Anyways, I've had some great weeks at the Mid-term camps! Thanks to my co-ordinating organisation, I've had 2, one in Antaverkka (Tampere) and one in Sopukka (Helsinki).
Both were great in their own way, but so entirely different from each other, though they both shared the same purpose - meet other volunteers, share experiences, have fun and reflect about the future.
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First off was the training in Antaverkka. Since it was in Ylöjärvi, Tampere, I didn't have to travel and could fully enjoy the day of arrival. Some friends (Anita, Ruben, Elisabetta) took an early train and came here loooong before the bus left from the centre to the camp facilities, so I met them in the city. We were walking around, looking for sights and finally went to catch the sunset over the landscape on Pyynikin Näkötorni \( ^ω^)/ it was ice cold and a real challenge to take off the gloves for handling the cameras, but we stood our ground:
Then we headed to the west and it felt awesome to be with the other volunteers again. Some I already knew from the On-Arrival camp, but others were strangers - from all over the world, since Maailmanvaihto isn't reduced to Europe. So I met all different kinds of young people from Russia, Taiwan, Japan, Kenia, India, Costa Rica and many many more :D - each person legendary in their own way! I think it was the best training I experienced so far!
I had so much fun and these 3 days seemed way to short. Before we knew, it was over and everyone had to go back to their place all over Finland.
It is amazing how multiculturality can arise such an delightsome atmosphere, so unique (*.*) or maybe it's not about the cultures, but about the individual people?
Anyways, during that time we had a really tight programme, but that was totally okay, since it was a lot of fun and it seemed like relaxed group activities.
Aside that, we went to sauna, did "Avanto" (diving into a lake through a hole in the ice), rolled in the snow (even crazier than Avanto!!), met the ancient shaman, tasted finnish delicacies and set up our own party!
I also started to learn Japanese again, supported by the girl from Japan that I met there.
I would like to give credit to the people that I enjoyed most spending time with:
- Mi-chan, thank you for teaching me your language. I enjoy your company really much and it's always fun. Sometimes it's not easy to comunicate in a mix of English, Finnish and Japanese, but we always manage to understand each other and that makes me so proud and happy ヽ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ
I can't wait until we see each other again!
Mizuki, I'm so glad we became friends! 愛
- Elisabeth S and Elisabetta - I knew I'd sooner or later use my identity on the camp, latest at the end where we all wrote our messages to each other xD anyways, I was glad that I could share my room with you once again! I always appreciate talking to you, Elisabeth S, you have a great personality and, Elisabetta, I really hope things will turn out for the best with you and I hope we can at least meet once again before you go back to Italy. -- Perkele!! ;P
- An-Chieh and Yi-Wen, I definitely want to meet you again - both in Finland and Taiwan!! ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ Maybe it's a cultural thing, but you always seem so happy and it sounds really cute when you talk in your mother tongue ;3 I had so much fun with the two of you, thanks for that!!
- Isa.......you're awesome!!! I can't wait to rock the festivals in summer with you together!! \(^o^)/ a friend once told me "Music can help you in any kind of difficult situation that you might face and having someone to share that music with is even better". I'm really glad that we became roommates and friends!! :D
- Krisztina, at the On-Arrival Training we didn't have much chance to get to know each other, so I'm all the more happy that now we could talk a lot more and I'm looking forward to our next meeting, maybe in Helsinki, at a concert, at a festival, in another city or anywhere else! :D :D
I could write a little something to everyone I met, but it would just be too much...
and I feel like I'm raving too much (>.<) I just want to thank everyone for making my time here such a legendary experience! Kiitos kaikille!
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Second, there was the training in Sopukka 2 days later! I planned to meet Elisabeth S at the bus station, but it was quite a challenge to find each other and also the place where the bus was leaving from xDD but in the end, we managed to and we immediately met some old friends as well, some that I hadn't seen for 2 days, some for more than 4 months!
Since we all knew each other and there were so many of us, the camp was different from the earlier one, but also really great and we had a lot of fun. On the On-Arrival training I didn't find time to get to know all the people, so this time I also talked to some that were still sort of strangers. For that possibility, I'm entirely grateful! I especially got to know the french girls a little better and I've already made plans with Caroline, who is also staying in Tampere, to meet more frequently now, for sauna, ice-skating and whatever comes up in our minds :D this also gave me a chance to revive my French skills again ;P it's scary how much you forget if you stop actively practicing a language.
I'm also cheerful that I could meet my concert mates Sárka and Kiveen again and we even went to a gig together after the training! NEGATIVE!! <3
Sárka, I'll make sure to come visit you in Oulu, just wait for it!! ;D and I'm looking forward to meeting you again on a concert or in any other place!
Kiveen, je suis très heureuse que tu es ici en Finlande et que j'ai pu faire ta connaissance! J'aimerais te rencontrer bientôt!!
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What else to say....
After dancing salsa with a Japanese, singing christmas songs with a Greek, doing "Avanto" with a Kenyan, playing UNO with a Taiwanese and headbanging with a French, I can seriously say that I want to continue this international lifestyle in any way!
Ayyyayaaaa!! Perfect French my dear! :D
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see you again! :D
LooooooooOOooooOOooove y'a! <3
xoxo
Yaaay, I can still do it! :D
DeleteSame here!
Looove ya too!! <3