The Survival Trip
After working in the hotel during the week, my team had a new challenge to face: a 3 days survival trip, in the mountains, and 50 kilometres to go. I was tired, it`s true, but I like to walk in the middle of the Nature. For example, that is what I usually do in the archipelago of Azores, in Portugal. I and my friends love camping, so we put some clothes and food in our backpack and we go in search for some adventure. Life tastes differently when we are completely by our own!
We left the school on Friday, 12 a.m., together with the April team and Tomasz, our leader for the weekend. We started walking through the mountains, but each one had different rhythms, so some had to wait for the others.
At some point, my back started to hurt a lot because of my heavy bag, so I had to stop many times. My motivation was going down and the trip seemed not to have an end…
Meanwhile, Lenka was not feeling well also because her boots were not good for her feet. However, she tried to continue, but, after some hours, she decided to go back to the school. At that time, her socks were already covered, on the back, with blood. So, we said goodbye to Lenka and we continued our trip. We had to walk five kilometres more and it was almost 7 p.m..
It was time to do our last effort of the day, but luck was not on our side. We had to find a certain lake, but we got lost. So, we put our bags down and Tomasz, with the help of Roman, tried to find out which was the way. Finally, they came back with a conclusion: we have to turn around. And so we did.
By the time we arrived to the lake, it was already 10 p.m. I and the girls put some worm clothes and the boys did a fire camp and cooked soup, beans and sausages. I was tired and sleepy, so I ate soup with some bread and laid down on my sleeping bag. I had two pairs of trousers, a t-shirt, a sweat-shirt, two pair of socks, gloves, scarf, round cap and a jacket. Even so, I couldn`t sleep with the cold! In a way, time seemed not to pass by and, in other way, I seemed not to find some time to fall asleep. I was desperate, but then the morning came. For the first time in my life I had slept with the stars and I “survived”! However, I knew that I had to return home with Raquel, Sandra and Jenny, who where going to Trondheim, on Sunday. And I was not the only one to want to go. Roman and Petr also decided to leave, so, in the end, only four people stayed: Tomasz, Peter, Andrzje and Mantas.
When we arrived to the meeting point, where someone would pick us up, it was 12.30 a.m. I fell asleep on the bench and I just woke up when I heard the engine of the car. It was Sissel! The problem was that there was no space for everyone in the van. So, Roman and Petr left their luggage there and walked back to the school. By the time we got to Hornjo I was already dreaming with a hot shower and a bed! There`s no place like home!
The survival trip could have been much nicer if it was not only a question of doing kilometres. There was no time to stop and enjoy the landscape, for example. It was just walk, walk and walk, like robots, which is not very nice for who have worked, all week, in the hotel. The pressure of getting to the lake, made us lose our motivation and, in the end, it was nothing special. I felt that we were putting a lot of effort without getting any joy from that. I am not a person who gives up, generally speaking, but if I add the pain on my back and the cold I felt during the night, I can say that I don`t regret the decision I have made.
My First Time Working in the Hotel
It might seem strange in a way, but I always wanted to know how it is to be a waitress.
Yesterday I started working in the hotel and my first job was to serve dinner to the guests. I can say that it was not a bad experience. In the beginning, I was a little bit nervous because I had never done it before in my life. However, when I started working that feeling disappeared. The only thing I wanted was to do a good job, so that the guests would be satisfied.
I had only one table for ten people and I can say that they where nice to me. In fact, when one of the girls knew that I am Portuguese, she was really interested in talking with me. That made me feel good because I love to communicate with people.
Today morning it was time to have another experience: to clean the rooms. I must say that I really didn`t like doing that, for many reasons. It is boring, physically tiring and I don`t have the opportunity to speak with new people.
The two jobs that I carried out in the hotel were completely different, but I can say that they were important for my life. First, I learnt new skills and also I feel that I am more enriched now. In fact, I understood, in my flesh, how difficult these jobs can me and how important it is to respect the people who do them.
My First Dinner on The island
Yesterday we decided to have our dinner on the island that is in the middle of our lake. So, we brought hamburgers, sausages and potatoes to be grilled in a fire camp that we would try to do there. For the vegetarians we made a couple of sandwiches with cheese and also fruit tea.
When we left the school it was already half past six. Everyone went in groups of two to the island, except me, Raquel and Patrick. In fact, we decided to take the risk and go in the same canoe. Well, we thought that the worst it could happen would be to go back swimming.
We arrived to the island as dry as we where before. No, I am lying. Raquel was a little bit wet because she was seated in the middle of the canoe, but that is only a detail.
When everyone was there, we started making the fire camp. In the beginning we had some difficulties, but Andrzej saved us from starving! So, it was time to relax, just eating, chatting and enjoying the nature. In the end of the night, Mantas and Peter played chess and by the time they finished it was already very dark. Some of us decided to go back to the school. Me, Raquel, Patrick, Peter and Andrzej stayed on the island a little bit longer.
After a while, we packed our stuff and started our trip back home. The lake was beautiful at that time reflecting all the surroundings. It really seemed that we were going to touch the sky…
For me, it was really a wonderful night. First, we had to prepare everything we ate and , I don`t know why, it seemed that the food tasted better. But the most important of all was that we got more close to each other, just because we were all seated around the fire camp and that created a great atmosphere amongst everyone.
My First Time Baking Bread
I wanted to know how to bake bread for a long time, but the opportunity never appeared. However, last Sunday Barbora said that she was going to do it and asked if we wanted to learn how to bake it.
Me and Peter accepted the challenge as well as Raquel. Barbora started telling us what the ingredients that we had to use were and also the quantities. After that, it was time to put hands at work!
The fact that the school has a baking machine helped us a lot because we could save some time. After mixing all the ingredients we started learning how to shape the rowels. It was a little bit difficult to get the technique, but after a while we were managing ok. Then, we put the rowels in the oven and we waited for one hour, more or less. In the end, the rowels were with a nice colour and asking to be eaten! We tasted it and they were really good.
If I think that it was the first time for me and my friends to bake bread, I can say that we did a good job. We worked as a team and we baked bread for everyone in this school, something that is the base of what we should eat to have a healthy life.
Canoeing Experience
Sunday was a free day and me, Peter, Raquel, Patrick, Caroline, Anita and Barbora decided to go canoeing. So, we put our life jackets on and took the paddles down to the lake. The weather was nice, that is to say, it wasn`t raining.
Me and Raquel were in one canoe and then it was Peter and Patrick, Anita and Caroline and Barbora in other. In the beginning, me and Raquel were a little bit lost because we didn`t know how to paddle. So, Patrick gave us a summarize explanation of how to do it.
We started canoeing towards the little island that is in the middle of the lake.
After a while, my arms were already hurting, but, at the same time I was really feeling good for being in direct contact with nature. Besides that, me and Raquel were focus on reaching our goal: the island!
The team work resulted and, finally, we arrived there. The first thing I did was to walk until the end of the island. It took 2 minutes! We spent 15 minutes there, just chatting and eating blueberries. Then, it was time to go back because some stomachs were already complaining. Me and Raquel were the last ones to arrive to solid ground, but what was really important was that we got there alive and not wet!
My First Fundraising Experience
When I was a GAIA, in Birmingham, a lot of DI`s from Hull came to our school to do fundraising in the city centre. Sometimes I would see them on the streets, with the magazines in their hands, trying to convince people about their work. Some looked frustrated and I wondered how it would be with me…
Yesterday was my first time fundraising on the streets. Lillehammer was the city chosen and we arrived there in the morning.
Sissel went with my team to give us some help and support. First, we were divided in groups, so we could take the best out of each street. We agreed that we would have a break after one hour and we went to our spots. At that time a lot of thoughts were dancing in my head. How am I going to approach people? Who will be the best one to ask? And if I forget my speech?
When I arrived to my area, next to a phone box, I decided to stop thinking too much and just do it! I started asking people, but most of them said “no” or just ignored me. I started to feel frustrated or, who knows, even sad. What is wrong with me? But, after the break, I realized that I couldn`t take it personally. If people are rude, that`s their problem, not mine. So, my attitude consisted, basically, in being honest and sincere with them and have positive thinking!
At the end of the day I reached the goal that was proposed to us and, I think I can say it, everybody was happy for having finished this challenge. It was hard, but it was also important for me. All my life I was the one that avoided speaking with people that are asking for money on the street. Not that I was rude to them, but I usually said that I was in a hurry. Now I know how it is to be on the other side. I feel more conscious because my knowledge has grown. Little by little I am leaving my little world.
HIV Seminar
In 1984, scientists discovered that AIDS was provoked by a virus called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). At that time, there was a common belief that it only attacked white homosexual men, in San Francisco. However, the disease started to spread around the world, first in Africa, and it is now considered a pandemic.
Despite we are in the 21st century, nobody still discovered the cure for the HIV, but there has been some advances in the medical field. For example, in 1996 it was announced the first antiretroviral treatment. So, what can we do?
Everyone gives value to its live and the only way to protect it is to adopt safe behaviours. To do that, first of all, it is important to have access to information, something that is pretty common in the West, but scanty in the developing countries. That is one of the reasons why India and sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rate of HIV.
In Gandhi`s country, for example, the first HIV case was detected in 1986 and now there are 5.7 million people living with it, the largest number in the world. The main reason is because they didn`t use a condom. It is curious to think that such a small action, like not putting a condom, can change someone`s life forever. It is not only a question of the money a person will spend on treatments. It is also the suffering for being excluded from society and, who knows, from its own family.
HIV has a great impact not only in the life of each individual, but also regarding a country`s sustainability because it affects all areas of a society, like health, education and economy. For example, the money that will be spent on health will result in a decline in savings, slowing growth and investment. That is why India is facing now a big problem. After its economy have been growing at nearly 8% in the last few years, India can suffer a cut of 1% over the next 10 to 15 years.
The challenges are many in this fight against HIV/AIDS and our only weapon, as DI`s, is to try to make people understand how serious this pandemic is, how simple is to be protected, how it can affect everyone (children, wives, heterosexuals) and how it can put in jeopardy the future of a country. The obstacles are many – mentality, stigma, insufficient resources, illiteracy – and it would be much easier to close our eyes, but it is important to have hope and to take action.
The UFF Action
In the 11th of August 2006, me and my team mates went to Lindeberg for the UFF Action. To get there we had to hitchhike which, for me, was a challenge because I had never done it before. So, we were divided in 3 groups: me, Peter and Petr; Lenka and Patrick; Andrej and Roman. What can I tell about this experience?
Well, my group had to wait one hour and a half, in Lillehammer, to get the first ride. The problem was that the lady could only drive us some kilometers further away. She was very nice and she was very interested about what we where doing here in Norway.
After she left us, we waited maybe half an hour for the next car. This time it was a man who was not very interested in speaking. So, I just decided to be quiet and, some minutes later, I fall asleep. When I woke up we were already near Klofta, the town where he left us.
It was time to get to Lindeberg because it was almost 5 p.m. and we had to get there, maximum, at 7 p.m. We decided to go to a petrol station to try our luck, but it was pointless. That is why we started walking in the motorway waiting for a good soul. A man, maybe in his early thirties, was kind enough to get off his way and drive us until Lindeberg. At that time I was already feeling a little bit tired, but the young men was willing to drive until the warehouse. The problem was that Petr said something like "Don`worry! We can walk!" When I heard that I thought I could have him with my eyes...And the truth is that we had to walk almost for half an hour to get to the warehouse. When we arrived there, roughly at 6.30 p.m., the rest of the people was already waiting for us.
It was time to relax for a while! So, we sat and have a chat until we were called to have a meeting with the UFF`s owners, Rosa and Jesper, and two trainees from Zambia, Charity and Lazarous. They explained us what we would have to do on Saturday: hang and label 4000 pieces of clothes in 10 hours (from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. with some breaks)! So, once again, we were divided in 3 groups: me, Roman and Petr; Lenka, Patrick and Andrej and, finally, Peter who had to paint some containers. Me and Lenka were the responsibles for labeling and the boys had to hang the clothes.
On Saturday, at 8 a.m., we were ready to start working and I knew already that it was going to be a long day. To begin with, I labeled my finger just a few minutes after starting. After a while I got the "technique", also because Charity was there to help me and the others.
It was my first time working in a warehouse and doing this kind of job that consists in always repeating the same movements. I felt completely alienated and I also felt that I was testing my limits both physically and mentally. For example, in the morning, we only had 10 minutes` break and lunch was only for half an hour. That is to say, when we were starting to eat it was already time to get back to work. The motivation was nil! But, in the end, we managed to finish the goal that they had purposed to us, but it wouldn`t have been possible without the help of Charity and also Lenka, Andrej and Patrick who helped us in the end.
After work, everyone had dinner together, outside the warehouse, and we talked about UFF, the projects in the Third World and our lives.
This experience made me understand, in my flesh, what it is to be a factory worker, but only for a day. Yes, for a day because even if I want to imagine I will never know the kind of sacrifices that he has to do and the strength that he needs to have.
The next day, we had a presentation at 10 a.m., by Charity and Lazarous who talked about the Humana`s shop in Zambia. They explained to us that the clothes come from Holland and they have to be sold in 4 weeks. In the first week, the goal is to sell 60%, second week is 80%, third week the discounts start and in the fourth week everything has to be sold. At that time, the prices are low enough so that poor people can also buythe clothes. Part of the money that the store gets will support projects in Zambia, like the Children`s Town.
After the presentation we said goodbye because it was time to get back to the road. If the trip until Lindeberg was complicated then I don`t know what can I say about our trip back home.
First, Jesper left us in a petrol station (on the E6) at 1 p.m. There was not many cars going there, so we decided to go to the motorway. The problem was that the police came and told us that we couldn`t be there. We had to go back to the petrol station and try our luck again, but, unfortunately, nobody was going to our destination.
Finally, we talked with a man that was going north west from where we were. We drove almost for one hour and we arrived to Kongsvinger. He thought that we wanted to go by train to Lillehhammer, so he stopped in the train station. We explained to him that we wanted to hitchhike, but, until now, I don`t think he understood...After he left, we walked until the end of the town to hitchhike...
We waited maybe for two hours. By that time we were already thinking where could we sleep, but then somebody stopped. It was a young man, Jon, who was already driving for five hours because he was coming back from Sweden. He needed to leave the car at his parents` that live in Elverum. Jon really enjoyed talking, so we shared with him what we where doing here, in his country, and he also told us about his life and gave us some information about Norway.
In Elverum we waited 45m, roughly, and other young man, with a BMW, stopped. He said that he had hitchhiked before and he knew how difficult it could be. He dropped us in a petrol station, in Hamar. At that time it should be already 8 p.m. We were tired and starved.We just wanted to go home! But, we waited and waited and waited....Patience is a virtue! At last a woman stopped and said she could drive us until the E6...our road! When we got there it was already getting dark and we thought again that we where going to sleep with the stars. That didn`t happen, thank God! A girl stopped and said she could drive us until Lillehammer and that was like music to our ears! I was so tired and with such a headache that I just closed my eyes after being seated in the car.
We arrived to Lillehammer at 10 p.m. After a while, Henk and Barbora came to pick us up. When we arrived home it was already 11 p.m. I ate some bread and I went to bed! It is good to arrive home!
My first day at HornsjØ (Norway)
In the 7th August, me, Peter, Andrzej and Roman finished our GAIA and started our trip to Norway. We were conscious that it was going to take a long time to arrive there. In fact, we had to sleep at Stansted airport, but only for a couple of hours. After arriving in Norway we had to take a bus and then a train to Lillehammer. When we got there, Henk was already waiting for us. We were tired and hungry, just wanting to arrive at the school. Even so, first we went to the supermarket and I could have a general idea of the prices that are charged. They are so expensive!
The road from Lilehhamer to our school is surrounded by a breath taken landscape. The lake is simply wonderful! But then we face a problem. When we were driving up the mountain, the car started to “complain”. We had to stop and check what was going wrong with it because it was overheating. However, nobody knew how to resolve the problem and we decided to keep going, hoping for the best to come.
Civilization was now behind and the sheep, many of them in the middle of the road, were the only company we had. Finally, we arrived to Hornjo! We put our bags in our rooms and Lenka made us a guided tour around the school. The first thing I thought was: I am going to get lost here!
After seeing the school, we went to see its surroundings. Needless is to say that we are very lucky for having as neighbours mountains, trees and a lake which was our next stop. There we took some group pictures to remember later and everyone was excited with the possibility to go canoeing. Maybe next time!
When we arrived to the school it was already time for dinner. I was tired and I had a lot of new information in my head as well as new faces and names to memorize. I knew, by that time, that my life was about to change.
