The Night of Museums

During the Night of Museums Zöfi had a stand in the Széchényi National Library at the Buda castle. It mainly focused on promoting the "Budapest Korzo" project and carless weekends in some parts of Budapest. Every visitor could check their knowledge on the bicycle parts (in Hungarian) which turned to be quite difficult a task. Winner got the sticker "One car less" to stick on their bicycles. Kids helped us paint the "Budapest korzo" logo and all the BP inhabitants could contribute to the "BP of our dreams map" and indicate on the city plan what districts and parts should be changed (i.e. more bike routes etc). In the end we had a nice spider net on it.

Baobab Climate Change tour in Central Europe

Marta: over 1000 km by bike through Poland, from Cracow to Gdansk is the polish part of the Central European Tour of 'Baobab' - 5,5m high interactive installation.The installation holds an interactive element intertwining with a message on the importance of personal responsibility and the strength of a joint effort: 5 people are needed surround the tree at once placing their hands over the slits/wounds of the trunk, to revive the wilted branches. Similarly we need a common action to solve climate crisis.

The main goal of this tour/campaign is to raise awareness on climate change in Central Europe and highlight the importance of personal responsibility. It also signals the importance of the upcoming United Nations climate change conference this December, where world leaders are scheduled to sign a new agreement to tackle this issue. The decisions made there will determine much of our world’s chances at avoiding the potential for climate catastrophe, including rising sea levels, increased heat waves, droughts, floods, and millions climate refugees. There is also the opportunity for a treaty that will lead the world towards a more safe, just, and sustainable future.

Number 350 written on the trunk is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide – measured in “Parts Per Million” in our atmosphere. 350 PPM – it’s the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

Baobab has already visited Czech Republic in June, soon is going to Poland, in August will be at Sziget festival and in September in Slovakia.

Polish tour is coordinated by Marta. The team who will travel through Poland by bike will consist of 6 people (2 Hungarians, 1 French, 1 Serbian, 2 Poles). The tour is organised with a polish NGO - Polska Zielona Sieć who are going to raft from Cracow to Gdansk by raft through the Vistula.
Both rafting and biking teams will meet in 5 cities to organize happenings on climate change. Dates are as follows:

July 10, 2009 - Kraków, - the Vistula riverbank close to the Wawel castle;

July 18, 2009 - Kazimierz Dolny - the Vistula riverbank;

July 24, 2009 - Warszawa - Czerniakowski harbour;

August 01, 2009 - Toruń - Philadelphia Boulevard;

August 08, 2009 - Gdańsk - close to the green bridge;

We are hoping to get as much of media coverage as possible. Thus, we will also invite people to bike with us in some parts of the route. If you happen to be in Poland that time please feel invited to visit us and share the news with your friends!

More about the campaign can be found here: http://www.messzelato.hu/baobab

Human Rights' Tasters Academy, Salföld 12-14.06.2009

What are Human Rights for? Do I realize my rights and am I willing to treat other people with dignity? When I browse through the menu of Human Rights can I afford all the dishes? Do I have enough strength and knowledge to equal them? How much does one dish cost? Are they tasty? Can I have a bite of it, please?

14 people from 7 countries (France, Hungary, Germany, United States, Italy, Spain, Poland) gathered in a small village Salföld near lake Balaton to talk about Human Rights including Amanda -as a participant and Marta - as an organiser. We had great time in our little camp in one hungarian family's garden and some brave individuals had even enough courage to swim in Balaton:)

Training was organized with the help of Utilapu Halozat – SCI Hungary www.utilapu.org together with its volunteer Bogi - who is coordinating the Peace Messengers project in this hungarian brach of Service Civil International.

Living Library at Magdi festival 16.05.2009

Marta: The Living Library project I realised with Orsi and Tünde we can call a real success!
It took place during the Magdi festival on 16/05/2009 between 2-6pm. The methodology of the Living Library was taken from the Living Library Network Association (www.living-library.org) with their acceptance and blessing. We could use legally their logo and all the materials provided on their website. The most difficult part of the project was looking for living books, but eventually, mostly due to personal contacts and huge work of Orsi and Tünde, we managed to have 5 books: feminist, lesbian, ex-priest, ex-druggie and refugee from Afghanistan. It was even more rewarding when it turned out that most of them speak English or French so we could read the books in foreign languages as well. There were more than 20 readings and all the books were borrowed almost all the time!

Living library is a tool to fight prejudice and promote tolerance. It is a unique chance to talk to people we usually do not have a chance to talk and ask them things we have always wanted to ask but never got the chance!

I want to thank all the people who sacrificed their time and heart to this project:Moni for letting me do it; Orsi, Tunde and Ida for finding the books; books and volunteers for arranging the place; Pawel for fixing the copying machine, Amanda and books for hanging the posters; Tunde and Pawel for artistic help in painting the banner; Rony from UK for help and support in my questions; readers for their respect for diversity and simply for coming there and of course books for having courage to talk about their lives. Without you it wouldn't have worked!

Critical Mass Budapest 19.04.2009

It is said it is the biggest Critical Mass in this part of Europe. It was really amazing to see all these people biking in places usually reserved for cars! That day bikes ruled in Budapest!

Anti-GMO demonstration - march 2009, in front of Csech embassy

We only planned to go and see how a real demonstration in Budapest looks like. But shortly after we had arrived we were ask to actively participate;) That's the way it works when you happen to know some Greenpeace activists:) Actually it turned out we had known almost all of the organisers. So there we were - wearing too big t-shirts with some letters attached and fighting for a hungarian cause! Afterwards it turned out that the protest was successful, so if you do not have to eat GMO food in Hungary - bear in mind is thanks to us:)

Movement Workskop in Kesztyűgyár Közösségi Ház

Every week, on Wednesdays we had a chance to participate in a movement workshop for Roma kids in Kesztyűgyár Közösségi Ház in the 8th district of Budapest. It was a really difficult task because kids sometimes were very aggressive and just wanted to fight between each other. Nevertheless, there were weeks when it was really cool, like the day those pictures were taken.

Here is Budapest... I beg the pardon ?

Last Sunday I visited Budapest with a Hungarian guy I knew thanks to a website. For the future EVS and anyone else who likes travelling this website can be interested : www.hieverywhere.com

There you can find people who accept to be your touristic guide. And of course in return you’ve got to be their touristic guide in your own city.

With Csaba (pronounced Tchaba) we’ve been walking 3hours in this cold but pretty Budapest. We’ve been to touristic places, to the Jewish district (3 synagogues at 15 meters from each other) and close to the Danube !!! I don’t know why I really wanted to see it. Maybe because all the documentaries I’ve watched before coming were talking about the Danube. By the way, Csaba took a picture of me front of a bridge. This is the bridge where the French student have disappeared in December. So ironic isn’t it !

Budapest doesn’t look like Paris. Paris is beautiful but seems to be so “uniform” with its Haussmann style. Here you can find in one street 4 following flats with different architectures (from different periods sure). I can hear some people to say : “what’s this upside down city ?!” But I like it. Just by looking the buildings you can see a part of the Hungarian history. On some walls there are still the holes done by the shootings of the 1956 uprising (ok this is not a history lesson, so just remember that this year is important for Hungarian people and there was an uprising). Ok no conclusion. Just… It’s so good.

Welcome... In airports !

Ouuh ! 19H30 (7.30 pm) and not yet at Budapest. I'm proud to say that I've learned another English word today : Delayed ! I should be in Budapest for 1 hour already, but the strange women said "Flight delayed. Bad weather".
Waiting 3 hours in Paris (the plane should have left at 1.00 pm and left at 4.00 pm), missed my transfert plane, and I'm waiting now for another one which should (at first) landed at 7.55 pm and finally should land at (I can't use will yet) 8.30pm.
As I want to arise pity I want you to know that I lost 5€ to call 30 seconds my hosting association and tell them I will arrive at 9.00 pm (and not 6.30 as it should be). But in fact I will arrive at 10.30pm.
Anyway, this (these) delay(s) give(s) me time to think about everything I left and the choices I've done to live this experience (EVS I mean). It's not so joyful but very useful. And as my friends reminded me, I always wanted to make an EVS. I'm not running away something like I could say before. I want to do this.

Just something running in my mind... Why this fucking former plane wasn't delayed ? Je porte la pois se ou quoi ???

Well, go back to my favorite activity right now... Looking at the window.

[5th of January 2009, almost 8.00pm and still in Prague]

... Not ready yet !

10 days and I didn’t pack my bags yet! Lot of things to prepare. I also lost my identity card and so I’m not sure to leave the 5th. HAAAAAA! Take it easy Baby!

Not yet in Hungary

I’m expecting nothing. I’m just in a hurry to leave here. I was waiting for a longtime this project that I am not excited more. I’m still happy to go there but I feel like… I’m going to live something different somewhere else. That’s maybe the best feeling to have. If I am expecting nothing, everything can happen.

I’m looking for nothing. I just want to feel alive.

Marta in BP

Let's start. My name is Marta and I arrived in Budapest 18.01.2009. My train was 2 hours late - a fact I was really surprised then, but I wouldn't be now knowing that trains in Hungary are never on time. Anyway, I met Kriszta and Amanda at Keleti Railway Station. I was impressed how nice it was. Unfortunately, I was to realise a minute later that Budapest is just like all my friends said - beautiful but extremely dirty. And this is an undeniable fact!. Our flat turned out to be really cosy and nice - not the kind I expected having heard all the frightening stories of former EVS volunteers. That's how it started. It was quite funny but during my first day in BP i was at 2 parties! One of them was Messzelátó, a green NGO, office warming party, where I met some of my friends to be. I did not get much of sleep the first week visiting many farewell parties and I really got the impression that BP never sleeps!
I guess I should write something about myslelf. Once I prepared such a short note, so let's post it here: 25-year-old Pole. Sociologist. Restless being dreaming about changing the world (for the better) and naively believing it's possible. Interested in grassroot social movements and constantly excited it might work. Back in Poland, human rights and global education trainer, privately fond of bicycle raids and kayak rafting organised at the spur of the moment. Sometimes at the flow of inspiration makes jewellery from easily accessible materials (occasionally referred as "trush"). In Budapest constantly amazed with hungarians and they way of work. Drinks beer with a straw (what in Hungary, don't know why, evokes peals of laughter) and would drink it even with syrup if it was possible here! At Zöfi organized a Living Library and helps at present projects and takes a good look at Roma community. Her life motto is 'magis' (the more) and that's why she believes that "it's not difficulties but our dreams that scare us most"

What Amanda is doing in Budapest ? No really ???

Who am I ? Amanda. 22 years old. French, from a malagasy family.

I arrived here last january and I'm leaving in august. I've got a kind of public relations diploma, and next year I'm studying, (if these dear teachers let me) local development.
Well, what I am doing here ? I know EVS since high-school. I want to work in solidarity field since I am 14. So EVS seems to be something normal to do.
I am in Hungary because I applied mainly in Eastern Europe to local development organization. I tried several times to come to Eastern Europe through workcamps or personal trips. Didn't work. But I want to know more about these former communist countries who just joined the EU club (or may join in the futur) ! So here I am !
Zöfi was my first choice. I liked especially the activist side written on the description.

I had to wait 7 months before coming, my trip was awful (6 hours late, they lost and found my luggage...), social life was difficult at the very beginning... But all my fears of little girl left away on my first walk in the street ! I fell good. I like this city and more when I found the people to be with.

For me this EVS is a time to think, about me, my futur, people around... A step forward in my life.

A step forward for a girl from "cité" (name of social French districts).

SAPERE AUDE (Dare to know). Emmanuel Kant