Getting into the shwing..

Hey guys, I am a terrible blog admin – only posted once myself! Hope you are enjoying the blog. If you would like me (or Sinead) to make any changes, let us know. It would be nice to get some photos going on it too. I’m going to divide this blog post in to sections with titles for your reading convenience.

Mayfield Arts

So I’m totally settled in Mayfield. It’s great because I remember in my second week there we went out for lunch to say goodbye to a Spanish girl who was leaving. I felt totally awkward and like I didn’t fit in and worried if they did this for me at the end I would just die! But now I get on so well with all the women. So much craic. Maybe too much. But it makes the work so enjoyable. Like yesterday I came in after lunch, was working away for a while, totally engrossed (making a video for our flashmob) and I looked at the clock and it was 5.20! I think that’s a good way to measure how much you like your job – how much you notice the time passing, or wish the time away.

Youth Exchanges

I realise I left you all hanging in my last blog post. I wanted to write about the week long Youth In Action exchange we did. Basically, I made a load of hummus, hung out with cool Hungarians, drove them to Kinsale to see the sea (they don’t have any!!) and it was so lovely. There was a huge boat unloading wheat into trucks at the pier. I liked this because we study (or we’re supposed to: ‘and Food Policy’) tariffs and imports etc and here was the wheat in the wheaty flesh being brought in from the Ukraine (I asked the nice boatman) and heading off around Ireland. Headed to the Old Head then. My heart was in my mouth watching my Hungarian babies teetering on the edge of the cliff (they are all late 20s, early 30s but still ha!). Then we ate apple tart and custard on the beach. Because apparently that’s a traditional Irish food?? That was that exchange.

And we have another one next week – ‘Connecting through Creativity’. Siobhan, Cecile and Rosie Woods from 4^th year, well graduates now, will be there which is cool but also scary because I’m organising some of the activities. I’ll keep ye posted on how it goes. I swear this time.

Day-to-Day work

In between times I have been working on my main project with 6 people with special needs which is titled “Expressing my life, doing it my way”. So we are using a combination of visual arts and dance to explore the theme. Challenging but I’m learning loads.

We are doing a flashmob on the 29^th July on Grand Parade to promote our Globalfest event which will be two weeks later. Ive just finished making the video, which is totally CRINGEY and CORNY but great fun, so ill be spamming that your way soon.

Colleagues & Clonakilty

Having great craic with Patricia and also Angela, a Spanish girl on placement. They just got a house on the Mardyke. Delighted because with college over there are fewer people’s houses to crash at. ;) Brought Patricia to Clonakilty. She thought it was beautiful. She’d be right. Bringing her down again for the Clonakilty Agricultural Show this Sunday. Gonna be claaaaaaaaas. Entering my new puppy in the ‘cutest pet’ and ‘best dressed dog’ competition, fingers crossed. So bummed the fox took my beautiful white duck because she would have blown the other feckers out of the water in the ‘Best Duck’ and ‘Best Local Duck’ categories. Sigh. No doubt there will be some Z list celebrity from the Voice of Ireland playing at it too. Heh.

Food

Im sitting in my bed in Dunmanway eating Ginger nut biscuits like a piggy. This is my dinner I’d say. My father isn’t showing any signs of wanting to cook for me. I thought I had him better trained than this… I went off sweet things for 40 days and nights there. Not Lent or anything. An anti-lent. Take that Jesus! Been finished about 2 weeks and can’t get enough sugar now. Just gimme the bag and a spoon! So it was all for nothing. Heh.

Doves

Really busy with doves too. Two weddings last weekend and loads more in June. New website nearly ready. Eeeeee! No sexy photoshoots recently. Hmm..must fix that. Crying shame.

Weather

The weather is terrible here. Well I know it is in general, but on Saturday there was torrential rain. Such a pity because it was the long weekend and there were so many festivals on. Both Bandon and Rosscarbery Festivals had to be cancelled. Today was horrible too. Hailstones and all. And me wearing my dry weather (leaky Penneys’) shoes like an eejit. So lap up that sun and heat while ye can.

That’s all topics covered.

Love to you all from basecamp 

Hazel

J

Mambo from Mwanza

Hey guys, so I’m ten weeks in the country and my how fast time has flown! We had a bit of a large hic-up to begin with – you know, the university not knowing we were coming and having no work for us to do – no biggie! We were rather stressed for the first few weeks, pushing to have meetings to find out what the story was! The official breakdown of the problem was “We were unaware of your trip here and no longer require your assistance on this project”, needless to say some choice words were spoken when we left the meeting. In saying that we have had the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs begin very kind to us meeting us whenever we want and also even offering to drive us places :P . I found out a week later my mom had rang Nick and had a “firm chat” with him – the contents of which are unknown to myself or Maria, but judging from the “follow up e-mail” I may not want to know, so my head is going to be kept quite low on my return in Sept! Anyway between the jigs and the reels, we decided to carry out a small research project furthering the one carried out by the girls last year along with volunteering with a Helen Keller International project here in the region.

We got to start work in our 7^th week here – you’d think 7 weeks of doing nothing would be bliss but was extremely frustrating! One good thing – we found our way around the city very quick. The research has been great, getting out of the city and meeting really lovely people. However, in true African style we are constantly unsure of our next venture out. We started at a bad time as our translators have exams to invigilate and mark, so last week was spent doing research for our lit review and we will head out again on Wednesday of this week. We met with the program director of the regional office of Helen Keller International who was lovely, we hope to start there in a few weeks once we get this project finished.

We have made friends with a German girl who is staying in our building also, unfortunately she is leaving the same week I go to Kenya, but some students from her university may be coming out during the summer. There is another intern going to work in Helen Keller International from the states so we hope to meet her this week as she will be here until August. A few of us have been looking at accommodation and dates for Zanzibar so that is also something to look forward to – seeing people again. Maria has made good friends with some students here in the university, she's been brave enough to venture out to one of the main night clubs. I can't bare the hangover so have yet to make it that far! :P

I have flights booked to Nairobi and Mombasa with my boyfriend in three weeks so I am sooooo looking forward to that. I have been surprisingly home sick here which is not like me at all! Although in saying that it is great to have family friends living here – every now and again I have been spending the weekend there, not doing a whole lot but watch TV, chatting but it’s so nice to have them here :)

It's great to be able to read how everyone is getting on! Hope the experience keeps getting better for everyone!

Gxx

The Wonderful World of Work

So far I’ve had a very interesting experience of work here. Obviously, I have learned things not only about the education programme, but also about office politics, the sometimes bemusing way things are done here, and I have also learned lots about myself. I think that a lot of the novelty of has worn off and, while I am enjoying the work and my colleagues are lovely, I know I would find it extremely difficult to stay here long-term. 

Since my last blog post, there’s been a bit more variety in the jobs assigned me, which is what I was hoping for. Sabuj Sangha is a beneficiary of the Smile Foundation, and I’ve been uploading profiles and photos of some of our students to the Smile Foundation website. This is easy, but since each photo takes ages to upload it’s quite time-consuming. This month, I have accompanied co-workers on field visits to see some of Sabuj Sangha’s education centres and programmes. This is something I have been looking forward to since I arrived here, as I get to spend time with the kids and actually have an idea what people are talking about when they mention the different education initiatives. Since then reports have followed the visits, and I'm also writing up the final draft of our new child protection policy. On top of all this, I also have a kind of mini-project coming up that should hopefully take up a good bit of my time, which is to update a prospectus for our office. This will be used for fundraising etc, and the template has already been provided.

Despite this however, it hasn’t been all perfect, but I feel as though the problems I’ve had are probably typical of many people who’ve gone on placement. Without getting into a big long speil, the experience of not having enough work began to affect me, not at the beginning which is what people have mentioned in the past, but actually about 1 month in. Then other days I am given work with only just enough time to do it. They seem to have a very funny habit here of not mentioning things until the last minute. So while there is actually work to be done, it is a question of management, especially time management. However the issue now seems to be resolved, for the moment anyway. Another thing I've noticed is that one or two of the people I work with seem to think that I've a lot more money than I actually do. I know I shouldn't be surprised by this, and by Indian standards I do have a good bit of money, but at the same time they know I'm a volunteer, so it's a bit strange. However as I said before I doubt I’m the only one who has encountered these kind of things, and overall I'm having a positive experience of work placement. What have other people come across in the past couple of months regarding the work environment and their colleagues?

Hoping everyone is doing really well, and I’m looking forward to reading more posts soon.

Lizzy x

Update on Thailand-Mae Sai

Hello everyone.  This blog was such a great idea. It's really interesting!

Well i finally started work 2 and a half weeks ago and it's been hectic!  From all the warnings nora and nick gave us i was expecting the 2-3 week waiting around period but not here. Because DEPDC is so used to getting volunteers they throw you straight into work!

My first day was very easy. I met the founder of DEPDC and on that particular day the office was celebrating Songkran (Thai New Year) so there was a little ceremony for the senior members of the organisation and they all gave us a blessing and we poured scented water over each of their hands and wished them a happy new year. It's great to see the culture and ceremonies up close and they're more than welcoming and love non-Thai people and non-Buddhists to join in.
The person I report to is the volunteer coordinator. I was trying to avoid being classed as a volunteer but it's not an NGO that pulls rank or anything so everyone pitches in every where so it feels very equal. Due to cut backs there are only about 25 people working in the office in Mae Sai so everyone is very close and friendly, which is great.  The director of administration is the person my boss answers to and she's so lovely. In true Thai fashion she loves feeding people so she'll often give us food and treats that she's picked up from the morning market.
So far I've been posting articles I've written to their blog, sent off an application letter for shoes for the students that attend the schools DEPDC runs, and used excel to lay out costs for their "School in a Bag" project. sadly I've forgotten everything i learned in excel. SO annoyed so I'm going to have to re-teach myself! :(  definitely a handy programme though.  Because of the cut backs there is no grant writing department in the NGO and up until recently long term volunteers did it but they've all gone now so my boss is really pushing for them to hire someone soon.  I'm hoping it'll be before I leave so I can learn from them! outside of office work I've been shadowing the other volunteer when she teaches staff English, 3 times per week, and community English, 3 times per week. the term hasn't started for the kids yet but I'll be teaching them too when it does.  I'll also be working on the quarterly newsletter, due in July (we're waiting to get this one signed off so we can post it soon) and doing an hour long radio show twice a week where I'll be playing music and reading news articles that I find interesting, so that should be great fun.  Sometimes i find i am wrecked though as the community English is from 6-7.30 so the day can feel quite long as, although you can go home for 2-3 hours during the day when you finish late, we usually start before 9.  The last 2 Saturdays, and possibly next Saturday, we've also had things to do to prepare for a fundraiser so i really have been tired. trying not to complain too much though as everyone is very gracious and thankful when you help out, and i'm trying to get the most out of the experience.
I'm really seeing the benefits of working for a small NGO-even if it's short term.  There's definitely a lot of experienced to be gained and only now am i realising that my remaining 4 months is such a short amount of time!  


Mae Sai is a great town. it has everything from a massive Tesco that sells just about anything you'd need to an ex-pat cafe with amazing pancakes, but the Thai food here is amazing!! I thought it would all be very spicy but there's plenty of variety with dishes. the fruit is to die for too! I also thought I'd be well sick of rice but I suppose it's like us with potatoes, they know so many ways of changing the flavour and texture that I'm happily eating it 2-3 times per day! :) I'm also living on about €5-€6 per day, which is amazing, I think.

I didn't mean for this to be so long so I hope it's not too boring. Basically everyone should try and come to Thailand maybe during/after placement. :-P It's an amazing place!

Hope everyone is keeping safe and well. Can't believe we've only 4 months left now!
Katherine.
X

5 weeks into work already. Insane! Freaking me out how fast time is going since I'm here - I know it's gona be painful returning home...

So far, work has been quite diverse. At the moment, I'm finishing off some charts and data collecting for a presentation that my boss will be giving at the G20. I've definitely come a long way  in excel, and will be taking 2 courses to further my skills in it but it made me realise that Thornhill & Una's classes could really have been a teensy bit more comprehensive. Otherwise, my days are filled with travelling to and fro the Headquarters (which has a frickin chateau in its back yard where OECD staff can get married) attending meetings and trying to keep up with what everyone's talking about. I also have bits of writing to do, like terms of references, and a shit load of reading. Oh and survey stuff for member countries.

My boss is really incredible. I'm thrilled to have him as a supervisor. He's ridiculously patient with me and despite having a consistent flow of people in his office demanding his attention, he always makes time for me. He's also quite laid back, which made it much easier for me to relax in my new role. I've a huge amount of respect for him and there's no doubt that I'm gona learn a shit load from him, never mind the rest of the experience. Work's supposed to start at 9 but most people meander in between 9-10 which is pretty sweet, but then from what I can see not many people make it out of here by 6 either. Except me. Most of the time.

There are a million different nationalities and backrounds which makes for really interesting lunches and nights out too. Venezuelan/Finnish is one of the coolest mixes I've seen so far. Oh and my Chinese colleague is married to an Iranian dude. Their babies are gona be deadly. Generally, people are great, friendly, helpful and fun (although there is a fair share of seriousness too).

I'm content and feeling a bit less like I'm wading through water every day, with the help of other staff who used to be interns reminding me that it's normal to feel like this. In fact, they've been really great and boosted my confidence by telling me their own stories. I have made some "faux pas" so far, however...

There was a lunch time meeting the 2nd week I was here, with a presentation from FAO peeps. It was really sunny out so I decided to have my lunch in the park with the girls and return in time for the meeting. Oops, by the time I got back the meeting had started but only for about 4 minutes. It was held in a room covered in frosted glass but with slits so you can kinda see what's going on. I didn't see any free chairs though and then Terecita, working in gender, crossed my path. I had a 5 minute debate with her outside this meeting as to whether I should interrupt and go in or not be rude and leave it off. I decided I'd be too embarassed to interrupt all these managers and whatnot so left it off. 10 minutes later, my boss' assitant came to find me to say that my boss was expecting me there. Shite. Now I was 15 minutes late. Joined the meeting, and 5 minutes later realised that they could hear my debate with Terecita from earlier on. Awkward...
On a side note, those dudes from FAO got pretty lambased on their presentation.

Another awkard moment... My boss told me to join a meeting last week that all the directors were going to, with the agenda being Food Security and what next from the DCD side of things. Interns wouldn't necessarily be invited to these usually so I was delighted that he thought to ask me. I thought it was at 4.30 because the agenda bloody said so (for all these  meetings there are at least 8-10 pages of backround). Anyway turns out it was 4pm, as my boss had originally stated. So, AGAIN, an assitant had to come get me at 4.10 on the request of my boss. Already mortified at being late, I walk into the meeting and the only bloody chair left is the one at the bloody head of the table. Funny thing is, I went to see my boss after to apologise for being late and somehow he ended up apologising to me. He's great.

Otherwise, the politics of the organisation are very interesting to watch. It certainly isn't rosy for the younger people working here, nor necessarily for the older people. Contracts are usually very short term and their renewal can be done on the very last day. It's also a bit mental to see the interactions between the countries at the meetings, and to hear the issues raised. It can be a little furstrating. In fact,  frustration seems to be a common emotion around here.

Overall, I'm learning a shit load on so many different levels and loving it! It's weird hearing about you guys being out in the field, but it's even weirder to hear for example, that James and I had very similar feelings about the work itself despite being in such different situations. Feeling out of my depth, a little in awe of my boss, feeling more like a burden than anything else. Now though, I realise that I'm actually the only one here working on specifically on food security so hopefully whatever I do should be of some use. I also felt when I first got here that I had missed a step. That being able to be in a developing country, out in the field, would have definitely been benificial. Hearing from you guys through email or blog is odd, cause it does sound so different. Funnily enough, not many people here had field experience before starting work. It's really such an incredible experience we all get to have...!

Anyway, that's me and my waffly update done. Can't wait to hear the details of what you guys are doing work wise and how life is  treating ye in the various parts of the world! Before we know, we're gona be back in Cork for 4th year...puke.

S

xx

Set off from home and got to Kampala on good Friday and so wasn't to starting work until Tuesday. But gorta, being reassuringly motherly, collected me at the airport in the guises of Willie the 'service provider' and Juma the driver. Was taken to change money, to my apartment and then to get a sim and shopping by Willie. I've gone out with Willie to see slums and play pool since and Padraig's right about the contrast between people here. It's so strong it's surreal. My own apartment is perfect...got everything I need as well as free internet, satellite tv (if I could just find AV on the set) and a pool. And saunas, strangely enough :S 

I'm working in gorta's office this month. There's the East Africa director Rebecca, the programme officer David, Willie, Juma, a security guard and me. They work through partners so the work is all Una type stuff. They explained how they work and now tend to ask me to do something and act happy that I've actually managed it when it's done.  Haven't worked out if this is a compliment or not yet... I work in an industrial laundry at home and since starting there have reversed my view that office jobs are too boring to be desirable to thinking that any job where you can sit down and breath normal air is heaven. But working in the office here is downright splendid even without considering the lack of shit strewn sheets.

There was a project launch of one of gorta's prospectively new partners this week in the highlands right on the border with Rwanda. It's a small project but they hope for it to be the start of a five year programme, hence a suitably officious launch.

The area is stunning and it was cool to get to see real people's farms and a project in progress as well as how the organisation links in with local government but again we lived in a very nice hotel while there, and there seemed to be more money spent on the launch than really was needed. 

The launch itself was pretty ridden with protocol, what with the different levels of government officials there. They even had the district MP to it, who talked for a criminally long time in the Ugandan sun. He also looked remarkably like D'Angelo Barksdale from The Wire, or else I might just have been hallucinating from the heat...

Think I've settled in mostly, though it's still weird to see so many guns around. Either the army, police or security guards are always visible here and they all carry big old assault rifles. Just to keep you further off balance they're also all really nice and friendly. 

The rain here is mad altogether - drops as big as yo' momma (sorry).

Transport is dead handy, if precarious and my trip back from work everyday is always fun. Instead of driving straight along the road the minibus/taxi veers off up a slopey bumpy narrow windy non road with the usual stalls and shacks as well as a few oddly normal houses on the sides and people and cattle everywhere before getting back to the main road. 

Non satellite tv here I can report consists mostly of middle-aged Americans with bibles.

Well, I'll leave it there. Hope everyone's getting on well!

Eoin

Early days in Kampala!

Week one of placement down and it’s been much harder than I had anticipated.

I arrived last Tuesday to a warm Kampala. From day one things went a little downhill. Waiting for my luggage I had a gut feeling that it wouldn’t arrive. I was right. Spent the next hour try to explain what it was like and repeating  ‘no I don’t know where I will be working and no I don’t know where I will be living and no I don’t have a number so you can’t phone me’. Thankfully the driver the NGO had sent waited patiently outside and drove me straight to the hill side offices.

Shortly after arrival I was taken to my compound which is ran by a long term expat. The place is lovely! I have one of the economy rooms, located away from the main building. It’s basic, but does the job. The compound has a range of local staff who do all the housework, gardening and there is also a 24 hour guard.

Getting set up took a bit of time, but finally I have internet, a new phone and a helmet for my daily boda (motorbike) ride to work.

I find it hard to explain but I found the initial culture shock over whelming. Seeing the striking differences between the lives of the expats who live around me versus the Ugandans two minutes down the road is shocking. 

By Friday I began to feel homesick. This feeling was exasperated when I found out that the Society I’m Auditor of had been named the Irish College Society of the Year by the Board of Irish College Societies at the annual National Award ceremony! Utterly gutted that I missed it. Still buzzing from the news of the achievement through.

Spent the first night of the weekend at the ARA or American club. It was music night and oddly the theme was signers who had died in the last year. The club house was packed with mainly American families who all joined in the fun! The following night I joined the other lodgers and hit the local Irish Pub. I was hoping they would sell Bulmers but I was left disappointed. Had to settle for South African Savanna Dry. On our return home our taxi broke down at a very busy junction. All five of us had to jump out and push the car back into action, by far the highlight of my night!!

Let’s home week two is a bit brighter!

Padraig.. x