Just A Berlin Zoo Photo Attack

So yeah, I finally went to the zoo. It was big, but it's easy to get around there without wasting too much time, since the cages are small and very close to each other. My super ecxitement moment was seeing gorillas (we don't have many of them around Finland). Fortunately most of the animals seemed to have big outside areas, comapred to the small and dull cages they were spending their time inside, although Berlin is not so very warm in the winter from what I understood, even though for the week I've been here now, the weather has been great and sunny, especially yesterday. It was nice for the animals were spending their time laying in the sun outside. One of the weirdest thing of the zoo is that it really is in the middle of the city, but then again, it's easy to get to.

 I'm going to Gdansk tomorrow morning. I will leave my home in Berlin to spend there one night and go to my home in Kłodzko to go to my home in Finland. Sometimes I even confuse myself.

Work is Over

How much happiness can just a working computer screen bring. Like the joy of being able to upload pictures. And blog.

My project is seriously over. I won't be going back to my school, at least not to work. I said so many goodbyes -most of the children didn't even know that it was the last day for me and Birgit. They were so shocked and some of them started panicking - mostly because they didn't have much time left to make us goodbye cards. It was also Valentine's Day, and I received a bunch of sweet drawings and cards. It was overal a nice, happy day, even though from time to time I really felt like crying. There has been moments of doubt and lack of motivation, but in the end of the day, it's always about the children. As it should be. About the smiles on their face and the tight little human hugs. 
I told the teachers goodbye, received a giftbag with a book and a card. It was a really warming farewell. The situation felt also quite weird in the sense that only the two of us left. The school has winter holiday for two weeks now, but after that five of the volunteers will continue their work in the school. I know they will do a great job. This is an experience you can get so much out of if you are ready to.

For me this was seriously something unforgettable. I didn't even know how much this experience would affect me. It has guided me towards my future, gave me a point of view to see, what I really want to work for. To be honest I would have never thought that I would work with kids, even more that I would enjoy it. I had to last calsses on friday -the classes I've been mostly working through this half a year. My calsses, "my children" as I used to speak. They're still in my heart and will always be.

I had my last common room time in the end of the day. Last memory game with the kids, every now and then one of them coming hugging and saying goodbye and giving me Valentine's Day cards.
 After my last day I headed back to Berlin, where I'm writing this at the moment. It feels like spring. In the end of the week I will head to Gdansk, which after back home, Poland home, where I will gather my stuff and on the 1st of march fly home. The definiton of home right now is a little indeterminate. I feel good.

I lost a friend

You know that feeling when you drop something, and everything around you goes slow motion and and you just stand there watching the dropped item getting closer and closer to the ground. Then after the dropped item hits the ground, everything suddenly goes back to normal speed, if not even faster, as you start looking for damage. So yeah.. I kind of broke my computer. Good news is that it still works and all my files are still there, but without an extra screen it's pretty useless. So blogging might take a small break every now and then (how convenient right now when things are finally starting to happen in my life).
Shortly about last days; a bunch (by a bunch I mean a lot) of new longterm volunteers came here a couple of days ago,things are changing. Just like when I came here, and all the old volunteers slowly leaving. Today two of the new ones, who will work in my school, came there for the first time and I felt a little bit blue. It made me realize I really have just one week left with the kids. Then I have two weeks of holiday. Before that I should still be writing my youthpass and whatnot. At least I guess I have more time now to deal with my business as I can not watch Carrie Diaries all day.
I was so sad and angry and frustrated by my own stupidity yesterday. But breaking a computer is not the end of the world (right....?). Anyway no serious damage to the insides (professional terms) happened. Just sometimes life can be super unpredictable. And I didn't even realize how dependent I can be on this piece of electronics, I mean not necessarily addicted, but for the first time in a long time I sat home all night going like "I never noticed the walls were so yellow". I want to believe that I'm a creative person though, I can figure something out.

Btw, voting is still on, check the details from the previous posts and vote here; click , Thanks!

Last month in Poland

It's here. Less than four weeks to go. I know I haven't been writing so much - I apologize. I've been super busy and not busy at all at the same time. Yesterday I came home from Kraków, where I was celebrating my friends birthday. Last week I did quite a lot of nothing; although we did have a volunteers meeting, where we catched up on what everybody has been doing the past few months.

Things are changing. A lot of us are finishing their ptojects by the end of this month -and just today bunch of new long-term volunteers arrived. I heard there's going to be another finnish girl here too.
The snow has melted away. There's no sign of winter anywhere, as I'm writing the sun is shining, and it feels more like spring. In the picture you can see that even the river was frozen still a couple of days ago -not anymore.
I wonder if I'm going to have winter here at all anymore. Anyhow I love how all the kids are skateboarding, rollerblading and playing outside. But come on, it's february anyway! It's unnatural. Even in Kraków there was like piles of snow and it really is not that far away. 

 I'm feeling kind of sad about leaving and finishing my project. In Kraków I met a lot of other EVS -volunteers who still had 3 to 5 months left in their projects. I remember when I had five months left in my project, about the time I started writing this blog. I would want to hold on this; but on the other hand I'm going to take the best out of what is left and head off to new adventures afterwards. It's not over yet. Anyway I have to get ready abit for leaving -my biggest worry right now is packing. I think I tripled my stuff during my time here, my big suitcase seems so tiny right now. And I really wonder how I managed to carry everything here from Wroclaw. It's going to be interesting...

 Oh yeah, and today is the birthday of my sweetest dearest flatmate/substitute mother! Kocham się bardzo bardzo, kochanie! I'm sorry I can not bake. Go Austria!

P.S. Suomalaisille lukijoille niin noin, jos haluatte lukea muiden vapaaehtoisten, au pairien yms. kokemuksia niin täältä löytyy mun blogin lisäksi myös muiden mun lähettäjäjärjestön kautta lähteneiden kokemuksia click click  .  Musta on tosi kiva lukea myös muiden kokemuksia -kaikkihan tässä jollain tavalla samassa veneessä ollaan.

P.S.S. The voting is going on! Today another week started, so remember, even if you voted before you can vote again now. Do it! If you didn't, information about the competition >> here <<. Please share a moment of your time and cick the vote ("ÄÄNESTÄ") button under my video >> here << (the one titled IDA K.)