If any of you want to read more about our experiences in Ghana, you should read Kaisa's Blog or Jacob's Blog. Kaisa's is written in both Finnish and English and has a nice "storytelling" quality to it while Jacob's takes on a more informative format while still detailing his experiences and observations.
A brief history of who these two crazy Nordics are:
Jacob - from Denmark
- likes: coffee, beer and wikipedia
- dislikes: whenever I'm right :P
- have known each other for five years
- studied together in Norway and at SFU
- currently studying together at the University of Ghana
- hope to visit Jacob in Denmark soon, perhaps at Roskilde!
Kaisa - from Finland
- likes: Muumi, Sangría and Canadians
- dislikes - coffee, chocolate (I know, weird right?) and mornings
- have known each other and been close friends since the first year at SFU
- currently studying the same courses at the University of Ghana
- plan to live together in an amazing apartment in Vancouver for our last year!
I'll try to write a new post tomorrow but in the meantime enjoy their blogs!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
10 Impressions of Ghana in my first 10 days
1. Tempo of life
I have already started walking at a slower pace. After travelling in New York City, London, Stockholm, and Helsinki for the previous three weeks, I was used to a very quick “city” pace. Walking, touring, eating, it was always a rush! So the tempo of life was perhaps the biggest shock when I arrived as everyone is so relaxed here. Ladies in the market nap and you must wake them if you'd like to buy some pineapple or coconut (my favourite things to eat right now!) People walk slowly here and stop to visit with one another in a much more relaxed manner than I'm accustomed to at home. In that sense it is a rather nice change.
However, while the change in pace has been charming in some respects, in others ways it has been incredibly frustrating. The internet cafes on campus are practically like not having the internet at all. Imagine paying for one hour of internet and spending at least 40 minutes trying to load a page or two. a The bank lines are also incredibly long and overwhelming. I never realized how much I take the interent for granted. I will never again complain about Reznet at SFU! Haha.
2. University Bureaucracy
This is actually interrelated with the tempo of life but I thought it was important to at least give one separate impression solely focusing on my first impression of the university. The mess of paperwork and separate institutions that required paperwork was a bit overwhelming at first. Yet, as I have never been an exchange student before I really cannot say whether my experience here has been completely normal or bordering on the ridiculous. Perhaps after next semester when I am in Mexico I can at least compare the two schools. But besides the large amount of paperwork and the seemingly endless need for copies of everything from our acceptance letter to bank receipts to passport photos, my first impression of the University of Ghana is that it is rather disorganized. Most people that know me well will tell you that I am slightly neurotic when it comes to being organized so perhaps my standards are set to an impossible level. However, in the past two days Kaisa has attended two classes (I've been ill so I haven't gone with her), and both times the professor did not show up. In fact the class schedule just became available on Friday so I still haven't had a chance to find out when all of my classes will be. I think this may read as a bit of a complaint because I am a crazy person when it comes to organization but the lack of planning is actually rather refreshing and perhaps just what I need right now. Classes will hopefully be more about the subject material while I'm on exchange and less about grades (I'm really getting sick of caring about my GPA). So overall, I'd probably be annoyed if I had to deal with the university bureaucracy year after year, but for one semester I can definitely tolerate, and even enjoy it.
3. “Third world”
Call it the third world, call it a developing country, or even call it a lesser economically developed country (LEDC), by whatever name, TIA (This is Africa) as Jacob has taught me. :P We've started saying TIG (This is Ghana) as TIA is much too general, but still, you get the idea. As prosperous and developed as Ghana may be compared to much of Africa, in many ways it is still a huge shock from Europe and North America, and even from the parts of Latin America I have lived in. Small things that are taken for granted at home can still be big issues here. For example, I have been here for 10 days and around 4 to 5 of those days have been without running water. (Currently no water) Perhaps that is more an indication of the university than the country. Yet we are on day three of no water with no idea of when it will be fixed. Fortunately the other international residence currently has water so we can run over there when taking a shower becomes imperative. But who knows, perhaps tomorrow that residences water will also be out, then come the bucket showers, oh joy! :-)
4. Food
One thing I've really enjoyed so far is the food! We have been mainly eating at the night market which is next to our residence. Typically we eat egg or avocado sandwiches for lunch and rice, plantains, vegetables for dinner. There are different sauces and the food is more spicy than I'm used to but I'm starting to really enjoy it. For dessert there is always fresh pineapple, watermelon, bananas, etc. To make things even better the prices are absolutely fantastic! You can easily eat three meals a day, plus snacks for less than 5 Cedi ($3.50 CND)
On a side note, I may like the food but I'm not sure if my stomach is agreeing with me. For the past few days I've been a bit sick, so hopefully that will toughen me up for the rest of my exchange year...
5. Dancing
We've only truly been out dancing one night. We went to a club called Chez Afrique which was a ton of fun. Live band, cheap beer, and meeting a ton of people (we were the only white people at the club). However, just like in Argentina, I was reminded of how terrible a dancer I am by the standards set here. I mean in North America I feel fine. :P But these people can really move! It doesn't really help that the two white people I know well here happen to be pretty fantastic dancers (Kaisa and Jacob, I hate you!) So my solution? Perhaps just one more drink and then I'll get up and dance...
6. Drinking
No this category isn't only about alcoholic beverages so please don't think so poorly of me. Haha. I've actually only drank twice while I've been here and both times I tried local beer and cider.
But the real difference I've noticed is the fact that I can only drink bottled water here. I had no idea how much I took for granted water from the tap until I had to start buying all of my water. When I first arrived from the airport, I was picked up by the university and taken straight to my room. Unfortunately I never thought to take out money or buy water and since it was already dark outside I figured I should wait until morning to figure out the water situation. Well I spent several hours very thirsty (I had just come off a plane) and was just drifting off to sleep when I heard the familiar voice of my favourite Dane (Jacob). Apparently, he and Kaisa had just arrived and as luck would have it, Kaisa was going to be my next door neighbour in residence. But none of that mattered much to me as I spotted their big bottles of water that they had thought to purchase. Yay for friends!
7. Men
I don't think this list of impressions would be complete without a brief description of Ghanian men. While the Ghanian people are very friendly (see #10), the men could almost be classified as over friendly. It is not unusual to be told that you are beautiful or that they are in love with you, several minutes after meeting you. What's more strange is when they start speaking of marriage. As most of my friends in Canada would know (and laugh), I'm rather attached to the idea of not marrying until I'm at least 30, if not 35. Haha. I just like my independence a little bit too much. Therefore, the fact that even I have received marriage proposals in the first 10 days is laughable. Apparently, my “no way in hell” sign that I normally have permanently attached to my forehead in Canada, has come unglued while in Ghana. Oh well, all you can do is smile, laugh, and say politely, “It was very nice to meet you, hope to see you again”, while fighting the urge to run in the other direction.
8. Accommodation
The place we are staying in is named “International Student Hostel II”, ISH II for short. ISH I is the place that still has water. I really like it here. We have a balcony, a fan, a desk, a chair, a bed, a wardrobe... really everything you could need in a room. Plus we get a roommate! Before coming we were told that our roommate would be a fourth year Ghanian student. However, upon arriving both Kaisa and I discovered that we were actually getting American roommates that are doing the same study abroad program. My roommate is named Sam, she's from Massachusetts but goes to school in New Orleans. Kaisa's roommate is named Charlotte, she's from Arlington, VA and goes to school in New Orleans. Both girls are great and although I was a bit surprised and maybe a little disappointed at the beginning that I wouldn't have a Ghanian roommate, I know that I will still be able to make local friends in my classes and activities. Oh and on the bright side, Jacob has a Ghanian roommate, so I guess we can get to know him better!
9. Language
The main language spoken in Accra besides English is called Twi. I'm really terrible at picking up on languages, especially if I can't see them written down, but my roommate is studying Twi as part of her program so hopefully she can teach me a bit each week which I will attempt to relay back to you.
Here are a few words to start you off:
Akwaaba – Welcome – written everywhere in the beginning so thankfully I can remember that one
Obruni – White/Foreign person – shouted at you everywhere you walk, not in a bad way, just as a greeting or a way to get your attention, this one will be difficult to forget
Bebini – Black person – the jury is still out on whether you can shout this back to people when they call out “Obruni, Obruni”, some apparently find it hilarious that we are attempting to learn the language but we've also been warned that it could be deemed offensive so use at your own risk
10. People
I wanted to finish this blog post with my most positive first impression and that is of the people that live here! Everyone is so incredibly welcoming and friendly. It is sometimes a bit overwhelming as my slightly suspicious brain is also questioning “what does he/she want from me?” Fortunately this attitude is starting to change as I get adjusted to the culture of smiling more, chatting and asking how everyone is, and asking people what their names are, etc. The people's happiness is infectious and I can't help but smile to myself whenever I'm surrounded by people. If any of you ever want to visit the friendliest/happiest place on earth, I definitely recommend this beautiful country!
So there you have some first impressions, I know this post was quite long, I will try to write more often but much shorter posts from now on.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Rochelle's Ultimate Travel Year
Well I'm back to the blogging world after quite some time and I'm excited to be leaving for a whole year of traveling (and studying) abroad.
I will be in Accra, Ghana for the first 5 months studying at the University of Ghana. I'm hoping to travel within Ghana and Western Africa and I'm thrilled that both Jacob and Kaisa will also be studying there (travel buddies!)
In January I'm heading to a different continent to study in Spanish (eek!) I'll be in Mexico City at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México until June. Afterward the plan is to head to Central America (we shall see how the funds are doing at that point!)
Before all of that I'm going to visit some old friends starting in New York and making my way through London, Stockholm, and Helsinki before finally flying to Accra!
I thought it would be a good idea to outline some goals that I have for this amazing year I've been granted. So here are 5 aims for the year. We shall see how it goes...
1) One of my biggest priorities is to enjoy the year and stop worrying! For those of you that know me well you know that I can sometimes (often) be a chronic worrier. I've come to realize that it gets me nowhere faster and so from now on I will attempt to reign in my fears and anxieties. Hakuna Matata, right?
2) I really want to come out of this year with a stronger grasp of the Spanish language. I feel like I'm on the brink of fluency but not quite there yet. I mean I can understand most things when people speak slow but I'm going to MEXICO. Haha. So hopefully I will be able to understand "Mexican" Spanish after the year as well!
3) Writing more and learning more about photography are also on my to do list. Hopefully this blog gives me an incentive to work on my writing skills (or lack thereof) and also to ocassionally post an amazing picture. I tend to focus on people shots but I know that some of you really like to see the landscape and/or architecture of a place so I will try to take humans out of some pictures.
4) Trying or doing something that is out of my comfort zone at least once a week, preferably every day. I'm hoping to take a dance class, eat some food that looks "scary" and maybe even play with rats. Hahaha. Just kidding about the last one. I'm still going to avoid rats like the plague.
5) Lastly, I'll update my friends and family more at home. Whether it be on this blog or through facebook, I hope that people will still know that I'm alive and thinking about them. And please comment on my wall or blog posts, as I want to hear how YOU are doing too! My emails is rochelle.wagner@gmail.com and I love receiving emails (just not quite as good at the responding thing yet!)
Well that's all for now, I'll try to post more updates as my trip progresses. For now I'll leave you with this blog post that I read: 21 Signs You're a Travel Addict
Monday, November 26, 2007
Correction
Hey, I just re-read my post and realized that I made a typo. I go to Barriletes a little over 10 hours a week, not 30! Big difference haha.
And I also made many stupid spelling/grammar errors but I don´t care haha, this is my free year where I don´t worry about such things! :P
Besos de Argentina!
And I also made many stupid spelling/grammar errors but I don´t care haha, this is my free year where I don´t worry about such things! :P
Besos de Argentina!
Time sure flys...
Wow, I completely forgot about my blog. For almost a month! It is is only 4 days until Karl Oskar and I leave for Montevideo so I guess I should update a bit on what has been happening here and as well explain better why I want to find another project, because looking back at my entries I don´t think I have explained very well what I do at Barriletes and why things are the way they are. Anyway, two days after my last entry I moved in with a new family (haha, yes anyone reading this must think I am very difficult to live with having switched families 3 times now, but honestly my new family loves me!) hehe, that being said, I love my new family as well. I am very welcomed and it is nice to share a house with only women. I have two host sisters, Julieta is 20, studies translation and is moving to the USA in December to work and practise her English, Ximena is 19, studies law and sleeps in the bed underneath me (haha, yes I believe it is karma, after two years of managing a bottom bunk in UWC, I now sleep on the top bunk!) Anyway, we live in an apartment (9th floor) near the center with their mother. It is very nice although right now both of my "sisters" have exams and my "mother" works almost 12 hour days so I don´t see them that much.
As for other things, my Spanish has improved quite rapidly in the last month in terms of understanding. Although I don´t understand everything yet, when I am speaking one on one with a person I have no trouble and I have even watched a couple movies in Spanish (without subtitles) with my sisters. As for speaking, well I know that I my accent will never be perfect, haha, nowhere near to perfect, but I am trying, and I think that is the most important thing, if I am teased about my accent I have chosen just to ignore or laugh about it now where as before I used to become discouraged or upset. I realize that the people that tease me obviously have insecurities of their own either in a different language or in Spanish. However, sometimes I do feel a bit frustrated because for 2 years at UWC I never once made fun of someones English (to be honest it never even occured to me to discourage people from trying to learn a new language) and it just isn´t enjoyable to speak when I feel as though certain people are only listening for my mistakes or funny accent. But anyway, I´m taking a new attitude to Montevideo, an attitude of it´s their problem if they feel the need to make fun of how I speak. I am trying and Iwill continue to try and I can be understand so it is all okay.
What else? Oh yes, Barriletes. The past weekend was very lovely because Barriletes had their end of year party. There was a show with both the kids from Barriletes performing (drumming and doing gymnastic type activites) and other singers/drummers. It was all great. Isabell even performed some acrobatic type stuff with this guy from Barriletes, she didn´t know until that day when they asked her to perform, she did great! (I was very impressed!) Today I went to Barriletes all morning and cleaned up the huge mess that was left after the party. It is so hot today and it was not so enjoyable to stack chairs, sweep and wash the floors, but it was all necessary work and I felt useful, which was nice because often this is not the case.
I think I now understand why it seems to me like a volunteer is not needed very much, but why Bruna was told that there was space for me. The reason for this is because the head of Barriletes does not often go to the actual activites with the kids or really with any of the day to day running. He basically publishes the magazine in his home but he does not know that much about the other parts. The other workers that I normally spend my time with know that there is not really a place for another person (like me) since there just isn´t that much to do. I mean it is great on Saturdays when I go and play with the children, but again, not necessary. I ask for jobs to do, but the most I can do is help with cleaning on Monday mornings. Overall I go to Barriletes a little more than 30 hours a week and the rest of the time the place isn´t open. I thought when I came that I would work 30 hours a week, but it was a miscommunication. The reason for this is the head of Barriletes said that a volunteer was needed when really he didn´t know that this was not the case. Therefore, I have been searching for other projects in Montevideo, so far I haven´t found anything. The others have been searching as well. I think Karl Oskar is going to Peru in January, Alex is going to Salta ( a different province in Argentina) and Isabell may go to work on a farm in Chile. For me none of this are viable either because I can´t see myself spending 3 months working on a farm, haha, or because I can´t afford to fly to Peru. Also, I have found quite a few very "commerical" volunteering projects but they want to charge ridiculous amounts of money to go to "volunteer". haha, seems a bit strange to pay others so that you can go volunteer your time. I am still searching and I hope to encounter something once I go to Montevideo. However, part of me really would like to return just because I have become close to some of the kids and my host family now and they all want me to return. If I do decide to return I think I will see if there are other places I can work at here, because I do not like to have so much free time, it is not how I envisioned my 6 months here.
I guess I have written a lot now. I am obviously very confused right now about my future plans. I need to go meet the others for lunch right now but I will try not to forget about my blog in the next month...
As for other things, my Spanish has improved quite rapidly in the last month in terms of understanding. Although I don´t understand everything yet, when I am speaking one on one with a person I have no trouble and I have even watched a couple movies in Spanish (without subtitles) with my sisters. As for speaking, well I know that I my accent will never be perfect, haha, nowhere near to perfect, but I am trying, and I think that is the most important thing, if I am teased about my accent I have chosen just to ignore or laugh about it now where as before I used to become discouraged or upset. I realize that the people that tease me obviously have insecurities of their own either in a different language or in Spanish. However, sometimes I do feel a bit frustrated because for 2 years at UWC I never once made fun of someones English (to be honest it never even occured to me to discourage people from trying to learn a new language) and it just isn´t enjoyable to speak when I feel as though certain people are only listening for my mistakes or funny accent. But anyway, I´m taking a new attitude to Montevideo, an attitude of it´s their problem if they feel the need to make fun of how I speak. I am trying and Iwill continue to try and I can be understand so it is all okay.
What else? Oh yes, Barriletes. The past weekend was very lovely because Barriletes had their end of year party. There was a show with both the kids from Barriletes performing (drumming and doing gymnastic type activites) and other singers/drummers. It was all great. Isabell even performed some acrobatic type stuff with this guy from Barriletes, she didn´t know until that day when they asked her to perform, she did great! (I was very impressed!) Today I went to Barriletes all morning and cleaned up the huge mess that was left after the party. It is so hot today and it was not so enjoyable to stack chairs, sweep and wash the floors, but it was all necessary work and I felt useful, which was nice because often this is not the case.
I think I now understand why it seems to me like a volunteer is not needed very much, but why Bruna was told that there was space for me. The reason for this is because the head of Barriletes does not often go to the actual activites with the kids or really with any of the day to day running. He basically publishes the magazine in his home but he does not know that much about the other parts. The other workers that I normally spend my time with know that there is not really a place for another person (like me) since there just isn´t that much to do. I mean it is great on Saturdays when I go and play with the children, but again, not necessary. I ask for jobs to do, but the most I can do is help with cleaning on Monday mornings. Overall I go to Barriletes a little more than 30 hours a week and the rest of the time the place isn´t open. I thought when I came that I would work 30 hours a week, but it was a miscommunication. The reason for this is the head of Barriletes said that a volunteer was needed when really he didn´t know that this was not the case. Therefore, I have been searching for other projects in Montevideo, so far I haven´t found anything. The others have been searching as well. I think Karl Oskar is going to Peru in January, Alex is going to Salta ( a different province in Argentina) and Isabell may go to work on a farm in Chile. For me none of this are viable either because I can´t see myself spending 3 months working on a farm, haha, or because I can´t afford to fly to Peru. Also, I have found quite a few very "commerical" volunteering projects but they want to charge ridiculous amounts of money to go to "volunteer". haha, seems a bit strange to pay others so that you can go volunteer your time. I am still searching and I hope to encounter something once I go to Montevideo. However, part of me really would like to return just because I have become close to some of the kids and my host family now and they all want me to return. If I do decide to return I think I will see if there are other places I can work at here, because I do not like to have so much free time, it is not how I envisioned my 6 months here.
I guess I have written a lot now. I am obviously very confused right now about my future plans. I need to go meet the others for lunch right now but I will try not to forget about my blog in the next month...
Friday, November 2, 2007
Birthday
By the way (this most is mainly for my UWC friends who tease me about my excitement of my birthday, yes Fay I know you are laughing right now) my 20th Birthday is in exactly one month, haha! :) I´m such a grown up now. ;)
Buenos Aires, Camino Abierto, and the future...
Well I am finally back from my weeklong holiday. I have much to say and will divide it into three parts so that it is easier to read.
Buenos Aires
Last Friday after Spanish class in the morning I took a bus along with Karl Oskar, Alex, and Isabell to Buenos Aires. We left at 1pm and we arrived around 8:30pm. It was a very luxurious bus in my opinion with air conditionaing, televisions, and big comfortable seats. A very enjoyable trip there. When we arrived we were warned to be careful of "fake taxis" that would try to rob us. I think we all were a bit nervous because we were told to speak very little to the taxi driver and only tell him what address to go to. We used Alex as our spokesperson of course and on the ride we didn´t say a single word... Until... Daire called my cell phone, haha, right in the middle of the ride Daire called and of course I had to speak English to him and I think the taxi driver was a little surprised after we had only spoken a bit of Spanish and not a word in English. Luckily our taxi driver was good and got us to our hostel without any problem. For those of you who don´t know Daire is another UWC student who went to the college in Singapore. He is currently volunteering just outside of Buenos Aires and before this past week I had never met him but had only spoken through emails. He almost came to Barriletes with me but in the end decided on another project (Camion Abierto). Anyway, we knew he was going to be in Buenos Aires that weekend so we planned to meet up with him.
When we arrived at the hostel we instantly met with Olivia and Maja. I was so happy to see them both again! I missed my Swedes and I am really looking forward to when I get to see Disa again (at New Years in Montevideo). We talked for a long time and it felt like old times again, very nice. There was a very funny man staying there from Houston, Texas. He had been living in the same hostel for one year!! Just staying and dancing tango. And he was old! He must have been 50 or something haha. He had talked with Olivia and Maja a lot before and he came to talk to us too, he was very strange! He wanted us all to go and dance tango haha, and gave us little brochures of a tango place. It was all very funny and I could tell I was going to like that hostel a lot. It was comfortable and had lots of space, the bar was open till 4am, we all slept in the same room (it was a 12 bed mixed dorm). A very good place and anyone who is travelling to Buenos Aires I recommend it. Very cheap, only about 7 dollars CAN per night and it is right in the center! Very well located. Anyway about midnight we decided to go out to dinner (haha, I guess we have all got used to the strange meal times here now). We had previously planned to go out to a club or something but it was just so nice to share a meal and talk with them after so long that we ended up just staying out talking and relaxing.
The next day Karl Oskar had to go kite surfing with his Norwegian friend so we said goodbye and the rest of us went to explore. We decided to go to the neighbourhood called "La Boca". For those of you that don´t know there are two major football rival teams here in Argentina, Boca Juniors and River Plate. La Boca is a very colorful neighbourhood, with much European influence, that is home to the Boca Juniors. We went to the big stadium that is home to the Boca Juniors called La Bombonera. We paid to go and look around inside. It is amazingly colorful, the colours also happen to be the Swedish colours of Blue and Yellow. Many of the flags were exactly the same as the Swedish flag. Alex got very excited when we went there and we took many pictures in this stadium. I thought it looked like pretty much every other football (oh by football I mean soccer for those Canadians reading this) stadium except for the c0lours so I wasn´t extremely impressed, but it was cool to go there. The neighbourhoods are extremely colorful and there is so much life on the streets of this neighbourhood. Tango shows happening on the streets and many different carnival type things. It was a very fun afternoon, we just looked around mainly and had a nice lunch there. In the evening we met up with Daire and went to this famous cafe called Cafe Tortoni where many famous people used to go including Ernest Hemingway. It was very interesting meeting someone from the UWC in Singapore and Daire had many stories to share, he also knew much about Buenos Aires as his volunteer organization is quite close to Buenos Aires so we also had a bit of a tour guide who knew about famous places and things.
The next day we spent walking around seeing the normal famous that you must see including the Obelisk, Casa Rosado, Plaza de Mayo, etc. I felt that the city was full of life and during the day it was quite safe to walk around, especially in our group which was quite big. However, we did witness one lady from Japan I think, being robbed. It was quite scary because it was broad daylight and she had her camera around her wrist and these four boys surrounded her and grabbed her camera and knocked her to the ground and ran. People were all around but no one did anything. I was quite happy that I had decided to leave my camera at home. I actually didn´t take any pictures but relied on the others and bought a bunch of postcards instead. On Sunday Maja and Olivia had to take a boat back to Montevideo because Maja was flying to Peru the following day. We took them to the station and after that it was just Alex, Isabell and I. We walked around some more and had an enjoyable meal. It was sad because we looked up a place to go eat in the guidebook but then we walked there and the place didn´t exist. Haha, needless to say I don´t trust this guidebooks much for restaurants and things, they always seem to be wrong.
The next day (Monday) Alex left back to Paraná and Isabell and I stayed with Daire for the day. We went to this very interesting, educational exhibit called BODIES, The Exhibition. It is basically real human bodies preserved to show the nervous, digestive, respiratory, reproductive systems. It was interesting but also slightly disgusting, as many of you know I am not a big fan of blood or veins. But it was okay, I didn´t get too disgusted and I learned names for many of the body parts in Spanish which was good. Here is a link to wikipedia if you want to read more about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BODIES..._The_Exhibition
That afternoon we caught a bus to Lujan which is near where Daire lives. (btw Daire is from Ireland although he has lived in Singapore for a large part of his life). Isabell and I had decided we´d had enough of the city and we wanted to visit his organization, Camino Abierto. Overall Buenos Aires was nice but a lot like other cities and I get quite sick of playing the tourist all the time. I prefer Paraná which is a very untouristicky (that is not a word but I don´t care) city. It is a beautiful place with a lot of life but overall I am reminded more of other European cities that I have visited rather than a unique "Latin American" city. When I go to visit Brasil and maybe Paraguay and Chile I can see if Buenos Aires is unique in this aspect or whether it is as I suspect and basically wherever you go in the world cities are very similar.
Camino Abierto Foundation, Argentina
I now want to talk about Camino Abierto which is the volunteer place I visited with Isabell and the place where Daire works and lives. I had a very enjoyable time there and I want to go back to visit!! Before I talk about my time there I want to just show what Daire does. There is a description on the volunteer pages website and I have just posted the information here. If you want to read more about other volunteer organizations that RCN offers, go to this link http://volunteers.rcnuwc.no/ If you don´t want to read about the organization just skip the italized text.
What?
Home-School- Farm for former ’street kids’
Where?
Carlos Keen, Lujan (one hour drive from Buenos Aires)
Number of volunteers required?
Two - must be male
Other requirements?
Basic Spanish; no smoking allowed; no alcohol allowed. Volunteers must be keen to live in a rural situation and be ready for hard work. They must understand the rules of living at the farm and fully accept them. The kids at the farm do not go to parties, the cinema and so on. They make their own entertainment. Volunteers must behave accordingly.
Benefits?
Board and lodging provided free of charge. Volunteers will share a room with the young people at the farm. There is heating, warm water and the usual comforts. Volunteers can visit Buenos Aires during free time where there are many UWC graduates living.
Minimum length of stay?
Three months but longer prefered.
Volunteer tasks?
Volunteers will help Susana Esmoris and her husband to take care of the kids. They will help them with their homework and set up English classes. They will help with recreational activities: sports, music, art, and so on. They will also be expected to help with some of the farm jobs.
Details?
Camino Abierto Foundation is a farm in the small country town of Carlos Keen. It is a home for 15 boys from poor backgrounds who were living on the streets. It is run by Susana Esmoris and her husband who decided 15 years ago to change their lives and moved away from the city and decided to open their home to as many street kids as they could.
The kids live on the farm and attend the local school and learn farming skills. There is a large orchard and they also raise pigs, rabbits, ducks, geese and goats. The boys work according to their ages.
Recently they have started to exploit rural tourism and have opened a Farm Restaurant. Two of the boys were trained by some of Argentina’s most famous chefs to prepare gourmet meals with farm-grown produce. Two other boys work as waiters. A bungalow has also been built which people can rent for holidays, weddings and parties.
The Foundation is so successful it is spreading its influence over the kids in the area. In collaboration with schools and local institutions it has organized many educational and cultural activities for the children of the town.
Anyway, we arrived Monday evening to the farm. It is a very beautiful place and there was so many stars out. There was also tons of fireflies which I found very cool. Daire showed us the place we were staying, it was beautiful. A nice apartment for just Isaell and I, complete with a kitchen (which we didn´t use since we ate with the boys and the people there), a bathroom, a bed, a living area, and just about everything we could need. It was very cosy and I instantly felt at home. We ate dinner with Susane and Hugo (the two founders of this organization) and some of the boys that were there. There was three younger ones, Rodrigo (8), Christian (8), and Victor (11). They were all very sweet but it became obvious as the days passed that they had lived through traumas in their lives. We were the only girls there so we were basically treated like queens most of the time. Susane is the only woman that lives there, there are a few women that work on the farm or that work in the kitchen but no one that lives there. Isabell, DAire, and I stayed up very late that night discussing many things but mainly a lot about UWC and whether it was fufilling it´s objectives (ahh the age old question haha). The next day I got a tour of the farm, there are many animals there, and I got to learn all the names in Spanish, there was cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, pigs, bees, dogs, and a huge garden! I learned how to make raviole from one of the chefs there, she was a nice old woman and when I said my mother wouldn´t believe that I was learning to cook she made me put on an apron and the chef hat and take a picture (I will try to put them on here after). She was very nice, as were all of the people that worked there and I was surprised at how easy it has become to just chat with people in Spanish. I can now understand almost always when people talk directly to me, it is more difficult in meetings and things or when everyone is talking at the same time but I feel much more confident now and have no problem getting around anywhere. The boys are also very nice and the little ones stuck pretty close to Isabell and I for the 2 days that we were there. We spent time out in the garden gathering beans, peas, etc and also worked a bit in the kitchen. It was all very nice and relaxing after being in a city for so long (Paraná is 250, 000 people and Buenos Airs is around 11 million). That evening we played football with all of the guys and watched a mexican Spanish movie in the evening (Y tu mamá también). A very nice day!! The next day I woke up at 6:30am to learn how to milk a cow. I know most of you won´t believe it but it´s true! Ask Isabell! haha. Although it was very difficult and I wasn´t very good, the farmer who taught us was very quick, I probably milked a quarter of a cow, overall. After the milking we drank mate, had a little breakfast and then we all went back to bed, haha. In the afternoon I learned how to make a food I have come to love here, Empanadas with cheese. We made them from scratch, the dough and everything. I was very impressed with myself haha, and I plan to make them for my family when I come home! That evening we talked with some of the boys and just had an enjoyable time, that night we attempted to watch another movie (March of the Penguins) but we all fell asleep. Sadly, the next day we had to leave early in the morning. Isabell and I did not want to leave and nor did the people. They told us we are welcome anytime and they would not charge us for the room we stayed in. We bought honey and jam that they make there and said goodbye to everyone.
Yesterday was the day we left and it was a VERY long journey since our bus broke down about half way. We took from 10:30 am in the morning until 9:30pm to arrive in Paraná. In reality it should have only taken 6 1/2 hours. However it was very nice to travel with Isabell and I got to finish another Harry Potter in Spanish. I have now purchased the fourth Harry Potter in Spanish called Harry Potter y Cáliz de Fuego.
Buenos Aires
Last Friday after Spanish class in the morning I took a bus along with Karl Oskar, Alex, and Isabell to Buenos Aires. We left at 1pm and we arrived around 8:30pm. It was a very luxurious bus in my opinion with air conditionaing, televisions, and big comfortable seats. A very enjoyable trip there. When we arrived we were warned to be careful of "fake taxis" that would try to rob us. I think we all were a bit nervous because we were told to speak very little to the taxi driver and only tell him what address to go to. We used Alex as our spokesperson of course and on the ride we didn´t say a single word... Until... Daire called my cell phone, haha, right in the middle of the ride Daire called and of course I had to speak English to him and I think the taxi driver was a little surprised after we had only spoken a bit of Spanish and not a word in English. Luckily our taxi driver was good and got us to our hostel without any problem. For those of you who don´t know Daire is another UWC student who went to the college in Singapore. He is currently volunteering just outside of Buenos Aires and before this past week I had never met him but had only spoken through emails. He almost came to Barriletes with me but in the end decided on another project (Camion Abierto). Anyway, we knew he was going to be in Buenos Aires that weekend so we planned to meet up with him.
When we arrived at the hostel we instantly met with Olivia and Maja. I was so happy to see them both again! I missed my Swedes and I am really looking forward to when I get to see Disa again (at New Years in Montevideo). We talked for a long time and it felt like old times again, very nice. There was a very funny man staying there from Houston, Texas. He had been living in the same hostel for one year!! Just staying and dancing tango. And he was old! He must have been 50 or something haha. He had talked with Olivia and Maja a lot before and he came to talk to us too, he was very strange! He wanted us all to go and dance tango haha, and gave us little brochures of a tango place. It was all very funny and I could tell I was going to like that hostel a lot. It was comfortable and had lots of space, the bar was open till 4am, we all slept in the same room (it was a 12 bed mixed dorm). A very good place and anyone who is travelling to Buenos Aires I recommend it. Very cheap, only about 7 dollars CAN per night and it is right in the center! Very well located. Anyway about midnight we decided to go out to dinner (haha, I guess we have all got used to the strange meal times here now). We had previously planned to go out to a club or something but it was just so nice to share a meal and talk with them after so long that we ended up just staying out talking and relaxing.
The next day Karl Oskar had to go kite surfing with his Norwegian friend so we said goodbye and the rest of us went to explore. We decided to go to the neighbourhood called "La Boca". For those of you that don´t know there are two major football rival teams here in Argentina, Boca Juniors and River Plate. La Boca is a very colorful neighbourhood, with much European influence, that is home to the Boca Juniors. We went to the big stadium that is home to the Boca Juniors called La Bombonera. We paid to go and look around inside. It is amazingly colorful, the colours also happen to be the Swedish colours of Blue and Yellow. Many of the flags were exactly the same as the Swedish flag. Alex got very excited when we went there and we took many pictures in this stadium. I thought it looked like pretty much every other football (oh by football I mean soccer for those Canadians reading this) stadium except for the c0lours so I wasn´t extremely impressed, but it was cool to go there. The neighbourhoods are extremely colorful and there is so much life on the streets of this neighbourhood. Tango shows happening on the streets and many different carnival type things. It was a very fun afternoon, we just looked around mainly and had a nice lunch there. In the evening we met up with Daire and went to this famous cafe called Cafe Tortoni where many famous people used to go including Ernest Hemingway. It was very interesting meeting someone from the UWC in Singapore and Daire had many stories to share, he also knew much about Buenos Aires as his volunteer organization is quite close to Buenos Aires so we also had a bit of a tour guide who knew about famous places and things.
The next day we spent walking around seeing the normal famous that you must see including the Obelisk, Casa Rosado, Plaza de Mayo, etc. I felt that the city was full of life and during the day it was quite safe to walk around, especially in our group which was quite big. However, we did witness one lady from Japan I think, being robbed. It was quite scary because it was broad daylight and she had her camera around her wrist and these four boys surrounded her and grabbed her camera and knocked her to the ground and ran. People were all around but no one did anything. I was quite happy that I had decided to leave my camera at home. I actually didn´t take any pictures but relied on the others and bought a bunch of postcards instead. On Sunday Maja and Olivia had to take a boat back to Montevideo because Maja was flying to Peru the following day. We took them to the station and after that it was just Alex, Isabell and I. We walked around some more and had an enjoyable meal. It was sad because we looked up a place to go eat in the guidebook but then we walked there and the place didn´t exist. Haha, needless to say I don´t trust this guidebooks much for restaurants and things, they always seem to be wrong.
The next day (Monday) Alex left back to Paraná and Isabell and I stayed with Daire for the day. We went to this very interesting, educational exhibit called BODIES, The Exhibition. It is basically real human bodies preserved to show the nervous, digestive, respiratory, reproductive systems. It was interesting but also slightly disgusting, as many of you know I am not a big fan of blood or veins. But it was okay, I didn´t get too disgusted and I learned names for many of the body parts in Spanish which was good. Here is a link to wikipedia if you want to read more about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BODIES..._The_Exhibition
That afternoon we caught a bus to Lujan which is near where Daire lives. (btw Daire is from Ireland although he has lived in Singapore for a large part of his life). Isabell and I had decided we´d had enough of the city and we wanted to visit his organization, Camino Abierto. Overall Buenos Aires was nice but a lot like other cities and I get quite sick of playing the tourist all the time. I prefer Paraná which is a very untouristicky (that is not a word but I don´t care) city. It is a beautiful place with a lot of life but overall I am reminded more of other European cities that I have visited rather than a unique "Latin American" city. When I go to visit Brasil and maybe Paraguay and Chile I can see if Buenos Aires is unique in this aspect or whether it is as I suspect and basically wherever you go in the world cities are very similar.
Camino Abierto Foundation, Argentina
I now want to talk about Camino Abierto which is the volunteer place I visited with Isabell and the place where Daire works and lives. I had a very enjoyable time there and I want to go back to visit!! Before I talk about my time there I want to just show what Daire does. There is a description on the volunteer pages website and I have just posted the information here. If you want to read more about other volunteer organizations that RCN offers, go to this link http://volunteers.rcnuwc.no/ If you don´t want to read about the organization just skip the italized text.
What?
Home-School- Farm for former ’street kids’
Where?
Carlos Keen, Lujan (one hour drive from Buenos Aires)
Number of volunteers required?
Two - must be male
Other requirements?
Basic Spanish; no smoking allowed; no alcohol allowed. Volunteers must be keen to live in a rural situation and be ready for hard work. They must understand the rules of living at the farm and fully accept them. The kids at the farm do not go to parties, the cinema and so on. They make their own entertainment. Volunteers must behave accordingly.
Benefits?
Board and lodging provided free of charge. Volunteers will share a room with the young people at the farm. There is heating, warm water and the usual comforts. Volunteers can visit Buenos Aires during free time where there are many UWC graduates living.
Minimum length of stay?
Three months but longer prefered.
Volunteer tasks?
Volunteers will help Susana Esmoris and her husband to take care of the kids. They will help them with their homework and set up English classes. They will help with recreational activities: sports, music, art, and so on. They will also be expected to help with some of the farm jobs.
Details?
Camino Abierto Foundation is a farm in the small country town of Carlos Keen. It is a home for 15 boys from poor backgrounds who were living on the streets. It is run by Susana Esmoris and her husband who decided 15 years ago to change their lives and moved away from the city and decided to open their home to as many street kids as they could.
The kids live on the farm and attend the local school and learn farming skills. There is a large orchard and they also raise pigs, rabbits, ducks, geese and goats. The boys work according to their ages.
Recently they have started to exploit rural tourism and have opened a Farm Restaurant. Two of the boys were trained by some of Argentina’s most famous chefs to prepare gourmet meals with farm-grown produce. Two other boys work as waiters. A bungalow has also been built which people can rent for holidays, weddings and parties.
The Foundation is so successful it is spreading its influence over the kids in the area. In collaboration with schools and local institutions it has organized many educational and cultural activities for the children of the town.
Anyway, we arrived Monday evening to the farm. It is a very beautiful place and there was so many stars out. There was also tons of fireflies which I found very cool. Daire showed us the place we were staying, it was beautiful. A nice apartment for just Isaell and I, complete with a kitchen (which we didn´t use since we ate with the boys and the people there), a bathroom, a bed, a living area, and just about everything we could need. It was very cosy and I instantly felt at home. We ate dinner with Susane and Hugo (the two founders of this organization) and some of the boys that were there. There was three younger ones, Rodrigo (8), Christian (8), and Victor (11). They were all very sweet but it became obvious as the days passed that they had lived through traumas in their lives. We were the only girls there so we were basically treated like queens most of the time. Susane is the only woman that lives there, there are a few women that work on the farm or that work in the kitchen but no one that lives there. Isabell, DAire, and I stayed up very late that night discussing many things but mainly a lot about UWC and whether it was fufilling it´s objectives (ahh the age old question haha). The next day I got a tour of the farm, there are many animals there, and I got to learn all the names in Spanish, there was cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, pigs, bees, dogs, and a huge garden! I learned how to make raviole from one of the chefs there, she was a nice old woman and when I said my mother wouldn´t believe that I was learning to cook she made me put on an apron and the chef hat and take a picture (I will try to put them on here after). She was very nice, as were all of the people that worked there and I was surprised at how easy it has become to just chat with people in Spanish. I can now understand almost always when people talk directly to me, it is more difficult in meetings and things or when everyone is talking at the same time but I feel much more confident now and have no problem getting around anywhere. The boys are also very nice and the little ones stuck pretty close to Isabell and I for the 2 days that we were there. We spent time out in the garden gathering beans, peas, etc and also worked a bit in the kitchen. It was all very nice and relaxing after being in a city for so long (Paraná is 250, 000 people and Buenos Airs is around 11 million). That evening we played football with all of the guys and watched a mexican Spanish movie in the evening (Y tu mamá también). A very nice day!! The next day I woke up at 6:30am to learn how to milk a cow. I know most of you won´t believe it but it´s true! Ask Isabell! haha. Although it was very difficult and I wasn´t very good, the farmer who taught us was very quick, I probably milked a quarter of a cow, overall. After the milking we drank mate, had a little breakfast and then we all went back to bed, haha. In the afternoon I learned how to make a food I have come to love here, Empanadas with cheese. We made them from scratch, the dough and everything. I was very impressed with myself haha, and I plan to make them for my family when I come home! That evening we talked with some of the boys and just had an enjoyable time, that night we attempted to watch another movie (March of the Penguins) but we all fell asleep. Sadly, the next day we had to leave early in the morning. Isabell and I did not want to leave and nor did the people. They told us we are welcome anytime and they would not charge us for the room we stayed in. We bought honey and jam that they make there and said goodbye to everyone.
Yesterday was the day we left and it was a VERY long journey since our bus broke down about half way. We took from 10:30 am in the morning until 9:30pm to arrive in Paraná. In reality it should have only taken 6 1/2 hours. However it was very nice to travel with Isabell and I got to finish another Harry Potter in Spanish. I have now purchased the fourth Harry Potter in Spanish called Harry Potter y Cáliz de Fuego.
Future
Okay well I have been writing for a very long time and I have to go to Barriletes very early tomorrow morning so I am quickly going to give an overview of my plans for the future here in Latin America.
Tomorrow: I am moving in with a new host family. I plan to stay with them for all of November. There is a 20 year old girl named Julieta who is studying to be a translator and there is also an 18 year old sister and a mother that both do not speak any English. They live in an apartment near the center. They seem nice but I have only met them once, I hope all goes well and I don´t have to move back in with Bruna (although I love living there I think it is fair for Mauro to get his room back).
November: Live in Paraná with my new host family, work at BArriletes and finsih the Spanish classes
December: In the beginning I will get settled and hopefully find a new organizatoin to work with. I have spoken to Bruna and it makes more sense for me to find a new organization in Montevideo and spend my remaining 3 months there instead of travelling back after 2 months to Paraná. I really like Barriletes and it is a great organization but I am not exactly useful and there is not a lot of days that I work. I would like to find more work to do and it will be better if I can live in the city on my own rather than with a host family. Therefore in December I will work in a new organization that I am currently searching for and also my Grandparents on my mom´s side of the family are coming to visit December 5th to 11th which I am excited for! Olivia and Maja have said they will help me show them around. Olivia leaves December 11th to Panama so I think I will move in with Maja for the 2 weeks that Olivia is gone, which will be very fun! For Christmas I think maybe we will spend it on the beach which will be very differnet but very cool! I think I will probably be sad without snow but right now it sounds cool to get a tan on Christmas day :P
For New Years Olivia and Maja´s families are coming to visit. Disa is also coming. It will be nice to see so many Swedes all together, I actually miss hearing Swedish and Norwegian all the time.
January: I think I might go travelling with Maja and Olivia. They plan to go to Brasil for 2 weeks and then to Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and finally back to Montevideo, taking about a month trip in all. I for sure want to go to Brasil and I am not sure if I can afford to go to all those places but it will be quite cool if I can! I need to apply for visas and get vaccinations and things so I have much planning still to do.
February and beginning of March: I plan to work in Montevideo with the same organizatoin that I find in December.
March: I want to go to Camino Abierto one last time before I leave and finally on March 10th I fly home. Phew.
Okay I think that is definitely a long post. I don´t need to write for a while! If anyone else plans to be in the Latin America area and we can meet up please let me know. Lots of love from Paraná!
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