to print it. This book - described by the Times as a veritable “work of art” - inspired Wayne McGregor, who decided to adapt and choreograph it.

C

lassical dance is an artistic practice, it encompasses the theater, costumes, light effects, sets etc ... In order to create a ballet, there is a whole artistic dimension that must be thought through. Tree of Codes highlights this mix of art to set up this ballet.

A

set of mirrors at the back of the stage diffracts the reflections of the bodies, then advances towards the audience, and ends up releasing circles rotating on themselves reflecting iridescent lights. In this graphic fairyland, in which they are embedded, circulate the real bodies of the performers ... or their images.

“

Collaboration keeps you moving. It stops you being formulaic (...) I want to feel motivated when I wake up in the morning. Dance is so collaborative anyway. If you’ve got people who are inspired and inspiring it’s bound to infect your work and infect your practice. Wayne McGregor

”

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Author: Alix

Recipes from Portugal

Medium 1 h 30 mins 8 servings

Arroz de Frango (Chicken Rice) Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • •

400 g rice 200 g chicken breast 200 g grated mozzarella 200 g bacon 1 small sausage (cooked) 1 small onion 3 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons of olive oil 0,5 lt tomato sauce Salt Pepper and Paprika

Preparation: For the filling: 1. Boil the chicken breasts with salt. After cut/shred the chicken in small pieces with the help of your hands. Note: Keep the chicken broth for later; 2. Add the chopped onion to the olive oil and cook it until it’s golden (light brown). Add the tomato sauce and the spices.

3. Chop half of the sausage and 2⁄3 of the bacon. Then add the chicken, the chopped sausage and the bacon to the sauce. Cook it in low temperature for about 15 minutes.

For the rice: 1. Chop the onion and do just like you did for the sauce. Once it’s light brown, add the salt.

2. Add then the water (chicken broth) and stir everything. Add the rice and cook at low temperature.

For the oven: 1. In a tray, spread a layer of rice. Then add the layer of filling and then add another layer of rice. Spread the rest of the bacon (1⁄3) on the top; 2. Cover the top with the mozzarella and add the rest of the sausage (thin slices) over the mozzarella; 3. Bake it for 10/15 minutes for 180 degrees until the cheese melts.

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Author: Catarina

Pastel de Nata (custard tart) Ingredients: • • • • • • • •

Medium 1 h 15 mins 8 servings

6 egg yolks 2 tablespoons of corn starch 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 0,5 lt milk 200 g sugar 1 lemon ( 2 small pieces of peel) 1 puff pastry 40 g butter

Preparation: 1. Pre-heat the oven 180 degrees and grease with a bit of butter the muffin tin (each hole); 2. Start by placing the milk and lemon peel inside a pan and let it boil.; 3. While you wait for the milk, mix the sugar and the corn starch inside a bowl.

4. Turn off the stove and mix slowly the sugar-corn starch mixture with the hot milk, add also the vanilla extract.

Mix it well and let it rest for 10 minutes.

5. While you wait, once again mix whisk the egg yolk and cut the puff pastry in even sized cirlcles: with a puff pastry sheet you should be able to make between 7 to 9 circles.

6. Place each round into the greased muffin tins. It should cover completely the hole.

7. After this 10 minutes, place the pan on the stove and add the egg yolks to the mixture, stir it really well, but slowly, until it thickens.

8. Then divide the mixture among the muffin tins.

9. Bake it for about 20/25 minutes, until it’s golden on the top.

10. Let it cool down and enjoy!

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Author: Catarina

The volunteers responsible for this publication are hosted in Greece in the framework of the European Solidarity Corps programme of the European Commission. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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