One Month in Mexico

Hi! My name is Mathilda and I was born in the northern part of Sweden. Right now I am in Mexico City and I have been here for one month and a couple of days. It is so different from Sweden and I love it!

During this month I have not been able to do any Coloured Glasses workshops since I had to wait for the volunteer from Turkey. Instead I went on a YFU-trip with some Mexican volunteers and the exchange students here in Mexico. We went to a place called Michuacan where we visited a place full of butterflies and climbed a volcano, it was amazing!

I have also done some commercial for YFU to make more Mexicans go as exchange students. The rest of the time I have been exploring Mexico City, the Mexican culture and the food and after this month I know that I am going to enjoy this year a lot! 😀

My first Mexican tacos

Sofia, finally!

After a long trip, I’m finnally at the office in Sofia, Bulgaria!!! Today is my first day working here at the YFU office!. I already like this city it is pretty charming and welcoming! Just a little example is this lion that greeted me at my arrival!

Another great surprise is the cold weather which I really love! As my city, Monterrey, Mexico, can get really hot in the summer (and right now is already really warm)!

I already visited some of the highlights of the city like the amazing Alexander Nevsky cathedral where I lit a candle!

Untill now I find Sofia very warm and welcoming (albeit the weather), and I’m pretty excited about living here for a year. Let’s see what surprises it has for me!

Next week I’ll be already in my flat and the real work will start! I’m already looking forward planning workshops and working with students!!!

See you in my next post!

First days in Turkey

Hello! I am Mandy and I come from Monterrey, Mexico. I arrived at the 8^th of February to Ankara, Turkey and before arriving I was really nervous and excited. I was most of all nervous, because I could not speak the Turkish language, and therefore I was afraid I would get lost and that no one would understand me, but everything turned out alright and I arrived safely. The first days after I arrived I got really sick and I blame the really cold weather here in Ankara, because I was coming from a 15°C-20°C temperature and I arrived into a -18°C temperature and I am not so used to these extremely cold temperatures, so my first days I spend inside the flat recovering; after that I went out with my current roommates and explore a little bit of Ankara city and I really love it. Here are some pictures of my first days.

On my way to the office

Atatürk Mausoleum

"Ulus" a more traditional turkish quarter in Ankara.

Everything is so different from Mexico, but at the same time so fascinating and intriguing. During these 3 weeks I have had time to take a little dive into the Turkish culture and I am really enjoying it. I have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people. The people here in YFU Turkey are really nice and the last volunteers, Julia and Pascal (from Sweden and Germany) have helpfully introduced me to the work here in YFU Turkey and to the workshops and presentations in schools. They have also been like a bridge to me to Turkish life here in Ankara, since they have taken me around town and have shown me where I can buy food, hang out, go shopping, etc. Regarding the Turkish language, I am studying hard every day and every time I am able to speak more Turkish when I go to a store to buy something instead of just pointing to an object and saying “bu lütfen” (this, please). So far this has been my experience here in Turkey and I am looking forward to more adventures. =D

In Gençlik Parkı (Youth Park)

Counting the days until departure

My name is Ella and I’m one of the participants in the World’s Coloured Glasses exchange. I am originally from Sweden but for the last few months I have been in Brazil. I have been preparing myself for my departure to Chile and I have been reading a lot about different aspects about living there. I wonder how quickly I can learn the complicated Chilean slang.

I finally got my visa!

Today I finally received my Chilean visa, which was the last preparation I had to do before departure. The only thing I left to do now is leave for the airport, which I will do on Tuesday.

A week from now, I will be living in a host family in a calm suburban area and preparing for my workshops. I am happy and anxious to meet everyone but more than anything else I am excited to start my new life in Santiago.

Hello World of the Coloured Glasses!

Dear all,

Welcome to the blog dedicated to the experiences and practices of facilitating intercultural learning in schools under the YFU EVS project, World’s Coloured Glasses!

We will use this space to share about our experiences and learnings on being a European Voluntary Service volunteer and facilitating Coloured Glasses Workshops in Schools!