What exactly is voluntary work?

Yet another article to introduce you with.

It was still July (or maybe August) when for AEGEE's annual report "Key to Europe 2010/2011" I wrote two articles - one about voluntary work in general and one with quotes from several AEGEEans about their reasons to volunteer.

The annual report is published and my articles are published as well :) Go to your closest AEGEE office and read the magazine there, your board should have it!

Or do as I did - read it online here!

Fulfilled dreams

In the latest issue of Libertas Magazine you can read my interview with Haris Mexas about the topic "achievements".

"I always envy those people who can speak several languages and change from one to another without any problem. My dear Greek friend Haris Mexas is one of those lucky people. He is a linguist, so one can expect him to be able to speak fluent Greek, English, Spanish, German and French and add some respectable knowledge of Italian, Turkish, Latin and even ancient Greek. That's not all – this September Haris is starting to fulfill his dream to be a master student in the Netherlands and catching up with his Dutch language skills!"

Full article you can read here.

Latvians keep coming

I do not know if it's just my aura or all Latvians are really moving to the Netherlands, but I keep meeting more and more Latvians who have moved or are about to move here! The funny thing - almost all of them I have already met before!

Since 2,5 years ago when I moved here for the first time I have hanged out with:

1) Agnese Nr. 1 - my crazy party associate in my last and her first weeks in Amsterdam. The friendship with crazy memories and long-lasting impact on both of us. True, I didn't know her before - but CouchSurfing united us.

2) Sintija - the history dates back to 2003 when we got to know each other through my dad. One day I noticed on Facebook that now she is living in Amsterdam - what a surprise, me too! For almost a year she was my company to a lot of cultural events!

3) Lelde - the history dates back to God-knows-when. I think, both of us were still in the primary school when we became pen pals. Later on we found out that we used to study in the same university and she used to work with my course mate. Funny enough, for the first time we met more than 10 years after in Amsterdam...

Furthermore, there is a bunch of other Latvians living nearby whom I haven't met so much yet, but who are worth mentioning anyway.

4) Kristīne - so many e-mail exchanges, but still haven't met despite having quite a few common friends. One day...!

5) Mārtiņš - my cousin's cousin, yet not my cousin. One day I heard from my cousin that he has moved to the Netherlands as well... So far the only Latvian guy I am aware of in this country (apart from "I know X who knows Y who is living here")

6) Baiba - well, we were together in the primary school and, the same as Lelde, she was also studying in the same university. Then one day I saw on Facebook (as well) that she is in the Netherlands, although in the opposite side of the country. Will meet again for sure!

7) Agnese Nr. 2 - at first, ages ago I interviewed her grandma for some article. At second, her grandma then told me that her granddaughter Agnese was studying in the same high school where I did. At third, turns out that she used to work for the same company in Amsterdam I am working now!

8) Agnese Nr 3 - my Latvian colleague at work, seeing her every day and practising my Latvian not to forget it :)

9) Egita - well, Facebook says that we have 45 common friends and I am sure that draugiem.lv would add a few more. Knew about her since I joined AEGEE, but never really talked - until one day we met in Brussels in an event. And then again, here...

10) Agnese Nr. 4 - the youngest part of the non-existing-community. One day she wrote me on Facebook saying that we have met and spoken a few years ago in an information market in Sweden, where I was presenting AEGEE and she was doing Erasmus (I think so). Of course, we have common Latvian friends. Last week also this Agnese moved to Amsterdam. Welcome!

11) Tatjana - just remembered, another AEGEEan living in the country, although also not so close to me. Memories about co-organised events back in Latvia...

Did I forget anybody? :) Aija doesn't count, she was living here before I did - too bad.

Too many articles

OK, I think that I am exaggerating again... It started as a nice wish to write a couple of articles per month - not too much, not too less. But now I feel that I have agreed to write too many, and all the deadlines are coming up at the same time!

So let me see, what do I need to do?

• Articles for Overdose.am about the cultural life in Amsterdam
• My first article for Dispatches International about the divorce law in Malta - luckily just finished
• Article about drugs for Magazine Libertas
• A few articles for Key To Europe, the annual magazine of AEGEE-Europe
• 1-2 articles for AEGEE's latest Members' Manual (that's Alfredo's fault, I didn't agree)

And all of them within the next days or maximum a week.

Argh! Why did I do that to myself? It's not like they would be paying me for that... :P

Lie To Me

For the last few days I have been watching TV series "Lie To Me", bringing back memories from my time in Brussels.

It started while I was living in Brussels - every now and then me and a couple of my housemates would get down to the basement, where we had "film screening nights". Together with chocolate and a bottle of wine or bacardi we would be watching various films and TV series. In the first month it was a lot of "How I Met Your Mother", still remember that! Haven't seen the last seasons, so I still do not know how did Ted meet his wife :(

At some point in the end of the year we started to watch "Lie To Me" and I really felt for the series. I am not a huge fan of TV series or even watching films as I often feel like wasting time, but this was both entertaining and useful, you could learn - or you thought you could - about people and psychology.

We never finished "Lie To Me" as we had only the first season and half of the second season available. Now I have found the second and third season as well, so watching them whenever I have time. :)

For those who do not know - "Lie To Me" tells a story about a company who is specialised in figuring out if people are lying or no, as it depends on their body language (what a surprise) and microexpressions on their faces. The good thing is that every time there is a different story (sometimes two in one), so it is not a problem watching one if you have missed the previous one - although the relationship between the main characters in the company develop throughout the film as well.

Top 5 places in the Netherlands

Some months ago I wrote about my favourite places in Amsterdam, but this time I thought about revealing my favourite places out of the city - but still in this beautiful country.

1. Hoorn - although I have been there only once, this small and cute town left a big impact on me. I still remember strolling around almost empty streets, admiring old buildings from several centuries ago and falling in love with the yachts in the port. Around half an hour away from Amsterdam (by train), Hoorn feels like a different world without tourists and yet with its own beauty.

2. Maastricht - this city and me met several years ago, even before I knew that I will ever have a chance to live in the Netherlands. I went there to visit a friend of mine for the weekend and instantly felt that I like it, although it might be too small to live and work there. Since that I have been back to Maastricht several times, including three carnival editions when the city turns into a wild street party and seems so different from other, more peaceful times.

3. Leiden - I believe that AEGEE people (those who had a chance to participate in Spring Agora Leiden 2010) will object, but I really like this small student city. It has a special beauty and its canals remind me Amsterdam, but luckily there is no huge crowd of tourists. The special feature is the endless amount of poems on the walls and last time I even managed to find a Latvian one!

4. Naarden - thanks to another friend, I had a chance to visit the medieval Naarden. When I was there for the first time, it was a silent and empty afternoon with almost no people on the streets and we were wondering around the fortifications and exploring "almost forgotten town". My second visit was just the opposite - it was full of Dutch people, enjoying their sunny day, shopping and sitting outside. Nevertheless, it was possible to feel the special vibe of the small town.

5. Zaanse Schans - I hope that locals will forgive me for mentioning such a touristic place, but I can't help myself. Several working windmills in a raw and extremely cute and sweet houses from fairytales sell good, and I am one of their victims. Typical Netherlands in a nutshell!

Now you all know how much I love history and cities / towns which look like nothing would have changed in the last few centuries!

Youth Opportunities in Europe

Some time ago I was invited to give a speech in the University of Brescia about youth opportunities in Europe. Just now I noticed that I haven't posted in my blog the presentation which I did for that, so I am fixing it now :)

See the presentation below! I am not so used to work with Prezi, but it was an interesting experience and I am slowly starting to appreciate it.

Thanks to everybody who shared their opinions and thoughts!

Youth Opportunities in Europe on Prezi

Participate in Public Relations European School 2!

I PRES2. What do you do?

Yes, exactly you!

We live only once. We also die only once. So why not make the best you can out of your life and do something you love?

Do you want to communicate across borders? Are you involved in a European-wide youth organisation? Do you love PR and communications and want to get even better at it? Are you free on May 8-15? And - the most important thing - do you PRES2 with us?

If you shout out loud YES, then there is only one answer - you are ready to participate in Public Relations European School 2 (PRES2) Novi Sad and learn more about PR on a European level.

What? AEGEE Public Relations European School 2 (PRES2)
When? May 8-15
Where? Novi Sad, Serbia
For whom? For you and 24 other young Europeans, who are already working or about to work in communications/PR on a European/international level in their organisations
What is the focus? Communications/PR on a European/international level
How much does it cost? 90 euro, including full program, knowledge, fun, accomodation and meals
Is there travel reimbursement? Unfortunately no

How to apply? Fill the form till March 18 23:59 CET and press the button "submit". The results will be announced within 10 days and you will receive a personal reply from us by March 29.

In case of any questions - write to anita.kalmane@aegee.org and academy-board-l@lists.aegee.org!

Yours,

Anita, PRES2 manager, and her amazing team

Home alone

As from tomorrow onwards I will be sitting in the office again and not hanging around at home, I thought about answering to the magical question "What does Anita do all day long at home alone?".

It has been asked to me several times and I am sure that I will ask it to myself after some time - how could I manage to sit half a year at home without going to work and not feel bored? OK, to be honest - sometimes I did feel bored, but most of the time I had quite a few things to fill my agenda.

Here is the list of the most common things and activities I used to do and I am sure that I will miss some of them...

- Writing my master thesis (will not miss this one for sure)
- Sleeping longer (sometimes too long)
- Spamming my cute boyfriend with e-mails about things to do, go and visit and speaking with him on Skype (wondering how did he manage to find time to work as he needed to read all my e-mails and chat with me)
- Sending job applications and finding new ads to apply (annoying and I will not miss it at all!)
- Learning how to cook and washing dishes (I never enjoyed cooking before, but now I both start to enjoy it and start to get better at it)
- Checking online what is going on in Amsterdam and what can I do and see (very useful skill for my new position)
- Afterwards hanging out with Sintija in different cultural centres, exhibitions and other activities for free (hope to continue it in my free time)
- Updating my family tree (very important and need to find time for that also in the future)
- Daily e-mails and social networks' activities (still will do, but on a smaller scale)
- Participating in several online competitions where you can win something (and being pretty lucky)
- Reading Latvian news portals what's going on in the world (can survive without it)
- Following women problems in family portal Calis.lv just because of being curious (can survive without it)
- Sending and answering to AEGEE-related e-mails (I guess it's just good that I will have less time for it)
- Taking pictures of Amsterdam (check my Facebook and draugiem.lv galleries for that and yes, I hope to continue doing it)
- Writing letters to my grandma (once a week or so, but still - and it will be continued)

Of course, I could add also watching some movies, reading books and other things, but those were not done so often if we compare it with other activities.

PRES2 manager

When I re-started this blog, I promised myself not to write anything about AEGEE here because that part of the life was over and I was starting a new life which was not around it.

I think that I managed pretty good by now. However, today I am going to break the promise to myself as these news are simply too big to be silent about it.

I was, am and will be crazy - but you already knew that, right? So now I have got another challenge. Some time ago I applied and just now I got appointed as the manager of Public Relations European School 2 (PRES2), which is one of AEGEE-Academy training courses.

What does it mean?

It means that I am the main person behind this amazing training course whose target audience are youth, active in different youth organisations (not only AEGEE) - but not on a local level in their own city or country, but on European/international level.

The training course will take place on May 8-15 in Novi Sad, Serbia (thanks to AEGEE-Novi Sad for being the local organiser). As all the work in AEGEE is done on voluntary basis, I do not get any salary for it (the same as other trainers), but, of course, they ar covering my costs while I will be in Novi Sad.

Now besides looking for a job (and hopefully starting to work soon), being a houswife and doing other stuff I need to dedicate time for PRES2 every day as well. I just finished the draft open call for trainers and sent a few e-mails to local organisers. In the next days it will be more - open call for participants, strategy, aims and program of the training course, assigning workshops to the trainers etc.

You might wonder why did I apply and how will I be sure that I have time to go? First, I am not sure about the answer to the question "how". Second, speaking about "why" - it was one of my dreams. Back in 2007 I was a participant in PRES2 Pecs and in 2009 I was one of the trainers of PRES1 Leiden. As you know, communications is my passion and recently I found myself enjoying delivering trainings as well, so I thought - if I am not going to be PRES2 manager, who will it be then? :)

So yes, you can congratulate me or say how stupid I am. :) But I will do my best to make it happen, have a qualitative training, manage to enjoy Serbia (never been there) without making my current life suffer!

Master thesis

Ok, it is official - I am having a small break (hopefully just for a few minutes) from my master thesis and amazingly interesting (yeah, right) data analysis to write another blog post.

As quite a few of you might know, these days I am busy with finishing my master thesis "The development of tourism skills with the aid of non-formal education in Latvia, the Netherlands and Ukraine" for the Vidzeme University College, which I hope to graduate in February.

I have two weeks around 30 pages to write left. Impossible? Normally no, but how about the case when it's Christmas, I want to see new places every day and I am doing a road trip to Poznan and back? But no other choice, I can't postpone anything to even later date.

And as even more of you might wonder what are the thesis about, I will briefly explain. It has quite a lot to do with AEGEE and other student NGOs :) Through different questions I am trying to figure out what kind of tourism skills people from different organisations and different fields have learnt. Although from a first sight it might seem that there is not so much connection, it is not true because actually almost every youth NGO can develop any other additional skills you have no idea about unless you are being asked.

I will keep you updated about the conclusions of my thesis once they are written! Wish me luck!