EVS in The Hague 2014

EVS

IN

What is EVS? The European Voluntary Service (EVS) gives young people the opportunity to express their personal commitment through fulltime voluntary work in a foreign country within or outside the EU.

very beginning, after searching for more information and sending applications, here I am! EVS is a unique opportunity for young people to go abroad, to enjoy non-formal learning, to discover new cultures, to meet new people and, most importantly, it is one The programme is funded by the European of a kind experience worth a try. And I am Commission and is open to young people glad I made the decision to do it. older than 17 and younger than 30. An EVS project can last anywhere between P: I have just finished my master’s degree two weeks and a year. Both our EVS pro- and I needed some time to think. I wanted grammes last a year and we are both doing to be in a completely new place and try to them in the Hague. find my way in an unknown environment. I wanted a new challenge.

Who are we?

Hoi everyone, We are Petya and Michaela, two girls who are doing their European Voluntary Service in the Netherlands in 2014. This booklet will show you what our programmes are like and how everything is going with us. Petya’s EVS is finishing very soon, while Michaela is midway through hers. This should let you see two different perspectives on the programme, how our experience changes over time, and most importantly, how you can adapt it to your learning needs. If you are a young person looking for an EVS, this booklet will you give you more first-hand information, and hopefully, make your decision easier.

Best, Petya and Michaela

P: My name is Petya Yankova and between January and December 2014 I completed my European Voluntary Service at Platform Spartak.

M: Ahoj! My name is Michaela and I am currently in the middle of my volunteering service in Netherlands. I have started my EVS in May 2014 and shall continue till April next year. As this is my first experience with full-time volunteering and living abroad, I am really excited to be here!

Why EVS? M: First time I heard about EVS was from my former roommate. I found it interesting, because I was already thinking about going abroad. I finished my studies, I was working and I was settled. Yet, something was missing and I felt I needed a change. And because I liked the EVS idea from the

Why The Hague?

M: Actually, just a coincidence. When I started to think about EVS I imagined being somewhere in a warm, nice place biking around and soaking the mediterranean atmosphere and architecture….preferably in Italy :) Well, I am biking.....in The Hague.

And I love it! Beach, a lot of parks, small streets in the center, so believe it or not, I am really enjoying the city in all its glory.

P: I didn’t choose the place, but the EVS project. In any case, I enjoyed living in The Hague – it is a friendly, welcoming city. The signs on the Municipality say it’s a city of peace and justice, but for me it’s a city of diversity – every neighbourhood is different and there are many languages spoken on the street. The green market offers carambolas, peppers, cellery roots, olives, salted fish, Gouda cheese, peanuts, cabbage.

The Hague has beautiful canals (grachts) and the city centre is walkable on foot.

There is a big bright public library with great free events. If all else fails, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Amsterdam are easily reachable by train.

We came to The Hague because it’s all gold and glitter here.

Honestly.

What is the Netherlands for me now?

P: A much sunnier and warmer country than I expected. A language it took me ages to start understanding. A strange, but after a few months tasty food. Tall people, skyscrapers near Central station, bikes, bikes everywhere, great sunsets in Scheveningen (where unless you are German, Dutch or a seal, you need a warm jacket in the evening even in summer) and so much more.

I was lucky to have a chance to travel around a bit and I have great impressions from Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Helder and even the town with one bar – Appeldorn.

What is the Netherlands for me now?

P: Utrecht is the place where I spent one whole summer day swaying in a hammock on an attic and a whole night making soap bubbles on a roof overlooking the city centre. Rotterdam is where I went on a city safari in Witte de Withstraat and later that day tried professional kickboxing. Amsterdam is the place where together with other EVS volunteers I celebrated Kingsday by getting in a hay fight. The Hague, well, that became home for me, for this year at least.

M: All in one. Adventure, multiculturalism, possibilities... I was surprised how quickly I fell in love with the life here. Biking culture is one of the best things in Netherlands, although some people are refusing to bike, even if they are living here for a longer time. I don’t quite understand why. Biking around the city gives you such a great feeling and you become quickly a bike addict.

Now I cannot live a day without my bike :) But let op the tram tracks! What else....although the country is really flat and I miss the hills, it’s charming. Water, mills, cows everywhere :) `S ochtends walking on the beach, `s middags picnics in the park, `s avonds chilling with friends. When it comes to traveling it cannot be easier and being in a small country has some advantages. You can get almost anywhere within 3 hours; enjoying beaches in Zeeland, night life in Amsterdam or strolling through the charming streets of Maastricht and ending up in a small, cozy bakery with a mill from 7th century still running and tasting freshly baked

sandwich with homemade spread. And the best choice when you have a sweet tooth?

Warm, caramel stroopwafel or famous appel taart and coffee....Lekker!

What did I learn in my EVS? M: My EVS is not over yet, nevertheless, I can say that over the past months I have learned a lot. There is always something to learn, especially when you change your life like this. And of course, things are not always easy and clear, but that’s life. It would be boring with all things settled, don’t you think? So, I have learned to keep going with a big smile, no matter what :) I learned that Dutch people will never give you all information at once; you need to keep bothering them until you get it. Another basic rule is: make an appointment. For everything.

Dutch people are very organized and this is a must. And I learned to always pack a raincoat in my backpack! Never believe the nice, clear sky in the morning. And I am learning Dutch language! Still in process though, this will take some time :) P: I learned how to cook, fix bikes and fuses. I learned how to live on my own in a new country. I learned how to work in an international environment. I learned how to pretend I understand what the cashier is telling me. As a Bulgarian, I learned how to nod the right way. I learned to appreciate sandwiches more and to budget my money.

I learned some Serbo-Croatian and Dutch.

I rediscovered the art of writing postcards and reading library books.

for no reason and share pindakaas met hagelslag sandwiches for lunch. We also have an office mascot – the Holy squirrel Beatris from an infamous Bulgarian tvshow.

View from the office of Platform Spartak, May 2014

But that is an experience as well and I have to deal with it. I took the challenge and made the best out of it for myself.

P: I think my EVS helped me clarify for myself what I enjoy doing. For instance, working on a big international project was quite stressful at first, but it made me realise I would like to take care of another one in the future. For the twelve months I have been working on the Community Development programme of Platform Spartak, I organised quite a few cinema evenings, public debates, workshops and other events in the Hague. I was also helping in the office, writing projects and reports and updating the website.

I am glad I was a volunteer at Platform Spartak. I saw some great things happen during this year. We organised a human library about migration, public debates on Romanian culture, a fundraising evening for victims of the floods that hit the Balkans over the summer, youth exchanges and even an exhibition with photos from the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.

It’s not all work though – we have dinners together (pizza delivery), have borrels on Friday evenings, call each other in the middle of the night when the electricity goes off

P: I struggled to find my place at first – in the Netherlands and in the office. After a few months everything started falling into place and now I feel very comfortable here.

I fought wars with the wind as well, especially when I had to bike in the rain and the wind was crushing me into a ball at street corners. The frozen fingers from biking late at night are still my greatest misery.

What did I struggle with?

Dutch banks?! It’s a lost cause, but I am still fighting to get the cashiers to treat me M: Wind. Do you know how hard it is to cycle as a human being. against the wind? Dutch...but as mentioned, I am working on this one. Seagulls. Really, I just don’t like them. Not only they are lurking for your fries, if you are brave enough to eat them while sitting somewhere on the beach promenade, but they even dare to wake you up! (That would be the only disadvantage of living close to sea). My biggest real struggle was about my expectations regarding the role of participants in the program.

P: After this year I want to remember that sometimes things change slowly, so it’s unrealistic to expect that people or situations will change overnight. I also realised that it’s all up and down the whole time and focusing on the bumps or on the sudden adrenaline rushes is bad because it gives you a distorted picture of the whole journey. At some stage I discovered that mysteriously I was

What would I take away with me from my EVS year?

M: Tough question because of all those tiny things I would include in this category. The change I have been and I am still going through. This is the most important “take away” for me.

My EVS Year is being filled with an awesome experience living abroad, new friendships, knowledge, understanding what it really means to be a volunteer, broadening horizons. And because I still have some months to go, I believe there are still many other things waiting to be taken away :)

Scheveningen in all its glory.

no longer afraid of doing tasks that used to fill me with dread before. Having to leave a voicemail message in Dutch is not the end of the world anymore. I didn’t die when I had to call the Ministery of Education and speak to them in Dutch. Cycling in the rain is not a disaster and if the electricity is off, candles and phone torches are the next best thing.

My EVS in a few words?

M: Roller-coaster: the ride is not always fun P: A year of horrible suffering - butterflies in my stomach, itchy feet and the incurable but at the end you won`t regret buying a ticket. el syndrome del eterno viajero.

Copyright notice: All materials and opinions expressed in the booklet belong to the authors and do not represent those of the European Commission or Platform Spartak.

Michaela Nociarova Petya Yankova The Hague, December 2014

EVS in the Hague 2014