EIL Intercultural Learning - EIL Ireland

The sad plight of an AIDS orphan

Ciara Cunningham — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000

On September 18, 2009 The Roscommon People covered Ciara Cunningham's story in the article The sad plight of an AIDS orphan. Ciara is one of the winners of EIL Travel Awards 2009. She have travelled to South Africa for nine weeks as part of EIL’s Global Awareness Programme, to volunteer with people living with HIV and AIDS.

Cape Town Diary

by Ciara Cunningham

In Africa there are 13 million AIDS orphans. “A generation of human beings who have never known a mother’s loving cuddle or a father’s guiding hand. These children will learn life skills in institutions rather than imbibe them from their parents” – Richard Dowden, ‘AFRICA: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles.’

I will never understand how it feels for a child to be abandoned by his family, not knowing when he will see a familiar face again, if ever.

From my first day at ThembaCare I noticed how needy Toliy* was. He constantly wanted to be held. If I sat still for one minute he would climb up onto my lap looking for a hug. Sometimes he would cuddle into my chest and just sob. It was not until I read his file that I realised what he has been through in his short two and a half years on earth.

Before Toliy was admitted to hospital he was cared for by his father. However, the level of care he received was questionable. Toliy was often found alone in his shack or left behind in local shebeens (illegal pubs) that his father frequented. He was admitted to hospital together with his mother, who was also sick. When she discharged herself she was never seen at the hospital or at her home again.

Toliy was admitted to ThembaCare two months ago with just his name and the clothes on his back. Initially his parents could not be traced and he constantly cried out for GoGo, a person who the social workers at ThembaCare were also trying to contact. His mother was recently found in a clinic in the Eastern Cape, hundreds of miles from Cape Town. She is quite ill herself and does not want anything to do with her son. Toliy’s father and GoGo have yet to be found.

The staff and volunteers at ThembaCare gave Toliy a great deal of love and attention and while we could never replace the love of a mother or father, I noticed that in the past few weeks he was much happier and relaxed. Unfortunately, the sense of stability given to Toliy at ThembaCare was greatly disrupted last week when he was admitted to hospital with TB.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is an aggressive virus that destroys the immune system resulting in sufferers being unable to fight off any disease. Consequently, HIV patients are susceptible to tuberculosis, malaria and numerous other diseases and infections. It is widely documented that TB is the most common disease and the leading cause of death in people living with HIV and AIDS.

Due to Toliy’s strain of TB (it is drug resistant) he will not return to ThembaCare and, upon his discharge from hospital, he will go to a TB clinic for approximately two years. This is a huge setback for him and it is impossible to determine how it will impact on his mental and physical development.

Lynda and I have been to visit him in his isolation unit in hospital and he gets so excited when he sees us. He spends most of his time giving us long kisses on the outside of the face masks that we are required to wear. It is likely that we are the only people that have been to visit him. It is so sad that a child of such a young age has to live with HIV and various other diseases without any support from his family. I hope that some day he gets the love and stability in his life that he so greatly deserves.

While work can be very intense we are very lucky that we have a great host family to come home to in the evenings. Lynda and I are the 81st and 82nd guests to stay with them and they have been most welcoming.

Most Friday nights they light a fire in a big drum outside and we sit around chatting and listening to music. Lynda brought a CD of Kila with her and they love playing it and getting us up to Irish Dance! I do not think that Michael Flatley would be too impressed with our efforts but they have not seemed to notice that we do not know what we are doing!

The occupational therapist in ThembaCare has been requesting a trampoline for a long time and I was delighted to be able to purchase it last week with your donations. The children love it and as many of them have very weak muscles it is a fun way for them to exercise. The toddlers also love sitting on it while myself and Lynda jump behind them so our fitness is really being tested!

News from Mexico

Brian Denvir — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:31:48 +0000

Preparations for the Gran Fiesta on Tuesday are coming along well, although the work is beginning to take it´s toll on my body! Repeatedly winching buckets of bricks with no gloves on has left my hands blistered and sore, and bare-footed football has left similar scars on my feet! The day is long, working from 7:30am-6pm with only an hour for lunch, but the progress is amazing, the roof is almost complete and it looks magnificent. The work is great craic, and the time flies in. After a hard day´s work, we all take a little Mezcal ´for strength´ in the back of the pick up truck as we ride back to the beach - it really does put hairs on your chest! There is a great sense of community about this festival - as the sun goes down, everyone from the village is around the church (La Capilla) preparing bouquets of flowers, clearing weeds and leaves, preparing fireworks, clearing away the tools for the Rosary that evening - there is a real buzz about the place as everyone pitches in.

I´m still not sure how much Religion plays a part in this festival, although the locals are taking great pride in the appearance of the church - there is also music, fairground rides for the kids, football, and plenty of beer, but I will find out on Tuesday whether it is a Religious festival in the same sense as St Patrick´s day. Certainly here in Mexico the Saints are more important than back home, but there seems to be less emphasis on attending Mass than in the Roman Catholic traditions back home.

Two evenings ago, none of the guides were around in the evening, and I got my first chance to lead one of the turtle liberations! Most evenings in August, one of the guides will descend on the beach with a box of the tiny Golfina turtles that have hatched that day in the Coral (a kind of incubation hut for the eggs on the beach). Tourists then line up about 10 metres from the waves and pay a donation to release a baby turtle into the ocean. This particular evening there were only about 20 tourists, and I tried to explain to them a few of the facts I have learnt about the turtles here in Ventanilla, in my best Spanish of course! There are 3 kinds of turtles found on this particular beach - the Golfinas (which are released at this time of year), the Laud (leatherbacks, which come to the beach at night around Winter time) and the Negra. The eggs are collected very early in the morning by the tortuga team here and kept safe in the coral. The sex of the turtle depends on the temperature of the sand when they are laid - as a result of global warming, there are more males, and thus more competition. For some of the tourists it is an emotional experience watching their new friend take his first tentative steps towards the surf, before being swept away by a ginormous wave - however only 5-10% of the turtles released actually survive, the ocean is a dangerous place. Usually we wait until sunset for the liberation in the hope that the birds have already had their dinner, but there was a stray seagull eyeing up the feast on the beach - the usual practice is to throw sand at the birds as they swoop in, and this evening a 10 year old from the village was the hero, getting a direct hit with a stone, and scaring the predator away!

As I am writing this a marching band is just walking past outside in the main square in Pochutla - I can only guess that the celebration is for yet another patron saint of the area, although the people here don´t need an excuse for some music and dancing! This evening I have a lesson in Palm tree climbing by the beach with Ramon, the local expert - I am used to heights after the work on the roof this week, I just hope I don´t get a coconut to the head...!

¡Buenas tardes!

Brian Denvir — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:43:02 +0000

¡Buenas tardes! Things are really busy in Ventanilla in my last week here, as the whole town is preparing for it`s annual Fiesta de Santa Maria. Every year the men from the village spend about a week building in the village church in preparation for the Mass and Rosaries of the festival. This year, the villagers have sacrificed the money for a big musical performance at the festival in order to build an impressive roof for the church. I have been helping with the construction which is sweaty work because of the lack of shade! The make-shift scaffolding is a little wobbly, but it is safe enough.

My jobs include mixing cement, sending bricks up in the pulley system, and throwing (yes, throwing!) bricks in pairs up to one of the builders on the highest tier of the roof! These guys are brave! In the evenings I have been attending the Rosaries, which are really only attended by the women and children of the village. The singing is really beautiful, and you barely notice the onslaught of mosquitos as the sun goes down!

The festival also hosts a big football tournament between villages along the coast, and I have volunteered myself for the Ventanilla team. The pitch is on the beach, and running on the sand is tiring, so I have been going for early morning runs just before the sun pops up over Ventanilla`s infamous ventana (a window in the cliffs), and playing matches in the evening with local kids. It is really tiring training on the beach, and it seems Rocky Balboa was even more of a hero than I thought!

I am hopefully going to perform a couple of local songs with one of the guides, Perfecto. One song `Santa Maria Tonameca` is a song about the Oaxacan coastline, and name drops Ventanilla - it`s a great tune, I can`t get it out of my head!

Last week I visited another Ecotourism project on the coast in a place called Escobilla. This is a really popular spot for the golfina turtles to lay their eggs, even more so than Ventanilla. I spent the day planting the tiny Mangle Botoncillo plants which they cultivate here in bags before planting around the lagoon. The lagoon here in Escobilla is just as breathtaking as in Ventanilla - it seems there is no shortage of sublime scenery here in Oaxaca!

I`ve plenty to keep myself busy with this final week anyway, entonces, hasta luego amigos!

Big Buddhas, heat and ducks feet- ten days in Hong Kong by Adam Burke

Adam — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:33:23 +0000

Day 1- I boarded our first flight with some trepidation. As a novice flyer I was unsure as to how I would enjoy the experience, but as we soared above Dublin airport I quickly realised that the lack of leg room was of more imminent concern to me than the threat of us careering to a sensational death. Bar several emphatic triumphs over Laura on the play station in Charles de Gaulle, the rest of the journey was uneventful, largely due to a malfunctioning TV screen on the Paris-Hong Kong flight which forced me to read a dodgy book on the topic of banditry in the Sierra Madre of Mexico.

On arrival we were met by Damon and Charmaine who gave us an impromptu tour of their city through the window of the bus en route to our hotel. We marvelled at the density and height of the buildings and in every window camera flashes could be seen. Looking back on my own camera these photos now seem unnecessary and unspectacular compared to what we would see in the coming days, I suppose this shows how quickly we acclimatized to the city.

After settling into my room with Daniel and Craig, we went for our first meal with the Hong Kong delegation. My first chop stick assault was on a mango and duck spring roll. Delicious and slippery, the night continued in a similar fashion with the Irish dropping food, picking it up, dropping, and eventually enjoying it. I quickly discovered the secret to the chop sticks- dropping food is inevitable, the trick is to drop it into your mouth!

After dinner we took a quick stroll around our surrounding area, Mong Kong (Mong meaning busy). Half past ten on a Monday night, we were amazed by the throngs of people that paced up and down these pedestrianised streets. The place never sleeps, we were told and when I asked a young shop attended what time did they close, she merely shrugged, “when they go home”, “they” meaning the thousands of potential punters along Nathan road. Somehow I felt she was in for a long shift!

Day 2- Jet lagged and exhausted, we arose Wednesday morning for a trip to the Hong Kong museum of history. Bypassing the natural stuff ( because we slept it out and were late) we went straight for the cultural history of HK. The local delegates were of great help in explaining the significance of the exhibitions and the bus back to the hotel was alive with political discussion as we found out more about Hong Kong’s strange situation as a “special administrative region” in China and discovered what these young students predicted would change in 2047 when this status is expunged and their city is absorbed back into mainland China.

We donned our formal wear for the welcoming lunch, which was an extravagant array of “dim sum” (traditional food) and western food. This feast was accompanied by speeches from local diplomats and youth leaders as well as our leader Lillian and a particularly well spoken few words from Irish delegate Aidan Healy.

With suppressed appetites we set out for an over night stay in the Noah’s Ark resort, an impressive full scale rebuild of the biblical vessel. Grounded under a bridge ,opposite Ma Wan park, a theme park had cropped up around the ship and it housed an ultra modern hostel inside. Our time that evening was spent playing team building games which were both fun and helpful in getting to know the 23 delegates. That night the boys room was invaded and a small party was had, fuelled by Chinese junk food and set to the backing track of MTV Asia. The irony of the raging thunderstorm and heavy rains had us all amused as we dozed off to sleep on the top deck of the Ark.

Day 3- After a good night’s sleep it was time to explore the Ark. It became clear that this theme park was one which aimed to be both fun and informative for the visitors and it’s ethos seemed to be about environmental sustainability. The 4D film was particularly effective in conveying this message to the audience.

The morning’s exploits set us up nicely for our visit to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology where following a brief introduction to the measures taken by the school to reduce carbon emissions, Adrian, an American ex-pat from UCLA, spear headed a lively and interesting discussion on the topic of environmental sustainability. He showed us how we could think sceptically and logically when flooded with adverts for “environmentally friendly” products. A tour of the college campus followed and this culminated on the top floor where we were treated to a panoramic view of the bay.

Dinner tonight was at Mido’s, an old style Chinese diner. Charmaine was on hand to decipher the menu for us and her selections, as always, were excellent, in particular the toast!

After our stomach constraints had once again been tested, we set off to Temple Street market where we were given some basic Cantonese bargaining phrases and sent out on a souvenir hunt. These markets proved somewhat of a Mecca for the label loving as the stalls were teeming with high quality designer knock offs.

The ritual pilling into someone’s room was done again tonight as everyone enjoyed each other’s company late into the night.

Day 4- As we boarded the bus to Magic Kingdom, I had rather naively presumed we were en route to Disneyland Hong Kong. Hence my intrigue, as we were shuffled into a modest looking tower block 30 minutes from the hotel. This intrigue increased as the elevator pinged past countless floors and by the time we arrived at our stop, I had reached a state of utter confusion. Weary looks were exchanged by the basketball playing residents as the Irish contingent strolled through their court. Ok, so I’m pretty sure it’s not Disneyland and as if to answer all my questions, a small sign on the wall of an apartment with no distinction to the hundreds of others we had passed before proclaimed “Magic Kingdom”. We entered and were brought to a small, square room where a makeshift stage had been erected and huge, luxurious, purple curtains hung proudly either side. This room was rife with props and costumes, and a video of Madonna suspended upon a huge cross, complete with thorned crown and blooded face only added to the surrealism of the spectacle. We learned that this was a social enterprise project, not too dissimilar to enterprise Ireland, that had allowed two brothers transcend their love for magic into a viable business venture and now they were famous across China, even appearing on national television. The magic itself was captivating, the magicians wistful appearance and loose grasp of the English language furthered the sense of magic in that little room, a feeling I’m sure I would not of felt if indeed we did go to Disneyland that morning.

Next on the itinerary was a visit to the Peak which was reached by a traditional tram that creaked and jolted to the top, all the time offering spectacular views of the high rise city. We reached the peak and in true Hong Kong style, that top of the world feeling was forgone. Instead the Peak boasted a pretty nice shopping mall, which for the modest fee of 2 dollars (20 cent) you could stand on the roof of, which at least offered a steady foot hold for taking pictures of the spectacular view.

After dinner, a jam-packed day continued with a visit to the YMCA centre for the deaf. Here we heard about everyday life for a deaf person in the bustling city that is Hong Kong and learned the alphabet in the Cantonese strain of Sign language. A regular visitor to the centre then took to the stage, hit the play button and on came Roy Orbison’s immortal track, and sang the lyrics of “Pretty Woman” in Sign louder than any of us could of dreamed of! We had a go at this which was great fun for everyone!

Our last stop that day was a visit to a local youth centre, where a councillor described the problems young people face in Hong Kong. The prominent one here seemed to be the lack of personal space the teenagers have due to their minuscule apartments. This leads them to hang around the streets late into the night which can lead to antisocial behaviour. This centre seeks to offer refuge to these “night drifters” and give them something productive to do such as hip hop dancing and band training.

Day 5- Saturday arrives and it’s time for some white knuckle fun! Ocean park, a sea-world/Alton towers type theme park is bisected by a huge ridge which divides panda habitats and aquariums from the roller coasters and other high speed thrills. To travel between the two sections one most climb aboard a cable car which gives you exceptional sea views from high up in the mountains. I’m usually that person holding peoples jackets while they go in search of thrills and adrenaline rushes in such theme parks but with my new found “When in Rome” rationalism, (the same mindset that saw me eating ducks claws and cows tongues throughout the week), I boarded THE DRAGON. Sure I felt like puking, sure I couldn’t feel my legs but hey, I survived and before long I was being catapulted into the stratosphere before plunging back down again, all the time being urged to “feel the depth” by the parks P.A. and gingerly stepping from that towards the sound of the Indiana Jones theme tune and the mine train.

Following an excellent dinner in a Shanghai style restaurant we walked along the beautiful waterfront on Hong Kong island and boarded Star’s ferry for a tour of the harbour, just in time for the 8 o’clock light show. A typically Hong Kong extravaganza sees countless sky scrapers coming to life with an impressive array of lasers and lights which seemingly dance and flirt along to the music tinkering away on board.

Day 6- Sunday, and first stop the Golden Bauhinia, a sculpture given to the people of Hong Kong in 1997 by the Chinese government . Supposedly a commemorative piece in remembrance of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR, one cannot look past some subtleties surrounding the tourist attraction such as the Chinese flag hanging slightly above the flag of Hong Kong, and the great wall enclosing the ever blooming flower, apparently a sign of the greatness of the motherland, to me it looks suspiciously like a reminder of who‘s really in charge.

A quick walk through the exhibition centre and we hop on a tram which brings us through the working class area of Kennedy town with it’s older buildings and countless dried fish shops, this served as a welcome break from the tourists before we arrived in Stanley. This seaside area has a very Mediterranean feel to it with high rise buildings kept to a minimum and the streets awash with pubs and restaurants all jostling for your custom. A swim on the beach here provided some much welcome refuge from the heat that day !

Following a quick shower in the hotel, I met Amy and Charmaine in the hotel lobby. Tonight was scheduled as a home visit, where we would have an opportunity to see how Hong Kongers lived, hear a family’s views on life in the city and of course, enjoy some “dim sum”. Amy and I had the pleasure of being welcomed into Charmaine’s beautiful home which overlooked the Sha Tin river. Greeted with warm welcome by the parents, I presented Charmaine’s father, Victor, with a Waterford Crystal hands of friendship piece. As I conversed more with Victor, the pride in his voice as he talked about his city was palpable. “The food here is the best, the shopping is the best, the public transport, the people, the wine, are of course, the best”. His audacious love for his city was completely understandable I concluded, after all, Hong Kong IS the best.

Day 7- Monday proved a strange day. The itinerary read like this: Bus from the city gate to giant Buddha monastery, dinner back at city gate following a visit to Tai O. My presumptions read like this: The city gate is a huge gated wall built to keep northern invaders out during some distant era, I will be awestruck by the scale and serenity of the monastery, dinner will be great as always and Tai O(which my research had toldme was called the Venice of China because of it’s stilted houses) will most probably be a shopping district. Again my preconceptions were wrong, very, very wrong.

I was woken by the jolting of the bus as it came to a stop outside the City Gate. Bleary eyed ,I glanced out my window. Staring back at me in huge gold letters was CITY GATE OUTLET MALL. Ok so it wasn’t an ancient stronghold I observed with a laugh, time to catch the bus to the monastery. `

If only I was awake enough to fully appreciate and photograph some of the views on the journey up the mountains to the Giant Buddha. It was truly remarkable, stunning at times. If only the same could be said for the monastery itself. After a quick canvas of the area it felt strange. Teeming with tourists and signage for various souvenir shops which occupied the newly constructed “shopping village”, I began to doubt if it was possible for the famous Buddhist spirituality to co-exist with such gimmickry. I meandered my way through the ongoing construction works and the endless tourists to the 300 odd steps that ascended towards the happy looking Buddha perched on top of the mountain. It was an impressive sight, spoiled somewhat by the swarm of woman offering to sell me coupons for an ice-cream and a coke upon reaching the top! The Buddha museum confirmed that the whole site emerged during the 90’s and when I asked Damon what the Chinese carvings on the side of the monument meant, I was told they were names of sponsors of the project. Time to get out of there.

A quick bus ride to the fishing village of Tai O, and we were clambering on board a humble boat that would bring us out into the sea in search of the rare pink dolphins! Refreshingly breezy, the twenty minute ride was very enjoyable and spotting the dolphins head surfacing on two occasions gave us a sense of achievement as we strolled through the impoverished village. The people here are far removed from the tourists who come on the buses, board the boats, see their dolphins and leave again. Several gnarly dogs roam the streets alongside hard faced fishermen and the smell of dried fish was staunch. Here in Tai O I visited War God Temple which has existed since the Ming Dynasty. As modest as it is, it done much more to satisfy my apatite for cultural exposure then the Big Buddha.

Day 8- Our last full day in the city began with a visit to a YMCA secondary school. We were all warmed by the welcome the students here gave us (which included a large welcome sign outside the main doors). Photos flashed as we entered a conference room with 50 or so students who had taken time from their summer holidays and donned their uniforms to give us a presentation about the education system in Hong Kong and a tour of their school which boasted some impressive features such as video conferencing facilities and a well equipped music room. Our goodbyes said and face book addresses exchanged we left for lunch at a steak house and set about preparing for the farewell dinner.

Another huge dinner was followed by farewell speeches and performances. Both Niamh and Jacqueline blasted out a tune on the tin whistle whilst Sarah performed an Irish dance. Daniel recited a poem as Gaelige and the group performed rousing renditions of The Fields of Athenry and our national anthem. The Hong Kong delegation followed suit in performing a friends forever song, video evidence of which can be seen on youtube! After approximately 4000 pictures were taken, we headed to a bar in Knutsgrove Terrace and continued the party back in the hotel.

Day 9- Reluctant goodbyes were said at the airport as we boarded our long haul flight back to the Irish rain. Already, plans were being hatched for of the Hong Kong delegation who will complete the exchange by visiting Cork and Kerry on the 30th of August, I just hope they can have as amazing an experience in Ireland as we had with them out there!

¿Que Onda Folks?

Brian Denvir — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:18:50 +0000

¿Que Onda Folks? I´ve really settled into life here in Ventanilla on the South West Coast of Mexico. This week I started giving guitar lessons to some of the local boys, and have discovered first hand why this part of the world gets a reputation for being laid back...! Here, 4pm means anywhere between ten past 4 and 6pm, which makes scheduling lessons tricky! Still, they´re getting better, and I have a couple of Carlos Santanas here in the making! I have also learned a thing or two myself, learning a few songs from the region and jamming with a few of the guides which was really enjoyable.

Things are a little quieter now here with regards to tourists, as school vacations are over, and August is the rainy month down here (although comparably dry with Ireland!). I have still managed to take a couple tours in English, although my rowing leaves much to be desired. Still, I´m getting plenty of pratice in the mornings as we have been planting Mangroves in much deeper parts of the lagoon over the last week. I have also mastered enough Spanish to take orders at the restaurant, even though I get curious looks from niños who have never seen such pale skin before!

Last weekend I was granted a bit of a break from my duties, and visited some of the coast´s hotspots, including Puerto Escondido, which is renowned among surfing communites as one of the top pipelines in the world. There was a tournament on when I visited, but unfortunately I arrived on an off-day for waves, so didn´t see any competitive surfing. Still, it was a good excuse to explore the smaller, hidden (esondido) beaches nearby which truly are beautiful.

I also went to the nearby town of Tona Meca for a big fiesta with a family from the village. In Mexico, the Saints are regarded with great revernce, and I have lost track of the number of festivals in honour of Saints I have encountered! This one hosted some of the mosty amazing (and disconcertingly dangerous) fireworks I have ever seen, all constructed by locals from the village. Many of the fireworks are mounted on a wicker ´Toro´ which local men strap to there backs and run around with - being more or less the only ´Guero´at event I was a prime target for these men, and was caught in the line of fire more than once! But it was all a good laugh, and as an awe-inspiring finale, the local church became a fountain of fireworks! After there was a big dance in a neary field and we danced to some of the local Banda and Cumbia music which was a little like a Ceile, but with more rhythm!

Unfortunately, the local chicken tortillas at the event didn´t agree with me, and I was suffering the next day! However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I was able to learn a lot about archaic Mexican natural remedies! My ´foster mother´ Trinny, who works at the restaurant, gave me half a lime with salt to put on my belly and tea made from Albacar leaves. I politely decline the Mezcal (very strong local liquer!) she offered me, only for her to put some on a cloth with lime juice and chopped Paraiso to wrap around my head. She then took me through a masterclass of old native remedies, including putting clay and tomato on swelling, and using lime juice to clean out your eyes!! Mezcal also seemed to be a solution to many problems - they say Mexicans drink Mezcal when they are sick and when they are healthy too! Anyway, I´m not sure if it was the home remedies and tasty local broths, or just the paracetamol from Boots that did the trick, but I was fine by the next day!

Right now I am in neighbouring Mazunte, about to take a look around the turtle museum. The turtle team check the beach at 4am every morning to look for eggs, and next week I will join them once or twice (depending on whether 4 am actually means 4am...!) to give a hand. In the mean time, Hasta Luego muchachos!

Brian

Starting to feel like home.

Karen O´ Regan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:11:41 +0000

Hola de Barra!It is my forth week here in Barra and I feel I am really beginning to settle into daily life here in this picturesque little fishing village! Today is Monday, and this morning when I went to my english class I was delighted to find the usual kids waiting for me, plus some new ones! I call it my english class as I really feel that I have put my own stamp on it, which I love! The children run towards me when they see me coming and they welcome me with hugs and the occasional flower! They show so much enthusiasm for the english classes, this encourages me to pre-plan better classes so I can help them to expand their knowledge of the language.

After we finish the english classes I help them to look for a book which they like. We have a great system which enables the children to check out a book for the night and return it the next day. We just had a big donation from Larousse, a big publishing company. This has been excellent and has encouraged the children to enjoy books even more. Today, as we have some spare time I take out the hurleys and sliotars which I brought with me. Of course the kids, so inquisitive, immediately want to know what this strange sport is and more importantly, how to play it!!

After dividing them into fair teams, I teach them the basic skills like pucking the ball on the ground, soloing and roll-picking the ball. Then we have an exciting game where the teams compete against each other! The atmosphere is really tense with both teams chanting the names of their competitors!..It´s been a busy Monday morning!

Just like the weeks, the weekends seem to fly by, presenting themselves with lots of opportuities for sight-seeing and adventures! Saturday, we go kayaking on the lagoon and on the open sea and Sunday sees us on a trip to Manzanilla - an island which is half an hour away in a boat. The Island is absolutely breath taking.It is surrounded by coral reef so we jump at the chance to go snorkelling and to see the beautiful tropical fish which it has in abundance! It really is a little piece of paradise on earth!

This week is set to be a busy one, two new volunteers have arrived from Germany, and the volunteers who were here for a year are leaving tomorrow. We have lots of work to do, besides planning a good-bye party, we need to start organising the supplies for the school distribution. As everyone returns to school here on the 24th of August, we organise a package for each child. It will contain notebooks, pencils, pens etc, so that children will not be discouraged from going to school if they don´t have adequate school supplies, which has happened in the past. But with our help it has been happening less and less!

Last week, Carmen, the volunteer national co-ordinator who is based in Mexico city, came to Barra. We all got to work and made lots of notepads with our supplies, I couldn´t believe how easy it was to make them! We also counted all of the supplies which we have, so now all we need to do is put the packages together!

In the afternoon class we do a paper making class - this is a workshop which we run in order to recycle paper. We have designated a special area in the library for waste paper. The night before the class, the paper needs to be shredded and soaked in water over-night.The next day we take the paper and make pages with it, then clamp it so that the pages will be as thin as possible. When it´s dry we make booklets and photo frames. The children really enjoy customising their individual projects with glitter and stickers!

After art class we have ´´hora de cuentos´´ which is story hour! We gather in a big circle in the story corner, last week we made a big sign and drawings and hung them in our story corner. One of us maestras takes a popular story and reads it for the children. This encourages their interest in books even more and afterwards they are free to look for more books! After this the kids have play hour where they can inside or outside in the library garden.

After a long day, a cool, soothing swim in the ocean is the perfect remedy. This place is truely a little piece of heaven on earth!

Time to say Goodbye

Marius Kulmer — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:02:55 +0000

Time to say Goodbye

My time at the EIL office in Cork is nearly over. As I was hoping at the beginning the time at EIL teached me lots of things. I wish I could turn back time!

Four weeks of Intercultural Experience teached me what motivated and purposeful people can change. Their work make a difference! So I am proud and deeply grateful that I could be part of EIL. In my opinion the mission of EIL deserves to be supported. Because EIL offers you the chance to see behind the curtain and to make changes.

My last weeks were characterized by doing preliminary works for the different people of the office. Thence I get to know all the diverse scopes of duties. From individual programmes, where foreign students attend secondary school in Ireland, to group programmes, where American seniors do a round trip through Ireland and learn about irish history and culture. The rich diversity of programmes is just amazing.

I want to thank everybody for the kindness how I was welcomed into the EIL “family”. I enjoyed the stay very much and therefore I want to thank everybody.

Also I want to thank my host family. They gave me an understanding of Irish life, culture and people. I really appreciated the time with you.

Thanks for the experience!

Marius Kulmer

Rest in the park

Joe — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:21:11 +0000

Greetings from Paradise!

Brian Denvir — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:10:32 +0000

Greetings from Paradise! It has been two weeks since I arrived in the beautiful pueblito of Ventanilla, and each day I find myself more and more tempted to destroy my passport and stay put! Ventanilla is breathtakingly beautiful, with 70km of white sands and clear oceans, a vast labyrinth of a lagoon infested with crocodiles, iguanas and tortugas, and an idyllic island of palm trees and hammocks a short boat trip away! Life moves at a much slower pace here, and it has taken a while to adjust to ´el ritmo tropical´. The heat and humidity means that most of the work here takes place during ´las horas frescas´, from 6am-12pm and 4pm-7pm. Needless to say I don´t mind the descanso in the middle of the day, as it´s the perfect opportunity to chat to the locals, or take to a hammock! The village consists of about 30 families, who have made me feel very welcome, and are really keen to talk about their home and the ecotourism project which they almost all contribute to here in this unique place.

It is very easy to lose track of the days, because the weekend doesn´t exist here - the tour guides work every day to accommodate the considerable number of tourists. Every morning I wade into the lagoon at 7am with the reforestation team, and we plant about 200 red mangrove trees in the shallow water, always keeping a wary look out for crocs....! In 1997, two hurricanes in the space of a month wiped out 70 percent of the Mangrove here, and in order to save the ecosystem, an extensive reforestation project was undertaken. Along with the reforestation team there is a crocodile team, and turtle team, who have looked after these protected species since the hurricanes destroyed their home.

After 2 hours in the lagoon, I usually help out in the restaurant or help collect rubbish from the beach before the heat becomes unbearable. In the afternoon we take the sapling mangroves for the following day´s work from the island, and paddle through the endless winding corridors of vegetation in the lagoon. I have spent the rest of my afternoons going on as many of the guided tours of the lagoon as possible with the guides, who almost all live and have families in the village. Their knowledge of the natural world would put Bear Grylls to shame! The crocodiles often come right up to the tiny wooden boats, but they are pretty passive, and I fret a lot more about my friends the mosquitos! After 2 weeks of tagging along, I have just about managed to translate the whole tour into English. This week I will start giving English tours, once I have practised my rowing which is an art form in itself! The rest of the time I spend helping out the guides, helping the other volunteers with their English classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, serving customers in the restaurant, and trying to improve the old español! Starting tomorrow I am giving guitar lessons to some kids from the village, and I am looking forward to learning a few Mexican tunes myself!

As the sun sets, most evenings we have a turtle liberation on the beach which is an incredible sight to behold. The eggs usually hatch around this time of year, and a crowd gathers in the evening to help release the hundreds of tiny turtles as they venture in to the Pacific. The first liberation I took part in truly was a sight I will never forget.

Internet access is limited in Paradise, so for now I will have to leave you with this and fill you in on some of my adventures as soon as I can. Needless to say I am having an incredible time and can honestly say I have never experienced anything like this! If I don´t show up in Dublin in September, you know where to find me.....!

¡Hasta Luego!

My name is Joe...

Joe — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:46:16 +0000

Hi everyone,

my real name is Gianfranco Mingione, but my friends call me Joe! I'm 28 years old and I am doing an interniship at the EIL Intercultural Learning office of Ireland based in Cork City in the south of Ireland. I started work at the EIL office two days ago. The first day of work was for me very important. I was really nervous but the first impression was positive.

Marian, the administration's manager, introduced me to all members of the office. The people here are friendly and nice. I like the mission and the important projects that EIL is implementing in Ireland and around the world. For me this is the first experience as stagiare in another Country and I hope to improve my skills and my knowledge of the English language.

Something about me...

I attended two Specialization Degree in Communication and Social and Institutional Communication at the University for Foreigners in Perugia. In the month of July 2009 I got a Professional Certificate as Press Agent at the Regional Agency for the Communication situated in Rome. I have experience in the fields of youth policies, journalism, social communication for no-profit organization and tourism.

I like Art - painting, photography, artvideo and sculpture - and I like traveling and cooking. I am very interested in literature, history and poetry.

My best mission in this moment? I want take advantage of this important experience to know a new culture and new friends!

Gianfranco Mingione

Occupation: stagiare of the communication area

Internship at EIL Office in Cork

Marius Kulmer — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:32:04 +0000

Impressions of Ireland

I have been in Ireland for one week now. More precisely I am doing an internship at the “EIL Intercultural Learning” office of Ireland situated in Cork City in the south of Ireland for four weeks. It is the first time for me being in Ireland and it is amazing. But how time flies!

I started work at the EIL office on last Monday. I was really nervous about what would await me. But I had never thought that the staff would be so friendly and warmhearted. I was introduced by Marian, my great adviser, to all members of the office. My working hours are 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-5pm, so I would have enough time to show a great deal of dedication. Most time I am working with the “Data Base” and the “Intranet”, software which is used to administrate information. It is my business to do small jobs for the different persons. My “fellows” are very open-minded, that is why I can ask for help or more work^^ or anything else at any time. All in all I enjoy my stay very much. I get first working experience, improve my English and learn to manage things on my own.

My host family lives in Carrigaline, a village 15km from Cork City Centre. I was very cordially received. They are really kind, warm and generous. Sometimes I feel like an au pair, because of the two incredible hyperactive, but nevertheless nice and lovely kids. My most impressing experience until now was the view of the seaside of Roches Point in the first evening. I was not expecting to see as many characteristics, I had heard of Ireland, at the same place: steep cliffs, rocks, rough sea and green hills.

The nature is awesome. The people are amazing. The weather is…unpredictable.

Marius Kulmer (German intern at EIL Office in Cork)

Brian's Blog

Brian Denvir — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:22:18 +0000

Hola From Mexico! Myself and fellow EIL volunteer Karen O´Regan are soaking up the incredible atmosphere in one of Mexico´s most culturally diverse states, Oaxaca. Oaxaca City really is fiesta central at the minute, with parades, music and dancing every day and night in preparation for the annual Guelegetza festival on Monday the 20th and 27th of July. Each community demonstrates its local costume, music and dance in festivals all over the state, and the sea of colours in the streets really is a sight to behold!

This is our second week in the country, having taken in the sights in Mexico City for a day, before travelling to Oaxaca to attend classes at the picturesque Instituto Cultural Oaxaca, a Spanish school. I have managed to form a good relationship with my host family, as my Spanish improves poco a poco. The phrase ´poco a poco´ is one of the most widely used phrases in Mexico, and is really like a philosophy for the people here - the people I have met have great patience (especially with my stuttering Spanish) and the phrase ´little by little´ really sums up their way of life!

We have only been here a week and we have already made the national Mexican TV news! We were interviewed in the city´s main plaza ´Zocalo´, in a cultural item for TV AZTECA about the festival, and I really didn´t mind singing Oaxaca´s praises! We have also been taking Salsa lessons at the school, which is great fun, although we really can´t keep up with the local standard! The local cuisine is so different to European food - we have salsa and tortillas with almost every meal, and sampling the chapulines (grasshoppers) was amazing!

I really have fallen in love with this city - the people are so friendly, and I have never felt so safe in a city. This may be because the city´s economy relies on tourism only, so they really have to be nice! But it is more likely that since the people are so welcoming, tourism has naturally prospered in this remarkable state!

Anyway, this week sees the start of the Mezcal festival here in Oaxaca, a huge market with many types of Mezcal, a strong, smokey local spirit made from the agabe plants. There will be lots of free samples, so we need to rest up for the tough week ahead...! Hasta Luego!!

Brian

Group Shot

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:44:56 +0000

The Vermont Group

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:39:29 +0000

The Parade

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:33:05 +0000

Vermont 2009: Discussion Group

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:28:01 +0000

Vermont 2009

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:23:41 +0000

4th of July Parade

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:17:38 +0000

Edith giving a speech

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:14:21 +0000

Edith with some friends in Vermont

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:05:45 +0000