October in Lithuania

This program, was my very first time participating in a training course and my first time in Lithuania and it left me with the most beautiful memories. Even though I didn’t know what to expect, once I got to Lithuania and the experience started, I immediately loved it. The venue of the project was a beautiful monastery in the old town of the city, which allowed us to enjoy the beautiful Lithuanian architecture while walking around. The sessions we did during the program were very entertaining with such interesting subjects. During the sessions we learned through various activities, about mindfulness and to be fully present and engaged in the current moment, observing thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment.

How to be aware of one’s thoughts and feelings, allowing everyone to cultivate a sense of clarity, focus, and inner peace. We also learned about emotional intelligence and how to manage our emotions in harmony, how to regulate them in productive ways and be empathetic towards others. Managing negative emotions such as stress and anxiety, leads us to understand how to pursue a life with harmony and peacefulness by creating healthy relationships with the people around us. After every session, we were given the opportunity to share our opinions on the subject and also to discuss our views and ideas. Everyone was very excited to share their thoughts and also to hear others and discuss. For me, the best part was the friends I made and the people I met. Getting to know everyone was for sure the most exciting part and spending time with everyone made the whole experience so unique.

I had the opportunity to see all these differences between every culture, but on the other hand, how many things connect us at the same time and how similar our lives truly are. Finally, this was an adventure, that I highly recommend everyone to experience.

· Asimina Bikou

[Celebrating my birthday with these amazing people was the greatest blessing of all! -Stella Splinaki]