European invasion at Hald

The European Voluntary Service is the organization which has blessed us with Maybrit and Zsofia, and so we're big fans of them. So when they gave Hald the opportunity to host an On Arrival Training for a bunch of their volunteers, there was no way we would pass it up.

(Picture by Ulas Korhan)

That is how Hald ended up being invaded by a batallion of Europeans last week. 24 young volunteers from Sweden, Germany, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Austria, Bosnia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey brought Hald back to life for a short while, as they were learning the basics of cross cultural understanding.

(Picture by Ulas Korhan)

Nights were spent doing all kinds of fun activities: tran-drinking competitions during the Norwegian evening; laughing and breaking of chairs during fun and games; Norwegian we-were-so-nice-and-heroic-during-the-war propaganda (Max Manus) at movie night and teaching of new steps and rhythms by Hald student and buddy Julio at salsa night.

(Picture by Inga Koch)

The whole thing was topped off by a trip to a local light house from Friday to Saturday. There was no electricity, no water and apparently shortage of firewood, so it ended up being a cold experience. Nevertheless, it was one of the most beautiful sites I've seen in Norway, and well worth the trip. The students also had a great time, despite the cold.

(Picture by Inga Koch)

All in all, a week of lots of entertainment, good conversations, funny Germans ("Nai tak, jai er ike so nazi i dak"),  and new perspectives. I would like to thank all the EVS guys for your enthusiasm and good mood during the week; hope to see you again. :)