Link90 publish by NGO K.A.NE.

LINK No 90 MARCH 1rst, 2017

What is this smell? Flowers blooming in the trees, warm sunshine on the beach, the carnival last weekend... Spring is coming to Kalamata ! And with him a lot of new projects and adventures with the EVS volunteers! In this Link you’ll find a lot of new articles, new places to discover and new peoples to meet ! I hope you are excited ! =) Editor & Designer: Tea Križanec- Laura Gimenez

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Table of contents Contact 5 About us 6 Youth Center - program 16 Martyna Czypicka Rosa Vernooij Arthur Gallagher Anna Szlendak

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Martyna Czypicka 29 Óscar Villarraso López 32 Aroa Liébana Rellán 34

EVS, K.A.NE.

Glory of Beauty Carnival in Patras Youtube channel News from Poland Interview with local volunteer Next STOP Favorite place

Oskar Shrattenecker Joana Ganilho Marques Yana Volkova Molly O’Doherty

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Sending organisation Books, Books, Books ! Interview with EVS My project

Renée Hoogenboom Sofiene Lahdheri Sara Amghar Mariam Sassi Martyna Czypicka Zoom on Kalamata

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Healthy Food Hometown Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? Tunisian Couscous Inspiration

Staff members of KANE: Filaretos Vourkos Fotini Arapi Jelena Scepanovic Nantiana Koutiva Vyron Giannakopoulos EVS: Aroa Liébana Rellán Arthur Gallagher Laura Gimenez Renée Hoogenboom Rosa Vernooij Rüya Hazar Martyna Czypicka Molly O’Doherty Óscar Villarraso López Oskar Shrattenecker Sara Amghar Tea Križanec Anna Szlendak Mariam Sassi Yana Volkova Joana Ganilho Marques Sofiene Lahdheri Credits pictures: pastel spring/ floral flowe/ violanta /Madi_KitschFactory/ transparentpost-s

Contact us: K.A.N.E Social Youth Development Youth Center of Kalamata Plateia Othonos 10 Kalamata 24100 Greece Telephone: +30 272 111 0740 E-mail: info@ngokane.org URL: https://kentroneon.wordpress.com/ http://www.ngokane.org/index.php/el/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ kentroneon/?fref=ts

About us - EVS

i, This is RĂźya from Istanbul,Turkey. I am 28 years old. I have studied Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering in Istanbul Technical University. Then, i started working on tanker ships as an officer. So, i was once an old mariner, than after leaving ships become a full time traveller and now i am a volunteer in Kalamata until next middle of May:). I am into sports, cultural activities and travel.

i there, my name is Renee, I am seventeen years old and I am from the Netherlands. I arrived last monday and I will stay here for ten months. My work will be therapeutic horseriding and in the keviab. I just finished highschool and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wanted to study immediately, then I came across EVS and it turned out to be the perfect thing to do this year. Because I am doing something good and I will learn a lot from it. I hope that when I come back I will have new friends and have a lot more life experience.

ello my name is Oskar Schrattenecker, I am 18 years old and from Linz/Austria. I am doing Evs in Kalamata. The main reason for me to do Evs was because i didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what I wanted to do in my future so hopefully I get orientation during my Evs. Also since first of January in Austria you can do a long term Evs instead of your military service, so this was a nice opportunity. I started my Evs one month ago on 18. of April and my project lasts for one year, I work in the Youth center of Kalamata. Me and 6 other Volunteers live in an apartment. near the Youth center.

i everyone! My name is Rosa and I am 17 years old. I come from a small town called Woerden in the Netherlands. I just graduated from high school, so now I am taking a gap year before I will go to university. I like hanging out with friends, watching a movie, going for a hike and cooking. I will stay in Kalamata for 9 months to work in the Day care centre for autistic children. We visited Kalamata in the beginning of August for one weekend, so we got to see a little bit of Kalamata already. The people here have been really nice, but it is so different from the Netherlands. I hope to become more independent here and meet new friends. I am also looking forward very much to learning about autistic children and how to approach them.

ey guys! My name in Martyna and I’m new volunteer from Poland! I’ve grown up in Poznan (west side of the country). I’m 26 this year and I try to enjoy every minute of my life! I’m crazy about Greece, this is my favourite place in Europe – however I love to travel and I take every opportunity to see the world. In my free time I like to read and spend time outside of the house. I love to eat, this is my biggest passion! I’m totally a beauty freak.

i! My name is Laura and I’m 24 years old. I come from a small town in France called Le Thor (yeah like the north god), it’s around Marseille. I have a bachelor degree but I wanted to do something else this year, something that will give me life and work experiences: I wanted to be useful. I’ll work in KANE’s office as the webdesigner of the team and I’ll stay in Kalamata for 1 year; I’m really looking forward to it! I have quite a lot of hobbies; I love to draw, write, read, play video games, watching movies and tv show and so on.

alimera to all of you, I am Sara, I am french and I am 21 years old. Since yesterday, I am a new volunteer in Kalamata and will stay here for a year (maybe more ...?) in order to give some help to the horse riding center of kalamata and the Kefiap as well. More over, I will give french lessons at the Youth Center of the city. I met people I will work with and I am really excited to start being part of the project. Horse riding center is a real peacefull place for anybody who needs to connect his mind with his body. The couple of therapist working there are sensitive and receptive people, so if you have any physycal pain, just go to the horse riding center :) !

i ! My name is Aroa, I’m from Madrid in Spain but I live in Màlaga, the south of Spain. In Spain I’m working in a secondary school for dance, I’m the teacher for hip-hop, funks, break dance and classic for teens. I have 18 years and I love dance, photography and watch movies with my friends.

alimera! I am Ania and I come from Poland. I will be working for KANE and running Photography and Ukulele workshops. I studied photography in the Institute of Journalism of the University of Warsaw and worked for press photo agencies when I lived in my country. I enjoy every form of photography, I use both digital and film camera, I also create my own pinhole cameras. Besides, I am totally addicted to travel.

ello ! My name is Joana, I’m 29 years old and I’m from Lisbon, Portugal. I studied fine arts, art education and museology and I just arrived Kalamata for a 12 months EVS project. I’ve worked for a lot of time in bookshops and I love to read. I like quiet places where I can be in touch with nature. I’m a curious person and I’m always trying to learn new things and find new perspectives. Traveling is one my passions and my day is always better if I have a cup of tea with me.

aking a decision to leave everything what you have and take a deep plunge into something unknown is never an easy one. I took such a decision, left my job and decided to take one-in-alifetime opportunity to do my EVS in Greece. My name is Sofiene, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; am 26 and I am from a tiny country in North Africa called Tunisia. I am a photographer, videographer, graphic designer and I am here to share my experience and knowledge as well as expand it and acquire new skills. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m social, open minded and always curious about different cultures and meeting beautiful people.

tepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things is the best way to grow, and this is what EVS is all about. My name is Mariam, I am 24 and I come from Tunisia. Passionate by traveling, arts, adventures as well as meeting new people and discovering new traditions, places and cultures. I decided to leave all of my normal steady life in Tunisia to come seek inspiration and and explore a new way of living in Greece, in the beautiful city of KalamĂ ta. I would use all of my knowledge and dig even deeper to give the best of me, but also try to learn everything I can from other volunteers, from locals and daily life experience, either languages, dancing, music instrument, sports etc.

reece, the final frontier. This will be the voyage of a young volunteer. Her continuing mission - to explore strange new places, to seek out new skills and new forms of art, to boldly go where no volunteer has gone before… Greetings dear readers! Tea is my name and art is my game. I will be working for KANE and leading the Creative arts workshops in the youth centre as well as teaching croatian. Please don’t let my fragile looks trick you, as I am a level 6 elven ranger of the Vanyar clan, my patronus is an Eevee and I am available for tea parties and board games.

ello everyone! My name is Molly and I come from the UK. I’ve moved here from a city called Bristol in England. I am going to be working in K.A.N.E.’s office. I’ll be helping with the programming, development and evaluation of activities. I’ll also be helping out in the Youth Centre and running an English Conversation workshop. I love cooking, watching films and doing yoga. I also really enjoy helping people to connect with their local history. Before I came here I was working in museums and archives for many years. I am really excited to be in Kalamata and I feel very lucky to be here working as an EVS volunteer.

i ! I’m Oscar, I’m from Spain, I live in Màlaga, so close to Africa. I love the fashion world and I worked as organiser and teacher of modeling in lot of fashion shows. I’m an animal lover, I have a tiny dog called Fredy. Music is very important in my life, I’m listening music every time. I like traveling every time I can, I think exploring the world is the most interestng in your life.

ello, my name is Arthur, I’m coming from France. I will stay in Kalamata for a 12 months EVS, working at K.A.N.E office. I will animate some workshops here and participate in media communication. I’m glad to be here and experiment the greek way of life.

am Yana from Ukraine. For 5 years I was studying architecture in university and I fond of everything about it as well as about natural building. Before coming here I was working as a project coordinator of the workcamps and as freelance graphic designer for different social festivals and non-governmental organizations. The last 4 years I’ve been travelling to different places in Europe such as eco-villages and rural areas helping people and promoting volunteering for peace. All kind of arts, nature, voluntarism, and travel -- my biggest passions in life. 13

About us - K.A.NE.

ello, I am Filaretos Vourkos. For the last 10 years I am working in the field of Non-formal education as avolunteer, youth worker and youth trainer. 6 years ago,I decided to create the Youth Centre of Kalamata, in orderto initiate youth work in Kalamata and promote active citizenship as factor for change.

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

y name is Nantiana! I’m 23 years old. I live in Kalamata! I was living for 5 years in Patras! I was studying there greek philology and now I’m teaching greek to the youth center in Kalamata.

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i my name is Fotini Arapi and I am project manager in K.A.NE. organization and responsible, among other things, for all sending motilities (sending EVS volunteers, participants in training courses, interns, etc). Apart from my work in K.A.NE., I also volunteer in the Youth Centre of Kalamata, a volunteer initiative managed by a team of local volunteers. I am very proud of and I love the Youth Centre, its dynamic atmosphere, and most of all, its natural inclusiveness that allows everybody to feel “at home” there. See you around :-D

would describe Vyron as an imaginative fast learning and inventive generalist with a passion for remarkable food and the great outdoors. That’s enough talking about myself in third person. Hello, I am Vyron Giannakopoulos, I consider myself a curious and open-minded person. I have studied the science of Geography and as the newest member of KANE I am here to help by managing the creative projects of EVS volunteers, planning events, creating new projects and doing anything that will add value to our organisation. In my free time I like exploring new places and learning new things. But feel free to contact me on any issue if you need help. Namaste

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Everyday eye-look

Hello everyone! I’ve hope you’re enjoying this column as much as I am! Today I want to show you how to make everyday eye-look, step by step! This season warm colors are very trendy and they look amazing with every eye color! Of course we can find many pages where some colors seems to fit better, but don’t think those are the only colors you can use! Remember that “makeup” means “fun”, so don’t think twice! Play with the shades and create your own look! Green eyes: grey, green, purple, bronze, taupe tones Blue eyes: grey, green, orange, purple, mauve tones Grey eyes: teal, peach, grey

Brown eyes: brown, silver, gold, green

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Today I prepare for you warm orange/burgundy/gold eye-look! Things I’m using: 1. Eyeshadows from nude pallet – NYX, Butt “Naked” Underneath in all & Too Faced, Chocolate Bon Bon;

2. Eyeliner – Uma cosmetics, Long lasting eyeliner (black); 3. Eye pencil, Beauty Line Cosmetics (050 Sand Beige); 4. Concealer – Catrice Cosmetics, Liquid Camouflage (010 Porcellain);

5. 6.

Eyelashes curler; Mascara – Eveline, Volumix Fiberlast (black);

Brushes – Hakuro H60, H76, H78, H80.

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Step 1. Prime your eye lids; Step 2. Put transition shade on your crease using puffy blending brush;

Step 3. Put brighter shade all over your lid using flat small brush;

Step 4. Put shimmery/shining shade right in the middle of your lid using flat small brush;

Step 5. Put darker shade in the outside corner and crease using small pointy brush; Step 6. Blend everything slightly, with the same big, puffy blending brush;

curler (10 seconds each eye); Step 10. Put mascara.

Step 7. IF NEEDED, put a little bit more transition shade on your crease, just to define this warm color. Use the same blending brush; Step 8. Wing your eye with eyeliner; Step 9. Curl lashes with lashes

Do face make-up and go back to finish your perfect eye look! Step 11. Put matching colors to define lower lash line (darker in the outside corner, brighter in the inner corner of your eye), using small pointy brush; Step 12. Put beige pencil on your waterline; Step 11. Put bright glitter on inner corner, using the same small, pointy brush; Step 12. Put mascara on lower lashes.

DONE! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve hope you like my everyday look! Inspired by Instagram/@kyliecosmetics

Carnival in Patras This weekend was the weekend of carnival in a lot of European countries. Like in my home-country (the Netherlands) they celebrate it very big here in Greece. I went with a few friends to Patras, because we heard from a lot of people that there would be a crazy, big carnival there. It was a very nice experience to see the parade and to see all the happy people dancing on the street. We saw parts of the parade and it was a spectacle like I have never seen before. The ambiance was very nice: people were having a lot of fun on the street, but they were not too drunk to ruin the party. I really liked it. The carnival in Patras is one of the biggest in Europe and a lot of people travel there to see the event. It includes not only one parade, but a number of events starting on the 17th of January and ending on clean Monday. The biggest events happen during the two days before clean Monday with the evening parade on Saturday and a big parade on Sunday. On Sunday evening there is a ritual of burning the carnival king at the St. Nikolaos Street pier in the harbour of Patras. We also saw the beautiful fireworks that were part of that ritual.

History Patrino karnavali is not an event that was created recently, because it has a history that goes back 180 years ago. During that time the French troops were stationed in Patras after its liberation from the Turks. They brought their own traditions and people think that the Patrino karnivali has its origins in the balls that were given for the bourgeoisie. Late, at the end of the 19th century the Venetian carnival had a big influence on the festivities in Patras. The reason was that Patras had a very good connection with Italy because of its port. In 1872 the Apollon Theatre (see the photo on the right) was built and from that time carnival dances were hosted there. When I was doing research on the history of the carnival, I started to understand: one thing a bit more: throwing the chocolate bars to the stage. During the beginning of the 20th century people from all social classes could participate in the carnival and this was the beginning of an egg-war custom, where eggs stuffed with confetti were thrown from balconies. This custom has disappeared, but many believe this was the reason behind the ‘chocolate-war’. Treasure hunt The groups that you can see in the parades also join the treasure hunt. They are often groups of friends, colleagues, neighbours and the amount of people varies from 50 to 300. They choose a name for their group which often has something to do with their costume, such as “Colourful Umbrellas”, “Cosmic Chimneys” or “Love Prince”. The games of the treasure hunt often include questions from subjects such as as history, philosophy, mathematics, or from practical knowledge, exercises in navigation through hidden clues spread throughout the town, artistic competitions in painting, pantomimes, theatrical highlights. A lot of groups have offices and clubs during the carnival period and organise parties and dances.

Children’s carnival The children’s carnival includes a number of events for children from from kindergartens, musical schools, nurseries etc. It allows them to distinguish their abilities in artistic expression while having fun. The baby rally, which was organized for the first time in 1968 was the origin for the children’s carnival. The biggest event is the children’s parade with 12.000 children from Patras and other regions in Greece.

Youtube channel Youtube Channel : Paul Joseph Watson - I love to follow his videos, Paul is getting more and more famous by his ideas on politics and cultural changes, I like his opinions and how he defend them in a realistic/pragmatic way, he his not a political correct slave and I admire it ! He is getting a bit famous on YouTube because even tv company are using his videos sometimes. As he represent an other point of view on politics that is a bit forgot for exemple if you have the occasion, check his videos about Brexit, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so good ! Here is his channel : https://www.youtube.com/user/PrisonPlanetLive

News From Poland Fat Thursday in Poland

Fat Thursday is a traditional Christian feast marking the last Thursday before Lent. Greeks celebrate Tsiknopempti and in Poland Fat Thursday is a day when all over the country bakeries work intensively to produce millions of pączki to satisfy Polish nation. Pączek (pl. pączki - pronounced “poonch-key”) is Polish version of donuts, it’s a large ball of yeast dough fried in lard, filled with jam or marmalade and glazed with sugar, sometimes topped with candied orange peel. Although they look like German berliners, North American bismarcks or jelly doughnuts, pączki are made from especially rich dough containing eggs, fats, sugar, yeast and sometimes milk. The secret is that the confectioneries do not make them in advance - every respectful cake shop makes pączki the night before the feast. Pączki taste the best when still warm, that’s why in many Polish homes people cook them by themselves. For Poles eating pączki during Fat Thursday is like national competition who will eat more. From the morning people queue up in front of bakeries. In some places can wait for hours just to buy those doughnuts. No one is counting calories, even if he knows that one pączek has about 400 calories. This day Poles forget about their diet and eat huge quantities of sweets. Statistically, every Pole eats two and a half pączki on that day, which constitutes a 100 million for the entire nation. It’s not only because polish doughnuts are delicious. It is said that if you don’t eat at least one pączek on Fat Thursday, you will have bad luck for the coming year. So people eat as many doughnuts as possible, all in the name of good luck. The whole festivity has roots in… ancient Rome. They celebrated end of winter by eating a lot of fat meat and drinking huge amounts of wine. In the Middle Ages it became festivity connected

with Christianity. Because Lent is a time of fasting and next opportunity to feast is Easter, people created pączki as a way to use up all the available sugar, eggs, butter, lard, and other goodness before, since religious law forbade the consumption of those during the Lenten seasion. The first donuts did not remind those that we know nowadays, they were filled with pork fat and meat. To support digestion process they were served with strong alcohol. Sweet version appeared in 16th century, but even then it was a liitle bit different than now. It had little nut hidden inside and a person who found it in his doughnut was said to be well off. Pączki have special place in Polish hearts. We have even some proverbs and idioms about it. For example, “live like a doughnut in butter”, meaning to live in clover. There is another very good desert you can find everywhere in Poland this day. I am talking about Faworki ( in some regions known as Chrusty) – traditional sweet crisp pastry made out of dough that has been shaped into thin twisted ribbons, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. At the end they look like angel wings and are very delicate. Totally different from pączki, but also delicious. So If one day you will visit Poland on this particular day, you absolutely have to try one of pączki. If you just came and you don’t know where to buy those doughnuts, don’t worry, there will be pączki everywhere. And remember, if you don’t eat at least one pączek on this day you will have bad luck for the rest of the year. So you better eat at least one. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Interview with a local volunteer

Martyna: Hello Giorgo! Can you introduce yourself to our followers? Giorgos: My name is Giorgos. I’m a Greek volunteer at the Youth Center. I’m 26 and my passions include movies, movies… and more movies. I’m the film club workshop instructor at the Youth Center and part of Kalamata’s Film Club.

M: How long have you been a volunteer for the Youth Center, and is the film club workshop the only thing you do for the organization? G: I’ve been a volunteer for 1.5 year, and except the film club workshop I also help with the organization and coordination of Youth Center’s various events and activities. M: Why did you decide to become a volunteer? G: I decided to become a volunteer at the Youth Center, because it was a nice way to contribute to the development of relations throughout the youth community of Kalamata. Plus, I think it is a really nice and easy way to meet people from different cultures, compare the lifestyle in different countries, improve my English and establish long lasting friendships throughout many different countries. M: Would you like to attend an EVS program in the future? And if yes, what kind of program would be more suitable to you? G: I’d really like to attend an EVS program, because I believe it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I think the program best suited to me, would be related either with cinema or kids, because movies are my passion and I think it would be nice to introduce my country, culture and way of life to a younger generation of foreign people. M: What would be the “ideal” country for you to stay as an EVS volunteer? G: My ideal country would be England, because I’m in love with the British way of life, but I would really like to experience everyday life in other European countries, most preferably Hungary (because of Budapest), Poland or Russia, because I’m really fascinated by Eastern European history, especially WWII. M: In conclusion, give us your opinion, wish and future plans about EVS/Youth Center community. G: I truly believe that the EVS program and community in general is a terrific organization, because it gives you an opportunity to live outside of your comfort zone. My wish for it, is to be more expanded in my city, because it will give

me even more chances to meet new people from different countries and finally, my future plan for the EVS program is to attend a program abroad. M: Thank you very much for your time and we hope to see you fulfilling your plans!

NEXT STOP

I’m going to travel to Milan at the end of May, Italy is one of my favorite countries, I’ll be there a week and I’m very excited, I’m going because my favorite group is on a European tour for their fourth album and nearest place that they are going to go is Milan. They are Little Mix, a British girl band that now are becoming very famous but I have known them for 4 years and last year I went to one of their concerts in Barcelona. In Milan, I will stay with a friend who is studying and modeling there, Paula, she is a very good friend and I am very happy to be able to see her and to have fun with her in one of my favorite cities. I am starting to organize every day that I am there because I also want to do tourism in the city and I want to see many things, I hope a week is enough for that. I will go from Athens to Milan on May 26 and return on June 1 (from Friday to Thursday), Paula told me that on all the nights

of the weekend we will party, I love that. On Tuesday, May 30, it is the day of the concert and I will be all day waiting at the door of the Arena where we will try to be as close as possible to the stage. I am very excited about this trip because it is very complete, party, music, fashion, fun, tourism. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be one of my favorite trips! I would like to visit the cathedral of milan, I think it is one of the most iconic things of the city, recently renovated the national museum of science and I am very interested in that kind of thing. I have read something about that site and have things very interesting about the technology of Leonardo Da Vinci, and of course visiting the shops of the great designers, Versace and Moschino are my favorites and I can not leave the city without seeing the designs up close. The city is very big and I want to visit many things in se that the majority are distributed throughout the city and are very far between them, but I like very much to go by the cities that I visit with a map and finding the sites, it will be fun !

Favorite place Parque de El Capricho - Madrid This incredible park is located in the Barajas area, a beautiful garden that is a jewel of romanticism, an extraordinarily preserved monument, El Capricho de Alameda de Osuna. In its 14 hectares, El Capricho has a river, lakes, forests, gardens, buildings that simulate temples and surprising and mysterious corners. Its construction began in 1780, for the Dukes of Osuna, the most powerful couple of the aristocracy of the time. This place exudes tranquility and purity and without a doubt is one of my favorite places to take photos and enjoy the fresh air.

The first time I went to the park El Capricho was 6 years old, my grandfather took me, said that the best views were there and that there lived fairies in the lake that fulfilled desires. My grandfather took me every year to El Capricho on the day of my birthday, he said that the wishes are not asked of the cakes, if not the fairies. And it is this way that I fell in love with this park, because although I know there are no fairies, I keep throwing a coin every time I go. For me that park is still magical.

This park is one of the most visited places in Madrid and one of the best, if you ever visit Madrid I encourage you to go to El Capricho and throw a coin to the fairies of the lake and if you like photography, there you have 14 Hectares to take some incredible photos at home one of the corners of the park and if you are patient and watch, maybe you can get to see some animal. Believe me if I tell you that I have been going to this park since I was 6 years old, and to this day, my 19 years, even every time I go to discover a new place in the park and that I love.

The afternoons when I was little and went with my grandfather to El Capricho Park, my grandfather told me the endless history of this park, as it happened in the hands of civilians (which destroyed it), as it returned to the hands of The Duchess of Osuna and rebuilt it, as when she died she passed on to her children and as it was badly cared for and auctioned off, and as the civilians again created underground anti-aircraft shelters to take refuge there the army staff, Many more years. As you can see this place is full of history and beauty, a perfect place to walk and enjoy the place.

My sending organization My sending organization is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jugend:info NOEâ&#x20AC;?, translated: Youth: information lower Austria. The organization is funded by the Austrian government and is an informational and educational center for almost every topic around youth. It helps and informs people from every age about various youth concerning things. These topics are mostly law, health and socially consciousness, mobility in the country and international as well as the field around working and education. Every worker in Jugend:info NOE is trained youth worker and a specialist in his field and informs and advices in matters around these and various other topics. Also the organization organizes workshops, trainings and events for these topics, furthermore is it the starting point for most EVS projects in lower Austria. So whoever has questions or needs advice about youth relevant things goes there and gets help. The advice, help or consulting is anonymous and without any costs.

Books, books books ! If you don’t step outside yourself, you’ll never discover who you are.

The Tale of the Unknown Island tells us the story of a man who wants to find the unknown island. The plot starts with the man going to the king to ask for a boat, but the king doesn’t want to give him one. Due to his persistence and strong beliefs, the man returns from the king’s house with permission to go to the harbor to take it. Although he doesn’t know it yet, he also finds company for his journey there: the cleaning lady who opens the door of the king’s house, and who finds her purpose through him. At the harbor, the man faces new adversities: despite having the boat, how can he expect to find an unknown island when all the islands have already been discovered and are drawn on the map? He is also not a sailor, so how can he manage a ship? When he tries to find a crew, everyone sees the man as a dreamer, but for the man, it’s just a reality waiting to happen. He returns to the harbor where the cleaning lady is waiting for him. At night he dreams: he sees his greatest fears, but also his biggest strengths. So their journey starts from there: at the midday the next day the Unknown Island goes off to sea, looking for itself. As with most of Saramago’s works, the story has a lot of social commentary. The characters have no names and they are only identified by their professions, revealing the hierarchical structure in which they live. There is also political satire in the story. The king doesn’t care about people; he only cares about their opinion of him. He tries to avoid the man’s request through bureaucracy, but the man is too persistent. In the end, he gives him the boat because he believes that it will improve his image with the people. Saramago represents the political class as shallow and self-centered, not interested in the common good and only concerned with their own needs. The author transfers to his characters his own belief that citizens have an obligation to intervene and get involved, that citizens have the power to changes things. The man goes to ask for the boat, not to beg for it, and he doesn’t take no for an answer. When the king askes who is he to make such

request; he just asks back: who is the king to not give it to him? As the king argues that he is the king and all the boats belong to him, the man tells him that it was probably the other way around: without his boats and his sailors the king is nothing, he has no power; but a boat is always a boat, it can still sail, even without a king. The story also relates to historical and identity related issues. The idea of searching for the unknown is something that is carved deeply into Portuguese cultural imaginary. Here, the short story addresses Portuguese maritime history through the boat chosen by the captain for the man: it is an old caravel, the same kind of ship in which the Portuguese discovered new worlds. As the man and the cleaning lady talk about the sea, they mention the period of “the troubled sea”, as the Portuguese perceived it to be before the discoveries, and here the author engages in a dialogue not only with the Portuguese past but also with other Portuguese writers (Camões, Pessoa). The boat is also a key element in the relationship between the man and the cleaning lady: it is given to the man but it is the cleaning lady who sees it first (and she says “it’s my boat”) and it is her who receives the keys. In addition, the boat was previously changed and their relationship is also about to change. Just like the dream, these are clues of what’s to come, introducing another relevant subject in Portuguese culture and in Saramago’s work: fate. Throughout the story, we are always dealing with two different forces: one interior and another exterior force; one that fears the unknown and other who seeks it; one of those who follow the maps and the other of those who rewrite them. Here lies the incompatibility between the man and the cleaning lady to all the other characters: they are driven by opposing forces. Here, those who face fear carry on; the others stay in the same place, they stay the same.

Note: José Saramago was born in a small village in Portugal in 1922. His work has been translated into 25 languages and he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Camões Prize (the most important literary prize in Portugal) amongst others. The Tale of the Unknown Island was originally published in Portugal in 1997 with illustrations by the Portuguese artist Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos. It has been translated into Greek as Η ΙστορίαΤης Άγνωστης Νήσου.

There are a lot of reasons why I could choose this particular book to write about. I share it with you now because I believe we all feel like the man who wants to find the unknown island sometimes. There are particular periods in our lives when we have to choose: stay the same or go forward, embrace the unknown, welcome uncertainty. Doing EVS is making that decision again (or maybe for the first time); it is to accept that we have a wider view of things, that we are always pursuing something, although sometimes it has not revealed yet. But we keep searching; even if we cannot see it, we are almost feeling it. It is a matter of believing. In the end, some of us will find our boat, we will reach that midday eventually, and then maybe we can go off to sea with the tide to (re)discover who we are.

Interview with EVS Joana Yana: With what colour can you associate yourself? Joana: Red. Y: What was the funniest thing that happened to you? J: Hm, the funniest thing… I am not that kind of person (laughing). I’m more like: when things are complex, so complex that they become funny because they are too improbable. Once I went to the theatre with my mother and my aunt and it was in another city. We started by getting lost in the way, so we drive through narrow streets for a bunch of time. Then we arrived at the castle where the play was going to happened. My mom parked the car and we went inside to buy the tickets, but we didn’t know they didn’t accept card payments so we went back to get cash. When my mother was taking the car from the parking, she puts it into a hole! Then we had 6 men pushing the car to let it go back on road. When we arrived at the city again, she opened the door and she was so distracted, because of what happened before, that other car almost took out our door! Then we finally arrived at the castle, we bought the tickets, we enter -- the play begins. Nothing else could happen. Then I started to feel that there was too much light in the room and I asked my mom: “Don’t you think it’s a bit lighter here?”. She said: “Lighter? I don’t think so”. In a second, I just faint because of the heat: it was a very hot August day. :D It’s so improbable, that why it’s funny! Y: In which period of history you would like to live? J: From 20’s to 60’s. It was the time when things started to change very quickly. Lots of experiments, lots of new information in the scientific field, new social science approaches, social psychology… And it’s also after the second world

war that contemporary art emerge, from abstract expressionism to the beginning of conceptual art as a movement, minimalism, land art… It was a time that changed the way we perceive the world and the way we perceived humankind, not only because of innovation but also because of the wars. Y: What is inspiring you in life? J: People inspiring me. Even though sometimes I’m not a people-person, I do pay attention to people around. We find amazing people throughout our lives, we just need to be aware and I try to learn with them. Everybody has something to share, something to give us; we can make each others better. But sometimes we just don’t care about it enough. Y : What you always want to keep beside you? J: A cup of tea and books, of course. Y: What you want to get rid of? J: For me and for the whole society I want to get rid of this kind of social guilt complex and sense obligation. It’s a cultural issue that is carved really deep inside us and it’s connected with our Judeo-Christian heritage. We grow as if we always owe something to someone. And to owe is the opposite of being free. Society should give us roots without imprison us, to allow us to be free. All societies have their own issues, this is one of ours. Y: Why did you choose this project? J: I was receiving information about EVS projects for a long time. I was not searching for one but when I saw it I was like “I can do that!”.They were searching for someone who is related with arts who can work with people. But mainly I am missed using my artistic skills. So I just felt that I should apply. Another thing that was very important was that this was the last year I could apply since I’m turning 30 in the beginning of the year, so If I would not do my EVS this year I won’t be able to do it at all. Y: What you were doing before to come here? J: Before coming here I was working in maritime museum in Lisbon, I was working in the museum’s shop, dealing main-

ly with the bookshop. Before that I was already working in bookshops for a long time. It was very challenging work, i had the opportunity to choose all the books we will have there, to make the network with the editors, to think about the ideas we wanted to pass to the public. It was very fun and it was very important for me, I rew a lot as professional there. But then, the bookshop was ready and running. I felt my job was done and it was time to find a new adventure.

Working in KANE’s office

Hello! Since I’ve been in Greece a lot of people have been asking me: what exactly are you doing here? Well my dear Link readers I’m here to tell you all. Apart from running an English Conversation workshop and helping with Youth Centre events from time to time I also have my “day job”. During the day I work in the KANE office. As KANE is a so cial youth development organisation they carry out many activities, projects and events beyond the European Voluntary Service

(EVS). Every year they organise conferences, seminars and youth exchanges, and on top of all that a summer street festival. So I am helping to support KANE whenever necessary with some, any, or all of these things. Here are some examples of the kinds of things that I work on. The Info Point – the source of all knowledge As an international group we know how amazing it is to spend time abroad. So we want to tell as many people here about it. Not only that you can go, but also how exactly you can do it. We’ll soon have an information point available at the Youth Centre where you can talk with volunteers, read information and get inspiration to go away. Our EVS volunteers are working hard to collect and research information about how you can travel, volunteer and study in places like Spain, the Netherlands and Croatia. I’m coordinating this: asking volunteers for their work, collating the research and working with our hot new graphic designer Mariam to get the finished product off the shelves. Watch this space!

Keeping activities running smoothly

There are various different ways that KANE needs help and this can create a great variety of tasks. In December I helped with a short-term EVS project in a village, by acting as a mentor for three of the project’s participants. The group were working with local people to pick olives for eating and for olive oil. I was there for any practical, emotional or conversational support they needed. This was a great way to get a taste of what mentoring is like, to visit an interesting place and to meet some lovely international people. In January myself and the wonderful Laura acted as the support for

a week-long international seminar about Active Citizenship. We were there from morning until evening to assist with practicalities, group activities and ice breaker games. One of our most vital roles was also making excellent teas and coffees, served with a smile and a listening ear. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to learn more about how a seminar is run, what kind of activities work well, how trainers work together and to meet people from different fields and countries.

Seminar Active Citizenship

Tea and coffee served with love !

Coming up

In the future I have some other plans up my sleeve. This is focused around mobility â&#x20AC;&#x201C; young people moving around, volunteering and learning about other cultures. In the next few weeks KANE will also be putting out our open call for EVS volunteers. This is the official advert thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s posted online inviting people to come to Kalamata for EVS. We are likely to receive many applications from people all over the world who want to be involved this year. I will help with the communications for this: responding to emails and questions, collecting applications and supporting KANE with the selection of volunteers. I will be working with that wonderful Laura that I mentioned to plan, apply for and hopefully implement a youth exchange in the autumn. A youth exchanges gives young people of different nationalities the chance to spend up to three weeks meeting, living and working together. They can explore a subject like citizenship, migration or sustainability through non-formal activities. This gives them the potential to acquire knowledge and ideas for

action. We are planning a youth exchange that focuses on gender, equality, identity and history. Co-workers Finally I want to give a big shout out to my co-workers. I work in the office with coordinators Jelena and Vyron, where the conversa tion is sophisticated and the cookies are delicious. Thanks guys for the stimulating working environment...

Healthy Food ! Today: superfoods!

So in the Netherlands superfoods are a big trend because they are full of vitamines and basically good for everything! But still a lot of people want to have a bit of explanation and maybe some tips, so I am just gonna write about some basic superfoods. 1. Cacao Raw cacao works as a antioxidant. It has a lot of magnesium, iron and chrome. You can eat it as powder and it is good to mix it with your oatmeal for example. But you can also eat is a butter and in the butter form it is also good for your skin! 2. Coconut This is my all time favorite! It is good for basically everything. I use coconut oil to bake and i use it as a day or night cream, it is hydrating for the skin and if you put in on before you go to bed you will wake up with a really soft skin! And as a body butter it also smells really good! Besides this coconut is good for the digestion and burning fat, it helps your immune system, helps your heart, gives you directly energy which is good for a workout, and it is good for your metabolism. What I also do is use coconut flakes as a topping for my salads for example. 3. Chia seeds It has a percentage of omega-3, fibers, protein, antioxidants and minerals, and it is super easy to use! I eat it a lot I put for example everyday in my yoghurt, and 2 spoons is already more than enough! But you can also put in your salad or in a smoothie! And it helps with losing weight, lowers your cholesterol, improves the working of your brain, improves your immune system, keeps your blood sugar low, slowers the aging process, works against stress, gives you stronger nails and helps your hair grow!

No wonder that this is one of the most popular superfoods! 4. Goji berries It has a lot of antioxidants twice as many as normal berries! Again I eat this in my yoghurt everyday! But you can also eat them in a salad or mix them in your smoothie, or with nuts as a snack! They are also really good for your skin! A nice recipe as a snack is chocolate goji berries! What you need: - half a bar of extra pure chocolate I used chocolate with 92% cocoa, - two hands of goji berries. 1. Melt the chocolate au bain marie. 2. Mix it with the goji berries. 3. Spread the berries covert in chocolate on a baking sheet wit baking paper and put in the fridge for half an hour. And than you have a nice and healthy snack! 5. Chlorella and spirulina These are both algae, and they are known for their purifying efficiency. But in my opinion they taste horrible so I take them in the form of pills, which you can probably find in a bio store! 6. Oatmeal But if you want to eat this you have to take the good ones with only oatmeal and without additions. It makes you feel full and it prevents a high blood sugar! Besides that it has a lot of fibers and it is really good for you intestines. And it also has vitamin B1, fosfor, and magnesium.

HOMETOWN Ksar Hellal City Ksar Hellal is a Tunisian town located in the Sahel region. Administratively belongs to the state of Monastir. The city population is around 40k inhabitants. Ksar Hellal is is considered one of the most important industrial centers, especially in the textile industries Tunisia (155 Foundation) operates more than 4,700 workers. During the 19th Century, Ksar Hellal became known as the leading manufacturer and exporter of clothing and traditional textiles. Its products were exported all through Tunisia, as well as through the countries of the Great Maghreb, particularly Libya and Algeria. Following the Industrial Revolution, the traditional hand-made textile industry developed into a mechanical one.

And so, Ksar Hellal grew prosperous and became one of the most important industrial cities in Tunisia with hundreds of factories providing work for hundreds of thousands of employees from all over the country. Soon, its products further reached Europe and a wide range of neighboring countries, which earned the city the title: The Textile Capital of the Great Maghreb.

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Hi readers ! I guess you know this song =>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQa7SvVCdZk (note : you don’t ? ... I don’t believe you) Believe me or not, wherever I travel, in general, when I ask to people what word do they know in french they just repeat this sentence : “voulez-vous coucher avec moi ?”, and, again, believe me or not, some people say it with a lot of joy and want to put a lot of charm in the way of saying it but sometimes they don’t even know what it means. So, let’s make it clear; “voulez-vous coucher avec moi ?” means “do you wanna have sex with me ?”. Yeaaaaaah...... (be carefull when you want to speak french you foreigner whoever you are). So, I thought : “yeah, probably if I ask local people (Kalamata woup woup !), they will repeat the same thing than everybody does. And actually, it was not the case (good surprise or not ? I still don’t know...). So, here you have a panorama of what word some greek and other foreigners had in mind when I asked them : “ what is the most random word you know in french ?”

AMORTISSEUR (eng : shock absorber)

MADEMOISELLE (eng : miss)

Pourboire

OUI (in France, we have a cartoon for children called yes-yes... you can think it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make sens... I agree)

BONJOUR (eng : hello)

MERDE (eng : shit)

JE SUIS UNE PETITE GRENOUILLE (eng : I am a little frog) … I won’t reveal the identtity of the one who gave me that answer but... he works for KANE, hum !

FILS DE PUTE (eng : son of a bitch)

COMMENT TU T’APPELLES ? (eng : what is your name ?)

PAPILLON (eng : butterfly)

MON FION EST MALADE (eng : my ass is sick) (note : it’s actually one of the people I work with for my project who is really proud to know that, I swear it is not me who teached him this)

ANTICONSTITUTIONLLEMENT (eng : against the constitution) (note : you may awndering why did I choose this picture for that word... who knows ?...)

PETER (eng: to fart)

and last but not least : VOULEZ-VOUS COUCHER AVEC MOI CE SOIR ? (I expected that of course )

Tunisian Couscous Tunisian Couscous is traditionally made in a couscoussier. The meat and veg are cooked in the bottom pot with all the spices and the couscous is steamed on top. Ingredients : 1 chicken, cut into pieces 3 tbsp. Olive oil 1 onion diced 1 and a half tsp. Cumin 1 and a half tsp. Cinnamon 1 and a half tsp. Paprika 1 and a half tsp. Cayenne 1 tsp. Salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 100 g tomato paste 2 cups water or more if needed 2 tbsp. Harissa 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 4 cups cubed butternut squash 2 zucchini sliced 100 g chick peas 1 cup golden raisins 100 g plain couscous, uncooked Instructions In a large pot (or in the bottom of the couscoussier if you have one), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches (if necessary), return chicken to the pot. Add the diced onions and all the spices. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the onions start to sweat and the spices become very fragrant. Add the garlic, stir and cook for another 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and 1 cup of water, stirring to deglaze the pan.

Add just enough extra water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Add carrots and cook 15 more minutes. Add harissa and butternut squash, cook for 10 minutes. Finally add the zucchini, chick beans and golden raisins. Cook until the butternut squash and zucchini are tender about 10 more minutes. During the last leg of cooking, prepare the couscous according to package directions. Place couscous in a large bowl, stir in one cup of the cooking liquid from the stew. Stir well to mix. Make a well in the center of the couscous and add the chicken and vegetable stew. Serve with extra cooking liquid and harissa on the side.

The greatest idea always appears when you’re falling asleep or when you taking a shower, am I right? Yesterday, when I was in bed, ready to go to sleep, I checked my Instagram for the last time. I saw plenty of pictures of my friends, celebrities, some inspirations for new make-up and few nice outfits for rainy weather (you really don’t want to know what happen right now outside!). I closed my eyes and in heard in my had only one sentence “Inspiration – Insta-ration”, which of course doesn’t make any sense.. But when I was lying on my bed I thought this is exactly what I need right now! I want a little bit of INSPIRATION. I started to create “logo” in my head and praying to remember all this in the morning. And voila! Here it is! My new project for K.A.NE.! Inspiration/Instaration is a project based on popular “Humans of New York” idea. For many months I was thinking how to do it right, not to copy all “HNY”! In every LINK magazine you will find one or two pictures (portraits, my favorite!) of our volunteers, coworkers, friends or strangers meet on the street! I will always ask them the same question: What inspired you? What is your motivation to …? I really can’t wait to learn and maybe use some of your ideas! This time I want to tell you what is mine inspiration. It’s a nice moment to stop for a while and think, what actually makes me feel this way, where is the begging of this unstoppable power? I will like to tell you few things about me! Unfortunately, I’m not so lucky like some other people and I can’t find inspiration everywhere. I don’t really have this artistic spirit, so I like to think practically about my job, plans and my future. I am inspired by my family, my parents always told me that “nothing is impossible”, and the most important, they are living like this! I like to watch other people working and I like to share experience with others, because it’s amazing how our life’s are different! Way

we manage to deal with the same problem is always the most inspiring thing for me. Other people in action. In my opinion inspiration and being motivated can’t exist without each other. For me it’s not the same, but it’s really hard for me to show this small difference between them. My motivation is very easy – I want to be tired in the end of the day. I hate being useless or bored. I don’t like to waste my time, because there is so many things to do, to learn and to see, that we shouldn’t be passive, not even for one day of our life’s! I have few favorite motivational quotes, which always makes me feel better!

Zoom on Kalamata #ZOK #ZoomOnKalamata #February A winning picture of your February belongs to Penny Gkouzou“Leonce and Lena”. Congratulations!!! Your picture is getting its own spot on our wall, making our Youth Center even more beautiful!!!

Theme for January is: “Love is in the air”! Kentro Neon Kalamatas invites you to participate in a photo contest which aims to discover the beauty of our city. Regardless of the technical capabilities of your camera (or even your phone!), be open to your own creativity and new challenges! Every month, all submitted works will be published on Facebook, where they will be evaluated by “likes”. The winning image will receive the title of the month and will be hanged on the Youth Center’s wall. Photographs can be submitted by the 25th of each month. Interested candidates please send your work to: kentroneon. mc@gmail.com and add following information: • first name and last name, • title of the photo (facultative).

The volunteers responsible for this publication are hosted in Greece in the framework of the European Erasmus+ programme, KA1/youth - European Voluntary Service. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.