I’m Ieva, freshly baked student, who chose to continue her learning and finding path for a further future with a help of EVS.
So, eversince January 2010 I’ve been volunteer in an independent culture centre „Pekarna Magdalenske Mreže” in Maribor, Slovenia.
As all of volunteers I had my expectations and my frights, if reality will be same, but all in all I can say that I’m fully satisficed with my choice.
As for what I do here – I help organising and taking care of the concerts in the concert hall of my organisation,
that includes :
- learning to make friends with a sound mixer
- learning to play with the lights so the visitors don’t get blinded
- cooking for the bands (it’s usually the same food, but at least I improve myself in cleaning dishes afterwards…)
I also make movie nights in the same hall - during the summer these nights will take place also outdoors (doing this helped me improve my poor and chaotic organising skills, also working with photoshop, because posters have to be done, and have to be done as nicely as you can, so people actually show up, buuut till now they still look weird. But probably that’s just my style, or at least that’s how I justify my skills ).
Sometimes I slip myself also into other small works done around „Pekarna” theritory –
- cleaning up sessions in our yard ( yes, now i can confess, I used to be one of the teenagers who litter around with no thinking, but now I can quite honestly say – DON’T DO THIS, THAT PISSES OFF QUITE NICE PEOPLE, WHO HAVE TO DO DIRTY WORK AFTER ALL OF YOU!)
sometimes helping with some events of other kind, for example
- „Maribajk” - project, when all the unneeded bikes around Maribor are gathered, repaired and later
given for rent ( I did it only few times, but mostly because I’m just too much in love with vintage bikes gathered, that I’m scared I would just take one one day…or just cry out loud when it’s taken.
- Vegan Dinners ( monthly event, when every person interested can listen to some lecture about animal rights and taste some vegan food, also share their opinions with other animal rights activists and so on ) , and to be honest, I can say it’s one of the most loved event, because it includes free food, and we, poor EVS’s NEVER say no to free food (ok, kiddin)
- Just helping two other EVS with shooting „F*cking cooking show” ( I had done it only once, but OH, how proud I am about my directing work ). p.s. here’s the link to it. We shot it in an abandoned building, during my first days here. I still believe it was just our luck we came out of it fully alive and ok - http://vimeo.com/10537041
Also some nice work was done during „Volunteer Festival Maribor”.
I also have a show on local student’s radio „Marš”. It’s very nice, I can speak about whatever bothers me, people even listen. Or at least that’s how I calm myself down. We once made an experiment - put an interactive karaoke show during my time on radio - people could call and sing along some famous songs, or just beg for me to stop, but neither happened.
Huh.
While being here, I also fullfilled a little dream of mine – working at the bar. So now every time there’s „Solar Pulse” ( promoters, that do quite interesting concerts here ) I try to serve people with drinks as nicely as I can. It’s interesting and nice.Also great place to meet new people not spending your own money, not going out and not putting any other big pressure on it. So - double success it is!
I like my organisation, they’re very open – minded and supportive to whatever crazy ideas pop in my mind, even if they’re not quite connected with job I do there – I got colours to paint the disturbing white walls of my living space, also gained a cat, to keep apartment more alive. Of course, nobody also had yet killed me for disturbingly playing/ learning to play ukulele while I’m here. My next agenda would be to ask also for some carpets, but we’ll see what the boss says. (=
All in all I can just forward the saying that my friend once thold me, when I got tired and homesick : „Take it easy. You’re developing yourself with a speed of 1 year here is equal to 3 years back in your hometown”. And I can only agree to it.
