Nagy Balazs Evs In Youth Caravan Episode 1

aI'd like to share my social adventure with you. It may be a help for you to find your way towards freedom and happyness:
I made my secoundary exam in 2000.
I learned there english but I don't have language exam.
I've never been abroad before.
I wished to travel and see the world.
I had no money. My idea was to make a waiter course and work on a ship. It doesn't work for me.
I heard from a friend about EVS, but the process of participating was too difficult for me at that time. I didn't know how to write CV and motivation letter and finding a hosting organization (HO) seemed to be impossible.
"Okay, maybe later", I said. Better to find a job or study. I applied in 2001 to the university in Debrecen but I was not accepted. I tried it again (2002) and again(2003). I was working in this years like a student. The money was not much and I became disappointed with the university.
I made a masseur course in 2005, but I didn't like it too much.
Next step was a full time job in a factory (2006). I was operator. Good money but robot work, I burned out after 1 year and quit with the decision of changing my life!
My parents were worried about their son. I couldn't enjoy my life. I was not successful.
I wanted to learn something new, but not in school. Life is the best teacher! I wished to do something useful for the society.
My friends tried to help me, one of them told me about a project (Otlet program, meaning:idea), supported by the goverment. I became a volunteer in a community center. This is a kind of non-formal learning of a new profession. The upper age limit was 26, this was my chance. It started with a training: what is volunteering? Coordinating organization, hosting organization, mentor, rights and duties, who is a volunteer, who is not a volunteer, what do they pay (travel cost, food, accomodation...), who pays and so on.
I enjoyed the training very much, it was a kind of joy. I learned many things in a few days. "I love this non-formal way of learning", I said to the trainers. "How can I become a trainer?"................
I was in the community center for 10 month from marc, 2007 till january, 2008. I had many intresting tasks, I met many people, I was useful and happy
One day I got a mail from a friend who knew that I'm talkative, I learned english and I couldn't manage going abrod since 2000. He offered me to go to Bulgaria, Rouse for a youthexchange with a hungarian group of youngsters - actually his friends. This was in summer. I didn't have to pay much, 30% of travel cost, everything else was covered by the EU. It was great to meet youngsters from Bulgaria, Azerbaidzsan and Romania. This was the first time that I heard about Youth In Action and the so called: europian dimension.
Those who took part in the Otlet (Idea) program in Hungary, were invited to participate in a Leonardo Da Vinci practise abroad (february-april 2008). So I became a youthworker in the Corinthian Youth Center (www.knk.gr), Greece. I spent there wonderful 3 month: first time in my life I saw the sea. I fall in love with a greek woman, Elena and the activities there were useful and I learned many things, etc, etc.
She wished to visit me in Hungary and he found the way: there was an EVS seminar at that summer (june),in Kecskemet, Hungary. I participated, too. It was 2 in 1 for me! Meeting her and find a HO for EVS (Europian Voluntary Service). I met there the System&Generation (www.systemandgeneration.eu). I liked their project, the Youth Caravan (www.genclikkaravani.eu). "I can gain many experience about EU youth programs", I thought. This is about helping to youngsters through guiding them and travel in Turkye seemed to be very enjoyable. One day we had a simulation game (non-formal learning tchnique) about the EVS process (what seemed to be so difficult for me in 2000). The participants were devided in groups. There were 4 persons in each groups. They were the HO, SO, volunteer, EVS expert. I was the volunteer in our group and Gurkan (S&G) was the HO. We simulated that I would like to go for EVS in Turkye and Gurkan will host me. The project is about visiting cities, towns, villages, universities and provide the information about youth projects, playing music, writting projects. At the and of this role play I shaked his hand: Let's do it in real! My EVS started in martc, 2009.
Next step, Juli, 2009: I tried to join an organization in Debrecen who deals with YIA. I found the Cooperation. I helped them with a youthexchange in Mragowo,Poland.I experienced groupleadership. It was great!
August: youthexchange in Debrecen. Czech, slovakian, romanian and magyar youngsters played pupet theatre. I helped with the background music.
I was trieing to go to Turkye after this to meet my HO and sign the activity agreement. My flying ticket was reserved by them but I made a mistake. I had only my ID card with me as it is enough for travelling within the EU’s borders. It was shocking for me when the lady asked for my passport. My bass guitar was the prise of this mistake, I had to sell it so that I can pay for the ticket. The lesson is learnt.
I went to Athens in november to Elena and stayed there for 3 month. I had there some non speaking jobs thanks to her friends. I was night guard in a 5 star hotel, flyer giver boy on the streets near to the Akropolis, clapping man in tv shows.
We were together in İstanbul on the Quality in EVS seminar, organized by the S&G, in january, 2009. I signed there the activity agreement – you can watch it on the website, it is a part of the promotion.
My idea was to buy a new acoustic guitar in Tirkey but I also wanted to buy some hungarian present to my mentor and HO as well. In the end I bought present from the guitar money and what left, I tried to change in TL. There was no turkish lira on the Budapest airport at that time. I also couldn’t change on the İstanbul airport. I couldn’t pay my visa.
On the 17. of april, 2009 I was waiting 6 hours long for the bulgarian volunteer (Rumen), but how will we meet? We’ve never seen eachother before. I wrote to him an SMS: I’m waiting for you at the visa paying place. I’m the EXPLORER (it is written with big letters on my pulover).
Somehow we didn’t meet.
I wrote SMS to my mentor, he wrote SMS to Rumen - the bulgarian volunteer.
My phone run out of money……
The visa guy paid for me and we went together to find Rumen in front of the airport. Can you imagine that crowd? Finally I found him. His first reaction was a big hug and my first question was: can you lend me some money please?