„Friends you can keep” – 29.06 – 6.07.2015 Estonia

Ce se poate intampla atunci cand pui 10 oameni, care de abia s-au cunoscut, intr-un avion ce zboara spre Tallinn?

Cred ca raspunsurile vor fi descoperite printre aceste randuri. Cred ca am avut cu totii un gram de teama, emotie si extaz. Estonia era o tara cu totul necunoscuta noua si tocmai ideea de a o vizita ne-a incantat. Ziua plecarii s-a dovedit a fi una extrem de obositoare, avand o escala de 5 ore in aeroportul din Frankfurt si ajungand in Tallinn abia la miezul noptii. Totusi, in toate aceste ore de asteptare, ne-am apropiat intre noi, ne-am cunoscut mai bine si am devenit o adevarata echipa.

Cand in final am aterizat in Tallinn, ardeam de nerabdare sa-i cunoastem si pe ceilalti participanti, din Italia si din Estonia. La aeroport ne-au asteptat fete necunoscute, dar care pana la sfarsitul acestui schimb au devenit de neuitat.

Autocarul ne-a dus in aproximativ doua ore in locul in care urma sa ‘convietuim’ timp de inca 6 zile. Reactiile noastre au fost extreme de amuzante, cand ne amintim acum de ele : ne-am trezit efectiv “in the middle of nowhere”, pe o vreme ploioasa si rece, fiind nevoiti sa stam in niste cabanute de lemn de cate patru persoane.  Totusi, in acea prima seara de soc, privelistea a fost cea care a compensat totul.\

Stiu sigur ca nu am fost singura care intrase putin in panica la gandul ca va trebui sa supravietuiesc aici in tot acest timp, iar prima noapte a fost si cea mai grea, dar si cea mai amuzanta. Abia de am reusit sa dormim cateva ore si dimineata ne-am trezit cu noi sperante si asteptari.

Dupa micul dejun, am avut warm-up games, unde ne-am cunoscut mai bine si cu restul participantilor si care ne-am mai trezit la viata.

Dupa pranz, am avut alte cateva joculete si informatii referitoare la tema proiectului, la ateliere la care urma sa mergem si la zona in care ne aflam.

A doua zi,  grupul estonienilor ne-au prezentat o piese de teatru forum, la care a participat si echipa noastra. Tot in aceeasi zi, ne-am ales workshop-urile, patru la numar : teatru forum, origami, percutie si arta vizuala.

Dupa pranz, doritorii de aventura, au putut merge la cayac canoe pe lac, iar ceilalati, ramasi, fie au avut timp liber, fie au mers la magazin. Ultima varianta s-a dovedit a fi nu foarte fericita, intorcandu-ne dupa 3 ore de mers prin soare, doar cu cateva sticle de apa si cu un bronz Estonian autentic.

Dupa cina, am avut seara interculturala, unde echipa romanilor a dat startul petrecerii. Am dansat perinita, brasoveanca, dansul pinguinului si am mancat multe bunatati.

In urmatoarele zile, ne-am axat in special pe workshop-uri si am pregatit spectacolul ce urma sa vina. Serile aveam diverse activitati : Sauna, jocuri de volei, fotbal, baschet. Am jucat carti : Mafia, Saboteur, Dixit. In penultima zi, am plecat dupa micul dejun intr-un orasel pe nume Viljandi, unde am avut spectacolul mult asteptat. Desi publicul nu a fost numeros, noi ne-am distrat extrem de bine, si consider ca ne-am atins scopul.  Am mai avut putin timp liber prin oras, am mai cumparat cateva bunatati, dupa care am mers, in timpul ramas, sa vizionam un spectacol de sporturi extreme : bmx, skateboard si role.

In ultima seara, am facut foc de tabara, iar baietii romani : Radu si Tudor, s-au ocupat de gratar, de care toata a fost multumita. Ne-am jucat carti pana tarziu, am ascultat muzica si am vorbit, fiind oarecum intristati de gandul ca acestea sunt ultimele clipe petrecute impreuna.

Ziua plecarii a sosit si am reusit sa plecam devreme, pentru a prinde cateva ore de vizitat in Tallinn. Desi bagajele ne-au cam dat batai de cap, ne-am bucurat de extreme de mult si am admirat cat de mult am putut frumusetea acestui oras. Sunt sigura ca toti ne dorim sa revenim si sa vedem si mai mult din ceea ce ascunde.

Am fost ajutati de ghizii nostril estonieni : Marcus si Morten, de la care ne-am luat cu greu adio.

Pentru incheiere, cred ca este dificil de explicat legatura ce se formeaza intre tine si ceilalti oameni pe durata unui schimb. Desi la inceput nu simti nimic, toate micile activitati zilnice se unesc cu tine, iar o data intors acasa, iti amintesti cu drag si nostalgie de tot ceea ce ti-a oferit acest schimb: de tot ce ai invatat, de tot ce ai simtit si de toate persoanele pe care le-ai cunoscut.

Cum spuneau si alti participant, nu as vrea sa existe acel “la revedere!”, ci sa se transforme, mai degraba, intr-un : “ne vedem mai tarziu!”

Articol de  Eliza Nitulescu

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What can happen when you stick 10 people together, who have just met, in an airplane flying to Tallinn? I think the answers will be discovered through these lines.

I tend to believe that we’ve all had a gram of fear, emotion and excitement. Estonia was a country totally unfamiliar to us and the idea of visiting it really appealed to us.

The departure day turned out to be extremely exhausting, having a layover of 5 hours in Frankfurt and arriving in Tallinn at midnight. However, during all these hours, we’ve become closer, got to know each other better and became a real team.

When we’ve finally arrived in Tallinn, we couldn’t wait to meet the other participants, from Italy and Estonia. At the airport, unknown faces were waiting for us, which until the end of this exchange turned out to be unforgettable.

The bus took us to the place where we were about to live together for six day, in approximately two hours. Our reactions were extremely hilarious, thinking about them now : we woke up in the middle of nowhere, on a rainy and cold day, having to stay in small wood cabins of four people. However, during that first night of “shock”, the view was the one to compensate everything.

I’m sure that I was not the only one who got panicked at the thought of having to survive here during all this time, and the first night was the hardest, but also the funniest. We’ve hardly caught some hours of sleep and, in the morning, we woke up with high hopes.

After breakfast, we’ve had warm-up games, where we got to know each other better and which also brought us to life.

After lunch, we’ve had another few games and also information regarding the theme of the project, the future workshops and the place where we were staying.

 

The following day, the Estonian team showed us a Forum theatre play, during which we also participated in.

Also that day, we’ve chosen our workshops, from a total of four : forum theatre, origami, perucussion and visual arts.

After lunch, the adventure seekers had the opportunity of going kayak canoeing on the lake, and the others, either had free time, either went to the shop. The last option turned out not to be that happy, getting back after 3 hours of walking in the sun, with only a few bottles of water and with an authentic Estonian tan.

After dinner, we’ve had the intercultural evening, where the Romanian team started the party. We’ve danced perinita, brasoveanca, dansul pinguinului and have eaten lots of tasty treats.

During the following days, we’ve focused especially on the workshops, preparing the final performance.

At evenings, we had different activities such as : sauna, volleyball, football and basketball games. We’ve also played cards : Mafia, Saboteur and Dixit.

Before the departure day, we’ve left early in the morning, after breakfast, in a small city called Viljandi, where we’ve had our performance. Even though the public wasn’t numerous, we’ve had a lot of fun, and I believe we’ve reached our target. We also had the chance of visiting the city, buying some treats and also getting the chance of watching an extreme sports show of bmx, skateboard and rollerskates.

That night, we’ve had a nice and cosy bonfire, and the Romanian boys : Radu and Tudor, had to deal with the barbecue, which everyone was satisfied with. We’ve played cards until late, listened to music and talked to each other, being somehow sad at the thought of these being the last moments spent together.

Departure day has come and we’ve managed to leave early in order to be able to visit Tallinn. Despite the luggage giving us headaches, we’ve been extremely happy and we’ve admired how much it was possible, the beauty of this city. I’m sure all of us want to come back someday and to discover more of what’s hiding.

We were given a helping hand by our Estonian guides : Marcus and Morten, to whom we’ve hardly said goodbye.

For the last thoughts, I believe it is difficult to explain the bond which is creating between you and the people you meet during an exchange. Even though at the beginning you don’t feel anything, all the little daily activities combine with you, and once you are back home, you recall happily and nostalgic about everything this exchange has given to you : all you’ve learned, all you’ve felt and all of the people you’ve met.

How other participants also said, I wouldn’t like this to be a “goodbye”, but rather than this, a “see you later!”