I will surely remember participating in the Discover It Yourself project for a long time.
Thanks to the opportunity of experiencing the trip with people I had never met before, I learned how to plan road trips and search for the cheapest options in cooperation with others while respecting their views and space. I also learned flexibility and adapting to developing situations. Every day brought us new challenges, such as running to catch the ferry, but through these experiences, I learned how to handle difficult situations.
We visited 5 countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. Each country we have been to has its own history, cuisine, unique culture and distinctive customs. All of us were mostly interested in trying the traditional dishes of the countries we were visiting. We tried reindeer, bear and moose meat, lots of cinnamon rolls, cardamom rolls, traditional Lithuanian cold soup, arctic char (arctic fish), Latvian bread dessert and boletes cream.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this project. I visited countries that I had never been to, I met awesome people and I had a chance to learn how to plan this type of trip.
Naturally, I encourage others to take part in such projects with all my heart, and I recommend this experience to my peers. International trips are not only a great opportunity to get to know new cultures, places and people, but also a chance for self-development and acquiring valuable skills.
Amelia, 18 years old, Discover it Yourself, Helsinki
During the project, I learned primarily things related to the organisation of travel, such as: planning the route, so that there is time to visit a given place, but also to rest, how to book accommodation, how to buy tickets and make reservations on trains.
I have learnt how to search for cheap transportation, what to consider while choosing an accommodation so that it is cheap, safe and cosy, how to travel by a ferry and public transport in each of the visited countries. I also learned how to use the Interrail ticket, which made this journey a lot easier.
During these 12 days of travel, I was surprised by many things. What I remember most are the baked goods that we tried with the girls in our group at local markets. I also remember that I was surprised by the fact that there are so many varieties of blueberries and bilberries in Finland, as well as by the names of fishes, which I had never heard of. I even managed to try one of them. It was a fish named Arctic char and was delicious. It tasted a bit like a mixture of salmon and trout. I really liked tasting the traditional dishes in every country we visited. Some flavours surprised me so positively that I want to try to recreate them at home.
I’m also glad that I could see places that I wouldn’t rather choose as attractions to visit during a solo trip, but turned out to be really interesting. I particularly mean street art districts, including those in Vilnius or Helsinki. I am glad that I could extend my knowledge on murals, as well as in many other art forms thanks to multiple museums we visited.
I also remember that I was really surprised by the skyline of Stockholm. The city impressed me with the fact that it is very rocky, has a lot of lanes for cyclists and that it is really huge (with over 100 underground stations). It is amazing to me that Stockholm consists of over a dozen islands connected by underground and bridges.
I am also grateful for the people I met during this project, for girls from my group and many other people that we encountered. I heard many wise sentences, and some of them inspired and spurred me into action to help others by different types of voluntary service.
Before the trip, I was afraid of the language barrier, but English classes held during the preparation for the trip really helped me. I’m glad that during the trip I was able to talk to other people in English and thus learn some basic things, e.g. about the traditions of a given country, or what the inhabitants of the cities we visited recommend us to eat.
I am very grateful that my group supported me in my attempts to communicate in English and helped me when needed. I really learned a lot from them during the trip. Due to the fact that each one of us had different skills, we created a well-coordinated team. When some problems appeared, we could always ask LEVEL UP for help. They would always advise us when needed.
Finally, I would like to thank the LEVEL UP team for creating and promoting such projects and for the work they have to put into their organisation. I hope that more and more people with language or other barriers, and those who are afraid of trying to organise a trip on their own, but dream of exploring the world, can participate in this or similar project.
Thank you for making this wonderful project together. I will never forget this experience!
I encourage you to participate in mobilities carried out as part of non-formal education, because such trips are incredibly educational and will give you wonderful memories for life. You can learn a lot, starting with how to organise a trip so that it is as ecological and affordable as possible. You can practise foreign languages and at the same time get to know more about history, culture, cuisine and more of different countries. You can also meet a lot of great people during your travels, and you may even find that you have many common values and interests, and thanks to your international friendship, you will be able to develop and inspire each other.
Joanna, 18 years old, Discover it Yourself, Helsinki
This trip was the best experience of my life.
During that time, I learned new things, met a lot of friendly people and saw beautiful views. I went to interesting places and museums, tried different, but at the same time delicious, food. I learned to navigate public transport, use maps effectively, and plan a trip. During this project, my biggest problem was my English skills. I have always struggled with that language and was convinced that my skills are not good enough to start using them. However, this trip helped me get out of my comfort zone and improve. It started simply from the things I wanted to buy or the payment method I wanted to use, and got to the moment when I approached strangers on the street to
ask if they wanted to fill out the survey for me. Girls from my group were helping me a lot and I am very grateful for that. It was a great achievement for me that I said a few words in English and other people understood me. What a delightful feeling it was when I realised that it is possible to speak no matter what my level is. It was also nice to have English classes before the trip, where I learned some basic phrases that helped me a lot while being abroad. Also during these 12 days I ventured to try a lot of new interesting flavours. Before that I would always eat my typical food, because I was afraid to try something new, and then boom! I tried bear or reindeer meat, bread dessert and many more delicious dishes. I have even tried to recreate some of them at home. During our trip, we met with two organisations. We were welcomed by very friendly and positive people.
We even participated in a game, in which we had 5 tasks to complete in a specified time, across the city of Riga. For instance, one of the tasks was to find a building with faces making strange expressions on it, then imitate the faces and take a picture of it. Another one was to find a big fox statue and take a selfie with it and send it to the organisers as a proof of completing the task. We had a lot of fun during the activity, and the best part was watching how other people on the streets react seeing us as they had no idea what we were doing. Every place I visited had different traditions, cultures, flavours, views, attractions, people and various social activities, which made this trip even more remarkable and interesting. It was nice to see and experience it all. Sometimes stressful
situations happened, such as running with all the luggage on your back to book tickets on time.
We felt a bit of adrenaline, but it also had its charm. We were constantly in touch with organisers from
LEVEL UP, who would always help us out and were interested in how we were doing and how our trip was.
I encourage you to take part in mobilities realised within non-formal education, because such projects open up a lot of opportunities and give you a chance to get to know more about yourself, learn new things, overcome any of your difficulties and barriers, discover new places and traditions, admire beautiful views, learn how to plan and organise travel, study English language and keep your cool in difficult situations. I recommend such trips to everybody. I think it is an adventure worth experiencing.
Julia, 18 years old, Discover it Yourself, Helsinki
For me, the trip was an opportunity to test myself and break down my own barriers.
When I was going on this trip, I was afraid that I could not establish good relationships and that my disability would be a barrier for me and other participants in fully benefiting from the mobility. I was also afraid of responsibility for our shared budget. Naturally, not everything worked out perfectly, so I also trained in letting go of things that I could not control.
Each of the 12 days I had an opportunity to observe 5 newly met young girls. What I remember best is the time when the most shy people from the team opened up during the trip. It was a great pleasure to observe how they overcome their barriers and to assist them in this process. Each of us brought something special to the team, her own stories and useful life hacks. Those relationships are the biggest value I got from this trip.
We all shared the passion for trying new food. We had an opportunity to try regional dishes of the countries we visited. The most unforgettable dishes for me were reindeer and bear meat and Finnish rolls with rice stuffing.
I encourage everyone to take part in activities that are realised within non-formal education, because it is an opportunity to gain new knowledge, experience amazing adventures and establish new relationships.
Olga, 39 years old, Discover it Yourself, Helsinki
Participation in the project gave me, above all, the opportunity to meet new people, as well as the opportunity to commune with previously undiscovered culture, customs and dishes.
The Finnish ones I remembered the most. On the other hand, Stockholm has the best museums offer, whereas Tallinn and Riga have the most beautiful historic architecture. I also won’t forget our long conversations in the group, or running to catch the ferry.
I am grateful for those and many more amazing moments that I shared with the people I travelled with. I thank them with all my heart for their approachability, empathy and honesty.
Each one of us shared a part of ourselves and contributed in various ways throughout the trip, as well as in the preparations leading up to it. We supported each other and brought authenticity and power to every activity during the project.
Joint development of soft skills, communicating abroad, getting out of your comfort zone and breaking your limits at the same time. Finally, a lot of shared observations, pieces of advice, doubts and smiles. These are the things that I reminisce about with great satisfaction.
I think that I encountered fantastic people. I also thank the organisers and coordinators of the project for being able to count on their help in case of any doubts.
Thank you again.
I encourage everyone to take part in mobilities realised within non-formal education,
because it is a unique and certainly unforgettable opportunity to discover unknown European cultures and the people who create them, but also to experience all these wonders together with fantastic fellow travellers. People, who are open to embrace the new, the unconventional, the remarkable, and… the unforgettable experiences.
Zofia, 18 years old, Discover it Yourself, Helsinki
