There's no denying it, these bloggers are bound to make you jealous. Whether it's their guts, their energy or their tan you admire, overseas volunteers have got plenty to share with you about their remarkable work in fascinating countries. Read on to find out what you could be missing.

All | Jonathan | James | Emily | Dana | Selina | Lucy

Main | Next page »

Friday Apr 11, 2008

I will never forget

Once I had arrived back from my trek and fully recovered from my illness and bleeding feet the 3rd phase was soon underway. Mine was community - I got Los Lores, a very remote Nicaraguan village. It was probably the most nervous I have felt about all the phases, purely due to the fact that you live with a family for 3 whole weeks and one other person who hardly speak Spanish at all. The actual project was laying pipes, as they had no clean running water; the only thing they had was a river 15 mins walk away, that wasn’t clean and quite dangerous. We had a 2 day bus ride in an American school bus before we arrived at the village, only to be greeted by all the locals. We quickly got introduced to our families and were taken back to theirs, where they fed us and showed us where we were sleeping. I was paired with another lad called Alex, who thankfully knew as much Spanish as me! Within the space of that night, we had such a laugh with our family at learning the language and hearing all about their community that we both felt straight at home. Because we had arrived at the start of Easter, there were also many celebrations that were underway, which were they were keen to get us involved in - they took us to this beautiful part of the river where we swam, went to the church service and then that even had a fiesta where we danced until the early hours. It was an absolutely amazing start to our phase and it was soon to get better.

On the Monday we started the work on the trenches and laying the pipes; the humidity was almost unbearable at times, which made it a real challenge to mattock out the dry ground beneath us, but the locals helped out and really showed us how it was done! We spent every lunch time under the shade of a large fruit tree, where the families arrived with our lunches and we waited until the midday heat had died down before starting work again. Due to it being the last phase, we really wanted to get the water project completed, so we put as many hours we could into making sure it would be done in time. During this time, we also went round and met the other families, and had many gatherings and treats given to us - it was really moving how grateful they were for us being there. Our dad, Javier, also treated us to a special Sunday meal by killing the pig that they had been feeding up for a few months. I awoke to him at the end of my bed urging me to come into the kitchen, only to see it hanging upside down from the roof, completely skinned - definitely a moment I will not forget!

Thankfully, just the day before we left, we finished at about 10am and had the water running. It was such a relief to see the water come out of the tap - it was travelling down a 9km pipe all the way up from the springs of a mountain - and the locals were even more pleased to see it. That evening, people from miles away came for the final party, and it ended up being a really special night. Our family gave a speech to both me and Alex, saying how much they will miss us and that we are like family to them; our Spanish had also improved considerably by this time, and were able to write a letter (with the help of a dictionary) about how much they meant to us also. Upon leaving that morning, it was very upsetting to see them leave. Not only had I became so close to the family, but to all the other locals as well - even the children, who were always keen to try and learn English and play games with you. Most of our group were in tears, and I had a few of my own admittedly; it was just such an incredible experience, I can’t even describe it. The way they loved us and looked after us will never be forgotten, and I promised them that if I can I will one day come back and visit. It was an amazing end to an amazing expedition I’ve had with Raleigh. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve done and the places I’ve seen will never be forgotten; we are all so lucky to have had this opportunity.

Posted by James ( 9:52 AM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

The final phase

Once I had arrived back from my trek and fully recovered from my illness and bleeding feet the 3rd phase was soon underway. Mine was community - I got Los Lores, a very remote Nicaraguan village. It was probably the most nervous I have felt about all the phases, purely due to the fact that you live with a family for 3 whole weeks and one other person who hardly speak Spanish at all. The actual project was laying pipes, as they had no clean running water; the only thing they had was a river 15 mins walk away, that wasn’t clean and quite dangerous. We had a 2 day bus ride in an American school bus before we arrived at the village, only to be greeted by all the locals. We quickly got introduced to our families and were taken back to theirs, where they fed us and showed us where we were sleeping. I was paired with another lad called Alex, who thankfully knew as much Spanish as me! Within the space of that night, we had such a laugh with our family at learning the language and hearing all about their community that we both felt straight at home. Because we had arrived at the start of Easter, there were also many celebrations that were underway, which were they were keen to get us involved in - they took us to this beautiful part of the river where we swam, went to the church service and then that even had a fiesta where we danced until the early hours. It was an absolutely amazing start to our phase and it was soon to get better.

Posted by James ( 9:46 AM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Wednesday Mar 19, 2008

Phase 2 - The Dragon Trek

After the 1st phase had finished, they quickly arranged the 2nd - I was placed on the Dragon Trek, arguably the toughest trek based in Costa Rica. It consists of a 19 day hike going through 280km of mountains, climbing a total height of 14,000m with about 30 kilos in weight to carry. To be honest, to say it was daunting was an understatement! But we prepared the food drops and packed our bags till they were fit to burst and had an evening of entertainment; a bbq and a huge party, which was really enjoyable. It was also my birthday - something i thought i had managed to avoid - causing one of the most embarrassing moments of having to stand upon a chair, with a cake and a hat, and have 130 people sing to me. You can probably understand why I wanted the ground to just eat me up at that point!

At half 4 that morning the mini bus took us to our location, and left us stranded there with only a compass, a map and a radio for comms. Our route consisted of going in an arch across some of the largest mountains in Costa Rica, before arriving on a deserted, untouched beach stretching for miles. The first day was through extremely dense rainforest; the experience is surreal. It is fairly dark underneath the overlying canopes, but the heat is so intense, and the physical aspect in the humidity and heat meant it was by far the hardest thing I've done. This didn't put any of us off however; we made it to our destination, but with a realisation that the next 3 weeks were to be very similar. And so they were! There were times when every person in our group really struggled, including me, but it is definately a mental barrier that you have to push through to realise your potential. The reward for climbing 5,300m in the space of 3 days was the peak of this just spectacular mountain. The peak is symbolised by a plane wing in the ground; it was where a crash happened many years ago, and is in respect of the lives lost. Which gives you an idea of how high it was. You could see for miles around; the clouds were below us, the mountains could be seen touching the horizon and you could even see where the sea met the sky. No words can explain the feeling of euphoria you recieve from these achievements, and that's what alot of the trek was like.

As we neared the beach, illness started to go around, so we decided to have a rest day at a local town, find a commuinity centre and recouparate. The locals treated us to a football match bare footed - by this time our feet had toughened up so much that any toe punt could be made without pain! We headed off early the next day, and had to put 2 days together to make up for lost time. This meant doing a 35km trek one day, which last for 14 hours. We awoke and walked in the dark, only to be still walking at 8 in the evening. By this time I had also managed to come down with an illness, which caused me unable to keep down food and general fatigue. The medic suggested I take a taxi on one of the days to allow my body to rest; being the stubborn person I am, i decided to attempt it. It was definately the hardest day of the trek, but with such amazing support from the team and also the strong desire to accomplish the day, I made it. The arrival at the beach was definately worth the wait; by this time we were tired, hungry, dirty - this didn't stop us having huge grins on our faces as we ran and dived into the warm sea, having the suns rays glisten across the white sandy beach for just miles. We had two nights there in which we set up camp and had huge bonfires, with a bbq to celebrate our acheievements. It was an amazing end to an absolutely amazing phase. I'm soon to find out my next phase, which will be community based, and I can't wait!

Posted by James ( 5:42 PM )
Link to this post Comments[2]

Thursday Feb 28, 2008

My team

The team I was with for the first phase - 'Alpha 4' - were  very nice. At first we were all very nervous, but quickly felt more relaxed and comfortable round each other, and by the end we felt so much like a family that it was very upsetting to leave this beautiful place. Prima and the rangers set up a party for that evening to celeberate our time there, with lots of lovely food and salsa dancing (though I am still no better at it!), and a speech saying how grateful they were. In return, we made them a card and also had written a speech in Spanish that each person read - while it was hard to pronounce, they seemed even more touched by the attempt!

We left that morning and our currently back at field base waiting for our 2nd phase to be decided, so thought I would use this free time to go into the local town and use the internet cafe! Soon we will be given our new Alpha groups and be told what phase we will next be doing, so there is alot of suspense!

Adios, James x

Posted by James ( 3:39 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Getting to know the locals

The locals are very friendly, and they actually really take you under their wing and treat you as part of a family. I knew very little Spanish and was very nervous about this, but they made even me feel so comfortable. One of the rangers, Prima, cooked us lovely meals every now and then and always had a lovely smile across her face! On one Sunday she took us to their local Gospel Church; a very surreal experience. While it was only simple bits of wood with a long sheet of metal placed above offering shelter, it was very moving. At first I was worried they would feel offended by Westerners coming and watching their lifestyle, but it was the opposite. They hugged each and every one of us, danced and sang, and persuaded us to join in also! Later that day they also asked us to take part in one of the local football matches - by this time, the whole town knew of our presence, even our names. Every single person was warm and welcoming as we arrived to the pitch, only to be greeted by a football team kitted out and ready to go. We, however, weren't exactly kitted out... they lent us some t-shirts and got us to play one of the teams for a total of 60 mins. The heat was extreme, reaching 40 degrees at times, and it was fasinating to see how they managed to run at such a quick pase! Alas, we did lose 5-1, but I left with a smile on my face similar to Prima's.

Posted by James ( 3:38 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Monday Feb 25, 2008

Time out

It's nice to get some time from work now and age- while it is about challenging yourself, it is also about getting the most you can from your time there. During the 1st week we climbed Mirador - it was 3.5 km up a fairly steep slope, only to be greeted with a view that can only be described as breath taking. After watching the sunset, we set up camp. We got up in time to watch the sunrise across the land and sea, a great start to Valentines Day! During our time there we also visited a local beach on the Pacific Coast. It was literally just a white sanded beach spanding for miles, with only one or two people there.

Posted by James ( 1:19 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

The first phase

 

I arrived in Costa Rica at the end of Jan to be greeted by many other volunteers, all of different ages and ethnicities. The charity I am working with is Raleigh International - it consists of 17 - 24 yr olds working overseas to help the local communities with basic needs, such as a clean water supply or flood defences. There are 3 phases - Environmental, Community and Trek.

I've currently just finished my first phase which was the environmental one - it was amazing! It was this lovely national park called Barra Honda, where we worked with the locals to provide drainage systems and also refurbishing (sp) a local school and volunteers hut. The area in total is 2,295 hectares of land, which during the dry season can be damaged by forest fires, meaning the rangers job's are extremely important for the surrounding environment. We had our camp area set out - a small part of the rainforest where we set up hammocks and an area where we made and ate our food. Our group was lucky enough to have a shower and toilet nearby, meaning we didn't have to use any streams or make long drop loos!

 

Posted by James ( 1:17 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Sunday Sep 16, 2007

ASPIRE

It's two weeks in and I'm absolutely loving the work I'm doing! I've finally settled into Toynbee Hall and have started my work as the Ashtead Youth Work volunteer. The project I'm working on, ASPIRE, will be working with 60 year 10 students who have been identified as 'excluded within school' and will be based in six schools in Tower Hamlets (London's East End). Over the next year we'll be presenting them three different sections, Think, Express & Achieve - with this term to focus on citizenship; next term will be arts-based & will culiminate in a theatre production; and, finally, next summer will involve a 4-day residential sailing trip!

It's weird living just off Whitechapel High Street. Oddly enough, I've noticed on maps that Commercial Street is the mark point for the Congestion Charge scheme and it so aptly marks life in this area. If I turn east out of my door & travel 1000 feet, I may as well have travelled 1000 miles as that corner of London is known as Banglatown (I hope I spelled that right) and I feel as though I stick out like a sore thumb with my sunglasses & American accent. By the same token, if I turn west out of my door & travel the same distance, I'm in the City and surrounded by almost picturebook London with beautiful buildings & oodles of history practically oozing from the pavement.

Of course, the accents I encounter in either direction are still bending my ear into confusion, but that'll all sort itself out, right?

Someone recently asked me the best part so far - my answer is very, very simple. Brick Lane. Having lived in miles and miles from any sort of curry houes (good, bad or otherwise), I have to say I adore being able to walk to the next street over and drool my way down the street trying to decide where to eat.

Beyond that, I'm still trying to figure out just how to spend all the free time I seem to have, so I guess I'll say ta for now and start trolling through do-it's database to see what kind of stuff I can find to do.

Posted by Dana ( 2:19 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Monday Sep 10, 2007

The Last Post

Although this is horribly overdue, I thought I should do one last entry to round off properly. I’ve been back in the UK for nearly a month now; in some ways it feels like I was never away (which is quite depressing), but there are some things I’m still adjusting to. Rain being one.

Bozena and I left our project in the customary mad rush of the permanently disorganised, having spent more time chasing up debts and finalising arrangements with the printers than cleaning the flat. It was only as Liz, our co-host, was driving us out to the airport that I realised we were really not coming back, and I’m sad to say that by the time we got on the plane I was a snivelly, weeping mess.

As I mentioned in my last blog, it was hard to stay upset as we then went up to Zambia for our last holiday. Victoria Falls (or ‘Mosi Oa Tunya’, the smoke that thunders) was amazing. We scorned the waterproof ponchos on sale at the entrance to the park and after a few minutes in the spay looked like drowned rats, but how often do you get to say you got soaked by Vic Falls?

Being the adrenaline-seeking fools that we are, we also added to our list of ‘fun and interesting things that involve falling’ that we’ve accumulated this year. We abseiled, rap jumped (abseiling forwards), did the gorge swing (3 times) and the flying fox (10 times). The only problem was that each time you’d thrown yourself off the cliffs of the Zambezi Gorge in whatever manner you chose, you had to hike back out. By the end of the day both of us were exhausted and covered in sweat and mud. On the way out of the park we stopped at a craft stall and bought some Zambian masks as souvenirs; we didn’t have enough money on us so we put together what we had and added our flip-flops, Bozena’s hat and my belt to the bargain, which isn’t bad for three masks. However, this did mean that we were heading back to the backpackers barefooted; the sand soon turned our feet bright orangey-red, which nicely complimented our legs and shorts that were already dark brown from the dust in the gorge. We got a lift back to town in the back of a bakkie (adding mad, windswept hair to the equation), and just as we were coming up to the backpackers a big Zambian wasp flew into my eye. I ran inside looking like I’d been lost in the bush for months, one hand clasped over my eye, shouting, “Bozena! I’m blind! Will I ever see again?!” while she tried to get me to stand still for long enough for her to yank out the sting.

One of my less elegant moments, I’ll admit.

Anyway, our adventuring over, we headed home. A mess-up with the tickets meant that I didn’t actually have a seat on the Windhoek-Johannesburg flight (the lovely captain let me have a crew seat and I just had to get out of their way once we were airborne), but no journey’s perfect, is it? We all lost our luggage, too, but got it back a few days later…

It was really strange seeing my family and friends again for the first time. My younger sister and brother have both grown an indecent amount, and my friends admitted they were really scared to see me in case I’d changed loads and didn’t like them any more! I think spending a long time away from your family makes you appreciate them more. Amazingly, I haven’t argued with either parent or any of my three siblings since I got back – I should go away more often, haha.

I’d decided to throw myself headfirst back into British culture by going to Leeds Festival shortly after I got back, which was no Vic Falls but still brilliant. From there, Bozena and I headed straight up to the Isle of Coll for our last Project Trust course, debriefing. It was great to see Marcel again, along with all the other Southern Africa volunteers. I think Project have got the right idea that we all needed a chance to get some of the “When I was in Namibia/Botswana/Lesotho” rants out of our system. They also spent quite some time on counselling; in the lead-up to going away we’d all been told by family and friends that this would be the most amazing year of our lives. And now it’s over. And we’re only 19. Project did their best to emphasise that this was only ONE OF the most amazing years of our lives, and there was no need to get depressed!

Every volunteer was asked to do a community report, focusing on something that really interests them about their country, their area or their work. On each debriefing course there are prizes for the top three, though I’d been working on mine more as something that I’ll like to look back on in years to come. I built up a description of Luderitz through interviews with locals, to try and combine a depiction of my community with an element of my journalistic work. The amount of work we had at the project meant I was only half finished when I got back to England, and spent a couple of sleepless nights completing it, but it paid off – much to my surprise, I got first prize, £100! Just as a demonstration of how brilliant the Luderitz volunteers were, the second prize went to Bozena. We rock.

It’s strange to think that now my Project Trust experience is completely over. Bozena and Marcel aren’t my flatmates any more. I have nothing to do with the running of the Buchter News. The next volunteers will already be busy learning their new pupils names. I never have to go back to Coll. I miss Luderitz, I miss my work, my friends, the sun, the sea – even my pupils, a little bit!

But I should look to the future, I suppose. There hasn’t been a moment that I’ve regretted my choice to take a year out, and to have a year’s experience working as a journalist overseas at 19 is something pretty impressive to put on my CV. I just need to up my standards, and do something even more impressive next…

So, I’m off to university in a couple of weeks. At least I don’t have to be scared about moving away from home, haha; I just hope I haven’t forgotten how to write English essays. For anyone reading this who’s undecided whether to do a gap year or go straight to uni, go with the gap year! There is nothing as frustrating as a missed opportunity. This is one of the few times in your life that you have practically no ties or responsibilities, and are free to do whatever you want to do.

Posted by Lucy Hayes ( 10:40 AM )
Link to this post Comments[1]

Tuesday Sep 04, 2007

Tumemaliza kazi....KABISA!

well, i fly back to England on friday, so enjoying my last few days in country. We finished work yesterday and had a ceremony to celebrate, which was all very nice, we saw our top boss for the very first time and i entertained everyone with sum dancing up to the high table to collect my certificate...i decided it was all far to formal, it was all for and because of us, so i was gunna enjoy it! the volunteers are now slowly dispersing to travel, and to fly home. I'm going to struggle hugely returning back to the UK after such an amazing 8 months. i truly feel at home here, I have FINALLY got the language down, and now can chat away quite happily, leaving friends will be incredably difficult, i never thought it would be so easy to grow so close to people that are from total different cultures. vilage life ended with a huge and succesful tamasha (like a festival) with music, soda's, food, plays, songs and an italian monk called shamassi. it was hard work to organise and prepare, but it paid off, now we have to wait and see how many people test in the regular VCT visit sept 9th. I will be sad to leave, but yesterday made us all feel hugely proud. one of the SPW staff read out all our figures for this years programme. over 700 people now know their HIV status, somthing close to 2500 girls and 3000 boys in secondary alone have attended our lessons, and i cant remember primary numbers. it really made us realise that our work made a difference to those communities, and in a way i didnt really realise what i was doing until I'd finished! so thats it, goodbye to Tanzania and hello to university of Birmingham.

em x

Posted by Emily ( 1:42 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Monday Aug 13, 2007

finally!!!!

I know I know I know. I've been beyond bad as a blogger and I apologise. It's been one heck of a year, but maybe my not ranting about it has made things actually work out better!

After two years of trying to find a residential volunteer placement in the UK, I finally a place a few weeks ago. Come September, I'll be the Ashtead Youth Work Volunteer at Toynbee Hall in London for one year. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in to the position and working with Year 10 students to keep them engaged in school.

I must admit I know very little of Tower Hamlets/Whitechapel area (except, of course, Tammy Tourist that I am, that Mr. Ripper had a bit of fun in that area...) so when I told UK friends where I'll be based they did that sharp intake of breath that means 'oh...wow....um....' which made me clinch up, but I'm ready for a change and a challenge. I've done all the research on Tower Hamlets so I'm prepared (I hope). But I'm also prepared for the wonderful excitment of a new community and new friends.

Orientation is September 7-8 so I'll try and be good and catch you up on the fun.

Til then, though, for the next 21 days it's pack and clean and clean and pack (and celebrate leaving the library....yayayayayay). To my horror the airlines have cut down on the amount of checked baggage - yikes.

BTW - check out Transitions Abroad as it is the best website ever for those wanting a different kind of travel, volunteer, work experience somewhere in the big world out there.

 

Posted by Dana ( 1:24 AM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Thursday Aug 09, 2007

Nerves?

As I type this I only have about 10 hours before I need to get up to go to the airport. I can tell you right now that I don't think I've been this nervous before! Or is it excitement? I can never tell the difference!

Part of the reason I feel like this is because I have no idea what to expect from it; I've never been to the airport myself nevermind the other side of the world! Add in the fact that I don't know anyone who is going and it all equals a stomach full of butterflies. Of course I know that it's going to be an amazing experience, and that almost everyone else who I'm going to meet is probably feeling the same way... but still... AH!

My bags packed and I'm ready to go, no turning back now! But of course I don't, and wouldn't, turn back. I mean how many people in the world will get to do the things that I'll be doing over the next month? Not many when you look at the grand scale of the worlds population! So yes! Bring it on I say, a good adventure is essential in life!

So hopefully by the time you read another one of these, I'll be relaxed and at ease with the whole thing! Until then, take it easy!

Johnny

Posted by Jonathan ( 8:52 AM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Wednesday Aug 08, 2007

Travelling bug

Hey, my names Jonathan and have always wanted to travel. I come from a small town just outside Scotlands biggest city, Glasgow. I'm only 19 but have been to quite a few destinations although all with my family.

During my first year at university (which has just finished) a group called the International Student Volunteers came into a few lectures and told us about their organisation; basically telling us that we get to go to a far away country for at least a month, do two weeks volunteer work and two weeks outdoor adventure, all for a reduced price.

I was sold! I got a leaflet and saw New Zealand, and instantly knew that I wanted to go as I've always had a craving to go. As this is my first time travelling such a distance myself, and doing any kind of volunteer work, I have no idea what to expect. But from what people have told me of their own experiences it's something that I'm looking forward to.

So here's hoping that this is the start of the travelling/volunteer bug giving me a big bite on the arm!

Posted by Jonathan ( 12:52 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Friday Aug 03, 2007

The flame of independance

well, its now only a month before I fly back to good old blighty,  All's going well in village. I now teach standard 5,6 and 7 on Mondays and Thursdays on my own. while my partner teaches the secondary school...seemed stupid that we were both working every single day. weekends we teach the community, and we are currently working on organizing a community festival, which could be interesting, as we have about 2 weeks to arrange food, stage, sound system, performances, a football match, video show, etc etc, but this entry isn't about my everyday life. its more to tell you all what happened in my village last Monday. 

Tanzania is aprox 7 times the size of the england, (you can thank my fellow volunteer Vicky for that fact...she can also regail you with population numbers and local wildlife facts...anyone would think she has too much time on her hands!) I live in a village called Ukumbi, which is approx 4 hours out of Iringa town, depending on the rain and road...and the engine staying in the bus! Iringa is between 9 and 10 hours from Dar es Salam, which houses the closest subway and kfc to me right now, therefore I'm officially in the middle of no-where!

the nearest settlement to Ukumbi is Pomern.

We are sepparated from Pomern by 2 hours of hills about the same size as south downs, 5 streams but only 2 bridges, and lots of red dust. Monday morning I walked to school at 8am, after a cold bucket shower, and a chapati with tea. the teachers explained to me that lessons were canceled, because the flame of independence was coming through our village. So feeling completely ignorant, I followed the teachers down to the big river at the edge of our village and lined up with all the students and started trying to join in the clapping and stuff. I was told that the flame of independence travels the whole country once a year to remind everyone of their patriotic duty or similar.

After about half an hour a battered old 4*4 with 2 loud speakers strapped to the top rolled in and out hopped a few women in grey suits, who were obviously there to inspire in us all national pride. After lots of singing and clapping, and traditional dancing, a pick up turned up. They stopped dead in the middle of us all, and i was just wondering what they were going to do, when a 8 man brass band with dust masks and an odd panda effect from the sunglasses v's dust war that exsists in our area, appear in the back and strike up a tune!!

They were followed by a good 10-15 other 4*4's, one with a torch like the Olympic flame. there was a short speech, that only about 10 people could hear, and then lots of handshaking, before they all vanished into the distance, being guarded from behind by a truck full of soldiers announcing presumably their departure, with a ww2 air raid siren!...(maybe its in built in my blood, coz when i heard it i almost hit the deck before i realized where I was.) We all dispersed and went for lunch before lessons in the afternoon.

Slightly random story I know, but as they all pulled off it hit me that this torch of independence was traveling the whole country...every single village! its a huge task,and the people doing it all seemed determined and happy to work hard for their shared goal. It made me think about all the obstacles I face currently in village...most are less physical than mountains, rivers and dust in your trombone, but it made me realise that anything is possible with enough effort, and it is possible to show women that they don't have to do everything their husband says, especially if it harms them, and to show school students that there are bonuses to abstaining from sex...

anything is possible with enough time and energy...even a brass band in the middle of africa!

Posted by Emily ( 2:13 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Wednesday Aug 01, 2007

So, they're throwing me out...

It's my last ever night in Lüderitz. How has this happened?

We've been frantically attempting to finish everything up with the paper and get everything sorted for the next volunteers, so I haven't had time to give too much thought to actually leaving. But I am, tomorrow. It's funny, when I thought about applying for Project Trust the main thing that people picked up on was the fact that it's an entire year working overseas. When it comes to the end, it doesn't feel like it's been nearly long enough – I've been ripped off, dammit...

I was thinking about what I'll miss most when I leave – it's impossible to choose between the amazing landscapes, the view of the sea from our flat, the spectacular sunsets, the weather (it was almost vindictively nice today, like the sun was saying, "Look! It's nice here! Why leave?")... But work-linked, when will I next be able to introduce myself as a journalist? It gives you the right to be nosy wherever you like! Walking into somewhere and saying, "Hi, I'm Lucy from the Buchter News" gives people the impression that I know what I'm doing. Now, I'm too used to having a believable purpose that doesn't require an explanation. I'll end up walking into places I obviously don't belong, saying, "Hi, I'm Lucy... Actually, I'm just Lucy. Um." And seeming more confused and incapable than ever before.

I think I've gained a lot from committing myself to a year away from home. There are skills and experience, but one of the main attitude changes I've undergone this year is that I'm no longer afraid to think about living away from England for the rest of my life. This has made me realise that a year is really not as long as it sounds, and that distance doesn't have to be a daunting thing. I don't want to cut all ties with the UK or anything like that, but I just always used to imagine myself growing old in England. I've widened my horizons to more far-flung old age homes, haha.

Obviously it will be great to see everyone again when I get back, and I'm sure I'll love uni. It's just that I knew nothing about Namibia before I came here, and it's proved to be such an amazing country – there's got to be thousands of other places that I know just as little about that are just as worth living in. That's badly expressed but you see my point.

I can't get too upset about leaving as we have some holiday time first. Me and Bozena are going up to Windhoek, the capital, tomorrow, then on Friday we head up to the Zambian border to go to Livingstone and see Victoria Falls.

Christ, I'm lucky. Life is good.

Posted by Lucy Hayes ( 10:09 PM )
Link to this post Comments[2]