After the orthodox Easter, on Tuesday my colleagues and I restarted the work we had at hand, which was basically to sharp the last details of the event that we would do on Sunday, “Open Mind Open World”. Event whose objective was to introduce us as new volunteers of the project “Cultural Caravan” to the young Cypriots and from other countries, talking about us and our culture. To do this, we prepared a series of activities and games quite dynamic, which in my opinion, were not bad. But we will discuss all this later.
On Wednesday, my Italian colleague Gioia and I went back to the Centre of Caritas to continue lending a hand. Gosia as the engine of the centre, sometimes need to Split up herself to do several things at the same time. Helping a refugee just arrived to the island who has no papers and do not know where he have to ask for them, an African woman who has given birth recently and had complications in the birth and she cannot go at the hospital because he has no documentation,… and like this a bunch of different cases in which Gosia mediate to make things easier to all these people. All help is few, so volunteers that there we collaborate in whatever we can to. We are starting, but there are several volunteers with several months of experience performing essential work with those people without resources. Heroes all them.
On Thursday, after a full day at the office, he had a round of beers by the Center. My fellow Benjamin, Barbara, Gioia and I met with three girls, also volunteers in another Project. We met because one of them was Italian and knew Gioia before coming to Cyprus. The point was that a beer became more and we finished the night later than we planned and more pleased than expected. Better not thinking about the next day.
Some more office work on Friday, some rehersals and tuning the projector for the event that we would perform on Sunday and coming back home to rest. We could notice the consequences of the night before.
Nothing new on Saturday, day to organize and to clean home, and at night time to disconnect with friends at home. Sunday was our day.
And Sunday arrived. And with it our first event. All the volunteers were a little nervous, some by how many people would attend, others because we wanted everything to come out as we had planned. At the end we met about 20 people at the office of YEU Cyprus and activities came out more or less as expected. I say more or less because the activity was expected to start at 18:00 and waiting for that people we could not start until 18:30, so this changed our time plans. Nevertheless, our first event was quite satisfactory. Various icebreaking games, cooperative-competitive activities and competitions with a cultural point. In that it summed up the afternoon. And that is the dynamic of work we must follow. To celebrate this, a good dinner and a few beers. But soon home because Monday already was coming.
Again, starting on Monday with positive attitude and wanting to cope with work and activities presented to us by the week.
Until next week!