Gallery 44

So it has been 10 days, they have been fun and long and passed too fast! The bad news is I have tonsilitis and the past 2 days I have not really been doing that much besides working on a few projects and trying to get some rest as I can barely swallow water or talk! The children in the schools are now like my own family, our greetings have moved from the Zambian handshake and the formal meetings, to jumping and hugging and starting to giggle. The container from Operation Sunshine has not arrived, therefore, I am still waiting to see the whole process in practice. I am still waiting on a meeting with Rotary PP to settle all the projects I have had as I will be leaving my beloved Zed in exactly 2 weeks. I have mixed feelings, I feel like home here and I would really love to stay more but I am also aware of all the people waiting back for me in Europe and my new job in Belgium in September. I am a bit tired and ill but this will not stop me from having the best 2 weeks so far. The we...

I am stunned! Completely and utterly baffled at how different youngsters are treated across the globe! I had the opportunity today to conduct, ON MY OWN, a needs assessment that was 7 months overdue, to sponsor new projects of up to $40,000 on the Chikumbuso Women and Orphans Project. I mean WOW! Anywhere else in the Western world this would have never happened, consulted me, maybe, trust me to do it all?? NO WAY, JOSE!!! I am overusing capitals but I am still in disbelief, as I finished writing the initial draft of the report a little while ago, and the feeling is just sinking in... Yesterday was a nice day, I caught up on some work and also tended to some girly stuff, just because my internet decided he hates me and stopped working. Luckily enough, this morning it was all okay! So yes, today has been hectic and so interesting and I am just filling in a form for a Global Forum for youngsters and am trying to sort some application for the Indian summer program and finished a poste...

This is my third day in Zambia and I am settling down in a nice routine, I am now feeling very much at home and in the past two days I have started to learn a bit more about this wonderful place. I have realised that most families, as in India, have maids and that it is common practice. I must admit that I still feel uncomfortable but am trying to adapt as well as I can as I know that this is how they earn their living. I do try to clean up after our meals and do things myself but find it that I feel embarassed and awkward in telling them that I don't mind. A similar situation happened today, when we were in the market, and the boy we hired to help us carry the groceries wasn't able to get all the bags and I just picked a basket and a couple of bags to carry them myself. Regardless of the fact that I was one of the couple of foreigners there and the constant questions from little boys offering to carry my bags, the look of disbelief and amazament that they had, looking at ...

And other day has passed in new and exciting India. Today was eventful and gave us more of a taste of how India actually lives and breathes. When we arrived at the YMCA we were greeted by some very friendly receptionists and somehow managed to finish our check in just before 5 AM, although the bus journey took a little under 2 hours, and then settled in our rooms.  I did not want to sleep as I thought that if I keep going until the evening my sleep pattern will adjust itself but how wrong was I.  During breakfast we planned to go out exploring and that is exactly what we did, in the heat of the morning we set out to see New Delhi for the first time and we were greeted by a noisy, fast-paced and wonderful city. We all were on the same flight and made friends really fast and that is what I love about having a diverse group, you get to meet people that will inspire you and support you just because you are thrown in life's challenges together. One of our friends, man...

Another month has passed and I finally convinced myself to write another post after reading the blog of a very cute and intersting guy I met during my trip to Croatia. Yes, the time I spent there was amazing and I am getting a taste for travelling alone, but this is not the most important thing that happened to me in the last 30 days. First things first, I went to Split and found Croatia to be an amazing country, where I had the luck to find amazing people. Although I was a little worried about how my holiday will go since I was on my own, I do not regret one moment. Split was big enough not to get bored, but small enough to keep the village feel. It had an amazing reservation park, that I went hiking in and ended up on the other side of the peninsula, where I stayed for an entire day, reading and enjoying the sun on the rocky beach. When I came back, I went to Thorpe park with friends from work and it was the best experience ever! I think I am going to go to America just to g...