Photography, Songs, and Changing the World
State of the Art
The Montréal Photography Group visited the ghost town and Iroquoian site of Droulers-Tsiionhiakwatha in May. Activity host Charles Boch looked to organize a special photo opportunity with a historical twist, for members to take some beautiful pictures and improve their skills.
Tell us about this specific activity! What made it special?
An abandoned and supposedly haunted town, as well as an Iroquoian archeological site are both charged with history, with a twist of mystery and paranormal. All this piqued people's curiosity. Add to this a road trip with an opportunity to get out of the city for the day... and of course great photography opportunities. This was the recipe for making the event quite attractive.
What do you love about the group/community? Tell us about the best experience you’ve had with them!
I joined the photography group out of interest for… photography, and the desire to share my hobby with other people.
As an amateur photographer, being Consul of this group forces me to constantly look for new and original activity ideas. I try to have diversity, some being more nature or travel photography, others more like studio photography.
This allows me to meet many great people, from all walks of life and origins.
How has organizing activities changed your life abroad?
Organizing activities makes you discover the place you live in more depth. So, this would also apply to your hometown. Walking around the city you live in, with the eye of the photographer, makes you discover new things in places you thought you knew.
Cultural Melting Pot
Activity host Carolina Ortega gathered the Paris Joie de Vivre Group in the heart of the city to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 together. Eurovision has become a huge annual event with 200 viewers worldwide and for such an international crowd as this group, this get-together was a must for every member.
Tell us about this specific activity! What made it special?
Sharing the musical tastes of other countries always makes us see the mistakes of our own country and the positive in other countries regardless of the politics and geopolitics right now. Above all, it makes the global mind grow and think that we are the same in this world.
What do you love about the group/community? Tell us about the best experience you’ve had with them!
One of the Ambassadors of the Paris Community wanted to share this activity with us and I was happy that Antoni was with us that day.
How has organizing activities changed your life abroad?
I have changed in the sense of being more empathetic, thinking more about others while staying the same emotionally.
Let’s Change the World
The Hamburg Spontaneous Activities Group in Hamburg got together for a charity dinner for a school in Liberia. Activity host Lutz Kock got members together to eat, drink, and donate. All the money and donations collected at this activity went towards clean water, lunch, and school fees.
Tell us about this specific activity! What made it special?
A friend of mine, Zoe Yaskey, is from Liberia. She offers a lot of “help”, for example to woman in the “Frauenhaus” in Wedel. In the past, she also collected money for a school in her home village in Liberia. Since I am very interested in African people, culture, and countries, I connected with her last year. When I heard about her projects, I wanted to be involved. This year, we started with selling used books in the Wedel Library and we planned this charity event. It was Zoe´s idea and I am glad we did it. We collected approx. 1,000 EUR for this project. Many people offered their help with cooking and other tasks — we even got the room in that sports club for free.
What do you love about the group/community? Tell us about the best experience you’ve had with them!
I am the Consul of various groups. My favorite is sailing but I like being spontaneous, too. Hamburg is big, international, and there are so many activities in the city. Sometimes it’s a problem to figure out what to do first.
The best experience I had were with the spontaneous or walking activities: good people, nature lovers, good conversations. I prefer these over loud clubs where talking is not possible. I also love cinemas — and meeting up for dinner, talking, and connecting beforehand. After the movie, people mostly tired and go home.
How has organizing activities changed your life abroad?
My life hasn’t really changed. But I meet more international people. As sales engineer, I have traveled around the world. Getting in touch with people from different countries helps me to always be open minded and hear what’s going on in the world.
