Jessye with kids in Kwamoso, Ghana

By Jessye Crowe-Rothstein, Program Advisor

Over the past weeks I have been privileged to visit Accra, Cape Coast and the Akuapem Hills. I have met many volunteers and spent time visiting placements and getting to know our wonderful staff members in all of these regions. There are vast differences between the three regions I have visited, and volunteers thinking of coming to Ghana will find they have opportunities to visit a large range of environments. I spent my first week here in Accra, which is the very busy capital city of Ghana. Although many volunteers live within the city center we also have placements up to an hour away in many directions, so many volunteers find themselves in smaller towns yet with access to the big city. There are tons of volunteers in the Accra area this summer and it is a very social place, with opportunities to get together with other volunteers most evenings. I also went to a lively quiz night, which Tom hosts at our central office every Tuesday night. Volunteers tested their knowledge about Ghana, geography and many other various subjects.

Cape Coast made for a lovely weekend destination, and we were able to visit the famous slave castle as well as spend some time relaxing on the gorgeous beaches in the area. The past week in the Hills has been really fantastic, and quite a contrast from Accra. The Akuapem Hills region includes many small towns where our volunteers participate in a huge variety of placements. The landscape here is absolutely beautiful and the volunteers who are living here really can become a part of the communities in which they are based. For those who are looking for a slower pace of life, the Hills would be a great place to come and volunteer.

Tonight we are heading back to Accra for the end of the month party, a huge gathering in Accra which volunteers from all four regions will be attending! It has been a real pleasure to have the opportunity to visit Ghana and to begin to understand why it is our most popular destination!

Volunteers on the 2 week special, Moldova

By Scott McQuarrie, Programme Advisor

Two things struck me as I flew back into Moldova for my second visit. First was the intense heat! Had air traffic control made a massive error and sent the plane to Africa? Most of Eastern and Southern Europe had been consumed by a ferocious heat wave with temperatures reaching an extreme 45 degrees Celsius (113F). Just as well for my Scottish skin that I packed the Factor 40! Secondly what was the friendly person in the immigration queue saying to me in Russian? It sounded interesting whatever it was. Anyway I knew I was back in Moldova as a sense of excitement and confusion surrounded me.

My main role was helping set up a new sport project in Moldova. Having seen Moldova’s national team draw 1 – 1 with Scotland some time ago it occurred to me they must be pretty bad at football if they couldn’t beat my home country. Maybe the game was in need of some development? Joking aside, Moldova’s football structure, from national team to grassroots, is still in its infancy. Therefore work is needed at youth level to create a strong senior team. Our project aims to play a part in this process. Volunteers can now receive coaching methods from a UEFA qualified coach, train with the Projects Abroad football team (Eikomena PA) and help develop youth football by coaching children between 7 – 18 years old.

Scott playing a fine game of chequers

My trip also coincided with the volunteers undertaking a 2 week Care & Community placement. There were 7 volunteers helping in a variety of placements. Some were involved in helping disabled children at a local swimming pool, working at and orphanage and also a day care centre. The placement where I met volunteers Ryan, Alex and Rachael was at the Oncology Hospital, a children’s cancer hospital. Each volunteer was spending time with the children on numerous activities including colouring in, origami, and games. I played my part by being convincingly beaten at chequers by a young lad in the group. The children spend 2 weeks in the hospital and return home for 1 month on a cycle until their chemotherapy treatment is over. Doina, one of the project supervisors and also in remission from cancer herself, told me how disappointed the children were when she got delayed one day and couldn’t make it to the hospital. By contrast she also said how delighted the children were to receive personal attention from these volunteers. It was a real reminder to me that this is a worthwhile project for all involved, even if it is for a short period of time.

More after the jump…..

Scott and Igor in the new office, Moldova

I also helped Projects Abroad Moldova move into their new office. The office is now situated in the centre of Chisinau. It takes about 5 minutes walk from Stefan Cel Mare (the main street in the centre of town). It’s ideally located for cafes, bars, shops and banks. I’d also recommend visiting Restaurant Equator just around the corner – you have to take stepping stones over water to your table and then eat by a large waterfall.

I was shocked by the sad and sorrowful news of my friend and colleague, Daniel León.

Karen and I would like to offer our most sincere condolences to his grieving family and his broken-hearted colleagues.

I worked with Daniel while he was in Chile, and in Costa Rica, and of course in Mexico. He was always committed to our project and he played a big part in the development of Teaching & Projects Abroad in Latin America. He was insightful and effective. He was also sensitive and could work comfortably with Latin American, North American and European cultures. In addition, he was great fun. You could not have found a more enjoyable person to work with when things were going well and he was also a most reassuring colleague in the difficult times that we have faced. You could have a great discussion about life with Daniel and you would laugh – and you would always learn something too. My last strong memory of him is when he danced the Salsa (famously well) on a Thursday night during my last visit to Guadalajara. It is a tragedy that our friend has gone.

The only consolation is that we know for certain that the many wonderful memories of Daniel will eventually overwhelm the sharpness of the grief we now feel. For now, though, his many good friends only experience a terrible darkness. We will miss him deeply.

Peter Slowe

Saad and volunteers at quiz night

By Suzi Lamb, International Development Manager

I found myself unusually excited about my trip to Morocco, as much as I get to travel quite regularly with work; I hadn’t visited a new country for almost two years. I also studied French at university, and have enjoyed having the chance to use my language skills in Senegal recently and I was keen to see how French in Morocco would compare.

We meet volunteers at either Rabat or Casablanca airport; however I flew into Marrakech, as I was also keen to see another Moroccan city at the weekend before I left. Marrakech was very hot, and I jumped straight onto a train for a steamy five hour journey to Rabat.

Our Morocco director, Saad, met me at the train station in Rabat. Due to its coastal location Rabat is a much more pleasant temperature, like a hot summer’s day in the UK, around 27 degrees during the middle of the day. After rainy season in Thailand and the torrential rain we’ve had in the UK this summer, a week of clear blue skies and sunshine was much appreciated. Anyway, enough typical British talk about the weather…

It was good to visit some of our teaching and care placements in Rabat. As it is currently the school holidays the teaching volunteers are working in ‘Associations’ which offer free English lessons to small groups of students from non-privileged back grounds. The volunteers I met were doing a great job of making their lessons fun and as more volunteers arrive we will be able to teach greater numbers of keen students. Any volunteers able to teach French would also be really welcomed by the associations.

More after the jump …..

MORE…

Suzi and child at care centre

The care volunteers are currently working with disabled children at a small centre, where the children are bought for the morning. The volunteers often work one-on-one with the children or in small groups as they require lots of help and stimulation. The children enjoy activities like colouring (see the photo of me and one of the children), and simple games like dominoes.

The remainder of the volunteers in Rabat were taking part in either French or Arabic Language projects. I sat in on half an hour of an Arabic lesson, and it seems so complicated, just learning the letters and the sounds is so different to learning a Latin based language like I’m used to speaking French and Spanish. I was very impressed by how much some of the volunteers had learned though, and their host families were eager to help and practice with them.

All our host families are located within the walled Medina, the oldest part of the town. This means the volunteers are all in walking distance from each other and in a great central location. The volunteers regularly meet up for a quiz night, or to go out for some mint tea and super sweet Moroccan biscuits.

The atmosphere in Rabat was very relaxed and there was much less hassle in the streets than I expected. I think this is due to it being less of a touristy town, as in Marrakech I got far more comments from men and vendors in the street, which can get frustrating and tiring. However, I’d love to go back to Morocco, particularly to spend more time in Rabat, take a trip into the Sahara and climb Morocco’s highest mountain; all activities that volunteers can take part in at the end of a project.

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”

The new Mr. and Mrs. Myers!

Although slightly belated, everyone at Projects Abroad would like to like to wish Dana and Alyssa congratulations on their wedding July 1st which was held on the beach of Sea Island just outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

Dana and Alyssa are our new respective Country Director and Desk Officer in South Africa and I hope any newly arriving volunteers will wish them well too!

I will have to admit everyone here in the US office was not only slightly jealous of the stunning photos Alyssa sent along but also anxious on how any one could live up to such a beautiful ceremony and such gorgeous pictures!

“Just Married” sandals

A beautiful view of the Bran Castle, Romania from the air

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Romania. I spent three months there as a volunteer and absolutely feel in love with the country. Rob, the Director of our Canadian office and a fellow Romania-phile, sent along this article about the famous “Dracula’s Castle” in Bran was up for sale.

While it actually has no real link to Dracula, this castle is one of Romania’s most well known and visited sites. It is often the first place volunteers go in their free time and I went there on my first weekend trip as a volunteer myself, oh the memories! You take a bus from Brasov that goes through the small town of Rasnov and some real beautiful countryside.

When I went the castle was a museum operated by the government but apparently the Romanian government passed it back to it’s legal heir who is now trying to sell it.

Has any one been recently? Has it gotten even more touristy? What is the kitsch factor at? I would love to hear your stories!