Daniel “Chile” Moreno with kids in Guadalajara

I sadly want to relay the recent passing of one of Projects Abroad staff members, Daniel Moreno, who died of natural causes earlier this week. Daniel or “Chile” as he was affectionately known was a program coordinator in our Guadalajara office. He was an experienced volunteer coordinator who headed up our office in Chile but also was the first country director of our programs in Costa Rica. On my visit to Mexico earlier this year, Daniel picked me up from the airport, welcomed me to Guadalajara with open arms and became my first friend of many during my stay. On my trip he not only showed me around to different placements but he also always had time to talk about life over some cervezas and encourage my sub-par salsa skills. I will always remember him for his ability to make anyone comfortable and his big smile and laugh.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends and we will always miss you.

Please feel free to share any memories or remembrances.

Students at the Conakry airport (Rebecca Blackwell/The Associated Press)

Although we don’t work in the country of Guinea in West Africa, I came across this story and had to put something up about it on the blog. The Associated Press released a story that was picked up by newspapers, both big and small, around the world about school children heading to Conakry’s international airport at night because it is the only place where they’ll always find lights to study by.

Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world and only about one fifth of the countries 10 million people have access to electricity and those who do often experience frequent power outages. It is exam season now and students flock to the lights of the airport so they continue to study into the night.

The Lede, a blog of the New York Times, put it best as the scene “transmutes what would be an ominous scene in an American suburb - a horde of kids milling around a parking lot at all hours - into one of resourcefulness and hope in Africa.”

While students in the developed world have new books, libraries and free, compulsory education, such a scene also highlights the enormous hurdles kids have to access education in the developing world. It is certainly something to think about and a prime example of how education and teaching is one way volunteers can make a true impact in local communities.

Do any volunteers or alumni remember situations like this where students went above and beyond to gain access to education?

The summer is an extremely busy time here as we have lots of volunteers heading to countries all over globe. Although there are more and more nonstop flights, most volunteers will find themselves changing planes at least once and this can be a daunting task to a first time traveler! Consequently, in a stroke of nepotism here at the Projects Abroad blog, I asked my younger sister, Emma, to send me some advice that I could relay to some of our volunteers who might be changing planes in a big hub airport for the first time. Take it away Emma!

By Emma Harper

As I board my flight on KLM to Amsterdam and onwards to Athens, I am giddy with the thought of my summer working in Greece. All of the nerves that accompany a new start in a new environment are surging through my system. Yet as the plane takes off, I am brought back to reality when the Captain announces that in a mere seven hours, we will land in Amsterdam.

Layovers and connections are by no means the most exciting aspect of traveling. They are often a necessity, especially when the destinations are exotic and the budget is limited. Yet even though airports often have a drab exterior and those mass-produced rows of seating, they can be an exciting place to explore; I almost consider it a bonus adventure. To get the most out of your airport connection (or stay…depending on the length of the layover) it’s good to remember a few simple guidelines:

- Know the Airport: To really explore the area, and make your connection on time, I’ve found it helpful to print out a map of the airport ahead of time or to look at the plans provided in the in-flight magazine. It’s easy to get a quick knowledge of a terminal from one of these maps. When the time comes to depart from the plane, I try to look at the number of the gate I’ve come from to orient myself. My next goal is to find the gate I’m leaving from; I do this by finding the closest monitor so that I can recheck my gate number, and then find my gate using the maps I have and the numerous airport signs and maps that plaster the walls. This is a relatively easy process and many of the airports remind me of kindergarten classrooms – they are extremely contained and have lots of signs with big letters. If all else fails, there are always information booths that are almost always well marked and in very central locations.

- Have Fun: Once I find my gate and recheck the time of departure, I explore! Airports have a lot to offer, whether it’s food or shopping or even an art museum, in the case of Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. My favorite activity is to find a coffee, the comfiest chairs, and then proceed to people watch. But the most important lesson I’ve learned in my travels is that if you look at something like an airport transfer, a seemingly mundane activity, with a positive attitude and an open mind, it becomes an easy and sometimes fun experience. Safe travels!

Peter with a statue of Marx

Back in Moldova after ten years away! The Trabants and Moskviches (two Communist ere cars) have mostly gone. True, they were death-traps, but it’s still sad. The carousel in the airport broke down and they’d forgotten my hotel booking, so Moldova hasn’t become organised at least.

Our Director in Moldova is Igor. He’s good fun, but his English is an excited kind of Russlish. When you ask him to repeat something, he does so much louder than before but otherwise the same. (To be fair, Igor speaks Russian and Romanian fluently, so English would be his third language).

Igor took me to the Noua Casa Orphanage which was quite something – lying on a beach on the banks of the Dniester doesn’t make up for being an orphan but it’s still nice – some volunteers are expected there next week.
“Motivations” is for the rehabilitation of young people who are confined to wheelchairs – the man in charge is Nicolae Beşliu (pronounced “Besh-liu”) who is really inspiring (although he rushes about a lot). Nicolae wants volunteers to help with swimming, drawing and loads of other things.

Igor also showed me the children’s cancer ward and an amazing day-care centre.

Then it was time to sign a partnership agreement with Eikomena soccer club. This is for sports placements and for young African footballers to get some European experience. After signing, I had to kiss the officials, which is what Moldovans do (and which is not at all what the English do).

I took a day off to visit Balta. Stunning. In Stalin’s days, it was the capital of the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. I’ve attached several pictures of this wonderful unknown run-down place. What history! Marvellous!

Peter Slowe
July 2007

–there’s me pretending to enter the abandoned Communist Party HQ

-finally there’s a plaque on a disused cinema commemorating the first ever meeting of the Moldovan Young Communist “Komsomol”