Tandem Placement in Novi Sad

I was really looking forward to my Tandem placement in Novi Sad. Not only is Novi Sad one of the most beautiful cities in Serbia, but there was so much that I needed to discuss with Ivana, ever since we came up with an idea for our future project together.
I arrived on 18 October and was really excited because most of the members from my organisation Gomirje u srcu were coming with me to Novi Sad and we could all finally meet Ivana’s colleagues from Comparative Literature Students’ Club for the first time and have the opportunity to get to know each other a bit better.

Our first mutual activity was a team building experience of being introduced to Novi Sad’s nightlife and spending an interesting and relaxing evening with them. The next day we had a more formal gathering as we held a meeting to discuss our views on the project. Since we came up with the idea relatively late during Ivana’s visit to Gomirje we did not really had a chance to develop it further and go through all of the details, so this was a great opportunity to collaborate on it together and since everyone was there everyone could share their opinion and their insight.

In the afternoon we had time to go sightseeing. We visited the most important landmarks and monuments in Novi Sad, including the cathedral and the old town center. Later we got talking about the cultural scene in Novi Sad and I realised how different it was from ours. Novi Sad is a city, unlike Gomirje, and thus it has a bit more to offer and it provides more diversity.

On the third and final day we had another meeting during which we summarised our impressions and talked more about our collaboration. I realised that this experience helped me learn more about my organisation and the different way in which we approach our work. Our easy-goingness and hands-on attitude combine well with their goal-oriented, systematic approach. I am really glad I had got the chance to be a part of this.