K.A.NE P. 4 - 8
Volunteers & Collaborators
QUOTE OF THE WEEK P. 9 “Jean Cocteau” GET TO KNOW US P. 1O “Do you remember your dreams? What’s the strangest you have ever had?” P. 11 “Are you more of a pragmatic person or a daydreamer? P.12 “What’s your favourite fantastic creature?” HOW TO SAY P. 13 Imagination is more important than knowledge. MAIN ARTICLES P. 14 - 17 “The (search for) interpretation of dreams” “Fantasy is too childish for me” DIFFERENCES P. 18 - 19 “Greece and France” MY PROJECT P. 20 Tamara in the Dog Shelter MY SENDING ORGANIZATION P. 21 Pistes Solidaires INTERVIEWS P. 22 ECS P. 23 Local ART REVIEW P. 24 - 27 Salvador Dali/ Surrealism PLACE TO VISIT P. 28 - 29 Japan EVENTS P. 30 Future Events P. 31 Past Events RECIPES P. 30 Cauliflower cream soup with roasted garlic P. 31 Baked apples with millet
Annalisa Editor
Maria Designer
fb.com/kane.kalamata instagram.com/kane.kalamata www.kentroneon.worpress.com www.ngokane.org info@ngokane.org Salaminos 8 24100 Kalamata Greece +30 272 108 188 2
Hello! My name is Alberto, I’m 22 and I’m from Murcia, a warm and beautiful city in southeastern Spain. I’m in Kalamata for 2 months and during my stay you’ll probably find me working in the dog shelter, walking by random places in the city with my camera, reading under any shaded bench or running, hiking and doing literally anything that involves movement.
Hello! I am Annalisa, I come from the wonderful city of Bologna (Northern Italy). I have an academic background in International 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.
Hey, my name is Clara, I’m 18 and I’m from France, more specifically Lille. I wanted to go abroad to learn English, get out of school before resuming my studies and discovering new cultures. I am now a new volunteer at the Kala-
Hi! My name is Diogo Gonçalves, I’m 23 and I’m from Guimarães, it’s a small city in the north of Portugal. I study Philosophy but right now I´m doing a GAP Year. I’m in Kalamata for two months volunteering at Kane Youth Center. I love to travel and get to know other cultures, and this opportunity to be so close to Greek life and its actors is a must. Along with philosophy, music, theater, sea and mountains, I am also passionate about associationism and non-formal education. If you want to find me i will be together with the locals trying to find out more about how the greeks 4
Hi, I’m Emma, I come from France and I’m nineteen years old. I’m in Greece for six month as volunteer to discover lot of things, as much as possible, to improve my English and why not to learn Greek. So I work in a horse therapic
Hello! I am Kassandra and I come from Germany. I am eighteen years old and I’ve just finished school, so now I have time to experience something new and to travel. This is why I take part in the ESC in Kalamata for one year and I am pretty excited about it. I work in the Dog Rescue Center, because I love dogs
Hi, my name is Magda, I come from Poland and will stay here in Kalamata until the end of January. I have a degree in Civil Engineering, but I didn’t like working in my profession, so now I’m switching to graphic design. And that’s what I will do here as a volunteer - help with all the design issues and create a consistent visual identification of K.A.NE. My idea of a time well spent is hiking, road tripping and checking out every cafetería in town.
Hey! I’m Maria and I come from Lisbon, Portugal. I just finished my bachelor in Communication Design and after doing an erasmus semester in Athens, I knew I had to come back to Greece. So, I ended up here in Kalamata where I’m going to work with video. I also have a big interest in performance art and cinema and in my work I always mix these different backgrounds and interests. I’m only going to stay for two months, but I’m really excited to get to know the Peloponnese and to enjoy this beautiful city by the sea.
Hi ! My name is Tamara Termignon, I come from the south of France, I have a Professional Baccalaureate in Management Administration, and following her I was hired as a maintenance agent. Before going on a permanent contract I wanted to discover other things, that’s why I’m here today. I am coming to Greece for 1 month and I am volunteering in the dog shelter.
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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.
Bonjour (hello in English). My name is Valentin and I am a student in France. I’m 21. I decided to go to Greece for several reasons, the first one being that I love this country, I regularly come to Greece during my holidays. I am also here for my studies, having some English gaps I come to perfect my English. Finally I hope to meet many people during my 4 months in Kalamata.
Čau, I am Viktor, a 20 years old dude from Czech Republic. I’ll stay here until August 2021 so I will be here for a one whole year. Actually I have just moved from my parents house and this is for the first time when I am living on my own. Most of my time I watch some TV shows or read good books. Looking forward to writing many amazing articles for you.
Доброго дня любі друзі! My name is Vira Rudzevych, I am 25 years old. Last year I graduated with a Master’s degree of Marketing and International Communication from the University of Economics in Katowice.I always believed that if a person really wants to achieve something, there are no boundaries to get it. I think so, because 3 years ago, before I came to Poland, I had a surgery on the spine that changed my life. Volunteering is close to me because I believe that only by supporting each other, teaching, talking - we can succeed, improve our lives on the planet. 6
Hello, I am Filaretos Vourkos. For the last 15 years I am working 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
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.
Hello everyone! I am Nadiana, ESC & VET coordinator in K.A.NE over the last few years as well as Greek teacher. I am passionate in travelling around, meeting new people and organising festivals.
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Hello World! I’m Nancy and I’m working in K.A.NE. since 2017 as a Project Manager and EVS/ESC coordinator. I’m passionate about meeting new people and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas. I love the fact that many young people visit every year my hometown Kalamata and contribute to our society.
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.
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.
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Kassandra Sometimes I can remember my dreams and sometimes, if something reminds me of my dream in my daily life, I get a specific feeling - but even then, I cannot catch it. Magdalena Sometimes. For example, once I was on a boat in the middle of the sea, somehow got tangled in big jeans and fell into the water. I then struggled for a while to get to the surface, but in the end I gave up and let myself drown. The last thing I remembered was a blissful silence.
Do you remember your dreams? What’s the strangest you have ever had? Alberto It’s strange, but the only thing I remember is that at a certain point I’ve remembered them. When I wake up and the dream is recent I can think about it. And then, when I try to do it again, I realize I cannot access that information anymore.
Maria I remember most of my dreams when I wake up, but some of them I decide to write down and others I prefer to forget. For me, dreams are all very weird, but what’s even stranger is when you keep having the same dream. When I was a kid, I kept dreaming that I was on a big boat with my family. A gigantic octopus attacked the boat, so I hid in the bathroom. Then, I opened the toilet and inside there was a very small cute octopus, telling me to come closer. I did, and he ate me. Tamara In my strangest dream, I’m in bed sleeping and I wake up suddenly, I look out the window and I see a werewolf who comes into my room and chases me around the house. I manage to run outside while he still chases me, but I slip and fall, he leaps and that’s when I wake up. Tania Usually, I remember my dreams when I wake up suddenly. I have always had very strange dreams, but currently I have serious memory problems and don’t any.
Annalisa In general, no. A few, very vividly: once I dreamt that I was going through a city, knocking on every door. The streets looked like a patchwork of different cities I’ve seen, but the doors were all in the style of Florence’s historic centre. Clara my dreams are often linked to what I do during the day, the people I see, the sensations I have etc ... I have several dreams in mind but they are not dreams I’d share with anyone. Emma I dream very often, and there are always my friends in my dreams, but most of the time I don’t remember
Valentin I remember perfectly… my… dreams… Actually no, I forgot. It’s a strange dream, isn’t it?
Diogo Yes I do. Some years ago, I started writing down my dreams in a notebook first thing in the morning. This exercise made me able to remember them, and now I don´t need to write them anymore. My strangest dream is also a “classic”: it’s just a bedroom with a bed in the center, the walls covered with black & white drawers opening and closing.
Viktor To tell the truth, I do not remember any of my dreams.
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Vira I have had very lucid dreams. In one, I could fly very high and veer. I tried to tell other people that it was a dream, but no one heard me.
Are you more of a pragmatic person or a daydreamer? Alberto Somewhere in the middle. I like to ramble on my thoughts and reach new places in my mind, but at the same time I think I act in a very logical and practical way.
Magdalena I’m a daydreamer, but most of my daydreams are very pragmatic!
Annalisa I’m on a daily struggle to fit and adjust my standards into the reality I live in. All considering, I think I’m an optimist who had to learn a lot of lessons on possibility and feasibility.
Maria I’m daydreaming all the time, but I make very pragmatic choices. Tamara I think I’m pretty pragmatic, I sometimes dream but I’m still a very concrete person and I like simple things. Tania I have always been a dreamer, and some of my dreams are scientifically impossible to achieve. Valentin I’m rather pragmatic, but sometimes I’m a daydreamer. Viktor I am a pragmatic person. Vira I like to dream, but at the same time I like to have a strategy of actions because real life is different from dreams.
Clara I think I’m a pragmatic person, but also dreamy Emma I’m a bit of both, it depends a lot on the situation. Pragmatic person.
Diogo
Kassandra I am a pragmatic person who tries to reach for her dreams.
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What’s your favourite fantastic creature? Alberto Definitely Cerberus. Three heads to caress! Vira The Witcher (TV series, “witchers” are beast hunters with supernatural abilities).
Annalisa I think phoenixes are my favourites, both because of the aesthetics and the whole range of symbologies they carry. Clara Dobby or Avatar ( the movie). Emma My favourite fantastic creatures are vampires. Wolverine. Vampires.
Diogo Kassandra
Magdalena Gummi Bears! Jumping around and drinking this suspicious Gummiberry Juice seems like an awesome lifestyle that I can relate to. Maria Mermaids, because I am one. Tamara Even if he tried to kill me in my dreams, he would still be the werewolf, because I find it to be a very interesting creature. Nymphs of the woods.
Tania
Valentin Phoenix, a creature that can rise from its own ashes, it’s quite handy. Viktor Leprechauns. They are small and ginger, so I can relate to them. 12
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Vorstellungskraft ist wichtiger als Wissen.
Η φαντασία είναι πιο σημαντική
Passe une bonne! απο τη γνώση.
L’immaginazione è più importante Divertiti! del sapere.
La imaginación es más importante Baw się dobrze! que el conocimiento.
Představivost je důležitější než Diviértete! znalosti.
A Imaginação é mais importante do iyi eğlenceler!
Wyobraźnia jest ważniejsza od Diverte-te! wiedzy.
Zabavaj se!
que o conhecimento.
L’imagination est plus importante que le savoir.
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The modern notion of Dream: awakening the mind to what is within us.
Greece: of course, at the time it was understood as a form of supernatural communication and divine intervention, but in “Περὶ ἐνυπνίων” or “On Dreams” in the English translation, Aristotle departed from the idea of divine connection and expressed his scepticism about the value of perception and thoughts in the dream formation process. He highlighted that there is no judgment or filter for what we dream, so the dream is only the improper functioning of the senses during sleep.
Every morning, many people try to remember their dreams, and how they were betrayed by the person lying next to them, or about the car accident in which they were involved. We try to find an answer, meaning for what we have just experienced, but do we really live it? Dreaming is an experience that has a lot of interpretations, we can look at it through different glasses, we can look at it with science, religion or culture. To the eyes of science, dreaming is an unconscious experience of imagination: according to some cultural and religious traditions, dreaming is a promontory power or even an expansion of consciousness. The concept of Dream was a subject in Ancient
In Contemporary Europe in The Interpretation of Dreams - or Die Traumdeutung in the original written language, Sigmund Freud takes Aristotle’s idea further and shows how dreams can be perceived as subconscious desires. According to Freud, and psychoanalytic theory, dreams 14
are the main way to get to know the aspects and characteristics of our psychic life - that is - dreams as characteristics or reflections of our unconscious.
the way children play and live. We don’t only dream when we sleep, we know that: we also dream when we are awake, because it is this conscious dream in the form of personal desire or fulfillment that moves the world forward. It is in the world of dreams and imagination that we can be totally free, even in physical terms. It is in the world of the moon that we can live our utopia or imagine how we can reach it in the earthly world. Human creativity should have no limits as when we dream. It’s responsible for all of humanity’s advances over time. Man’s dream rules life.
“A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read.” in The Talmud. Nevertheless, our dreams do not always have to be interpreted: sometimes “a cigarette is just a cigarette”, and it was Freud himself who said it. Dreaming as in Imagining
“Yet it is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top.” Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own, 1929
Daydreaming is one of the most beautiful things we can experience: dreaming as in imagining is usually linked to 15
“Eles não sabem que o sonho É uma constante da vida Tão concreta e definida Como outra coisa qualquer (...) Eles não sabem, nem sonham Que o sonho comanda a vida E que sempre que um homem sonha O mundo pula e avança Como bola colorida Entre as mãos de uma criança.”
“They don’t know that the dream Is a constant in life So concrete and defined Like anything else (...) They don’t know, nor dream That dream rules life And that whenever a man dreams The world jumps and moves forward Like a colourful ball In the hands of a child.” António Gedeão, Movimento Perpétuo, 1956
“Emotions buried in the unconscious surface in disguised form during dreaming, and the remembered fragments of dreams can help uncover the buried feelings.” - Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams Theory, 1900
Mantras, ideas that float through our world. They are not tangible, not even something physical, but somehow they are there, in the air, in the environment. Full of prejudices, stereotypes and preconceived assumptions. Ideas that many people adopt for their own convenience, because it’s easier to appropriate them and then act as if they had brought them into the world, as if they were their own.
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It requires much more effort to inform and document ourselves about something in order to create our own opinion about it. We live in a world with so much information, dilemmas, debates and matters for discussion that it is scientifically impossible to have an informed opinion about everything. So, unconsciously, we tend to use those mantras to our
advantage, as a resource.
The only thing that differentiates this genre from the rest is that in this universe rules are different.
Also because it makes us feel more in communion with our community, with society. As a species, evolutionarily we have developed the tendency to group ourselves together, to establish social ties that allow us to survive. And in today’s complex world, that need is rewarded when we think in a similar way as others, when we have things in common with the rest of our community. But this can also be dangerous, because, although the possibility exists that the mantra that we are assuming without askins questions fits with the opinion we would have if we were informed, it’s also quite probable that, without knowing it, we’re going against our ethics, that we’re doing things we don’t really agree with, that we are missing things that we would love if we could get rid of the masks our prejudices create.
In the fantasy world there are no restrictions to create characters, cities or concepts; there’s no need to stick to the world which we perceive with our senses, you can go further, as far as you want. But practically anything can happen in these worlds: crimes, romances, terrifying and paranormal events, wars, philosophical dilemmas, police investigations, adventures and even science. Just to give some examples, Patrick Rothfuss’ The name of the wind is definitely an incredible book to choose. You’ll love Kvothe, the main character, and his adventures in a world governed by an amazing scientific-based magic, which makes everything much more interesting and fun. Also Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn saga, where philosophy plays a very important role and the characters have a great capacity for reflection and introspection, which gives it depth. Or if you like thriller and black novels, John Connolly could be a suitable writer for you.
It’s important to remark that it’s an unconscious process, a mental mechanism with the aim of making the complexity of our world more accessible and understandable. But, of course just because something is inherent to our body, to our species, it doesn’t have to be good. Our genes haven’t been able to adapt to the radical social revolution that has taken place over the last millennia. As a society, we’ve progressed much faster than our genome has, and - because of that - our internal mechanisms are not completely prepared for the world we live in. That’s why
To sum up, this inner mechanism I talked about at first makes us get into ideas we haven’t really agreed with or thought about by ourselves, so I think - in order to be in control of who we are - it’s important to analyze ourselves and find out which of our beliefs and opinions are really ours. And then, rethink if we really believe in those that are not, in those we have unconsciously absorbed or that have been instilled in us. Maybe, in this process you’ll decide to give a try to a fantasy book or film, and you’ll see that - maybe - it’s not as childish as you thought. Or maybe not, maybe you don’t like it or you’ll still think it’s something childish, but at least now this opinion will be founded and will be completely yours, not one of those mantras that fly around us and that your brain has decided to adopt for itself.
we shouldn’t completely trust our subconscious, especially our ability to absorb those floating mantras full of prejudices that we have lived with for as long as we can remember. In this case, the assumed idea I’m going to try to deconstruct is the belief that fantasy is something inevitably linked to childishness. According to the image that is usually given of the fantasy genre, it may seem logical to associate it to something childish. Viewed from the outside, it’s relatively understandable that someone subscribes to the stereotype: 10 year old boys doing magic with their wands while fighting evil, dwarf-looking heroes who want to destroy a ring in order to defeat the greatest villain of all time and strange one-eyed creatures or a little girl going through wonderlands in pursuit of a white rabbit. But, as in everything, judging something by its surface, without going deeper, doesn’t give a really accurate idea of it. There are many more things in the fantasy genre than the famous ones, the ones that went viral or transcended to people not interested in the genre. Fantasy is such a wide genre that it has enough repertoire and background to host people of all ages and tastes. 17
The first thing that surprised me when I arrived in Greece was the pace of life of Greeks: they take the time to live, to enjoy the moment, and at the end of the day adopting this tempo is so much more pleasant.
alphabet: Greek is undoubtedly one of the oldest Indo-European languages, we have completely different let ters, and the pronunciation also changes a lot: for me, French, is sometimes troublesome understanding signs, labels, etc ...
Another thing that immediately surprised me when I first arrived: the traffic in the streets. They drive quite fast, without being careful, it is not uncommon to meet motorcyclists not wearing a helmet. Between two traffic lights, bikers are not afraid to alternate between brutal acceleration and braking. As a pedestrian, you have to quickly get used to the idea that you do not have the right to cross and accept to wait patiently for the green light on the edge of a pedestrian crossing. But in general, I find that Greece is a pretty relaxed country, not as stressful as France.
I also noticed a small detail over the days spent here: as soon as we sit in a restaurant or a bar, a waiter immediately brings us a carafe or a glass of water. Between France and Greece, we have a time difference, in Greece: we are 1 hour more than France, it is not a big difference and for me this difference does not change habits. I also noticed a diversity of landscapes I wasn’t expecting: In France, when Greece is mentioned in the media, the same images of archaeological sites and Cycladic houses
Another big difference between France and Greece is the 18
smokers in restaurants and bars the heat and the crowds in summer (one can imagine) pollution and waste on the streets are quite frequent
are constantly broadcast. I discovered that the natural landscapes and cultural heritage of Greece are much richer than that. Here, there are breathtaking andscapes: for example, during my first month of volunteering I was able to visit Voidokilia beach and the Polylimnio water falls, a landscape that I will never forget.
Pros:
Of course, there is the beauty of its islands (whether their houses are white or colored), but Greece is also mountainous landscapes, cliffs, countless beaches, fields of olive trees as far as the eye can see and small picturesque villages.
- smokers in restaurants and bars - the heat and the crowds in summer (one can imagine) - pollution and waste on the streets are quite frequent
- completely crazy landscapes - succulent food - the kindness of the inhabitants Cons:
For me, it’s very easy to live like a local. Accommodation and food are inexpensive. The wifi is good and offered in almost all establishments. 19
My name is Tamara and I am one of the volunteers at the dog shelter in Messini for one month. My hosting organisation is KA.NE, a non-governmental organization that promotes national and international youth work, volunteering, education, community actions and events. What are my tasks? My job in the shelter is to take care of the dogs, to give them food and water, to clean their droppings and their bowls, to check that all the dogs are eating, that none have any health problems, to prepare the dogs that are going to be adopted. Once in a while, I walk those who are used to the leash and - if I have time - I brush them. The people I work with: Most of the time I work with Clara, another French volunteer who arrived at the shelter at the same time as I, and I also worked with Kassandra, a volunteer from Germany, Tania, from Spain, and several other people. Of course, if I needed help, there is Katherina, the person in charge of the shelter, Patrick, Nish and Khaled who know a lot about dogs, and Rachida, a French volunteer who has been working in the shelter for some time and helps me when I need to translate something.
Project name: “Animal care in Greece” animal protection area
Project location: Dog shelter Address: Messini 242 00, Greece Website: https://dash-dogs.com Facebook and e-mail: julie_wilkinson69@homtail.
What I like about the project: I love being able to take care of animals that need it! I have always loved animals and being able to work with them was unexpected for me in France, because where I live there is no refuge like this and the diplomas that I have are not at all related to the animal domain. I am really happy to have been able to come to Greece, realize my passion and make it a great experience!
com https://m.facebook.com/dogsatdash/
What I am learning: In 3 weeks I haven’t been able to learn a lot (that’s why I’m coming back for 1 year), I listen to the advice given to me, I try to learn more about dogs, the different behaviors they can have and how to react in the right way. I try to observe them, to understand their body language… I still have a lot to learn from these animals that I find unique, and I can’t wait to come back to understand them better and be able to save some!
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Introduction: Pistes-Solidaires is an educational association that works to promote knowledge, skills and attitudes in favor of justice and equality in a multicultural society and in an interdependent world. The association was created in 2002 with the ambition to raise awareness on global issues and show the potential for change, but also to help people understand the links between their lives and those of others around the world. Pistes-Solidaires is a European non-governmental organization very active at European level. This association is based in the city of Pau, in the south-west of France. In March 2017, they opened a second office in the city of Bayonne, where their association had already provided information on EVS to the Youth Information Office since 2014.
Name: Pistes Solidaires
Cooperation: Pistes Solidaires wishes to support and promote the different ideas and initiatives of those who aspire to progress and development in solidarity, humanism, mutual tolerance, and respect for the environment. Through volunteering in other European countries, young people have the opportunity to learn new skills, pursue their passions and develop a civic sense. The European Solidarity Corps is a mobility programme which gives the opportunity to people between 17 and 29 to get involved in a project that can last up to a year in their own country or in another European country. Understanding ESC involves support around issues of interculturality, commitment and the acquisition of skills that volunteering allows. ESC volunteers participate in a preparatory pre-departure session and an evaluating one on their return. During the mobility, volunteers share their experiences with their tutors in their sending structures.
Address: 17 bis rue Pierre et Marie Curie 64000 Pau, France
Website: https://www.pistes-solidaires.fr/?cn-reloaded=1
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pistesolidaires/?locale2=fr_FR Phone: 05.59.84.92.00
My experience: I really like this association, I got to know it thanks to a local mission in France, which told me about it when I expressed the wish to go abroad to volunteer. Everything is well organized: before leaving, we held meetings over three days to ask all the questions we could have, they reassured us, and accompanied us until the project’s end. While here in Greece. I speak to them: if I have a question, they answer and they keep me informed on the COVID 19 situation and any other important information regarding France. 21
When did you arrive in Kalamata and how long are you staying in Greece? “I arrived in Greece on the 1st of October and my project lasts 6 months. We confined ourselves for 5 days to be tested before joining the other volunteers.” Why did you decide to become an ESC volunteer ? “I wanted to travel, help a good cause, discover new things, like another culture, improve my English and take stock of my professional future.” What is your project in Kalamata? What do you like the most about this project? “I work as a volunteer at the dog shelter, my project is to take care of abandoned dogs, to have them adopted, to clean the place. What I like most about my project is the contact with animals, dogs are my favorite animals and I am very happy when I work with them.”
Name Clara Dutilleul Nationality France
What are the difficulties you encountered in Greece ? “I didn’t speak English very well at first, now I’m improving, but it was hard to communicate. Finding food at the store was also a challenge, because it is not the same alphabet.”
Place Kalamata, Greece Volluntering project Dog shelter
How do you feel in Greece ? “I feel good, rather at ease, it’s easy to integrate into Greek life.” What are you going to do when your project ends? “I will discover Greece at the end of my project and when I return to France I will resume my studies, I do not yet know exactly what: commerce interests me.” How do you spend your time in Greece in Kalamata apart from volunteering ? “I visit a lot, I have been to the mountains, I go for a walk, I go shopping and I see my friends.” What is your biggest dream? “I think my biggest dream is to be just happy and fulfilled in my life.” How do you see yourself in 10 years ? “In 10 years I see myself with a job that I love, my husband and my children, and animals.”
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What are the most important aspects of volunteering for you? “Through volunteer work I learn how important it is to exchange knowledge and experience with others. But the most important thing is to give without demanding to take back” Do you like working with young people in this center? “Of course I enjoy working with young people: one of the goals of volunteerism is to meet people of your age, to cooperate with them, to be active and creative.” Do you think this experience is going to be important for your future? “Yes of course it will be important for my future. In a personal way I know how to cooperate with my friends and I am more eager to travel and meet new cultures. In a professional way I develop my organisational skills, how to solve problems, how to create events”
Name Eleonora Baka-Bourolia Place Kalamata, Greece Organization Kentro Neon Kalamatas
Do you think that the Youth Centre is important for people from Kalamata? “For me the Youth Center is very important for the people of Kalamata. One of the reasons is that it offers young people the opportunity to socialise with other people coming to the centre and become familiar with European volunteering projects.”
Type Youth Center What is your profession aside from the Youth Center and what is your role in the Youth Centre? “In my work at the Youth Center, I help coordinate the centre and I am part of the team that organises and manages the Youth Center.”
How would you describe the functioning of the Youth Center to someone who doesn’t know it? “The Youth Center is a place where local and foreign volunteers can give their knowledge through courses, called workshops. It is a place open to everyone where one can participate in the courses and events offered, regardless of skin colour, religion, political opinions, etc... I would say it is a place of sharing.”
What is your motivation for working here at the Youth Center? “The courses and the events at the youth center are giving the opportunity to meet new people, new cultures and to exchange knowledge and experiences. I appreciate being part of this team and I want to help the Youth Center to continue existing.”
In this LINK edition we’re talking about dreams and fantasy. Can you tell us if you remember your dreams? And what is the strangest dream you have ever had? Do you mean the dreams when I’m sleeping? Most of the time I don’t remember my dreams. “One of my strangest dreams is when I feel like I’m having a fall.” Are you a pragmatic person or a daydreamer? “I am a logical person in general who can daydream.” What’s your favorite fantastic creature? “I think my favourite fantasy creatures are fairies.” 21
Surrealism was a cultural movement developed in Europe after the First World War, largely influenced by Dadaism. It is an artistic and literary movement that tries to
The Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, born in Figueres in 1904, said about himself
“Surrealism is me ...”
go beyond the real by promoting the irrational and dreamlike through the automatic expression of thought or the subconscious.
And the most surrealist thing is that it is a probably true statement. Salvador Dalí was perhaps the most popular surrealist and one of the world’s greatest exponents of contemporary art. Whether he was a genius or a quirky artist, his legacy does not go unnoticed even today and we cannot help but marvel at the technical perfection and imaginative content of his art.
The movement is known for its visual arts and its writing mixed with an unusual imagination. Artists painted puzzling and illogical images, often with photographic precision, creating strange creatures from everyday objects and developing painting techniques that allowed the subconscious to unravel. The goal was, according to André Breton, “to turn the contradictions of dreams and reality into an absolute reality, a super reality”.
Dalí was never a normal child. He had a brother who died before his birth and his parents gave him the same name. Later, this marked the artist a lot, to the point that he had an identity crisis, believing that he was the copy of his 22
dead brother.
ted: provocative, unpredictable, crazy …
As a teenager, he moved to Madrid to enter the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts. There, he experimented with Cubism and Dadaism and became friends with the poet Federico García Lorca and the surrealist filmmaker Luís Buñuel (with him, he co-directed Un chien andalou and L’Age d’or).
In Paris, Dalí was quite a personality, although he did not know how to function as a normal person. He couldn’t even cross the street alone. But there he met Gala, who became a wife, muse and caregiver. In 1934, he was expelled from the surrealist movement by Breton, and his provocative reply was:
The thing is, Dalí not only dedicated himself to painting. His creativity spanned filming, sculpture, design (the lollipop logo) and writing… His long hair, sideburns and mustache did not go unnoticed in Madrid de la Belle Epoque. His life and his work became the same thing and he ended up being a showman obsessed with promoting himself. You could say that he was a pioneer of Happenings (performance art) and Pop-art. That character was crea-
“The difference between me and the surrealists is that I am a surrealist”.
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In 1940, he moved to the United States, where he fitted in perfectly with surrealist capitalism. In Hollywood, he was welcomed with open arms and collaborated with Disney, Hitchcock, the Marx Brothers… and he was invited to all the parties, where he delighted people with his out-of-tunes.
ted: provocative, unpredictable, crazy …
One of his most important works is the “Persistence of memory.” To understand this work, we must pay attention to three key elements that appear in it. On the one hand, and what seems most evident, are the melting clocks themselves. Each of them marks an hour, minus the rigid clock, which is upside down. Dalí uses these clocks to represent the transience of time and, with it, that of memory itself. At the bottom to the right of the composition are some perennial rocky cliffs.
In Paris, Dalí was quite a personality, although he did not know how to function as a normal person. He couldn’t even cross the street alone. But there he met Gala, who became a wife, muse and caregiver. In 1934, he was expelled from the surrealist movement by Breton, and his provocative reply was:
“The difference between me and the surrealists is that I am a surrealist”.
They are the representation of what will last; the scenario always remains, while we are finite beings who also lose capacities and “rot” like a very ripe fruit.
In 1940, he moved to the United States, where he fitted in perfectly with surrealist capitalism. In Hollywood, he was welcomed with open arms and collaborated with Disney, Hitchcock, the Marx Brothers… and he was invited to all the parties, where he delighted people with his out-of-tunes.
Ants are the third element, associated with mortality, and with man’s own finitude, who walk on the rigid clock, warning of the permanent presence of death. In the center we can see a deformed face, that of Dalí himself.
Aside from his life, Salvador Dalí was an indisputable artist.
His meticulous detailing, combined with an unconscious representation of the world make him the greatest painter of dreams.
Another very important painting is “The Temptation of Saint Anthony”. It is one of Dalí’s works that can most easily be interpreted. Although the painting is loaded with symbols, they are much more generalized than those that he himself invented to represent his subconscious. Saint Anthony, naked and without any weapon with which to defend himself beyond a simple crucifix, faces the image that is hopelessly hanging over him. A horse, followed by some elephants represented in the style of Dalí shows Saint Anthony the worst temptations that a man could face. Ambition, represented by the horse; temptation and
His naturalism, borrowed from his idols Rafael and Velázquez, an enormous passion for science, and delusional associations whose ambiguity provokes diverse interpretations, are only three features of his art. He invented - among other things - the critical paranoid method, with its double images, and painted more than 1500 works of art, not counting sets, photographs, collaborations, etc.
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sexuality through the naked woman of the first elephant, and greed with the last elephants carrying gold and a temple. At the bottom of the composition there are several figures. It should be noted that the last two are a father and a son. Dalí declared on several occasions the obsession that his father transferred to him for venereal diseases, undoubtedly derived from a life of sexual excess, which is what the naked woman and the torso seen in the temple represent. Dali had his own recurring symbolism in his works. One of the most used symbols are elephants, which represent strength and resistance. However, they are not conventional elephants. In fact, they are so surreal that their meaning is one of the most complex. It is believed that they represent the future, therefore they are always carrying some object or person that represents power on their back. That is why their legs are thin and long, so that it is understood that
the weight of the future is much more difficult for them to carry. Even with this, the elephants always carry without “complaints”, so it can be concluded that they endure even the most complicated and heavy fate.
Death is a recurring theme in surrealism. With Dalí, it appears not as the end of a cycle or as the final goodbye, but in the form of ants. Although this does not make much sense to the common gaze, the painter had a justification in this regard and it is his childhood. When he was five years old, he was walking down the street and saw a nibbled and almost skinless insect. He came over to look at it closely and he had hundreds of ants on top that were still devouring his flesh. Many years later, the ants remained in his imagination as the representation of death, so when he refers to the end of life he puts ants on what he considers an inert body in his paintings.
Crutches of all kinds appear in early Spanish work. They are mainly a support when walking: in Dalí’s work, they refer to a kind of anchor towards reality. This means that the crutch is a small showcase of surrealism and lands in real life knowing that there is something alive behind the dreamlike. It also refers to the values and traditions that Dalí maintained, without forgetting that, like Luis Buñuel, he had a fetish with his legs, therefore, a crutch is a subtle symbol of it. 25
Place to visit
“Japan is a country of dreams and legends”
“When the god Ninigi, who descended from the high heavens to the islands of Japan, was offered a choice of two daughters of the mountain god, he chose a younger sister named Kvitucha. In the meantime, he sent the older, Skela back to his father because he found her ugly. Then the father became angry and told Ninyga about his original plan: if God had chosen Skela as his wife, the life of Ninyga’s descendants would have been eternal and strong - like mountains and stones. Ninygi made the wrong choice, and therefore the lives of his descendants, that is, all Japanese people, from the emperors themselves to the commoners, will be wildly beautiful, but short-lived - like spring flowering… »
Japan is a country ahead of its time. Modern technologies (Japan is one of the leading countries in scientific research such as high technology, biomedicine and robotics) live together with ancient traditions and untouched nature. The metropolis and the endless nature of Japan are together and combine in a place you can only dream of. To us Europeans, Japanese culture is extremely unique and strange, full of contrasts of spiritual life. On the one hand, amazing politeness and grace, on the other - the sharp sword of the samurai, courage, bravery and willingness to sacrifice, which at first glance could only be compared to blind fanaticism.
The extraordinary diligence of the Japanese coexists with their heightened sense of honor and duty, deep devotion to the emperor or teacher. Even for the refined East, the Japanese have an unusual sense of beauty, which combines modesty and simplicity, conciseness and elegance of clothing, clothing, interior; the ability to break free from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and find spiritual peace in beautiful nature. I dream - that someday I will visit this country, and therefore I have a plan - a dream:
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- that I will definitely attend the tea ceremony, - I will admire the beauty of sakura, - I will see with my own eyes Fujiyama, - I WILL MEET a real samurai - I will learn to do ikebana, - I will walk in the garden of stones - I will buy a real kimono - I will rent a house in real Japanese style - and I will try real Japanese sushi in a small restaurant overlooking the blossoming sakura and Fujiyama
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Empowerment Yoga Retreat Organiser: Mia Evgeniadou and Maritonia Gavala Place: Petra & Fos Boutique Hotel & Spa Kalamata Date: 20 - 22 November 2020 Time: from 20 th November at 4 pm to 22 November
at1 pm Cost: 350â‚Ź Description: You will participate in different yoga lessons. The stay in the hotel with breakfast and lunch are included. Contact: evgeniadimia@gmail.com
4th International Conference of Development and Economy Organiser: University of the Peloponnese Place: Icodecon, University of the Peloponnese, Kalamata Date: 1-3 December 2020 Time: 1st december at 10 am to 3rd December at 1 pm Description: The conference will be online due to Covid Link: icodecon.uop.gr 28
Movie Evening in κεντρο Δημιουργικου Ντοκιμαντερ καλαματας/ Center of creative documentaries of Kalamata In the center of creative documentaries of Kalamata, you can watch almost two movies every week. I went there for the first time on the 19th October 2020 to watch the movie “The Punishment Island“, which was very interesting for me. It‘s a documentary about an island in Uganda where pregnant unmarried women were abandoned. Because of the climate situation, many women died due to starving or drowned trying to flee the island by swimming. The movie gave an insight into different perspectives about this topic, which made it easier to understand the whole story. The spectators could listen to the statements of the women themselves who lived on the island, the new husbands of the women, their children, priests and also of the island itself. I really like the documentary center because it shows special movies and documentaries which are not that popular and mainstream. The place itself is very cosy, with a lot of couches and chairs. The drinks are quite cheap- so perfect to stay for a chat with friends after the movie and to listen to good music. Watching the movie is free and a good way to spend an evening in Kalamata.
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Cauliflower cream soup with roasted garlic by jadlonomia.com and my mum
When I was younger I used to dream and fantasize about the boys I liked… Now I mostly fantasize about food! Firstly I have to admit that this recipe is originally by a famous polish vegan blogger - Marta Dymek vel Jadłonomia (you can find her here: www.jadlonomia.com and on Instagram. highly recommended!). But me and my mum have done this soup so many times already, that we’ve made some special adjustments. They are mostly about the use of garlic - the more the better! Don’t be afraid to use 1 big garlic head instead of the half. We also add two spoons instead of one of the magic ingredient - as we’re in the topic of “Dreams and fantasy” now - yeast flakes - you can buy it mostly online but I guarantee you your life will never be the same once you try it. PREPARATION Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, line the baking tray with baking paper. Divide the cauliflower into florets, cut the stem into smaller pieces, wash everything carefully and dry a bit. After that - gently rub the cauliflower pieces with oil. Put it on a baking sheet, add the garlic head with the top cut off to reveal the cloves. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes. After this time, remove the tray from the oven. Remove the garlic cloves from the shells, discard the shells. At the bottom of a large pot, heat the olive oil, add the baked cauliflower with garlic, fry for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the hot broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Put the blender stick inside the pot and blend the ingredients into a very thick cream, then add the yeast flakes and gradually pouring the milk, continue to blend. Finally, season with a nutmeg, pepper and salt. Serve with olive oil and almonds. Smacznego!
Level: EASY PREP TIME: max. 45 minutes SERVINGS: 5-6 Ingredients: - one big cauliflower - ½ - 1 garlic head - oil - salt - 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil - 2 cups of vegetable broth - 2 - 2 ½ cups of plant milk - magic ingredient: 1 or 2 tablespoons of yeast flakes - big pinch of nutmeg - salt and black pepper
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Baked apples with millet
by jadlonomia.com and my mum This recipe is maybe not the one you dream about at night - but it’s very healthy instead, so no strings of remorse! It is originally by a famous Polish vegan blogger - Marta Dymek - you can find her here: www.jadlonomia.com. It’s one of my mum’s favourites (you can make it as she does - without the millet), easy and cheap, but also healthy and delicious. By the way, apples are the essence of Polish autumn. PREPARATION Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Rinse the millet twice with boiling water, then put it in a small pot. Add milk, vanilla and a pinch of salt and cook, covered, over a minimum heat, without stirring, for about 12 - 15 minutes - so until the porridge has absorbed the liquid. In the meantime, using a sharp knife, cut the core of the apple and sprinkle the inside with lemon juice. Add dried cranberries to the warm, cooked millet and stir thoroughly, pick out the vanilla pod and discard it. Put a few tablespoons of groats (millet) into each apple hole, pressing it firmly, sprinkle with cinnamon, then cover it with a piece of apple with a tail. Place the apples on baking paper and bake them for 15 - 20 minutes, until the apples are soft and juicy. Lift the top of the apple with a fork, pour the maple syrup and a spoonful of cranberries over it and cover again. Smacznego!
Level: EASY PREP TIME: max. 45 minutes SERVINGS: 4 Ingredients: - ½ cup of millet - 1 cup of plant milk - 1 halved and pitted vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - pinch of salt - 4 favorite apples - 1 tablespoon of lemon juice - 1/4 cup dried cranberries - cinnamon for serving: maple syrup and cranberry jam
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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 te European Commission. The European Commision’s support for the production of this pubication 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.