Category: 01 Leverkusen/Oulu/Rome

Wednesday, 27th of July 2016

Today, after breakfast, we took the metro to the school, where the youth group B-Side has some rooms. There, we finished our photostory. Marco told us the meaning of the name “B-Side”: Perhaps you feel like you are on the lesser-known B side of a music record, but this doesn’t mean you are any worse.

We met in our groups for the final details, and thought about which text to use for our story. Our group  (Damiano, Samira, Elli, Henna, Katrina and I) decided on a quote by C. S. Lewis: ‘Friendship is born when one person says to another “What! You too? I thought I was the only one?”‘.

After we decided and finished a smaller A4 sketch, we added the text to two larger A3 prints of our story. After we glued the text, we met again and showed around our work for everyone to see. Then, Sarah’s favourite part: Food. There was a wide selection of different grilled vegetables, bread, pasta dishes, and drinks. After the meal, we all thanked the hosts with singing the Banana song, and then went back to our school.

On our way to the metro station, it started to rain, and once the cool rain hit the hot surfaces all streets became an open-air sauna.

Back in the school, we hat some leisure time, and then played some games for team building.

It started with everyone getting a lemon with the instruction to remember it well. The lemons were then returned to the centre of the circle, and then everyone was to find their lemon friends once again.
For our second game, everyone got a stick and had to dance with it. Again and again, we had to share our stick with other persons, by each person pressing their fingers against the stick. The game ended when all were together in a circle.

In our leisure time following this, some prepared the Games Night. The game began with Daniele running from the plenary circle, and now sat in the teamer room being “injured”. We now had to get a Medikit from the second floor, but without making loud noises, for a “Monster” wanted to eat us. In the bathroom, where we found the Medikit, there was also a message and a riddle. The solution to the riddle was, again and again, the next room we had to find. The game was won, once we saved Damiano. After some rounds of Werewolf, I finally went to sleep.

Blog post by Saskia (D)

First day I was a bit bored because I had to know new people and it’s little difficult for me.
I don’t talk too much good English and the others speak very fast, but, after the next days is gone better. We did a lot of games all together.

We did also travels like the one on City Center, where I shooted some photos at Monuments, the Park, the Commercial Center or the “META” Cooperative.
Back from the “Roma Tour” we had a shower and I had pass the rest of the evening in Group with some Music.

Next day I played for the Photobook workshop (that I never listened before) and after we wrote the storyboard we shot the Photos all together and they were good.
Then was the “Pallet Workshop” for building Furniture. I really like manual works and I put effort, like in the garden work where, with Pallets we did some vertical gardens.

Post by Bappi (I) (supported by Damiano (I))

Tuesday, 26. July 2016

Everyone was excited, as we were going to the seaside, a day trip with complications.

At first, it was planned that one half will visit the Aqua Park and the other half to the sea, but then a transport strike intervened. Thus, we all decided for us all to go to the seaside together and spend the day there. One day earlier, a small group of 6 people packed things together, so we could have a little bit of shadow there. In the morning, we had a nutritious breakfast, for everyone to be strong for the trip. Then everyone got a large lunch packet to eat for the day. The group met at 9 to start the trip, which took about an hour. When we arrived, the whole group got to the beach together and set up the pavillions. Everybody got a space, and after applying sunscreen, left for the sea. The location was huge, and there was a tower, directly at the seaside, with a small shop inside the tower, and one at the beach for buying smaller things.

There were many possibilities to spend the day. In the water, in the sun, playing, in the small town nearby, and so on. A group of 9 went to the town, to refill water from a public fountain.

At the location it was very hot, and the sand burned our feet, but all that was forgotten once we reached the water. Some left earlier for the camp, as the did not deal well with the weather, or because they wanted to relax.

 

The others enjoyed the superb sunset, sunbathed, and came back to the camp only late in the evening.

Blog post by Sarah (D)

Sunday, 24. July 2016

Today the Workshop with wooden Pallets started.
After an introduction to the Idea of Upcycling (using cheap Pallets to build stable and otherwise expensive Furniture) and the Tools to use, the Group was divided in smaller groups with different Tasks. I really like the Idea of Upcycling, not only with Pallets.

The plan, how to compose the Furniture (Benches and Tables) was swiftly made. Yet every Group had to prepare the Surfaces with sandpaper to smoothen the splintering Pallets.

Afterwards the pieces were brought together like planned before. As before with the Gardening I really liked the fast progress, the Group made.

Then everyone was invited to the Mid-Term Evaluation where the Participants could give Feedback to their Group, the Program, the Accommodation, the Team and the Food. The wall posters were accessible during night so anybody could give anonymous feedback.
The evening was full of busy preparations for the second Intercultural Evening. Even after the exhausting work in the heat of the day, everyone stayed enthusiastic.

Monday, 25. July 2016

The Day started with a Group Activity. We were all happy owners of our own Island until Catastrophe after Catastrophe lead to two big Islands where only a few things of the original islands could be saved.
Working was much easier this day, because of a nice refreshing rain shower with thunder and lightning. It was a relief for me as I am not used to such temperatures. Fortunately we had enough space for everyone to continue working on the Furniture under a roof. That’s why a large group had the energy for a nice Zumba workout in the Evening.

 

Blog Post by Mike (D, Teamer)

Wednesday, 20. July 2016

Today we started the day with introducing the game “Murderer”. Usually it’s played for around a week, until all town members or the murderer is dead.
But this round was won by town after around a day because Rebecca made a clever conclusion about Wilma being the murderer.
After that we started working in the garden. Some Italian people came to help us with their tools and strength. We made really good progress, because everybody was helping.
We plucked all plants, that weren’t supposed to grow there, picked up all the trash and rubbish that was laying around and started to plant a vertical garden. It took us around three hours to complete today’s task but the time just flew by.

Post by Saskia (D)

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In the picture: Gloria

Today we worked in the garden together. We picked up trash and pulled up plants to make room for planting and benches and other garden things.
I thought it was fun to do with all the people at this camp. I didn’t even mind the heat because I was so focussed on the work and the time went past very fast which was a nice change since it often feels like the day could go on forever.

Post by Wilma (FI)

Arrival day

Before the other groups could arrive in Italy, it was quite a long day of preparation for the Italian group. They prepared all the rooms and put little welcome gestures everywhere.
The Germans arrived at the Scuola Grazia Delledda at about 14:00 o’clock. After the Germans put their luggage in the rooms, the Italians showed them a Park (Villa Lazzaroni) and an Ice cream shop (Gelateria). There were many choices of tastes. Most of the group bought an ice cream and went outside. After everyone had an ice, they were going to fill up the bottles with water at a public fountain. Then they were going back to school.As they came back to school, the Finnish Group also arrived at about 19:00 o’clock.

After all the groups were at the school, they started playing games to get to know each other, which was a lot of fun. That was all for the first exhausting day.

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Second day

First all people woke up and had breakfast. After the Italian breakfast everyone was playing games again and made decorations like posters to put on the walls afterwards. They also made signs for the toilets, to show whether it is occupied or not.

To be continued…

Post by Sarah, Samira, Roosa and Andrea

 

Monday 27.07.2015

Today was the last day of our theatre workshop and it was fun. We did some group games and discussed about our Thursday´s presentation. After the workshop we came back to the house and had our teatime. Today´s teatime was nice because we had ice cream. :)

After teatime the finnish group started to prepare the finnish evening and others had a free time. We started our evening with traditional finnish folk dance called “Letkajenkka”. Because of the special evening we, of course, had finnish dinner. After eating we played some finnish group games. All summed up the day was great.

Made by: Tanja, Egle and Henna (Oulu)

Sunday 26.07.2015

In the morning we went to the Falkenhaus. There we planned about what we are gonna do the next days. After that we came back to the Naturfreundehaus and ate lunch. In the evening we got a special guest: Uwe Richrath, a local politician and currently running for Mayor in Leverkusen. We asked some questions about youth exchange. After the question session we all had a barbeque and a lot of fun.

Made by: Tanja, Egle and Henna (Oulu)

On Friday we were in Cologne. To summarize the experience, we asked a couple of questions:

1. What were your impressions about the cathedral?
2. What was the most interesting place for you?
3. What is the biggest difference between your City and Cologne?
4. How did you spend your free time?
5. If you had to put the whole day into one sentence, what would you say?

Larissa (17, Oulu)

1. Big, old fashioned
2. The shopping Area
3. In Oulu streets are just going straight forward and in Cologne they are kind of crazy. Also in Cologne there are a lot of people everywhere.
4. Shopping
5. Great place to visit

Roosa (16, Raahe)

1. It was so amazing because of the black and gold colours. It was also huge and beautiful.
2. The shopping Area
3. There is not that much people and you don’t have to be careful about the thieves.
4. I went to the tour to the old city and after that to shopping.
5. I’m glad I didn’t lose my bag.

Daniele (33, Rome (and Bochum), Teamer)

1. I really liked the gothic style and I’m impressed by the majestic of the cathedral.
2. The Roman street.
3. Coming from Rome it is really hard to be impressed by the historical places, but I really liked the multiculturalism present in Cologne.
4. Together with the other participants and teamers. First we had some coffee and ice cream and after that we went to relax at the river.
5. After one week of working it was a lot of people alltogether.

Marco (22, Rome)

1. It was very awesome
2. The Cathedral and Cologne
3. Cologne is cleaner and I think that the people are more quiet than in Rome.
4. I spoke with others.
5. Go bananas, go go bananas!

Damiano (21, Rome)

1. I liked the Cathedral but it’s not the best in the world.
2. The fountain playground for the children.
3. The houses and the streets are too modern for me.
4. Drinking Espresso and I bought a toy gun to fight Francesco.
5. I felt very very very good because when I’ll leave from here I’ll miss the place.

Interviewers: Samira (Leverkusen) and Tanja (Oulu)

Yesterday we did our first day trip: We went to an amusement Park, where we all had a lot of fun, trying out the different rollercoasters and other attractions.

In the evening we were all tired, so that getting up this morning was a real struggle.

The working in the young theatre was exhausting, but after a great veggie-lasagne everyone returned to work with new power. (Today was a kind of chaos in the kitchen but together we solved it in the end).

Besides the „secret-friend“ game (everyone has a secret friend who has to do her/him small favors secretly) we started a new game, so that now there is a murderer in our rooms. Nobody has died yet in this game, but we are very sceptical when someone walks around alone. If we survive this evening you will hear from us again soon.

 

Sascha (Leverkusen)
Aline (Leverkusen)