Christmas in Ireland

Well, I didn’t spend the Christmas time in Ireland because I came back to my country with my family…

However, before the Christmas holidays, when we still had activities and groups in the Reco, we celebrated the Christmas!

It was nice. The main activity about Christmas was the Christmas dinners. Every group, from the youngest ones to the oldest, had the chance to celebrate the Christmas with a really good and tasty dinner in the Reco Restaurant!

During the week of 7th of December, I enjoyed with different groups this celebration. I discovered which kind of food they’re eating during the Christmas, and it is, mainly, turkey. They also had a really good ice creams and desserts.

One of the most enjoyable experience I had during this days was the exchange Christams traditions with the kids and workers from one of the grups of the Aisling Project. They asked me if I could explain them the typical Spanish Christmas to compare it with their celebration and to know something more about another country. So me, as a good catalan, explained them the Spanish Christmas traditions, and the catalan particular traditions.

It was very pleasant to have the opportunity to explain them about my traditions, it was a way to talk about me. They were really surprised with the Catalan “Caga Tió”, our crib with “El caganer” and, of course, with the fancy three magic kings and their three camels!

SOME PICTURES

Begining of December: We put "El caganer" in the Crib

24th December: After gave him lots of food to make him fat, we hit him with a stick and all sing a song. After it, he shit lots of presents for us

31 st. December: We eat 12 grapes for the last 12 seconds of the year.


6th of january: We wake up and we have the house plenty of presents. The three magic kings go in all all the houses puttig presents for everybody. If you have been a good boy or girl during the year, you have more presents!

Open Day, we are already open!

Wednesday 9th of December 2009. Everything were prepared for The oficial Open Day in the Reco... Everyboby arrived soon in the morning to finish the small things for the opening day and to clean the rooms.

1pm. Everything allright, everybody knew where to stay, the atmosphere was joyful. The firsts young people arrived in the Reco looking forward to seeing the new building and enjoy it... And finally...

WE OPENED THE DOORS FOR THE OPEN DAY!

The young people got in the building with a curious smile in their faces. They already knew the building, but now it was reformed, with new furniture, more prepared. Little by little more young people arrived and made a tour around the building. The youthworkers, the managers, the volunteers, and the rest of the workers were glad to open the doors again.

That day all the young people could enjoy The Reco again. The youthclub with a new pool table and more space, the music room, the art rooms, the music room, the hall, the City (the computers rooms), the Green room, the Restaurant. The young people could enjoy the restaurant as an open day and they could have a meal in that new space.

In that day I was mainly in the Youth Club, playing pool and other games, and talking with the young people about the new building and what they thought about it.

After the Open Day that finished at 5pm, the usual activity of The Reco with the groups restarted again.

I finished this day tired but happy to see the reason of all the previous work we did preparing the building. The young people are the reason and they were joyful with the new space. It was pleasant to be there.

The only think I continued thinking once the day finished, was how to transmit to the young people the need to be respectful and take care of The Reco. They already know that need but sometimes it's necessary to remind it because The Reco is like a big house inhabited for a lots of people. It's something like:

If you take care of your space, you are caring of yourself.

Moving to the "new - old" Reco

Since I arrived, at the beginings of October, The Reco had been doing its activities in another building. I didn't know how was the new building but everybody was talking about it and looking forward to going back there. Let me explain... Before I arrived and for many years, The Reco was in a big building that recently  had to be reformed for a safety reasons. So I arrived when that building was being reformed.

At the ends of November the works were almost finished and we started preparing the moving days. It meant to make some meetings to arrange the dates and all the steps we had to follow to move back. Since the last week of November until the 8th of December we did all that work. The hardest week was the last before the Opening Day. In those week I painted radiators and walls, prepared some furniture, helped organising all the stuff, cleaned, etc.

This moving was an opportunity to make of it a chance to give to the building a new atmosphere and to change some things for the benfit of the young people who are using it.

Everybody worked hard to have the new building prepared as soon as possible. It was also a good experience to work with the workmates that I don't use to, to know them a little bit more, and for me, to know the building, apreciate and respect it and feel it as an important part of my work. I think that helped me to understand the need to encourage the young people because they respect the building as it's essential to carry the activities on.

The temporary Reco

The Reco