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EVS is offering the chance not only to discover your inner, hidden talents, but also to improve them in daily life by giving you a chance to use them.

Last sunny Friday together with the children from Tanoda we went to the Budapest’s Zoo. There I was trying to combine two tasks: first one was to take care that one of the boys groups would not be eaten by tigers, running after the meerkats and the second one was to immortalize that day by taking pictures.

Regarding the Zoo existence in general I have dual feelings, cause on my opinion it is not right to keep any living being in cages just for someone else’s entertainment. There are many other ways to make people familiar with the flora and fauna of our planet, without stealing someone’s freedom.

At the beginning of the week at Tanoda I had organized a contest of the best drawing of their favorite animals between the kids. I had promised that the winners will get from me some presents on Friday. The contest was won by two siblings: Ruben and Jessie, but beside them I had offered a present also for one boy who was helping me with the organization and transparency of the contest: Mate.

It was a lot of running and sweeting around the zoo with two cameras and my bag pack, but everything was well organized, nobody was eaten, or disappeared next to the anacondas aquarium just at the end two girls were bitten by a couple of bees, unpleasant situation, but thanks God not deadly one in this case.



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Last weekend on the 20 of August Hungary had celebrated its National Day. There was prepared a lot of events and interactive activities for different tastes of all citizens and tourists who had the luck to find themselves in the Budapest during that time.

One of the activities where I had been during Saturday which was not co-related with this holiday, but still had a big meaning for me was the commemoration of the animals that had suffered or died because of the human cruelty.  It was on the Heroes Square where around 18:00 people started to gather. There were a lot of owners who had come with their pets, dogs in their majority. It was the first time when I had saw and petted a corgi in real life, priceless experience.  Around 19:00 we started to light candles. Somebody came and left next to the lighted candles photos of the animals which were tortured or murdered by human cruelty. I was holding my tears how much I could, but when my friend who invited me there, had translated the words of a speaker from the improvised scene, about her cat who’s skin was taken off and paws cut, I needed a tissue and some answers regarding the true nature of humankind. We finished the night by wandering around the city and speaking about how it is important to adopt, to love and to respect our pets.

On Sunday I was planning to see the Holy Crown of Hungary, but the line that seemed to be kilometers long had changed my mind. I just crossed the street and entered the first museum that was on my way and I did not regret it. It was the Néprajzi Múzeum (Museum of Ethnography) with an amazing and simply fascinating outside and inside architecture. The visitors on that day had a chance to discover for themselves the history and development by years of such common at first look thing as shoes during one exposition.  As someone with the 35cm size of the foot, sometimes I feel as a XXI century Cinderella, but instead of a Prince Charming, I would prefer to find myself normal and comfortable shoes, not from the kids’ clothes sectionsL. It was pretty interesting to see how the environment, traditions and even religion are influencing the shape, color, size and material from which the shoes are made.

I couldn’t miss the permanent exposition of the Hungarian culture and way of life. There were a very detailed representations of traditional lifestyle with which I was amazed. It was easy to imagine yourselves living during those times as a matron or shepherd.  The traditional costumes made me to question the role of fashion style during those times, especially for women. Till the marriage the clothes were colorful, with a lot of details and embroideries, but after becoming a wife, the colors and accessories were becoming with aging more and more dark and colorless, till the death when the deceased was wearing just white.

The exposition “Two continents- one soul” had disappointed me, because there were just a couple of exhibits.

I was planning to visit a couple of other museums, but even if it was said that they will be open during the National day, surprise I had found closed door and even a note at the gate of one of them: “We a close due to the National Day”.

The firework in the evening managed to fix the disappointment with the closed museums. It was beautiful and it had been by a lot of people. I could easily say, that it was the first time when I was so many people staring into the sky just in one place. This meaning just one thing: that the celebration of the National Hungarian Day was organized in a proper way, so everybody could enjoy it.

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 One of the latests cool things that I did as a volunteer:

( drums sounds)(drums sounds)(drums sounds)

...improving a couple of key competences like: mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology, plus the sense of initiative by trying to dismantle the entire laptop just to repair the dc power jack. 

The feeling of holding in one hand the motherboard and the thermal fan in the other one it is priceless. :)

It had remembered me about the good, old times when me as a kid togheter with my father we were dismantling the TV sets, fridges, vacuum cleaners and other things. 

Also it had been showing itself as a suitable way of getting rid of stress.

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Each summer has a story... mine it’s a longlasting, unending one :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASe0q5D2Ubs

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6 left, 6 to come

On the first of May I “celebrated” the middle of my EVS adventure as a volunteer in the middle of the Hungarian heart- Budapest.  It had been already 6 months from the night when my tired and frozen person put her foot on the Duna shore and I already miss my life as a volunteer, even if there are still like other 6 months more in front, full of cool events, new, amazing people and unrepeatable moments. Last Thursday my mentor asked me to make like an evaluation of the knowledges and skills that I learnt during the first half of this year. There a lot of new, learnt stuff, but after some meditation afterwards, I understood that personally for me the best acquirement are the surrounding people with the provocations that they made me to face.  It is sounding pathetic, but each person with whom I had to interact offered me a small piece of puzzle, that at the end of this year will transform into a great and useful experience with a powerful impact on my entire life, not just professionally, but also emotionally. In the near future one of the new challenges will be to learn how to say goodbye to someone who already became part of your life, the good one, even without knowing if there is a chance to see them again. It is quite recalcitrant to realize that your thoughts and material body are in different spots of the Earth corners, because of these dear to your heart people.

EVS is offering the unique chance to meet people that are totally different then you, but at the same time EVS it is also showing that these differences are odd trifles in the way of the long lasting friendships.

The best summary of this half of the year was made by one of my friends during this crazy, last weekend, who while hugging me for goodbye said: ” – only these moments and people like you are important and really counts in this life”.

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“-Welcome back, winter” I mean: “-Good morning, April” :)

The view near the animal shelter from 19th of April 2017.

Photo credit: Betti Bolevácz

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Last two weeks were fulfilled with work, haste and new faces. Our organization had two transnational meetings, and of course I with Erika couldn’t miss from them.  We are part of the team and there is no reason for us to not sink with all our enthusiasm into each project that these guys are generating.

During the meeting with the Portuguese team, we had met amazing people from Portugal and Hungary. They shared not only their life stories with us, but also a glimpse of their inner strength and the ability to enjoy daily, unnoticed by others, miracles.  There were some precious moments that I will never trade for anything else.  I am missing the wheelchair rides sitting on Diogo’s lap, our small chats with Gergő and his girlfriend, Jucc, about horror movies, Anna’s special bound with her dog, Bodza , Fernanda’ s silly faces that she was making with Andre, the jokes and joyful atmosphere from the entire meeting.  Oh, and the tattoos of someone of them, had generated even more interesting discussions. :) I am still having some doubts if I should mention that Gergő almost had traded me for 23 goats to the one of the participants.

Also, I will never forget the glances that we got from the crowd, while we went for a walk in the city center of Budapest. From curious to disgusted ones. Fortunately, there were people who were smiling and even offered a hand of help when for a couple of times we had some difficulties to move on the road. This city walk raised new questions in my mind and showed me unseen till then aspects and challenges that they have to face daily. Beside this, now I am looking with a sort of disgust at individuals who are just complaining about their own misery and incapacity to change anything in their existence in order to achieve their dreams. If you want something just work till your last breath for it and do not just lament. Stop to search for obstacles instead of opportunities. Even if you know that you will fail, just let your inner stubbornness to do its job.

The second meeting with the Romanian team was totally different from the one with the Portuguese team. It had been more official and the topic was the creation of a Methodological Handbook that should prevent the early school leaving. Co-efficient and Nevo Parudimos organization had made some researches regarding the negative influence of the early pregnancy or birth on the school life of Roma teenagers. For me as someone with medical education in the background it was an atrocity to discover the lack of basic sexual education between the analyzed target groups. The results were not a big shock, because I can remember the teenage girls who were coming not for the first and unfortunately, not even for the last time to the gynecology section to give birth or to get abortions, but still they are 13-14 years old kids for me. Kids who instead of getting proper education for the sake of their dreams and prosper future, under influence and pressure of their communities and patriarchal system decide to abandon school and to give birth to a new life… it is a longtime vicious circle that we need to break.

This meeting helped me to shape the idea for my future project regarding the importance of sexual education of the children and youngsters that are exposed to a high risk level.

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Volunteer’s Spring

Volunteering work is offering many benefits and usually, a lot of positive emotions and feedback. Not speaking about the some extra points to your karma. One enjoyable aspect from the entire pallet is the miserable chance that you will ever get a chance to die by routine or boredom.

My typical volunteer week it is fulfilled with new places, organizations, people, events and challenges. Last week for example, started with the official opening of the afternoon school in Gyöngyös. I got the chance to record the event and to immortalize it by taking photos. So, I was in the first line when the team from my organization, tough guys, with beards and a lot of testosteron in their blood had lost in front of kids’ team. They were so “sad” that the presents prepared by the Co-efficient for the winners went to the much younger and cooler team. :) Now, I think that table match of football was kind of a premonition for the Hungary-Portugal play. If you would like to get an unforgettable feeling while watching it, you should took a sit between one Hungarian girl and one Portuguese guy. The poor me couldn’t watch it till the end, because of the pressure and the danger that flew in the air.

This was the end of the week, spent between friends, hugs, animals and laugh, but before this we had quite an interesting working 5 days.

We had a meeting with high school students in order to inform them about the Eurodesk programmes and EVS opportunities. I was joking that our team looked like a teenager’s dream that just became 3D in front of his eyes. Just imagine: me( the sarcastic and silly blonde), Lilla( the Redhair Queen) and Pirina( the Asian warrior) entering a classroom full of bearded  pupils… We also took with us Bruno, in case if not everyone share the same tastes in hair colour.J For real, I was not expecting to meet someone who is taller than me with 10-20 cm, but also I was not expecting such much fun just we had there.

Also, I had a revelation that if the rest of population(majority for sure) woke up in the mornings and would prefer not go to their work and to see their teammates or bosses, in my case the things are different.

Ok, I am still a grumpy monster when the first sun light it is touching the walls of the apartment. Everything changes when I enter the office. No matter how ill I am or how much I would like to pretend that I am a sleeping burrito, everything gets better beside the Narnia, I mean the Co-efficient door. They even do not realize what a major impact they have on my inner world. After a couple of minutes I start to smile and from nowhere there is appearing an uncontrollable desire to hug each and all of them.

Couldn’t skip the Friday, cause then I had a new mentor meeting. Even if I am still reacting like a hedgehog, the things are evolving in a positive and productive way between me and my mentor. That is kind of nice.

After this, I closed the working week by taking part in some sessions of the national Eurodesk meeting. My co-ordinator, Lilla managed to get the permission to take me there, and I am grateful to her for this. Not every day I got the chance to see the “inner kitchen” of such a complex organization and to get my curiosity spoiled like this.

The last week of March was even more interesting and captivating than the one before, but about this “my imaginary readers” you will find out next time.

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In just a couple of words about this week as an EVS volunteer-  meeting with the future X-factors stars from the  Közös Esély Egyesület organization,  the Co-efficient knights  and me as a “damsel in distress” in a private hospital and fresh discovered, the Rick and Morty’s philosophy.

It is spring and even the grumpiest characters that are missing the winter start little by little “to melt” and to enjoy the longer days of the sunny March.  People and nature are becoming more joyful and as result, even if I am complaining that I need my winter back, my heart it is dancing on the springs melodies. A couple of days ago, it was moving under the notes of Romas tones of guitar and violin during our visit to the Közös Esély Egyesület organization.

I liked the artistic, native atmosphere that basically surrounded us during our entire visit there. Starting from the paintings from the walls, the green room, music accords and finishing with the hospitality of the ladies who were working there. Even the language barrier wasn’t such a big problem, cause I had Erika near me all the time.

This Sunday, some random guy was sitting on a bench in front of my flat and playing on the guitar some songs. Even if I was not able to understand a word from his lyrics, I just opened the window, took a chair and together with the old man who was sitting near him, I let his music and the sun to charm me. After some time, I just said to myself: “- ok, spring. Now you can come.”

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About this Friday at the office :)

What do you do when it is the Saint Patrick’s day and the international day of sleep? You  wake up at six in the morning, put a wig and a pair of cool glasses on and under the supervision of the “boss” just paint the entire building. Kidding just the window, but of course in green. :) After finishing to cover yourself in green paint, randomly start to draw on the walls of the office( that Trapist-1 system is not letting my to sleep by night).

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(About last Friday morning...) You are never lost in Budapest. We were just discovering the hidden pieces of art on our way to the Tempus office.

... 

No, we got lost ( T_T), but togheter, under my big, pink umbrella we had became a little bit closer to each other and this city.

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At the beginning I wanted to write about my adventures in Trondheim and Oslo, as a participant and Premium Ambassador at the biggest student festival in the world, ISFiT,  but memories still need to settle dow, my brain to accept that countdown for next edition had started already and that a trip to Panama, Algeria or even Japan require something more than my wanderlust or people who are waiting me there. Just like everyone else from this festival, I need more time( bassically, for everything). 

So, this post will be about the EVS welcoming training from last week. It started in the same day when my plane landed in Budapest, after a memorable spent night in the Norwegian capital.

Till now I am not sure how such different people managed not only to find a common language, but also to become good pals in such a short period of time. Maybe it happened thanks to the trainers effort, Hungarian pubs or maybe such individuals are foredoomed to stuck together.

In these couple of days we had found that we have to face quite similar struggles, problems and questions even if our places of volunteering are on different places on the Hungarian map.

We all consider that the cherry from the top is the language barrier, because even the language courses are not making volunteers to fall in love with the Hungarian grammar. The title of the Supreme Evil went to the metro ticket checkers… those Dementors :).

The National Board in our imagination was someone like Men in Black or Alien, but we had met with two lovely ladies, ready to give answer at every question or in case of need/ hesitation to redirect us back to our organization with our dilemmas.

During the entire training I had been more preoccupied to find out what is the destiny of the volunteers who finish their EVS program, rather then what can make us happy as volunteers at this moment. Firstly, cause I am quite joyful and fulfilled being part of Co-efficient now and secondly, my future started to bother me more than my past or present.

Just as usual at such events many crazy, funny and stupid things happened (without crossing the law and of course after the official program).

The most memorable is always the last night. There is an universal, unwritten law that during it, something should and would happen. A kiss on the forehead as a last goodbye, a shameless chat of two sober souls on the stairs of a drunk Studentersamfundet, a dislocated patella( kneecap) on a dark dancefloor…

But let’s start from the end of the story. In a cosy, small room, illuminated just by the desk lamp were laying in a bed 4 volunteers. All of them had for sure, other plans for this night, but Universe and I tend to think that even the spirit of Shakespeare decided to chancel them.  

„In dark times always search for good people and you will find them”, even if they are on a date with a cute Asian guy… one careless move could and would trigger even more bizarre results. 

Carrying trough entire building the guy with dislocated knee, who of course, was fighting to go back, to the party and his beer, offering the first aid( during it he had to debate why nurses are such a catchy topic for the majority of male audience) and after this just staying to see how Romeo and Juliet will survive in the World of Warcraft- it is from now one of my favorite, funny  memories.

No taboos, no secrets, a lot of laughs, pain, painkillers and dark humor- this is how  composers, Merlins, mermaids and other types of witches become friends for life during one welcoming training.

P.S. Sauna and swimming pool are the best medicine if you want to get rid of your flu and sad thoughts.

P.P.S. Never let alone German, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian volunteers in the same room( 2 scenarios- they will fall asleep like babies or will make even the devil to blush).

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This day in images…

“- Tatiana, are you bored?

-…(closing all the tabs with fanfiction, manga, music and other important stuff, slowly putting away the tuna sandwich…) …, Boss?

- Then I have a very important job for you...Tatiana, where are you goin..? Do not try to hide under the desk again.  No, the bathroom is also not an option. Just give a hand of help with this Hungarian text and then wash some hangers, pens, markers, sticks.

- …Boss, are you kidding?

-… No.

-… .”

 21 hangers, 52 pens and markers later, Karl, 21 hangers , 52 pens and markers, plus some old, ugly vase later(I think that the guy who gave it to Elemer really did not liked him so much), I felt like Cinderella of the 21 century. Although,  I am not complaining at all. These hangers, markers and pens are a few things that had survived from the last fire that hit the office. It is nice to see how they try to give a second life to the damaged tools, at the same time helping discriminated kids.

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In the capital of Hungary it was a common Friday evening. People tired after a long, working week were slowly moving to their homes for a good nap or to the nearest pubs to celebrate the beginning of a new weekend. Somewhere between musical noises and the smell of fresh coffee or palinka shots clinking, an intercultural night was slowly captivating attention of its guests.

All the day before I was “a little bit” stressed, because of this presentation. Co-efficient team tried to cheer me up me. Especially, “Boss” was helping,by making fun of me and singing all the way to Gyongyosh and back:”- I have a little house..”. Together with George they even had made some text modifications especially for me. They had remembered all my sins and put them on music. Now I, officially, hate that song, and this is the red button to call forth my inner demons, if you want to face the dark side.

That Friday we managed to have a lesson about Surf Safe at a school near the Gyongyos. I had the role of a photographer and the Cookie Monster (Yes, I ate all the cookies, No, I do not regret anything). Even if my Hungarian is not so good, I try to guess the others mood by their posture, gestures and tone of voice. It is so cool to see in their eyes curiosity about our topic. Now I hope that someone of them will decide to become an EVS volunteer, just because one day he or she had met me during our Surf Safe program.

On the way back “Boss” showed his school and the city where he was borned.

It is very interesting to try to make connection between the life in Hungarian villages and the ones from my place. They are all cozy places, with hospitable people, but now I would not change the fast and challenging life in Budapest for a peaceful one, in a small village. Maybe if I will survive, around age of 80, after having a crazy and adventurous life I would move in a small cabin in mountains, near the river, with my 20-30 years old lover and our dogs, cats and other pets. Till then, maybe the aliens will stop to hide between the rocks and clouds, and I could become granny of the first human-alien child…

Yes, my first intercultural night at the Co-efficient was just cool just as the last sentences. 

We shared a lot of laughs; I tried to teach them how to dance a traditional dance. It is hard to be a teacher, when you do not have the moves. The special guest of the night, the wine from my place saved the situation. After the official part we decided to continue our discussion about my Moldavian, Romanian and alien roots in some Italian restaurant.

After that night I had understand that sometimes the copies or the fakes are better than the original sometimes. Yes, pizza with ketchup and pineapple, I am speaking about you:) .

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…

″-Where would you like to be now? ″

… The reflection from the metro′s  window nodded. This was not the question that she needed to hear… Shadows from the moving walls of the Kalvin ter station were whispering the right one:″- who is she willing to see by her side now?″

Inner self moaned and started to bend fingers and to reel on the memories.

Like in a roll coaster faces of people started to appear and to disappear and the thoughts got sank in the past′s mist.  On the top of the tongue she felt the bitter taste of sadness.

Then at the II. János Pápa Tér, little do you know, she just added some volume in the headphones and staying on the escalator, smiled.  Maybe she was smiling to the guy who was winking at her holding a big dog in his arms, or to the girl with a k-pop bag with the logo of her favourite band, but I am more than sure that a smile sometimes is just a smile.

Staying outside of the metro and gazing at the night sky, she said to herself that, there is no one who knows what is the right way to live a life and even if we are far away from each other, because of borders, differences or stupid silence, we are all the same Universe dust.

…

Shadows who were following her nodded”- Is she sure?”. The getting away sounds of her boots answered:” –It is harder than imaged, harder when it is cold, but even in another lifetime she would never change her mind. This soul would do it again a thousand times, even knowing the end.”

…

For her one day by accident, millions of roads will meet in the same spot and there will be the right place and time.

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The second day of January and the first day of work... the party is still on :)

The first working week after the holidays should be renamed in the: " National Zombie′s stress week″. The human brain is either celebrating or hibernating , the lightened tramway is somewhere, still hiding better than Wally from you,  but nobody still had not figured out how to cancel the Monday morning. That starts at 7 o′clock, Carl, 7 o′clock!

Even so, the first working day and the second one of the 2017 was an unsual one, cause I managed for the first time and for sure, not the last one, to go to an escape room game somewhere into the heart of Budapest. These are some props of being a volunteer at the Co-efficient. If they see that you are sad, cause you never can get bored with these guys, they will send you to have some fun in the city J

The adrenaline mixed with a ghost sensation of  animalic fear were the first thing that I felt running through  my blood when the door had closed beside our backs.

We were a multicultural and multicontinental team. Volunteers coming from USA, Germany and me :). A quite colourful and interesting company( Henning Krzyzanowski, Dennis Brink, Simon Vierke,Miles Tyler and the brain of our gang- Rebekah Swygert).

No doubt that they  had chosen the most difficult room, but even for me it was a surprise when we finished in 20 minutes to spare.

Despite the fact that this was the second or the third time when we saw each other, we managed to find common language. Whoever would think that discussions about German rap, international politics, “Bro Code”, a white-without-light room and a kürtős kalács and silly nicknames shared at the metro station would help to create in a short time such good relationships?

At first, the decision to meet and celebrate the New Year in the heart of Budapest was the only common thing that we had, beside volunteering. After a constellation of fireworks, a couple of magical drinks,  a sea of strangers who were wishing each other:″Happy New Year ″ and me climbing the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Lánchíd), we discovered that we are able to create long-lasting memories and bounds regardless our differences.

I am pretty sure that at the beginning of the 2018, staying on the same spot, in front of the Parliament Palace of Budapest, counting down from ten to the New Year, somebody will be curios to find out when I knew that 2017 would gonna be a marvelous and crazy year… cause I already have the answer. It was when I was screaming, dancing and shaking by fear and cold on the top of the Chain Bridge, surrounded by a new city, foreign people and an ocean of happiness.

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Winter break

Winter in Budapest is pure magic. You start to feel the Christmas spirit in almost each corner of it.  It is hiddding in the stuffed deers and wooden nutcrackers  from the showcases, under the branches of the office′s fir and in the smiles of the strangers at the metro station. Beside this nobody has canceled the winter breaks, so for a couple of days I had  delighted my eyes and the wanderlust′s thirst  by spending all the free time outside in the cold, discovering this marvellous city.

It was the first time when I was not celebrating winter holidays with my family, but even if I missed them a lot, my new Co-efficient pals encouraged me to have some fun with them at our pre-Christmas party. Just like usually I had either to be late or lost, but it′s on my ″to do list in 2017″ to solve this small issue that is putting me in very bizarre situations sometimes.

The atmosphere was very friendly, I had met with other volunteers, with some of the creators of the organization and even with some family members of my team. We had remembered the good old times of the ″Co-efficient″ and the future one that will come inevitably.

The cherry  on the top was the karaoke. It′s still a shock for me that somebody still remember the ″Dragostea din Tei″ song in Hungary and that they know how to dance regrettably the well-know from Romanian weddings- ″Penguin″ dance.  Even Krampus didn′t offered me such stupefaction as my ″boss″ dancing under that melody. Although it was quit fun and in the true spirit of the winter holidays.

On this winter break the Universe showed me once again that volunteering is one of the best ways  in discovering and becoming closer to amazing people from all around.