Balkan BVSers' Thanksgiving Weekend

Stephanie Barras, Julianne Funk, Julia Schmidt and I met for the traditional Balkan BVS Thanksgiving weekend meeting in Mostar this year, and took at trip to Blagaj to check out the source of the Buna River. 

"merci, plus s'il vous plâit"

From Kirsten Stopher's blog a few days ago: 

One year ago today I arrived in Esteville, France! It was fun for me to reflect on that first day of my arrival with the hébérge - even down to exactly what we ate for lunch. In one year's time I have learned more things than I can imagine and have experienced things I could have never dreamed.

In this next year I have many more things to learn, experience and share. I am very thankful for this past year in an unpredictable life; and today I am especially thankful to have received my assurance maladie letter which declared a favorable decision along with my French social security number included :)

This is definitely a day where I can say; thank you, more please :)

And more new BVSers in Europe!

Welcome to new BVS volunteers Craig Morphew (L'Arche Community in Cork, Ireland), Becky Snell (Quaker Cottage in Belfast, Northern Ireland), and Hannah Button-Harrison (East Belfast Mission, Northern Ireland)! 



Welcoming New Volunteers to BVS in Europe

It’s kind of discouraging that there are so many available BVS projects here in Europe and so few BVS volunteers!  I know I moan about this regularly and there are obviously many factors for the situation. But right now I’m very happy to have welcomed Julia Schmidt (going to a new placement in Osijek, Croatia). 

 

 

 

Last month we welcomed Andrew Kurtz (for Quaker Cottage in Belfast), Stephanie Barras (for OKC Abrasevic in Mostar), and Megan Haggerty (to a new placement, Enable, in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland). 

 

And a year ago, Kirsten Stopher (for the new project ACAPE in Esteville, France)  and Hannah Monroe (for L’Arche Belfast): 

And of course Margaret Hughes, who arrived at the L'Arche Community in Cork over a year ago!  

Mixtures

Here's a recent comment from BVSer Kirsten Stopher who works at the Association Centre Abbé Pierre Emmaüs in Esteville, France:


Today when looking over my notebook after spending the day in a workshop I realized that my life is definitely a mixture of English and French. One line in my notes reads "better than hier and moins bien que demain". Some of the best things in life come from mixtures :)

A Week in Review: The Belfast Blur by Andrew Kurtz

I arrived in Belfast on Saturday and met my housemates. Straightaway, we went to Tesco to buy food. First of all, we were driving on the left side of the road, and I was a bit disoriented. Secondly, I didn't have any idea what brands of food Tesco sold, so I pretty much wandered and randomly grabbed food off of shelves. And I'm paying in pounds...I don't know how much that is, so I look at things and think, "Hmm, that looks cheap!" Sunday rolls around, and I head to a Quaker meeting. I have never experienced a church service quite like it, but I was intrigued. If you don't know what they are like, do some research on your own. They have an interesting way of doing things. Finally, Monday has arrived, and I head into work. Here's a typical day: clean and sort, tea time, drive the buses out to pick up the wee ones and their mums, play with the toddlers and the babies, sing, feed everyone, play some more, drive everyone home, clean and sort, tea time and scarf down some lunch, drive buses out to pick up afterschoolers, play play play, snack time, play again, drive everyone home, clean and sort, and sprinkle in some arts and crafts and planning for upcoming events. WHEW! There are so many children, and because different kids come throughout the week, I'm still scrambling to remember everyone's names! But each day I learn something new about the work I'm doing, and each day gets a bit easier.

P.S. (added by Samantha Carwile) - You forgot to mention that you held a 3 day old baby and drove the minibus up the mountain in the same day!

European BVS Retreat in Bonn, Germany