Smells like Team Spirit

I always thought that Nirvana song ‘Smells like team spirit’… Yes I did. Well and it was actually Bettina who informed me that Kurt’s text was rather ‘Smells like teen spirit’. I find it a bit weird, but hey it’s his text.

Well one thing is for sure: the past days have smelled like team spirit! I returned back home from a successful meeting with Ministers of Youth yesterday morning. Youth violence response policies have been adopted by the Council of Europe member states, which I perceive as an important recognition! Not that it was necessary to attend this posh meeting for, taking place in an expensive hotel in Budapest, no rather IGLYOs attendance was successful in terms of raising awareness and being visible. Having so much European youth together feels like team spirit!

Saturday the conference was closed with a street festival on Human Rights. I participated as book in a ‘Living Library’, a beautiful idea which takes some prejudices people have away. The idea is that stereotyped people become books which can be rented. The library takes for instance place during Popfestivals. People who want to know more about an ex-prisoner rent a ex-prisoner for a hour and get to know him. Of course I was the gay book, and I was rented by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and by two German gay tourists, unfortunately no Hungarian with prejudices rented me as I would have liked to learn a bit from that.

Earlier Saturday morning we had the closing session in the Hungarian Parliament. After the official part I did a short self-guided tour through the building with two Norwegian friends. I can tell you: the building is huge and has got many empty halls, rooms and stairways… We ended up in one of the highest towers which was quite exciting…it smelt like teen spirit.

Saturday evening I went out with my good friend Judit, which was very nice seeing her again. I’m so jealous on the amazing library she has… At four o’clock in the night I got back to the hotel, where a taxi would pick me up one hour later to bring me to the airport. Somehow, maybe being a bit drunk and suffering from a general lack of sleep, I only woke up at the moment my flight was already leaving… Or actually I was woken up by an hysterical receptionist who became very angry at me that I did not wake up… So I arrived to Amsterdam a bit later than expected…

Yesterday evening I had another nice evening in the theatre I used to work for a while (mime theatre). There was a nice play called ‘Homo’s in Venlo’, about the life of three young gay guys. The script was actually based upon the lives of the actors, which gave a very touching edge to the play. My friend Tania and I liked it, Tania even liked it so much that she wants to bring it to COC Amsterdam.

This morning I had to wake up too early to get to Brussels. IGLYO and ILGA-Europe are going to cooperate on a publication on Social Exclusion, which looks very promising and on which I am very proud! Then sweet Maxim took me for a delicious lunch where we in one hour discussed so many different aspects of life and work, which I enjoyed. After having another meeting with Luis Pinto from EPTO including a nice dinner, I’m now in the train back to Amsterdam. Satisfied after hard working, tired and looking forward to all the nice projects that are coming up, and especially to continue the team spirit that we have been working with lately!