Solving our crossroads in the tulip’s country

Imagine being in a small village in the countryside of the Netherlands. Outside of your window, the view is covered by the small forest located next to the venue. The weather is nostalgic, but it inspires you to be creative. That’s the aim of the project, though. To be CREATIVE.

Join our journey to Ommen, Netherlands, we actively participated in the APV of the project “Creative Crossroads”

1st day

Traveling from Patras to Ommen, I assure you it’s not the easiest journey. It was a full-day journey to finally arrive at Eindhoven’s airport, but our tiredness went out when we met with the other participants from North Macedonia and Bulgaria, whom we had already arranged to travel with. We discussed our experiences and expectations of the APV, and we were curious.

The time passed, and after a couple of hours, we were already in the venue. The sun had already left, and the moon was in itsplace. The food was waiting to fill our empty bellies, and Cristina , Antonio, and Alina were waiting for us to meet each other.

We went very early to sleep as we knew that the next day would be full of activities and interesting things to explore

2nd day

The morning sun was covering our faces, and it was almost impossible for us to sleep more. We got up at around 8.30 and had a quick and tasty breakfast. We had some conversations with the Italians, and then Cristina and Alyna asked us to enter the room.

When we entered the room, we started dancing together and vibing with the rhythm. That was an ice-breaking activity to help us feel more comfortable with the others.

Then, we all sat in a circle and started introducing ourselves. It was very interesting to get to know each other before starting to organize the project and spreading our ideas for it. After the first introduction, the coordinators started informing us about the project's basic aim and asked us what we expected from it.

What are your crossroads now? Why do you call them crossroads? Which methods do you prefer to solve this crossroads? That were some of the questions that fulfilled my mind. I knew that this project was gonna be very interesting and I will find new paths to solve my own problems

As time passed , Alina announced the lunch-break. We sat all together in the lunch room, and we tasted some vegan plates that Antonio prepared for us. I'm not a vegan lover, but the food was interesting. We had many conversations with the other participants, and we already started making bonds and friendships, almost as if it was the first day with these guys.

After the lunch break it was time for the activities. We split in teams of 2, and we had to think about an activity. The topic was very clear, but in the same time, it was very challenging and interesting. We had 30 minutes to catch up with an idea for an activity that would forward the creativity of the participants on solving crossroads. We had to give a title of the activity and the props that we would use. For logistics purpose, we had to think about materials we would use, too.

We did more than 7–8 activities on those days. I was shocked by the creativity of people in making and organizing an activity in less than 30 minutes while they were cooperating with someone that they almost knew the name. We had a lot of fun all together and we made strong bonds. The activities were both outdoor and indoor, but personally the outdoor activities that used nature as a prop were my favorite.

Imagine being in this forest and touching the wet ground and feeling the humidity while you are thinking of your goals and your aims. I felt so relaxed there, like nature was my safe place and the people around me were my family. It was very nice

The night came, and we had dinner. We were really exhausted, so we decided to go to sleep early.

3rd day

The third day of the project started like the previous day. We had breakfast and then met all together in the room. That day was a little bit easier and more restful as the only requirement was to discuss the activities that we did the day before and our feelings were. Then, Cristina and Alyna introduced us to the responsibilities of being leaders, and they made us clear what we should do and how the project would go on.

After we discussed and shared our feelings, it was time to be creative for one more time. We had more than 45 minutes to formulate our own artistic crossroads. People were really creative, and their imaginations impressed me. I enjoyed hearing their stories and watching how every person chooses their own way of self-expression.

As the activity finished, the moon was already in the sky. We wanted to walk around the village, but the tiredness did not help us. It was the last night of the APV, so we decided to play board games together and prepare the ground for the project.

It was such a strong experience, and im very glad that I was part of organizing this project , putting in my effort and experience, and sharing my aims. I can't wait for the project!