Hola..
Back to silly stories, just for you pete..
Thursday, Felipe (Phil likes to use his Spanish name) knocked on our door and invited us to a party! woohoo! It was a going away party for Terrain, the female canadian who was going back home. This invite came just as we were hoping to get more friendly with our neighbours, canadian and bolivian, at the seminary. We really want to be a part of the seminary community and become friends with the students there. So perfect timing he invites us to this. We had actually planned to go to an English bible study run by a Scottish missionary who works with Charles and Suzannah I mentioned before. But that´s on every week so we´ve another 12 weeks to get to that!
So yeah, we got a taxi to the party and had a great night! I may have to add it to my list of the best days ever actually. I think it was in the apartment of one of the groups friends from Calama (the church). It was lovely. It was outdoors, we sat around in garden chairs outside, had a BBQ, were introduced to a few people. A Canadian couple who preach at the seminary where there. Then about 20mins after having arrived, they cleared the chairs around the edges of the gazebo place, and put on some music. It was time for games.. haha. I love games, I do - you all know this, but also you know I´m a bit shy especially with people I don´t know!! Which was everyone - I´d only known the Canadians who invited us a few days really lol but I thought aw why not, its a good ice breaker, and given that I couldnt converse with most people there given the language barrier, it was a good chance to make friends and have a laugh. But in Bolivia, they dont do silly games. They dance!! haha! Yes. Bolivians loooove to dance. So the first thing we did was dance the ´chirpie chirpie´. It was HILARIOUS. I mean my tummy hurt by the end I was laughing so much. It´s a game/dance. I dont think I can explain it here but Dave, Jonny, and all other YF-ers, I´m bringin it back to carrick with me! Something for you to look forward to. So the night went well, everyone was really friendly to us and really welcoming.
Last night we stayed in just at the seminary. I´d bought a ball (there´s loads of outdoor playing space, inc a concrete football/basketball court) so a few of my team were out playing volleyball when Felipe and Benjamin (Bolivian guy we met at party who goes to the bible college,lives in seminary) came over and so we got a few games goin (some more il be able to bring back to YF!) . There are about 7 kids I think who live in the seminary grounds who as soon as they hear people playing they run to join in, so we played tag with them for aaaages. It was great fun. And good for us mixing with the Bolivians. The kids are great. They know we dont speak good Spanish and are so patient with us. I love ball games, like we can play with the kids for hours without needing language, they´re such lovely kids.
I know the above is pretty useless information and I didnt need to tell you, but it just sums up so well life at the seminary. I love it. If we had been placed in a house just on the street on our own there´s no way we would be meeting to many locals and especially local Christians. It´s such a friendly, family-like atmosphere here. It´s a lovely place to live and I´ll be super happy to live here for 4 months!
This morning we ventured up El Cristo ( google it). It´s this huuge statue of Christ which is symbolically set high above the city of Cochabamba. About 2,000 steps up to it in what must have been high20s - hot heat. There are cable cars up and down but we were feeling rather enthusiastic so walked it. Felipe and Benjamin and Dave took us up. It was good craic. At the top I mean, the hike up I near died!! I blame the altitude though, not my fitness..ahem.
The view from the top is breathtaking. You can see the whole of Cochabamba. You really can see the staute from almost anywhere down in the city too. The seminary is pretty much right beside it (hmm I wonder if you would see it on google maps?! mayb andy could check that out and let me know?!) so it´s handy if we ever got lost in the city we just look up at the Cristo and walk towards it. It´s lit up at night time and it changes colour every now and again. It´s really scary looking when it turns red!
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Friday, 25 April 2008
Project Information
Hola..
It´s been brought to my attentoin that my blog consists of too many sily stories and useless info and not enough details of the work and the projects..sorry mum! So I´ve put together some notes on the projects of Mosoj Yan..
The Centro de Trabajadoras is for high risk young girls of about primary school age whose mothers mostly work on the street selling things. It´s a bit like a homework club. The girls have some lessons. This week a heaslice epidemic broke out so they brought someone in to talk about that and have their heads all showered with chemicals! The girls get breakfast and lunch here. In the afternoons there is a changeover when the younger girls leave and teenage girls arrive. Some of these older girls have come through the other Mosoj Yan centres and now back living with families. They come to get vocational training here. Products they make are sold in the Mosoj Yan shop (bread, cards, bags..). Hannah W and Emma are helping out here now.
The Centro de Motivacion is mostly practical work on the streets. This part of the project provides access to hygiene, life skills and sex education. The aim is to motivate girls to want to change and come off the streets into one of Mosoj Yan´s centres. Due to the full-on ness (no other way to describe haha) of this work none of us will be involved with it.
The Centro de Renovacion is a home for girls who have chosen to change. The girls may have addictions to drugs an alcohol. The staff team includes a psychologist, social worker, educators and a house mother. The girls may have babies which come into the house with them. Currently there are 4 girls and 1 baby in the centre. There were 5 girls, but one was évicted´along with her baby earlier this week. This is not a regular occurance but rule and method must be followed and the girls must have a genuine desire to better themselves. The door will be open if this girl is 14 and her child do wish to return. Katie and Heather are helping at this project now.
The Alberge de Restoracion is where Hannah S-R and I are placed now. It is a home for girls who either have successfully changed through the renovation centre or whose situations were not as severe and could enter straight into this project. This centre aims to prepare the girls to return home or live with some family member. The staff team again includes a psychologist, a social worker, an educator, a practical skills teacher and a house mother. At present there are 7 girls here. There is talk of one girl)and her baby) from the renovation centre moving in shortly but I don´t know much about that situation yet. Three of the girls go to school in the afternoon. The girls learn how to cook, clean, wash clothes, do gardening, and skills such a crochet and knitting. All skills to prepare them for leaving the centre and beginning to look after themselves properly when they mocve back home.
As Mosoj Yan is a Christian organisation, every centre is run by passionate Christians. The main aim of the centres is to provide physical and emotional support, but they manage very well to integrate bible studies and play Christian music etc., and of course the very example of the leaders! At every centre the girls are encouraged to pray - they must say Grace before their meals, etc.. The linking between centres means that although a girl may only stay at one centre for a few months to a year, they are still a part of Mosoj Yan and build strong relationships with the staff.
I hope this gives you a clear picture of the work I´m involved with out here and I´m sorry it´s taken me until now to clarify.(mum!) It´s just that with such bust days and so many things happening I´m bursting with things to share with everybody and get carried away and leave out the facts. But there you go, now back to my stories..
It´s been brought to my attentoin that my blog consists of too many sily stories and useless info and not enough details of the work and the projects..sorry mum! So I´ve put together some notes on the projects of Mosoj Yan..
The Centro de Trabajadoras is for high risk young girls of about primary school age whose mothers mostly work on the street selling things. It´s a bit like a homework club. The girls have some lessons. This week a heaslice epidemic broke out so they brought someone in to talk about that and have their heads all showered with chemicals! The girls get breakfast and lunch here. In the afternoons there is a changeover when the younger girls leave and teenage girls arrive. Some of these older girls have come through the other Mosoj Yan centres and now back living with families. They come to get vocational training here. Products they make are sold in the Mosoj Yan shop (bread, cards, bags..). Hannah W and Emma are helping out here now.
The Centro de Motivacion is mostly practical work on the streets. This part of the project provides access to hygiene, life skills and sex education. The aim is to motivate girls to want to change and come off the streets into one of Mosoj Yan´s centres. Due to the full-on ness (no other way to describe haha) of this work none of us will be involved with it.
The Centro de Renovacion is a home for girls who have chosen to change. The girls may have addictions to drugs an alcohol. The staff team includes a psychologist, social worker, educators and a house mother. The girls may have babies which come into the house with them. Currently there are 4 girls and 1 baby in the centre. There were 5 girls, but one was évicted´along with her baby earlier this week. This is not a regular occurance but rule and method must be followed and the girls must have a genuine desire to better themselves. The door will be open if this girl is 14 and her child do wish to return. Katie and Heather are helping at this project now.
The Alberge de Restoracion is where Hannah S-R and I are placed now. It is a home for girls who either have successfully changed through the renovation centre or whose situations were not as severe and could enter straight into this project. This centre aims to prepare the girls to return home or live with some family member. The staff team again includes a psychologist, a social worker, an educator, a practical skills teacher and a house mother. At present there are 7 girls here. There is talk of one girl)and her baby) from the renovation centre moving in shortly but I don´t know much about that situation yet. Three of the girls go to school in the afternoon. The girls learn how to cook, clean, wash clothes, do gardening, and skills such a crochet and knitting. All skills to prepare them for leaving the centre and beginning to look after themselves properly when they mocve back home.
As Mosoj Yan is a Christian organisation, every centre is run by passionate Christians. The main aim of the centres is to provide physical and emotional support, but they manage very well to integrate bible studies and play Christian music etc., and of course the very example of the leaders! At every centre the girls are encouraged to pray - they must say Grace before their meals, etc.. The linking between centres means that although a girl may only stay at one centre for a few months to a year, they are still a part of Mosoj Yan and build strong relationships with the staff.
I hope this gives you a clear picture of the work I´m involved with out here and I´m sorry it´s taken me until now to clarify.(mum!) It´s just that with such bust days and so many things happening I´m bursting with things to share with everybody and get carried away and leave out the facts. But there you go, now back to my stories..
Monday, 21 April 2008
happy happy joy joy!
Hola!
Since last entry I have had 2 of the best nights of my life - not just in my time in Bolivia, no I really think these will go down in the ´best days of my life - period.´ list. Friday night was the 17th anniversary of Mosoj Yan. We were invited to the party in which each of the centres took part. Our girls performed a dance routine they made up (with the help of Hannah and I, of course). They did so well. Hannah and I both commented that we were sitting feeling sick with nerves for them perhaps as a proud mum would of her kids in a school play or something. We were so proud of them! After the evening officially ended Hannah and I hung out with our girls from our centre. It was just nice being with them outside of their house (the anniversry party was in the main Mosoj Yan building). We took lots of photos, met lots of people, lots of fun! I was the happiest I´ve been since i arrived here - if I ever manage to get photos on here you´ll see my grin hahaha! Get your grill out! (Or traintracks?!ha)
Last night (Sunday) was the joint service at Calama Baptist. Best church service I´ve ever been to! (sorry lyndsey haha only jokin..) It was incredible! It was a joint service for all languages at the church and each nationality took part. Spanish, Portugeuse, and Quechen, and my team plus the canadians represented the English speakers. The Portugeuse music was crazy! We loved it! It takes a lot to get me clapping my hands but last night it took more to keep my feet on the ground! It was absolutely fantastic, the whole service. Such a sense of union. Each nationality sang and clapped along to everyone elses songs etc.. At the very end of the service the final song was in spanish (words translated roughly something like ´the victory is mine, the victory is mine, over and over´with a couple of closing lines). Anyway yes, so everyone sang it through in Spanish loads of times, then the lead singer was like ´can we sing this in portugeuse?!´looking at the portugesue crowd and a couple of them started it off and the rest followed, then in quechen one man came up and took the mic for a couple of verses, then he looked in our direction for an english representative. We were the minority so I dont think he really expected much response from us but as we were all nudging each other and trying not to make eye contact with the guy, phil (canadian) runs up and grabs the mic and leads it in English! Aw it was awesome. Such craic. Our part in the service was a drama which went quite well I think. Well, it must have done cause the pastor made it very clear that if we wanted to do anything next week it´s totally fine. I politely declined.. We were also asked to lead a whole English service! So that´s gonna be in 3-4 weeks. They just can´t seem to get enough of us haha.
Oh I´ve totally fallen in love with all the girls at my centre. It took a few days to get settled, but now after the party on friday and everything its just great. I really look forward to going and I´m really really happy. They are such amazing girls, I dunno if I mentioned their names before but in case not they are Joseline, Naomi, Carla, Nieves, Rosa, HannahMaria and Lydia. Between ages 12 - 17.
My Spanish is coming along well. I´m underdstanding more each day, slowly but surely..
We had our first sickness this week - Katie was sick fri/sat but totally recovered now. Heather was a little too but she´s also fine. I´m still fit as a fiddle and heathly as a.. hmmm *insert your own similie*
So much I could write but only one min left here. Oh! I held a puppy today - and got my photo taken - I promise! haha
Chao Chao..
Since last entry I have had 2 of the best nights of my life - not just in my time in Bolivia, no I really think these will go down in the ´best days of my life - period.´ list. Friday night was the 17th anniversary of Mosoj Yan. We were invited to the party in which each of the centres took part. Our girls performed a dance routine they made up (with the help of Hannah and I, of course). They did so well. Hannah and I both commented that we were sitting feeling sick with nerves for them perhaps as a proud mum would of her kids in a school play or something. We were so proud of them! After the evening officially ended Hannah and I hung out with our girls from our centre. It was just nice being with them outside of their house (the anniversry party was in the main Mosoj Yan building). We took lots of photos, met lots of people, lots of fun! I was the happiest I´ve been since i arrived here - if I ever manage to get photos on here you´ll see my grin hahaha! Get your grill out! (Or traintracks?!ha)
Last night (Sunday) was the joint service at Calama Baptist. Best church service I´ve ever been to! (sorry lyndsey haha only jokin..) It was incredible! It was a joint service for all languages at the church and each nationality took part. Spanish, Portugeuse, and Quechen, and my team plus the canadians represented the English speakers. The Portugeuse music was crazy! We loved it! It takes a lot to get me clapping my hands but last night it took more to keep my feet on the ground! It was absolutely fantastic, the whole service. Such a sense of union. Each nationality sang and clapped along to everyone elses songs etc.. At the very end of the service the final song was in spanish (words translated roughly something like ´the victory is mine, the victory is mine, over and over´with a couple of closing lines). Anyway yes, so everyone sang it through in Spanish loads of times, then the lead singer was like ´can we sing this in portugeuse?!´looking at the portugesue crowd and a couple of them started it off and the rest followed, then in quechen one man came up and took the mic for a couple of verses, then he looked in our direction for an english representative. We were the minority so I dont think he really expected much response from us but as we were all nudging each other and trying not to make eye contact with the guy, phil (canadian) runs up and grabs the mic and leads it in English! Aw it was awesome. Such craic. Our part in the service was a drama which went quite well I think. Well, it must have done cause the pastor made it very clear that if we wanted to do anything next week it´s totally fine. I politely declined.. We were also asked to lead a whole English service! So that´s gonna be in 3-4 weeks. They just can´t seem to get enough of us haha.
Oh I´ve totally fallen in love with all the girls at my centre. It took a few days to get settled, but now after the party on friday and everything its just great. I really look forward to going and I´m really really happy. They are such amazing girls, I dunno if I mentioned their names before but in case not they are Joseline, Naomi, Carla, Nieves, Rosa, HannahMaria and Lydia. Between ages 12 - 17.
My Spanish is coming along well. I´m underdstanding more each day, slowly but surely..
We had our first sickness this week - Katie was sick fri/sat but totally recovered now. Heather was a little too but she´s also fine. I´m still fit as a fiddle and heathly as a.. hmmm *insert your own similie*
So much I could write but only one min left here. Oh! I held a puppy today - and got my photo taken - I promise! haha
Chao Chao..
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Hola..
Time is tight again today, I shan´t tell you why - mother might worry. Ha ha yeah this is a story for when i come home and someone makes me a cuppa tea!
So a quick update then.. Sunday we went to Calama Baptist Church. They have an English service at 9am we went to.About 40 attended. Afterwards we were approached by one of the leaders who introduced himself and sp did we and he asked us to help with 2 songs in the service next week as well as doing a drama for the 5.30pm joint service - eng, span, port, quecha! We also met there a (rather lovely) canadian guy who happens to be staying in the apartment above us in the seminary.
This week´s been hectic with working full days at the centre, along with putting a drama together at such short notice. On top of that we also have 6 hours of individual Spanish lessons each per week. Which is awesome - very much needed!
I was introduced to 2 forms of Bolivian public transport this week. Taxi on Monday which ripped us ´white people´off somethin shockin! But the main thing is the bus. Like I said - crazy roads. Dad, you wouldn´t last 5 mins on the roads!haha! Actually, you might fit it perfectly as one of these crazy bus drivers..!! Another observation about the roads... Yano how on ´pimp my ride´(over 40s? - ask your kids..) ya can never quite believe that those horrible, falling to pieces vehicles are on the roads? Well, now I believe it!
More little things whice may paint more of a picture of Cochabamba..
Dogs. Everywhere. Stray dogs are at every street corner. It´s really strange to be honest but I´m used to it now. There is no place for fear of dogs here! They don´t come near you like they just sit about.. Oh - At the centre I´m working at there is a stray dog that lives just outside the grounds. It´s stinkin but it´s got 3 one month old pups! They are gorgeous. They are stray yet the centre staff and girls always nurse them and look after them etc so it´s ok. Listen up everyone - I have actually stroked them all! Me! Touching dogs!? IIIIIII know! I´m determined to hold one before my time´s up at that centre - I´ll make that promise to all Chambers! I´ll get photographic evidence to prove it too.
Yesterday I was sitting on a bench with Heather just killing time before our Span lessons and a boy of about 12yrs I´d guess, came up begging from us, with a bottle of glue in his hand. He was just a typical street boy that you´d see on TV or whatever but when you come face to face with this situation it actually makes you feel a way you never have before, it´s heartbreaking. I couldn´t look at him.
Right, must go.. eek. Bye, ps please keep commenting and emailing - time is short so I can´t always reply but I always read them!love..x
Time is tight again today, I shan´t tell you why - mother might worry. Ha ha yeah this is a story for when i come home and someone makes me a cuppa tea!
So a quick update then.. Sunday we went to Calama Baptist Church. They have an English service at 9am we went to.About 40 attended. Afterwards we were approached by one of the leaders who introduced himself and sp did we and he asked us to help with 2 songs in the service next week as well as doing a drama for the 5.30pm joint service - eng, span, port, quecha! We also met there a (rather lovely) canadian guy who happens to be staying in the apartment above us in the seminary.
This week´s been hectic with working full days at the centre, along with putting a drama together at such short notice. On top of that we also have 6 hours of individual Spanish lessons each per week. Which is awesome - very much needed!
I was introduced to 2 forms of Bolivian public transport this week. Taxi on Monday which ripped us ´white people´off somethin shockin! But the main thing is the bus. Like I said - crazy roads. Dad, you wouldn´t last 5 mins on the roads!haha! Actually, you might fit it perfectly as one of these crazy bus drivers..!! Another observation about the roads... Yano how on ´pimp my ride´(over 40s? - ask your kids..) ya can never quite believe that those horrible, falling to pieces vehicles are on the roads? Well, now I believe it!
More little things whice may paint more of a picture of Cochabamba..
Dogs. Everywhere. Stray dogs are at every street corner. It´s really strange to be honest but I´m used to it now. There is no place for fear of dogs here! They don´t come near you like they just sit about.. Oh - At the centre I´m working at there is a stray dog that lives just outside the grounds. It´s stinkin but it´s got 3 one month old pups! They are gorgeous. They are stray yet the centre staff and girls always nurse them and look after them etc so it´s ok. Listen up everyone - I have actually stroked them all! Me! Touching dogs!? IIIIIII know! I´m determined to hold one before my time´s up at that centre - I´ll make that promise to all Chambers! I´ll get photographic evidence to prove it too.
Yesterday I was sitting on a bench with Heather just killing time before our Span lessons and a boy of about 12yrs I´d guess, came up begging from us, with a bottle of glue in his hand. He was just a typical street boy that you´d see on TV or whatever but when you come face to face with this situation it actually makes you feel a way you never have before, it´s heartbreaking. I couldn´t look at him.
Right, must go.. eek. Bye, ps please keep commenting and emailing - time is short so I can´t always reply but I always read them!love..x
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Hola..
Got cut off pretty abrubtly last day so carrying on.. yeah so we start work on Monday. Bit of a change though - i´d mentioned we were going to be working on our own at some projects, which meant travelling on our own and if you had seen the roads and buses then you would understand the concern we had. I mean, every third vehicle on the road is a bus, but there are no bus stops?!It would appear you just hail a bus anywhere, or actually I saw someone jump on a bus while it was stopped at lights for 2 secs! And getting off? pretty much jump out wherever. Tearfunds policy is that we shouldnt ever be alone in the city so we chatted and decided we didn´t want to do it - phew. So we will always be in pairs now. Each pair will work for one month at a project and rotate for 4 months.
We were at a business meeting at Mosoj Yan were we met an English couple who were 2 of the nicest people you could meet. Charles and Suzanne. They set up a project to help people in prison and their children - it´s a pretty complex project that I don´t have time to get into now but they invited us to visit them and help out if we have any free time cos they are struggling. They gave us their number and offered any help about anything at all while here just to contact them - also gave us a few tips for living in the city.
It was children´s day in Bolivia on friday. They have days for everything here! So we were at the party at Mosoj Yan. It was great. Pretty similar to kids parties back home. One thing I notice is how well behaved the kids are! It´s quite different to youthclub I´ll tell you!haha! We all had lunch together and I was a bit uneasy with the 4 yr old (very like Adam in junior yc!) sitting beside me eating his chicken drumstick on-the-bone with a steak knife.
It´s heart-breaking when these kids are clinging to you and turn and say something to you or ask you something and the only response you can give is ´no entiendo´. The kids are adorable and so friendly with us.
We had a meeting with our Spanish teachers. They are so lovely and had a chat with us one on one to see what sort of level we are at. It looks like we will be having 2hours one-on-one lessons a week. And if we go in pairs it will be 4 hours. They actually invited us all round to one of their houses for dinner tomorrow night to get to know us and chat about our cyllabus for the 4 months.
chao..
Got cut off pretty abrubtly last day so carrying on.. yeah so we start work on Monday. Bit of a change though - i´d mentioned we were going to be working on our own at some projects, which meant travelling on our own and if you had seen the roads and buses then you would understand the concern we had. I mean, every third vehicle on the road is a bus, but there are no bus stops?!It would appear you just hail a bus anywhere, or actually I saw someone jump on a bus while it was stopped at lights for 2 secs! And getting off? pretty much jump out wherever. Tearfunds policy is that we shouldnt ever be alone in the city so we chatted and decided we didn´t want to do it - phew. So we will always be in pairs now. Each pair will work for one month at a project and rotate for 4 months.
We were at a business meeting at Mosoj Yan were we met an English couple who were 2 of the nicest people you could meet. Charles and Suzanne. They set up a project to help people in prison and their children - it´s a pretty complex project that I don´t have time to get into now but they invited us to visit them and help out if we have any free time cos they are struggling. They gave us their number and offered any help about anything at all while here just to contact them - also gave us a few tips for living in the city.
It was children´s day in Bolivia on friday. They have days for everything here! So we were at the party at Mosoj Yan. It was great. Pretty similar to kids parties back home. One thing I notice is how well behaved the kids are! It´s quite different to youthclub I´ll tell you!haha! We all had lunch together and I was a bit uneasy with the 4 yr old (very like Adam in junior yc!) sitting beside me eating his chicken drumstick on-the-bone with a steak knife.
It´s heart-breaking when these kids are clinging to you and turn and say something to you or ask you something and the only response you can give is ´no entiendo´. The kids are adorable and so friendly with us.
We had a meeting with our Spanish teachers. They are so lovely and had a chat with us one on one to see what sort of level we are at. It looks like we will be having 2hours one-on-one lessons a week. And if we go in pairs it will be 4 hours. They actually invited us all round to one of their houses for dinner tomorrow night to get to know us and chat about our cyllabus for the 4 months.
chao..
Friday, 11 April 2008
ARRIVED!
Hola!
Firstly - sigh of relief I just spent about 10 mins trying to access my blog - i think emma knows what im talkin about, silly passwords. But I´m here now and i´ll try my best to fill you in on what has been a crazy couple of days..
So i was due to leave Belfast on sunday afternoon to go to my send-off orientation in wokingham with my team. Well my flight to Gatwick was cancelled which I only found out once I´d joined the check-in queue at city airport and glanced at the screen in front of me. So rather than go into the quite traumatic :s details - I ended up flying into heathrow on monday evening where Stephen ( awesome bro!) picked me up and drove me to the centre.
Upon arriving i was told that Katie mightnt have been able to fly out with us the next day! She has a medical skin problem (I won´t embarrass myself by trying to spell it) and InterHealth, the people who gave us medical clearance to travel, weren´t happy for her to fly out because she had had a flair up the week before. They told her this on Monday evening! So she left an hour after I arrived to go home and ring her consultant first thing Tuesday morning - she managed to get an appointment for that afternoon. Meanwhile matt had given her until 4.30 as a deadline to meet us at the airport for our flight before he would have to consider cancelling her ticket! ( We left the centre for the airport at 3pm Tues.) So at 3.20 she rang me and said she was on her way. Pheew!
The flight to Sau Paulo which I was stressing about being 8 hours long, actually was a 12hour flight! "I was way off"(any dumb+dumber fans?!). Anyway, it was totally fine! I wasn´t even that anxious getting on. It was extremely long, dragged in at times. The seats weren´t very comfy tho I sort of dosed on and off throughout. Arriving at Sao Paulo I actually remembered a text Phil sent me regarding one of his flights to j´berg or somewhere, he said you literally start to sweat once you step off the plane. It was crazy heat. Had about a 2 hour wait then a 2 hour flight to Ascuncion, Paraguay, another hour wait there til our final flight into Cochbamba. All flights were totally fine and it´s such an answer to prayer. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me over that journey, I really felt like I was being looked after, I was very calm and relaxed!
Emma´s bag didn´t turn up, but we were able to go and collect it yesterday because that same flight comes in at the same time each day apparently, which was lucky.
Ross Mary ( Rosemary) met us at the airport. She works at Mosoj Yan and is one of our main links in the projects. She speaks good English. She took us to the seminary where we are living for the 4 months. It´s.. emm. Alright. haha no it´s fine like it´s pretty basic. There´s a little kitchen, a quite big dining room with a 6-seat table and a desk. There are 3 rooms. The 6 of us picke our names out of a hat to decide rooms. I´m with Hannah S-R in the smallest room, but it´s nice. Bunk beds, I´m on the top and there are no ladders to get up there. Or down - which is more tricky cause the floors are very hard tiles so it hurts to jump - I´ve managed to create somewhat of a safety mat of blankets etc which i launch onto - it sounds fun. It´s not. Also there are no side bits on the top bunk so if i roll in my sleep im a goner really.
The bathroom´s a bit manky to be honest and hot water isn´t even an option with there being only one tap turning one way. Though in the heat it´s somewhat refreshing.. once you pass the ´frozen, can´t breathe´stage. I think I´ve been pretty negative there, honestly it´s not that bad. Its very much liveable for 4 months.
Yesterday Ross Mary took us to Mosoj Yan. I don´t even know where to start describing it. Which is why I left it til last (or maybe I wanted my rant out of the way first haha). Literally, I dunno what to say haha. Emm it´s fantastic, it´s amazing, just awesome. All of the people are sooo friendly and welcoming. We got shown around the main Mosoj Yan centre, then the other projects. They are all just so overwhelming?is that the word? I don´t know. I don´t have time now to go into each of the projects. We were given a bit of a shock yesterday which to be honest hasn´t sunk in yet. There are 5 projects. So 2 of us will work at one, and the rest of us at one each of the others. That´s for 2 months, then we change to a diff one for the last 2 months. Thankfully I´m working with Hannah at the first project at Mosoj Yan for the first 2 months. I hope that by the time I have to go off on my own I´ll have a better grasp of the language. The language is the hardest thing about this. The situations I have found myself in already are just so hard beasue of the language. These projects would be extremely difficult in themselves like if the people we were working with were English, but the Spanish is such a difficult barrier. We are getting 2 one on one Spanish lessons a week for the first month, inc in the price of the trip. Please pray for my Spanish to improve greatly - this is the main thing.
I´m sorry this has been such a long entry, thanks if you´ve managed to reach the end. So much has happened since we arrived it´s hard to put it into words! I don´t have my camera leads to get photos on yet, and I´v only taken about 5 anyway - we are just too busy to take pictures - honestly. It´s been crazy. And it will be for the whole time. We´ll be up about 7am each day - be at our projects for 9am start. Work (yes, work - for anyone thinking this was a doss about travelling trip) there til about 4.30 / 5. Bare in mind this is work with no one else who speaks English.
Ahh must go - ran out of ti.... ha bubi!
Firstly - sigh of relief I just spent about 10 mins trying to access my blog - i think emma knows what im talkin about, silly passwords. But I´m here now and i´ll try my best to fill you in on what has been a crazy couple of days..
So i was due to leave Belfast on sunday afternoon to go to my send-off orientation in wokingham with my team. Well my flight to Gatwick was cancelled which I only found out once I´d joined the check-in queue at city airport and glanced at the screen in front of me. So rather than go into the quite traumatic :s details - I ended up flying into heathrow on monday evening where Stephen ( awesome bro!) picked me up and drove me to the centre.
Upon arriving i was told that Katie mightnt have been able to fly out with us the next day! She has a medical skin problem (I won´t embarrass myself by trying to spell it) and InterHealth, the people who gave us medical clearance to travel, weren´t happy for her to fly out because she had had a flair up the week before. They told her this on Monday evening! So she left an hour after I arrived to go home and ring her consultant first thing Tuesday morning - she managed to get an appointment for that afternoon. Meanwhile matt had given her until 4.30 as a deadline to meet us at the airport for our flight before he would have to consider cancelling her ticket! ( We left the centre for the airport at 3pm Tues.) So at 3.20 she rang me and said she was on her way. Pheew!
The flight to Sau Paulo which I was stressing about being 8 hours long, actually was a 12hour flight! "I was way off"(any dumb+dumber fans?!). Anyway, it was totally fine! I wasn´t even that anxious getting on. It was extremely long, dragged in at times. The seats weren´t very comfy tho I sort of dosed on and off throughout. Arriving at Sao Paulo I actually remembered a text Phil sent me regarding one of his flights to j´berg or somewhere, he said you literally start to sweat once you step off the plane. It was crazy heat. Had about a 2 hour wait then a 2 hour flight to Ascuncion, Paraguay, another hour wait there til our final flight into Cochbamba. All flights were totally fine and it´s such an answer to prayer. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me over that journey, I really felt like I was being looked after, I was very calm and relaxed!
Emma´s bag didn´t turn up, but we were able to go and collect it yesterday because that same flight comes in at the same time each day apparently, which was lucky.
Ross Mary ( Rosemary) met us at the airport. She works at Mosoj Yan and is one of our main links in the projects. She speaks good English. She took us to the seminary where we are living for the 4 months. It´s.. emm. Alright. haha no it´s fine like it´s pretty basic. There´s a little kitchen, a quite big dining room with a 6-seat table and a desk. There are 3 rooms. The 6 of us picke our names out of a hat to decide rooms. I´m with Hannah S-R in the smallest room, but it´s nice. Bunk beds, I´m on the top and there are no ladders to get up there. Or down - which is more tricky cause the floors are very hard tiles so it hurts to jump - I´ve managed to create somewhat of a safety mat of blankets etc which i launch onto - it sounds fun. It´s not. Also there are no side bits on the top bunk so if i roll in my sleep im a goner really.
The bathroom´s a bit manky to be honest and hot water isn´t even an option with there being only one tap turning one way. Though in the heat it´s somewhat refreshing.. once you pass the ´frozen, can´t breathe´stage. I think I´ve been pretty negative there, honestly it´s not that bad. Its very much liveable for 4 months.
Yesterday Ross Mary took us to Mosoj Yan. I don´t even know where to start describing it. Which is why I left it til last (or maybe I wanted my rant out of the way first haha). Literally, I dunno what to say haha. Emm it´s fantastic, it´s amazing, just awesome. All of the people are sooo friendly and welcoming. We got shown around the main Mosoj Yan centre, then the other projects. They are all just so overwhelming?is that the word? I don´t know. I don´t have time now to go into each of the projects. We were given a bit of a shock yesterday which to be honest hasn´t sunk in yet. There are 5 projects. So 2 of us will work at one, and the rest of us at one each of the others. That´s for 2 months, then we change to a diff one for the last 2 months. Thankfully I´m working with Hannah at the first project at Mosoj Yan for the first 2 months. I hope that by the time I have to go off on my own I´ll have a better grasp of the language. The language is the hardest thing about this. The situations I have found myself in already are just so hard beasue of the language. These projects would be extremely difficult in themselves like if the people we were working with were English, but the Spanish is such a difficult barrier. We are getting 2 one on one Spanish lessons a week for the first month, inc in the price of the trip. Please pray for my Spanish to improve greatly - this is the main thing.
I´m sorry this has been such a long entry, thanks if you´ve managed to reach the end. So much has happened since we arrived it´s hard to put it into words! I don´t have my camera leads to get photos on yet, and I´v only taken about 5 anyway - we are just too busy to take pictures - honestly. It´s been crazy. And it will be for the whole time. We´ll be up about 7am each day - be at our projects for 9am start. Work (yes, work - for anyone thinking this was a doss about travelling trip) there til about 4.30 / 5. Bare in mind this is work with no one else who speaks English.
Ahh must go - ran out of ti.... ha bubi!
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