¨ Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.° /Pablo Picasso/

Here you can see what I am doing in my free time. On every Friday and Saturday I am going to art academy  to make my art lessons. Since I started these lessons which is approximately 2 and half months ago, I have painted 3 paintings. 

Complete painting

My working place

My first painting with oil colors

My second painting

The teacher of art said that I have talent. No wonder 'cause for 4 years I was studying in  secondary school of art. So I already knew lot of things and techniques in painting. But anyway this was first time when I was painting with oil colors. It is something new but I like it a lot.:)

I know for sure that I will make more paintings here and I will continue to do it also after I will finish these lessons. Art is not a work, it is a passion.:)

Workshops in Turkish cultural center

This Wednesday I helped in Turkish cultural center or Turkish Selimiye Mosque and leaded a workshop for 8-12 year old children. 

Turkish culture center

In beginning my workshop wasn’t so popular and I had just 3 girls who wanted to make a necklaces from paper crumbs. But some minutes later girls came more and more and I had not a free place on a table. I had together about 8 or more participants. In one moment it looked like in chaos. Because everywhere was glue, glitters, paper balls…… And of course too many questions in one time and naturally I didn’t understand them completely because I learn Dutch just 2 months. But I had 3 girls - assistants who helped to translate and to organize. Thank you girls! Without you I couldn’t organized my workshop so good.

My workshop place

After break children needed to continue their workshop but they didn’t came back. I think they just enjoyed the time with parents and forgot about necklaces. I hope they enjoyed this workshop because I did it. That was so fun, fun…!  :) :)  

And of course I challenge my self and now I know that I can lead a workshops but before that I need to more practice and learn Dutch language because with my current knowledge’s is not enough.

Another workshop

 P.S. First time I ate a Turkish kebab. I don’t know way but I expected a more from that. It is something like hamburger but in Turkish version. And of course I tasted their tradition sweets and cakes - for me little bit to sweet. But I liked it. :)

To age-old gold. Tongeren’s antique market

Every Sunday morning in Tongeren is antique market which is the largest in the Benelux. Of course if you are real treasure hunter, you must get up early, but we ( I and my host family) came there before noon. We didn’t miss anything because our aim was to see this amazing market and Tongeren town.

This was something amazing! All these old pictures, paintings, furniture, masks, dishes, statuettes, toys, jewelry etc. Each object has it own history. Visiting this market, seeing history and atmosphere that was there – it feels like you coming back in 19 and 20 century.  

Do you want mask like this in your bedroom? :)

Every building even street has fascinating history because Tongeren is the oldest city in Belgium (Roman period). The city Centre has numerous of monuments and buildings that were built over the centuries. For me this city is amazing with its history. Only  that I can say –woooow!!!!!

Of course we went to the Marsh Gate but this day it was closed so we didn’t enjoy a beautiful panorama of the city centre but we saw it from outside. This building was made in 1379 and it looks very good even after such a long time. 

Marsh Gate

After antique market we went to Basilica of Our Lady. That kind of basilicas I saw in my art history book in secondary school. Now I understand way the Basilica is the most medieval relic in the province of Limburg. It looks amazing!!!  From the minute you make first step in this Basilica magic feeling takes over you. It is surprising that someone made this building – es ist fantastich!!!  All interior, statues are beautiful and miraculous. 

Basilica of Our Lady

 

We couldn’t see all interesting and tourist places in Tongeren ‘cause we didn’t have so much time to do that. I will go there again to see Gallo- Roman Museum which is the most popular tourist place. Tongeren, I will be back. :)

Never underestimate the power of a great story

Hi everybody, here I am, back after one month with some more new. This last month, my adaptation period, has been important for me. Normally, when you start to live in another country it‘s always hard at the beginning. New people, weather, another language, in fact, many things that are different if I have to compare with my home country. For myself, the adaptation was not so complicated or difficult. Because  Belgian and Latvian cultures- traditions and people  are similar. After two months here I feel that I am managing my life as I want to and that my period of adaptation is finished. Of course I still have to learn a lot of things about Belgian culture but everything will come with the time.

In this month I managed to do lot of things: 

• I was in “on arrival training” in Groot - Bijgaarden near Brussels. Together we were 30 people and we have an initiation seminar. In general those 5 days I spent with them were great, everybody was friendly and tried to get to know each other better.

   

There we presented our projects

Of course sport activities in free time :)

The activities were ok, sometimes we spent too much time just talking or doing something a bit boring, but other time we were doing really interesting things, especially when we had to do our own project. 

We went to Leuven and asked to people some questions about Belgian culture and we learned a lot of new facts and information. Gathering information from people is more interesting than reading brochures that consists only of facts that you can read in all information papers. And Leuven is very beautiful town. I hope that I will have a time to visit this town again.

Our group :) It was very fun trip

• In school ¨De Koepel¨ with children we had a puppet show and cake decoration event of sugar glaze. It was very funny not only for children but also for me. Also I was happy to do something relaxing and fun :) Because this was Halloween week all children were making pumpkins, bats, eyes, cats, mummies etc.   

That we made together. Looks very good :)

Afterwards we had to present puppets that we made. Smallest children were scared to speak in big audience and they forgot what they needed to tell. But they tried and at the end they said everything we talked about.  They were like heroes and they did it. Also I made puppet and I told about myself in Dutch language. It wasn’t so easy but every day I learn more and more.

It is me. Of course I also was scared to speak Dutch :)

That puppet I made myself :)

I did quite a lot of other things, for example, I had meetings about different projects, visited museums  and cinema in Hasselt or with my host family we went to the ¨Open  Door Day¨ in ¨Dingens¨  (they made barometers and clocks) and ¨Machiels Building solutions¨ companies (house building) etc. Believe me I was very busy all this EVS time to discover Belgium culture and amazing places. I forgot to tell you - I passed my language exam and I was the best in my group. Sometimes the time what you spent to learning it pays back in good way. Congrats for myself. :)