Firefighters

Bombeiros

Spending the last days of October by the Atlantic Ocean in a swimsuit is not just a crazy dream. We managed to do it thanks to YouthfullyYours. To top it all off, we had the opportunity to learn, experience, and discover many new things.

Everything has to start somewhere, and we did it in grand style. Our first stop in sunny Portugal was the capital city itself - Lisbon. At times, one wasn't sure if they were in American San Francisco, exotic Rio de Janeiro, or still "just" in Europe. Getting lost in its beautiful historic streets is not difficult at all, and finding yourself at a viewpoint overlooking the city panorama is perhaps even easier.
And what's a better team-building activity than wandering together through an unknown city? However, we wanted to meet even more inspiring people, ideas, and opinions. So, we embarked on a long journey almost across all of Portugal to our project's destination - Lagos.

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Lisbon offers an incredible number of beautiful, iconic places like the 25 de Abril Bridge, Christo Rei, or the legendary Tram 28. Getting lost in its beautiful historic streets is not difficult at all, and finding yourself at a viewpoint overlooking the city panorama is perhaps even easier.
And what's a better team-building activity than wandering together through an unknown city? However, we wanted to meet even more inspiring people, ideas, and opinions. So, we embarked on a long journey almost across all of Portugal to our project's destination - Lagos.

Once a very important fishing port, occupied by pirates, where ships full of expensive spices, fabrics, ivory, or gold anchored. Today, you won't find ships with such contents there, but we can assure you that this beautiful town on the Algarve coast has a lot to offer. Just the statistic that it's sunny for an incredible 300 days a year will bring a blissful smile to your face. The historical atmosphere is still palpable and enhanced by the city walls, statues of former rulers, and many narrow streets of the historic center.
We must not forget the building of the first slave market, but especially perhaps the most significant place in southern Portugal = the rocky massifs of the coast.

Our home here became an older, but still fully functional, youth center building. Both during the preparations for the project and throughout its duration, the Portuguese project manager Sara and the entire Portuguese team took excellent care of us. Sara did a great deal of work in the preparations, and she deserves a huge THANK YOU. In the first few days, we were just getting acquainted, exploring the space and each other. It didn't matter which
country we came from, or how well we spoke English. We formed a harmonious and diverse group where everyone found their place.

At the "Intercultural evenings," we had the opportunity to present a piece of our countries, (attempt to) dance traditional Spanish dances, taste authentic Greek tzatziki, sing the Italian anthem of freedom "Bella ciao," see incredible shots of Estonia, and last but not least, taste the famous Portuguese "Pastel de nata." And of course, share our unique Easter traditions and Horalky.

We shared not only our culture but also important information regarding forest fires, their prevention, and the role of youth. All participating countries were surprised by how intensely we in Slovakia engage in voluntary firefighting activities. And when we mentioned that firefighting competitions are even popular in some regions, they almost didn't believe us. We ourselves were surprised at how active we are in this area compared to them.

Thanks to our host organization - A Garra - we had the opportunity to learn more about the work of Portuguese firefighters, who were even willing to give us a tour of their station and describe their current situation and work after the recent extensive fires in this area. We also visited the affected areas, and the firefighters showed us firsthand how they proceed in these situations.

The functioning of Portuguese fire brigades surprised us. There are no voluntary fire brigades here, as in our country, but the firefighters themselves are obliged to work as volunteers in their free time in addition to their duties. However, they do not only intervene in fires but also in every traffic accident or other disaster. They move and renovate their station with joint efforts. They created their own application for recording call-outs and available personnel, they were the first in all of Portugal to acquire an automatic resuscitator, but they also do not forget the public and regularly organize lectures and collections. They incredibly love their work, they even inherit this profession and pass it on to their children. It is not a job for them but a mission that they do with love. We left them with a big smile on our faces, enriched with new information and
Portuguese vocabulary. The word for firefighters, which will perhaps forever bring a smile to our faces and remind us of this project. Bombeiros... ♡

To summarize our knowledge and be able to share it better, we jointly created a brochure. During this activity, we maximally practiced teamwork, making compromises, and respecting others. Everyone contributed a piece of their talent, and we created a creative and useful tool even for people who were not part of our project.

We enjoyed our free time on the beautiful sandy beaches and didn't mind getting up early for the beautiful sunrises. We also didn't miss a smaller hike along the Algarve coast, passing through some of Europe's most beautiful beaches like Meia Praia, Praia do Camilo, Caramujeira... Evening swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and endless night conversations to the sound of the ocean with our feet buried in the sand. Scenes like something out of a cheesy teenage movie, which, however, became unique experiences for us. And we didn't even know then that we would actually manage to surf some of the best waves in Europe... That is... At least try not to drown while hugging a surfboard and, with a bit of luck, even stand on it for a few seconds.

The experiences, photos, friendships, and knowledge from this project will energize us for a very long time. Therefore, if you are still hesitating to apply for an Erasmus+ project, don't put it off. It will enrich you in many ways, you will travel to places you would hardly reach on your own, and you will learn a lot about yourself...
We have nothing left but to thank the entire YouthfullyYours SK, our coordinator, and each other, for an unforgettable project.

OBRIGADO (....oh yes. We also learned Portuguese.)