25 Dec 2010

Merry Christmas to all!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.


Georgian Youth for Europe and its members wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday.
May all your wishes and dreams come true!

17 Dec 2010

Environment - Do You care?

Video made by Vili

We - Environment Team Rustavi - went in kindergarden in New Rustavi and asked the kids to talk about environment issues. Here are the best sentences.

We also have the video in georgian language only, aimed to be seen by local population for more impact.
Please share the video's link with your friends, on blogs, facebook!
Here is our channel's adress : stay tuned for more videos!

13 Dec 2010

Workshop rehersal

Hey everyone!

If you haven't planned anything for this evening you are welcome to join our Environmental team first recycling workshop where we will turn used plastic bottles into great things like lamps, pen holders and flowerpots! And who knows what else! :)
So see you this evening in Scout house (Balanchividze str. 9), we will start at 5 PM!

6 Dec 2010

ველური წვეულება aka Daga`s birthday

On Monday, 29th of November, we were celebrating Dagmara`s birthday. One year older, one year wiser! ;)

Our little party started around 5 in EVS flat, but of course, since we are in Georgia, some of us arrived only around 8. We drank hot wine with spices, honey and vodka-oranges and ate the delicious apple cake that Daga had baked (btw, we are still waiting for that recipe ;)). But the real party didn`t start until after we had wedding : Dato and Teona - groom and bride, Cristi - the priest (yeah, laughing out loud) and others as guests. After the wedding the real tsveuleba could start and Joe brought out his guitar. We sang the EVS song, the Estonian song and some international songs - you can probably hear them on Friday in Rustavi Theatre - as well as some beautiful Georgian songs by Dato and Pati.

The EVS band (also called Nippleschnitzel or The White Dog and friends) used to consist of two people and one guitar but on Monday we took it to another level: everybody joined in with whatever they could make rythm with, for example pans, shower pipes and even Scotch tape!!! Yeah, creative is the right word to describe us :)

I think I can speak for everybody when I say that Monday was a great day and we all enjoyed it very very much! And once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAGA! :)

3 Dec 2010

Day of People with a Disability – Today

Today whole world is celebrating International Day of People with a Disability to promote an understanding of people with disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being. The day also seeks to increase awareness of the benefits of the integration of people with disability in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
So do we!

Plans has changed a bit but still everybody is welcome:
Today, at 3 PM
In park across the street of Rustavi Municipal Theatre (Rustavi City, Pirosmani street 7)
To join us and rise our tolerance and support to people with disability!

You will be welcome to participate in different competitions, sing and dance together with us. Also we will be selling handmade jewellery and cakes whereof all incomes will be donated and running some great activities for children!

All money collected during the day will be donated to Disability Centre in Rustavi so they can purchase stationary materials for their everyday classes and toys for mental and physical development.

P.S. Environment Team Rustavi will make a street action at 3:30 PM together with kids from local schools and clean the parks around theatre. You are welcome to join them as well!

So, see you there!

2 Dec 2010

Street action today

Environment team Rustavi - grab your gloves, take a garbage bag and be next to City hall (Meria) at 3:30 PM!

30 Nov 2010

Day of people with Disabilities in Rustavi

Join in and celebrate International Day of People with a Disability with European volunteers from Georgian Youth For Europe!

Where? Rustavi Municipal Theatre (Rustavi City, Pirosmani street 7)
When? Friday, 3rd of December, 15:00

Why? To rise our tollerance and support to people with disability

CHARITY CONCERT PROGRAM
15:00- 16:00 “ორიონი” dance group
16:00- 16:15 break dance
16:30- 17:00 Scout band
17:00- 17:30 “ჩონგური” singing group
17:30-18:00 European Volunteers Band

Also we will be selling handmade jewellery and cakes whereof all incomes will be donated and running some great activities for children!

All money collected during the day will be donated to Disability Centre in Rustavi so they can purchase stationary materials for their everyday classes and toys for mental and physical development.

Every year, on 3 of December International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is celebrated worldwide recognising the achievements and contributions of people with disability. IDPwD brings together people with disability and the general community and aims to:
  • showcase the skills, abilities, contributions and achievements of people with disability
  • promote a positive image of people with disability
  • involve people with disability and the broader community in activities to celebrate and raise awareness of IDPwD.

Come and be a part of it!

28 Nov 2010

Cleaning action and shashlik party


On Saturday 27th November at 2 pm we met with our Georgian friends and 2 special guests from Switzerland in front of Rustavi's city hall to start our second cleaning action. The Swiss guys are travelers on the way to China. We divided into 2 teams and cleaned along the main road until we reached New-Rustavi. The common outfit (Environment Team T-shirts and doctor's gloves) fulfilled its task because most people were looking at us and some of them left some comments (we even got one „big thank you“ from one guy).

 After nearly 2 hours of cleaning, we felt pretty hungry, so we went to bazar and bought pork meat for shashlik.
We gathered in the volunteers' house and began with the preparation of the dinner (shashlik, potatoes and salad). The barbecue took place in their garden, and we were overwhelmed of the fact we are having barbecue in the end of November. After this delicious food and Marie's perfectly prepared French pancakes („Crèpes“), we got the party started with some very nice dancing and drinking activities :)
Written by Joe
 Pictures by Irena

19 Nov 2010

Holy hike to closest height

It was Saturday morning when we gatered to go up the hill next to Rustavi. Task wasn't easy, but doable. And result - great jumping foto session for our WEB page. Here is a short movie about that day:



Movie made by Villi

13 Nov 2010

We and Georgian dances

On 14th of October we started with the dance lessons we had been waiting for since September. Well, we were expecting something easy and relaxing, but little did we know that Georgian dances are far from easy. The first two lessons the girls concentrated mainly on the position of the hands, while as the guys seemed to have learned the whole dance already. Luckily, our teachers have a great sense of humour so we never get bored. They even forgive us when our moves are too Egyptian-like or when some of the girls decide to join the guys’ part for a while.

By now, we have learned one dance (which doesn’t mean that we don’t still mess up!) and we are working on the second one. Soon we will probably go on a world tour, because we are so great. Just kidding :D. Most of us have already acknowledged to fact that we will never be able to dance like Georgians. But we love it anyway!

Written by Cristina

10 Nov 2010

Trip to Signari (6.11.10.)

We left Rustavi around 11am and we arrived around 12.30 but first we visited one women's monastery. Then we went in "Holy Spring" part. Going down the hill was the easy part. At the bottom we could drink some holy water and also get a bath, and that would make us pregnant. Tomasz wanted to try, but out of respect for the orthodox religion we decided to climb up back to the monastery. Easy for the others, quite hard for me, but in the end we all managed with some red chicks.
 As we were all hungry we decided to eat in that 'refectory' called "Pilgrim". Not only was it cold, but they took an enormous amount of time to bring us our rhinkalis and katchapuris (in all the other restaurants we went to, it was pretty quick). In that great summer day, it was the least enjoyable part. And since they brought us some 30 more rhinkalis just when we were all full, we decided to take them home in a plastic bag (it is allowed and common in Georgia).
Then we took the marchroutka to go to Signari: the center of the town has been rebuilt entirely, and after getting used to Rustavi and other Georgian architecture, it definitely didn't feel like Georgia. More like mediterranean Europe.
We climbed (again) on the top of a small church, and from there we had an amplified view of the mountains, eternal snow on top of them. Afterwards, we went down some road were we had a perfect background for our group pictures : some chinese style wall on one side, the valley full of fields and some lakes and mountains above. I had for my part a great feeling of quietude, that I hadn't felt in a long time. Georgia must be incredibly beautiful under the snow!
Written by Liene
Pictures by Marie, Daga&Tom 

27 Oct 2010

Grapes picking-up party

It was in Lekso's uncle house, in the new part of Rustavi. Some of us already had experience, in their own country or here, about picking up grapes. It's quite easy actually, because except for the leaves, you don't have to sort out anything, just being careful about the bees (or Cristi being scared of the bees :-D ).
We were a lot, and everybody worked, so it was done quite fast (2-3 hours).



We had a bit of trouble to find cisors and knifes so that everybody could work at the same (but eventually we had) and also to find laders and chairs in order for the smallest of us to actually reach the grapes!
When the grapes are all mashed up (thanks to the super machine!), they hang in there (or rather bathe) for 10 days. Until then they are still in the state of grape juice : it's called "Tsveni".
After those 10 days of rest, the juice is put into those huge bottles, for some more rest : so that pips, insects and everything that isn't drinkable goes to the bottom of the bottles. No filter used, it's natural filtration. Several bottles are used, and from the red color of the grapes we end up with a yellow colored wine.
Don't be afraid, the wine we drink is actually really clean (and really good, isn't it so Lekso?).
After the great work was finished, the sun came in just in time for "Supra" and Mtsvadi (barbecue). 
Lekso's uncle was the "tamada" (toast master), and I don't think anybody remembers how many glasses of wine we had. It was really nice to seat all together, to share the great foods (potatoes bread, cheese, mtsvadi, chicken, katchapouri, apple cake,...) alongside with some live music (acoustic guitar by Lekso's uncle and Joe, and also a bit of piano!). We heard many different stories about random topics, but always interesting, we had international conversations with a bit of every language, and for sure this wasn't the last supra we had!

 

Written by Liene
Pictures by Daga&Tom

25 Oct 2010

We were in On-Arrival

From 18th to 21st of October, the new EVS volunteers (Cristina, Ewa, Tom, Daga, Joe and Marie) left Rustavi for the well-known Bakuriani Ski resort to absolve their on-arrival training. Lekso and Liene provided them during these days useful information about Georgian culture, about the country, project writing, conflict solving and other topics which are experienced by most volunteers. Mostly the topic was interrupted by little games and activities like horse riding. During the evenings, Georgian movies were shown. The training took place in a small Hotel with friendly rooms and delicious Georgian food. On the way back, a visit of Borjomi and Gori sealed the training.


Written by Joe
Pictures by Daga&Tom

20 Oct 2010

Happy Birthday Rustavi!

On the 9th of October all Rustavi city turned into an amazing journey around all country. Full with songs and dance, foods and beer festival, traditional fights and sport activities.
We - "Georgian Youth For Europe" EVS volunteers made this interesting event even more colourful - everyone was welcome to leave his greeting to Rustavi with drawing his hand on a sheet, kids coloured the street with cheerful hearts, flowers and butterflies but guys were coping with each other in rope pulling competition. Check it by yourselfe:
 
Movie made by Villi

To see the the pictures from this sunny event Just click here!

Written by Zane