Hobbies and leisure activities
Students in all the three partner schools wrote articles about their hobbies and favourite leisure activites and shared them with their friends in partner schools. In the first project meeting in Basque Country the students worked in international groups and based on surveys carried out before the project meeting compiled a table about their favourite leisure activites. Here is the table and some of the articles that the students wrote.
The Wonders of Photography
Photography is defined as a process or art of producing images. To me photography is much more than just a process or art. I would say that it’s not only my hobby, but my passion. Photography holds in it so much emotion and feeling. Just the possibility of capturing a moment with just a click of a button is very thrilling.
Photography presents a feeling of accomplishment, because even when a photo doesn’t turn out the way you want, you have a chance to try again until you’re happy with the result. It also provides a new way of seeing the world around you. Through the lens you can see so many more details, so much more happening, and those things in itself inspire you to take a photo. This activity really is about invention, rebirth, evolution and emotion. It’s a way to educate oneself. A way to study the way things work and the way people function.
After thinking long and hard, the only negatives of photography as a hobby are minor details, which are luckily fixable. Such as the light not being bright enough or coming from the wrong direction. I suppose there is a price on photography. If you’re really serious about it, the equipment may cost a lot, but if you’re seriously interested in photography, even that wouldn’t stop you.
All in all photography really is a wonderful activity. It not only gives a feeling of contentment, but I have realized that it also can teach you a lot about the world around you and about yourself as well.
Regina
Estonia
Photography presents a feeling of accomplishment, because even when a photo doesn’t turn out the way you want, you have a chance to try again until you’re happy with the result. It also provides a new way of seeing the world around you. Through the lens you can see so many more details, so much more happening, and those things in itself inspire you to take a photo. This activity really is about invention, rebirth, evolution and emotion. It’s a way to educate oneself. A way to study the way things work and the way people function.
After thinking long and hard, the only negatives of photography as a hobby are minor details, which are luckily fixable. Such as the light not being bright enough or coming from the wrong direction. I suppose there is a price on photography. If you’re really serious about it, the equipment may cost a lot, but if you’re seriously interested in photography, even that wouldn’t stop you.
All in all photography really is a wonderful activity. It not only gives a feeling of contentment, but I have realized that it also can teach you a lot about the world around you and about yourself as well.
Regina
Estonia
My hobby - Hockey
My hobby is playing Hockey. I have practised this sport since I was 5 years old. I play in the unique hockey team of Vitoria, and we play against teams of Bilbao and San Sebastian. It´s a very difficult sport to do, because you have to skate very well and also you have to learn how to use the stick. This sport requires a lot of concentration and work to be a great player.
But the salaries of the professional hockey players are smaller than other sports. The gear is very expensive so a lot of people can´t afford to practise it.
If you want to do hockey in Vitoria the unique place where you can do it is Aurrera.
Jon
Basque Country
But the salaries of the professional hockey players are smaller than other sports. The gear is very expensive so a lot of people can´t afford to practise it.
If you want to do hockey in Vitoria the unique place where you can do it is Aurrera.
Jon
Basque Country
Chatting
When I was just a little girl, I was so talkative (stil I am) and my mother used to complain about it. So she tried to stop me but I never gave up struggling.I realized that I improved myself when I started talking.And now, I am challenging yo uall. This is my talent and also my hobby. I didn’t see anyone more talented than me in talking.
I don’t like dancing, playing sports or playing a musical instrument or else. I just like chatting. When I talk I feel good and happy. I think this is the way to the happiness. Talking with strangers, learning different things about their lives,listening some friends’ problems are so exciting for me. I usually chat with somebody face-to-face but i also love chatting on the phone. I know, this is the best way to make friendship and have fun together.
Selin
Turkey
I don’t like dancing, playing sports or playing a musical instrument or else. I just like chatting. When I talk I feel good and happy. I think this is the way to the happiness. Talking with strangers, learning different things about their lives,listening some friends’ problems are so exciting for me. I usually chat with somebody face-to-face but i also love chatting on the phone. I know, this is the best way to make friendship and have fun together.
Selin
Turkey
Tennis and cars
My hobbies are tennis and collecting old cars. Tennis is a sport I do regularly in the same time when we have to go to school but cars I can afford only when I have collected enough money. I mostly collect old Russian cars, but I don’t mind collecting also old American cars because they are also pretty.
I play tennis regularly because then I can ground my feelings and have a good time with my friends. When you play tennis then you feel something you have never ever felt before because you can put all the problems into one hit and if you hit it hard you find your answer or at least you can get rid of your anger. Tennis is also a good sport because you can train yourself and be physically stronger.
I also collect cars. I got that bacillary when I saw a Volkswagen Beetle in our relatives’ garden. I bought it and now I have two cars the older Volga and the Volkswagen Beetle which is also the older one. I buy only cars which I like because I want to own only cars which matches my personality. When I see a very valuable and rare car but I don’t like it then I don’t care about it because it has no connection with me. Fortunately my parents don’t mind if I do it and also my father helps me a lot because his work is involved with cars. Mostly I like driving old cars because it’s absolutely different from the driving experience you get with newer cars. Also I find that older cars are more attractive and you get a lot of attention when you drive an older car and attention is the thing I like. In the future I want to own the biggest old car park in Estonia and maybe I will make a company where you can rent the car and enjoy the feeling of driving an old car.
When you have a hobby and you don’t have anything to do then you can use it to fill your own free time. I’m very happy that I have found tennis and old cars because these hobbies are a part of me and when I don’t do it I feel like I have lost something very important which is very close to me. I think everybody should have a hobby because then they can have a good time and they can enjoy at least something if they don’t like anything else.
Allan
Estonia
I play tennis regularly because then I can ground my feelings and have a good time with my friends. When you play tennis then you feel something you have never ever felt before because you can put all the problems into one hit and if you hit it hard you find your answer or at least you can get rid of your anger. Tennis is also a good sport because you can train yourself and be physically stronger.
I also collect cars. I got that bacillary when I saw a Volkswagen Beetle in our relatives’ garden. I bought it and now I have two cars the older Volga and the Volkswagen Beetle which is also the older one. I buy only cars which I like because I want to own only cars which matches my personality. When I see a very valuable and rare car but I don’t like it then I don’t care about it because it has no connection with me. Fortunately my parents don’t mind if I do it and also my father helps me a lot because his work is involved with cars. Mostly I like driving old cars because it’s absolutely different from the driving experience you get with newer cars. Also I find that older cars are more attractive and you get a lot of attention when you drive an older car and attention is the thing I like. In the future I want to own the biggest old car park in Estonia and maybe I will make a company where you can rent the car and enjoy the feeling of driving an old car.
When you have a hobby and you don’t have anything to do then you can use it to fill your own free time. I’m very happy that I have found tennis and old cars because these hobbies are a part of me and when I don’t do it I feel like I have lost something very important which is very close to me. I think everybody should have a hobby because then they can have a good time and they can enjoy at least something if they don’t like anything else.
Allan
Estonia
Zapping
Zapping is my favorite hobby. Some people like playing sports, dancing or going to the theatre. But me, I like changing the channel of my television. Since I was very little, I have practiced this activity.
It’s very exciting watching TV for hours. Cartoons, soap operas, films…they’re amazing. But while I’m watching television I can do some other things. I usually eat pop corn, I drink cola, or I play with my computer.
I am very good at doing zapping: I can change TV channels very quickly. So if you are a teenager this is my advice: don’t go out on Saturday night, don’t study, or don’t play any sports. The only you have to do is to buy some snacks and stay hours in front of your television, it’s great!!
Alberto
Basque Country
It’s very exciting watching TV for hours. Cartoons, soap operas, films…they’re amazing. But while I’m watching television I can do some other things. I usually eat pop corn, I drink cola, or I play with my computer.
I am very good at doing zapping: I can change TV channels very quickly. So if you are a teenager this is my advice: don’t go out on Saturday night, don’t study, or don’t play any sports. The only you have to do is to buy some snacks and stay hours in front of your television, it’s great!!
Alberto
Basque Country
Volleyball
Hi. My name is Sena. I’m 16 years old. My favorite hobby is playing Volleyball. I have been playing Volleybol since I was 8 and I’m a
spiker. I’m playing at school team and at a sports club.
If you want to be a good volleyball player you should have very strong arms and you should see the empty spaces in the other part quickly. So you can get good points with your team.
Don’t worry about your height. You don’t have to be a very tall one, just you should be intelligent and zippy. :)
Sena
Turkey
spiker. I’m playing at school team and at a sports club.
If you want to be a good volleyball player you should have very strong arms and you should see the empty spaces in the other part quickly. So you can get good points with your team.
Don’t worry about your height. You don’t have to be a very tall one, just you should be intelligent and zippy. :)
Sena
Turkey
My hobby – travelling
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home – by James Michener. I quite often think how travelling can be a hobby since it is rather expensive and you cannot do it once or twice a week like a dance practice. But through discussions with friends, I learned that getting to know other cultures is a hobby. Just like the memory game Jeopardy on TV.
Travelling as a way of discovering new cultures is a very fun and intelligent hobby. Fun in a sense that there is not another person in the world like you or your boyfriend/girlfriend and it is the people who make up a culture. You have to meet a lot of different persons if you want to know another country. By getting to know other people you can even find new sides hiding within yourself. For example, when I was in America I found out that I can be much nicer to other people and it is very selfish (even more selfish than I thought before) to just think about yourself.
People have different values around the world. I can bring many examples. Estonians value hard work, Russians love and relationships, Italians are very religious and Indians believe in sun and zodiac signs. It is very useful to step outside your box and see the person next to you.
Going out to the world does not always mean that you are the one learning and taking. Of course, when you are the traveler then your goal is to get to know another culture but people are always interested where the traveler comes from. It is an opportunity to take your own culture out to the world. When you come from such a small country like Estonia, then there is a possibility that some people do not know where it is, let alone know something about the culture. It is a chance to show your traditions and talk about how things work in your country.
All in all, travelling is discovering other people and cultures, countries and even the hidden sides within you. New experiences are waiting just around the corner; it is only a matter of wanting to see them.
Eva
Estonia
Travelling as a way of discovering new cultures is a very fun and intelligent hobby. Fun in a sense that there is not another person in the world like you or your boyfriend/girlfriend and it is the people who make up a culture. You have to meet a lot of different persons if you want to know another country. By getting to know other people you can even find new sides hiding within yourself. For example, when I was in America I found out that I can be much nicer to other people and it is very selfish (even more selfish than I thought before) to just think about yourself.
People have different values around the world. I can bring many examples. Estonians value hard work, Russians love and relationships, Italians are very religious and Indians believe in sun and zodiac signs. It is very useful to step outside your box and see the person next to you.
Going out to the world does not always mean that you are the one learning and taking. Of course, when you are the traveler then your goal is to get to know another culture but people are always interested where the traveler comes from. It is an opportunity to take your own culture out to the world. When you come from such a small country like Estonia, then there is a possibility that some people do not know where it is, let alone know something about the culture. It is a chance to show your traditions and talk about how things work in your country.
All in all, travelling is discovering other people and cultures, countries and even the hidden sides within you. New experiences are waiting just around the corner; it is only a matter of wanting to see them.
Eva
Estonia
Basketball
My name is Jone. I am 16 years old, and I live in Bitoriano, a little town near Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country.
I have got many hobbies, I like listening to music, going out to parties with my friends... But my favourite one is basketball. I play it in a team, and I also support a team of Vitoria-Gasteiz that is very important in Europe.
I play basketball in a team in my town, with some other girls. We are 11 girls of 14, 15 and 16 years old. We train three times a week, and play matches on Saturdays or Sundays. Last year we won a championship, and we were so happy we made it. These years things are more difficult, because there are people in other teams that are older than us.
And I also like watching basketball. I usually go to watch matches of the Baskonia, the team of Vitoria-Gasteiz. I go there with my friends, and we have a really good time there.
But I also like doing other things. I really like listening to music. When I am at home, I always turn on the radio. And I also like going out with my friends. Sometimes we just stay in our town, but we often go to Vitoria-Gasteiz, because it is a bigger city, and there are a lot of people in the street at night, you meet a lot of people.
Jone
Basque Country
I have got many hobbies, I like listening to music, going out to parties with my friends... But my favourite one is basketball. I play it in a team, and I also support a team of Vitoria-Gasteiz that is very important in Europe.
I play basketball in a team in my town, with some other girls. We are 11 girls of 14, 15 and 16 years old. We train three times a week, and play matches on Saturdays or Sundays. Last year we won a championship, and we were so happy we made it. These years things are more difficult, because there are people in other teams that are older than us.
And I also like watching basketball. I usually go to watch matches of the Baskonia, the team of Vitoria-Gasteiz. I go there with my friends, and we have a really good time there.
But I also like doing other things. I really like listening to music. When I am at home, I always turn on the radio. And I also like going out with my friends. Sometimes we just stay in our town, but we often go to Vitoria-Gasteiz, because it is a bigger city, and there are a lot of people in the street at night, you meet a lot of people.
Jone
Basque Country
Playing the guitar
The most interesting hobby that I have is playing the guitar. I have played guitar for three and a half years now and I am getting better at it every time I decide to play. Playing guitar keeps me doing something interesting at home instead of staring at the ceiling all the time. Actually it is a very relaxing activity. It gives person some time to think and dream.
Guitar or guitars also give my room some personality. When it hangs on my wall it seems like a piece of art. I have two guitars – one is black acoustic one and the second is a yellow Spanish guitar. The last one was my first guitar and both of them are Yamaha products. I bought the classical one because it was required to learn guitar in my school. Since I am interested in blues, jazz and rock music I felt that I needed a change in my guitar play and that is why I bought the black acoustic one.
I can play many different songs and after 3 years of experience I have learned how to learn the songs to play them. My favourite songs that I have learned are Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. I can also play a bit Sting, Nirvana, Metallica and the Animals.
In the future I want to improve my guitar playing skills and maybe use them in some small band or I would just like to play with my friends. I would certainly recommend learning guitar. If interest in it comes, it cannot be put away.
Mihkel
Estonia
Guitar or guitars also give my room some personality. When it hangs on my wall it seems like a piece of art. I have two guitars – one is black acoustic one and the second is a yellow Spanish guitar. The last one was my first guitar and both of them are Yamaha products. I bought the classical one because it was required to learn guitar in my school. Since I am interested in blues, jazz and rock music I felt that I needed a change in my guitar play and that is why I bought the black acoustic one.
I can play many different songs and after 3 years of experience I have learned how to learn the songs to play them. My favourite songs that I have learned are Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. I can also play a bit Sting, Nirvana, Metallica and the Animals.
In the future I want to improve my guitar playing skills and maybe use them in some small band or I would just like to play with my friends. I would certainly recommend learning guitar. If interest in it comes, it cannot be put away.
Mihkel
Estonia
Surfing the net
Surfing is the most popular activity around the world nowadays. Anyone who has internet, computer, mobile phone or tabs does not really matter, can surf easily. It means that every single move in real life is possible to do with the internet. There are lots of options because we are in communication era. There are lots of sites, sites like Facebook, Twitter, G+, myspace, Tumblr or maybe another blogs affords for us to share our memories in with other people. Sites like Youtube, flickr, 9GAG ... helps you to share your videos, photos and posts. You can play games in some sites, listen TO music or maybe look AT the new ones. Today everything you want is available to find on the internet.
I love surfing on internet because after a long day of studying, I can sit down somewhere and see whats happening around. That's why surfing is the most relaxing thing, you can controll your social life and discover some thing, the only thing that you you need to do is just "click".
You can release your own site if you want. You can use it to present your workshop with your other associates. Surfing, is not a waste of time, it is a new way of enterntainment, education and workshop space. IT IS A VALUABLE ACTIVITY. :)
Mert
Turkey
I love surfing on internet because after a long day of studying, I can sit down somewhere and see whats happening around. That's why surfing is the most relaxing thing, you can controll your social life and discover some thing, the only thing that you you need to do is just "click".
You can release your own site if you want. You can use it to present your workshop with your other associates. Surfing, is not a waste of time, it is a new way of enterntainment, education and workshop space. IT IS A VALUABLE ACTIVITY. :)
Mert
Turkey
My hobbies
These are my main hobbies Rugby and “Euskal dantza”. I practice this two hobbies since I was a child more or less since I was 6 years old. Since then this two hobbies have been really close to me.
My father and two of my uncles were rugby players and nowadays my father is rugby coach in Gaztedi´s team. I played in Gaztedi team. Regarding to dantza my grandfather, four cousins, my mother and my sister are dancers. This year my sister and I we are in the same dance group called "Indarra”.
So dantza and Rugby are part of my live and I like a lot practicing both of them.
Josu
Basque Country
My father and two of my uncles were rugby players and nowadays my father is rugby coach in Gaztedi´s team. I played in Gaztedi team. Regarding to dantza my grandfather, four cousins, my mother and my sister are dancers. This year my sister and I we are in the same dance group called "Indarra”.
So dantza and Rugby are part of my live and I like a lot practicing both of them.
Josu
Basque Country