Tales from Antipodeans Abroad

Goodbye to Laos for Griffith University

2012-02-21T17:06:00.000+11:00

On Sunday, we packed up our belongings (again!) and set off for Ban Na Pho, the same village we stayed in during the first week. This time though, we stayed in different houses with different home stay families on the opposite side of the village, further up the hill. The home stays were again very simple and the families were very nice. We ate dinner at the lodge and then all settled in to bed for an early night. In our home stay, we were just about to nod off to sleep when a confused rooster started crowing as if the sun was coming up. It was 10pm!! Crazy rooster… lol...

Anyway, we were awoken by the crowing of SANE roosters along with the squealing and clucking sounds of the local pigs and chickens as the sun came up on Monday morning. We got up, had breakfast and set out for our first health clinic in the village of Ban Huasaking. We again focused the care in 4 main areas: basic health checks of villagers, treatment of ailments and illnesses (mobile clinic), health education (sanitation, hygiene, diet and nutrition, dental hygiene, wound care etc) and ante natal workshops. We continued to set up health clinics in villages for the rest of the week. On Tuesday it was in Ban Phunorwan & Hadid and on Wednesday it was in Ban Houaypho. We had become rather good at setting up the clinics by this stage and everything generally ran quite smoothly. This week the villagers visited with much the same ailments as the week before, but some villages this week seemed to have a higher incidence of Tuberculosis than the week before. The district manager of health came to visit us one afternoon in the villages and this point was raised with him. We were told that the matter would be investigated further and that samples for pathology screening at the local permanent treatment centre would be taken. This is a good example of the collaborative relationship that we have been aiming to build with the local health workers and authorities. With Tuberculosis, the disease can be treated by the local Lao authorities, but the problem is that it requires a 4-8 week hospital stay and many of the villagers are reluctant to leave their farms and families for such a prolonged period of time.

Immunization for family members of those in close contact with a TB sufferer are available, but the villagers often must travel to the treatment centre to receive it, something that is not always a possibility for them to do so immunization rates in these areas are not always ideal.

On Thursday we set up our last clinic in Ban Phounorwan, which is the home village to Chipseng, one of our translators and our local village mediator. There was a really cool bridge in this village that was built by contributions from a group that had travelled there in the past. Basically, the village was given the option to put some money towards something that they really needed. It was decided that a bridge that could be used in the difficult wet season to cross the river from the highlands to the lowlands would be the most practical investment as this has been known to be a dangerous activity during the wet season when the river floods.

In the afternoon on Thursday we had a special visit from the Lao Minister for Health. After the official business of speeches and acknowledgements by the minister and Hazel (on behalf of Griffith University), a party was held in the community lodge as a commemoration and thanks for all of the hard work we had done. We did lots of dancing with the villagers and by the end of the night we were all exhausted but still smiling. On Friday, the local home stay families and village chief said good bye to us and commemorated our departure with a traditional Basi Su Khouan ceremony. Basi is pali for ‘ties of thread’ and su khouan is Lao for ‘defending the spirit or soul’. Basi’s are performed for many different reasons e.g. births, marriages, departure from a trip or arrival from a trip. The village gathered around a centerpiece they had made for us from banana leaves, offerings and bonds to ‘tie’ everyone together as a community. The chief said a blessing for us and the villagers tied bonds around us. It was very sad to be leaving the village, but we knew that we had made a difference in the community and we really felt very appreciated by them.

After saying goodbye, we began to load up the trucks. Our luggage was much lighter than it had been on previous occasions as we didn’t pack up ALL of our things. Most of us chose to leave behind clothing, shoes and useful possessions for the families in the village to use - we literally gave them the clothes off our backs! These villagers honestly have very few possessions and clothes to call their own and we were all quite happy to part with a few of our own things for them to use. When we had finished loading what we were taking home with us on the truck, we set off. On the way, we stopped in at several of the villagers homes to check on their health and to pay for their hospital stays. It was great to see that the broken arms had been fixed by the hospital and were now well on the way to healing. The babies that had pneumonia were also recovering well. We hadn’t heard back about how the soldier that we dropped off at the war memorial hospital went yet, but Chipseng was following this up for us and would let us know when he had more information.

Eventually, we arrived at the village of Pak Ou for a lovely lunch in a restaurant on the Mekong river. After lunch, we got on a Mekong riverboat and visited the sacred Pak Ou caves where there are literally hundreds of statues of Buddah overlooking the confluence of the Mekong and Ou rivers. We all got back on the riverboat and rode back to Luang Prabang in this traditional style long boat. The river cruise was quite relaxing and the scenery was magnificent, but the thought of the western style bathrooms at the hotel and the thought of a meal not containing rice or eggs was a definite thought to look forward to!

On Friday night, following a heavenly bathroom experience, most of us had dinner together at ‘Le Elephant’, a lovely French style restaurant in Luang Prabang. We presented our facilitators with cards to say thank you for all of their hard work and effort and we enjoyed a lovely meal together. After dinner and following a final dash through the night markets for mad last minute gift shopping, we all settled in for a quiet, early night in preparation for our flight the next day.

It is so hard to describe the feeling of our trip coming to an end… It has been such a whirlwind of amazing experiences and I think we were all a little sad that it was all coming to an end, but also a little excited to be heading back home (for those of us not lucky enough to be staying on longer that is). We have all benefitted enormously from the placement overall and learnt a lot about nursing, ourselves and travelling. We all embraced a sense of social responsibility and personal activism in participating in the experience and it was great to have the opportunity to learn about a new country, culture and meet new people. We have all gained such valuable skills in leadership, communication, problem solving, reflection and critical thinking. I am sure future employers will be keen to hear all about it in the future. What I am not so sure about is whether I, or anybody else in the group, is keen to eat rice or eggs willingly again anytime during February 2012… maybe by Easter we might be able to stomach the chocolate kind again? ;-)

Last blog from Borneo UniBreak volunteers

2012-02-10T15:54:00.001+11:00

Our third week in Borneo was all about getting stuck into our project work. By now we were all familiar with what exactly we were meant to be doing and why we were doing it, which meant that we could start to see progress as everything was coming together. This week was also Chinese New Year, which is celebrated for virtually the entire week, so to most of our dismay, the school was closed the whole time, so there was no teaching, but this opened up opportunities for everyone to help out in all the aspects of the kindergarten and the war memorial.

Lunch times consisted of heat induced naps, reading and swapping novels, swimming in the lake, sun tanning by the volleyball court and badminton games while night times were still filled with rice wine, karaoke, card games, and midnight chats in the long house, as everyone was finally slipping into a nice routine here at Tinagol. The end of this week was the last for the people in our group who had signed up to go SCUBA diving in Kota Kinabalu, so Zul wanted to celebrate their last night by taking us all to the local pub in the village, which was well, an experience to say the least for a westerner, but everyone always has a good time together, so it made for some good last memories. Just to add, the boys rendition of “twist and shout” I think needs a special mention, as one of the best things most of us can agree we have seen here.

Our final week in Borneo was all about goodbyes. As some of us had already left Tinagol to spend their final week getting their SCUBA open water dive licenses off Jesselton point, for those eight of us left we could really feel our time coming to a close. However there was something very satisfying about seeing the cannon for the war memorial be completed, and knowing that all the effort and cut fingers were justified. We spent our last day at the most beautiful beach we had ever seen, relaxing on the sand and swimming in the crystal clear water, where our final night, of course, involved rice wine celebrations, although this time, it was the rice wine we had made ourselves two weeks prior, and I think something went very, very wrong in our method.

Sad goodbyes were said to Zul and all the staff at Tinagol as we got on the bus back to KK, saying goodbye to the longhouse, where so many memories were made was extremely hard. Finally after a good last night all together in Kota Kinabalu, we had to say goodbye to each other, which no one was expecting to be as hard as it was, the notion that this time was actually over was settling in and was hard to grasp.

We have made so many amazing new friends and had so many wonderful and life changing experience in such a whirlwind space of time, and every drop of sweat, cut, blood and tears was worth it, this was the kind of thing you remember for the rest of your life.

Griffith Uni (Team B) first few weeks in Laos

2012-02-09T17:36:00.000+11:00

Group B Week 1 Blog

On Sunday, we visited the gorgeous Kuang Si waterfall. We all left for the trip in trucks that we sat in the back of. At the waterfalls there were some interesting items for sale at the local market (boiled eggs on a stick anyone??) and there was also a bear sanctuary for bears that have been cruelly treated or born in captivity. At the actual waterfalls, the scenery was just beautiful. There were several small waterfalls and a crystal clear, blue lagoon that we could swing from a tree rope into. Many photos were taken underneath the waterfall by those that had waterproof cameras as you can swim under the fall. It was AMAZING!

On Monday, we visited the PLQ medical training college and experienced an exchange of ideas that included community health, cpr and manual handling. The training college is quite basic and the nurses and health workers welcomed us with open arms. We broke into groups, with some discussing community health whilst others looked at CPR and other health education topics. It was very interesting and the conversation lead into a demonstration of the different ways in which we practice as nurses on issues such as manual handling.

In the afternoon, we visited the hospital in Luang Prabang. The hospital provides care to Luang Prabang residents and the residents of the surrounding villages. It is set up in a surprisingly similar way to how our hospitals are set up in Australia eg they have an emergency room, pediatric ICU, a sort of ‘GP’ clinic etc but a huge difference is that the people do not pay for the room as such, they pay for the healthcare and equipment that is provided. Unfortunately though, with many families living off a wage of less than AU$1 per day, even just coming to hospital and paying for the equipment is simply out of the budget for many families. We were very lucky whilst walking past the pediatric ICU to be shown a set of conjoined twins. The hospital in Luang Prabang is a small hospital though and it is currently trying to send the babies to another hospital for more specialized care.

On Tuesday, we packed up our things, loaded the trucks and made our way to the village ‘Ban Napho’, about 2 hours drive on dirt roads outside of Luang Prabang. We were greeted by the village children who gave us ‘love flowers’. The accommodation is very basic, with mosquito nets covering wadded mattresses set out on the floor. The houses have electricity inside the house and the wealthier families have a TV and a stereo. Many have a house phone. Internet is not common and in fact, they do not seem to own computers in general. All cooking is done outside the house on a fire in ‘the kitchen’. The ‘bathroom’ is also outside the house, consisting of a squat toilet, a bowl for washing and a bowl for storing water for ‘flushing’. It has been an interesting experience for those of us learning to use these to say the least… still on our “L” plates at this stage actually with many of us needing to discreetly wash our feet as well as our hands after using the squat toilet…That night the villagers welcomed us with a ceremony to commemorate our arrival. They did it in ‘the lodge’, a beautiful, open community hall that was a donation made from a previous Antipodeans group.

It was made from local materials as it helps to keep money spent on the village in the village. In the lodge, they danced and sang for us and also showed us some fun traditional Lao games. When asked to perform a traditional Australian song for them (on the spot by the way…) we gave them a roaring rendition of ‘Home Among the Gum Trees’. A fun night enjoyed by all. On Wednesday, we woke up at the wonderful hour of 5am by the roosters in the community crowing and squawking to tell us that the sun was coming up. We all ate breakfast together under the beautiful lodge and group B was split into two separate groups. Group number 1 set up our first health clinic with Group A, whilst group number 2 worked on the construction of a toilet block and kitchen with group A for the local health clinic in ‘Sop Jak’.

In the afternoon, Group B went on an exciting river raft ride down the Sueng river. It was soo much fun! Our bottoms may have ended up a little wetter than they began but the scenery was just gorgeous. We ended our day with a wash in the river, a delicious meal and an early night in bed. On Thursday, group 1 and 2 swapped roles with group 1 working on the Sop Jak clinic kitchen / toilet construction whilst group 2 set up the health clinic with Group A. Setting up the clinic with group A’s In the afternoon, Group B continued with the construction whilst Group A enjoyed the river rafting experience.

This particular day was also Australia Day and as the true blue aussies we are, we chose to celebrate in style. Hazel set up the lodge with Aussie flag decorations and we came dressed to impress with many Aussie T-shirts, shorts, thongs, flags and tattoos on display. Group A met Group B at the lodge and we all enjoyed a marvelous feast together.On Friday, we all attempted to have a sleep in until 7 o’clock for an 8 o’clock breakfast. We were separated into groups within the village and learnt how to cook traditional Lao style and also how to weave. We all enjoyed the meals we had made for lunch and then packed up our things and got ready to leave for Luang Prabang On Saturday, a large percentage of the group went to ride the elephants. I am told it was ‘the best thing ever’, ‘a really awesome experience’. Group B Blog, Week 2Sunday, January 29th.

We again packed up our things, checked out of our hotel and made our way to our next village ‘Ban Pakeng’, situated about an hour and a half by dirt road outside of Luang Prabang. We were told that the village is a much larger village than the one we stayed at in the first week, housing about 800 people or so, consisting mostly of farmers and gardeners. In the afternoon that we arrived in the village we took a little walk through and had a look at the river so that we would know where to go to wash ourselves in the afternoon. On the way to the river some of us were lucky enough to see a tiny baby pig being born right before our eyes! That was really special.

Later, we were greeted by the village chiefs and welcomed into the community with a ceremony and dancing. The village chiefs told us how grateful they were to have us there providing health care in the villages. The group was then split into two’s and we were shown to our home stay. The accommodation was again very basic, with mosquito nets covering wadded mattresses set out on the floor, electricity inside the houses, a TV and a stereo. All of the cooking in our homestay was done in an outside room of the house on a fire in ‘the kitchen’. The ‘bathroom’ was again, also outside the house and was once again a squat toilet, but by this stage most of us had gained our squat toilet ‘P’ plates and we are getting better at the technicalities of it all... Monday, January 30th.

On this day we set up our very first health clinic on our own without Group A’s help in Ban Haukeng. We decided on the previous night that there would be a designated role for each person on the clinic and who would be in each role. The roles were: reception (including height and weight), clinic and pharmacy. The reception area was given a translator for the first few minutes to get the hang of how to ask for a person’s details in Lao, then left to their own devices to work the language out. Each of the three clinic areas had a translator, a Lao health worker, 2-3 Griffith University students and a facilitator. The Griffith students worked together as a team to do vital signs, a clinical assessment and a clinical diagnosis with an appropriate pharmacological aid and patient education provided when necessary. All information was run past the Lao health work who ultimately made the final decisions about the diagnosis and drug prescribed. The pharmacy also had a health worker to check the dispensing of drugs, but no translator.

In the afternoon when the clinic was a little quieter, we used the time for health promotion of things like tooth brushing, hand washing and wound care. We also ran an antenatal clinic with the help of our two nurse facilitators (who are also qualified midwives) involving pregnancy care, birthing and baby care. We even had a full pregnancy suit, complete with a full term baby ready to demonstrate birthing positions!

After the first day in the clinic on our own, as the well behaved, ‘reflective practice’ nurses that we are, we assessed how the day went. Overall, we felt the clinic ran very well, but it was decided that there was a need for an additional role as a ‘crowd controller’ tomorrow.

At the end of the day, I asked each member of the group, what, from their point of view was the thing or something that they enjoyed the most from the first health clinic day. Here are the responses:Aimee: The child with the cleft palate really stood out to me, I was surprised at how calm the baby was. I really enjoyed learning the drugs and the disease that it goes with it. We were able to refer the child to operation smile and hopefully in the future, the child will get the cleft palate fixed.Darcee: I really enjoyed caring for the person that got hit in the eye with a paw paw 3 days ago. It was black, red and swollen. I cleaned it with saline, administered antibiotic eye drops, patched it and explained to him how to care for it.

Fiona: I really enjoyed doing the health promotion or health ‘mobbing’ as it has become known as. The kids get so excited because they get free stuff! They were shoving it down their pants and then coming back for another toothbrush.

Kathryn: I just loved the whole learning experience.

Kymmie: I thoroughly enjoyed watching Teaghen give birth in health promotion today. Would have to say that was my definite highlight.

Teaghen: Giving birth was my favorite part of the day.

Diana: I think getting the chance to syringe a child’s ears was my favorite stand out moment for the day.

Cara: It was a really good learning experience. I liked listening to the Doppler.

Colin: Today it was counting to one hundred in Lao with the children.

Amber: I had a really good learning experience today.

Anna: Holding the babies

Alexa: Hanging out with the village people

Ashley: I really enjoyed speaking to the people and everything really

Marie: I really liked the babies and pregnant women

Ryan: Playing with the kids and trying to organize everybody. Also learning a bit more of the language.

Me: I think the ‘Fracture clinic of back slabs’ stood out for me today. It was certainly something I wouldn’t ordinarily get the chance to do back home.

We continued to set up health clinics in different villages of various sizes for the remainder of the week. On Tuesday we set up a clinic in Ban Hadsangon (population approx 600), Wednesday in Ban Hadhouay (population approx 600), Thursday in Ban Hadsang (population approx 400) and Friday in our own village. Every day we were greeted by a procession of village children, villagers and the village chief, all of whom were just so grateful that we were there to provide healthcare to their village. As a gesture of thanks for allowing us to come into their village, 2 volunteers provided a donation bag of clothes, books toys and useful things to be distributed amongst the people. We also gave each village a bag of school supplies to be used at the local schools. Nearly all of the school children attend school here, but it is not easy for them to attend when they are living off such a small income and the children are often needed in the home to tend the garden or help with housework. Nearly all of the children use broken bags to carry the couple of books that they have to school and most of them have ripped and dirty, dusty clothes to wear. Many do not have any shoes that they wear to school.

Friday 3rd FebruaryOn Friday we had a crazy morning in our very own village, Ban Pekkeng. Luckily, by this stage we had many of the aspects of our health clinic finely tuned. It did take a lot of organization, crowd control, quick thinking and fast moving BUT we flew through 113 villagers before 12 o’clock! Our facilitators congratulated us on a job well done and we all headed back to our home stays to pack up to leave for Luang Prabang again.

We are currently still in the process of compiling research data to provide a definitive result on this, but just asking around the group, the main complaints within the villagers seemed to be runny nose, coughing (many due to Tuberculosis), colds & flus, gastro, sore stomach and of course the famous ‘Jeplang, jeplang’ combined with a point to the individuals back to indicate back pain. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we saw around 170 people each day whilst on Thursday because it was a smaller village, we managed to get through about 100. These were all full clinic days.Some of the main medical highlights from the week of clinics that we set up and were able to help with were:

We patched up 2 boys who had broken arms and sent them to hospital (with money) to fix them up. I know that one was a bilateral radius and ulna fracture, compound and oblique but I’m not 100% sure on the other one… We sent a baby and a mother to hospital because the baby had really bad pneumonia. The mother didn’t want to go because she couldn’t afford to go, but with some reassurance (and some money courtesy of us), we put her in the front of our truck and took her to town with us We took a man with a suspected sub dural hematoma to hospital, but luckily because he was a soldier, we didn’t have to pay for his care The feelings about the health clinics are so hard to put into words.

At the hospitals, they will only take you if you can pay upfront and none of the people that we sent to hospital could afford to go without our help. The money at the hospital is collected everyday by the Dr or nurse who will tells the patient what they need every day and if they haven’t got it, they are out the door. It feels really good to be able to help out the people of the Sueng Valley communities. Really puts things into perspective for us as ‘wealthy westerners’ in a whole new way.

Before we left the village for Luang Prabang, our families gave each of us a ‘Bazi’, which is a ceremony to commemorate our stay in the homestay with the family, to acknowledge our existence as a part of the family and to wish us well on our journey into the future and hope that we come back to visit. The ceremony involved as many family members as possible being present, the village chief being present and many friends and well wishers too. We were blessed by the chief and by the family by having bands of string placed on our wrists, one on the right and one on the left by each of the villagers. We were all given beautiful scarves as departure gifts, worn from left to right to signify buddah (apparently right to left represents the communist party).Then we headed back to Luang Prabang for the weekend, feeling exhausted but really good about the work we have done at the same time and looking forward to some creature comforts - GOD BLESS European toilets and showers!

The gap year that was - Emma and her life in Peru

2012-02-09T17:16:00.001+11:00

A bus load of wonderful Peruvian stories that made for a fascinating gap year!

I think my time in Peru could be compared to the crazy, outer world experience of taking the local Peruvian bus to school… so here goes!

So you make the decision to go. You’re waiting in line to get the special ‘Batman’ bus. Then others join the nonexistent line before they all get on the Zorro bus and leave you once again standing alone. I will admit this is when I thought maybe I should have ‘got on with my life’ , following my other friend’s decision to go to uni. But then more people come and the bus is in sight. I get carried onto the bus dazed, confused and getting lost in a buzz of Spanish words, big skirts and colours. The decision was made, all my documents were signed and my pack was all ready.

The bus then lurches into action and for the first few minutes all is chaos whilst locals and me alike race for a seat to spare my head banging on the roof. When the small ticket boy comes around to ask for money I am faced with another cultural shock… Spanish. However with the wonderful use of our hands, facial expressions, fellow passengers and us speaking louder and slower in our respective languages (it is a proven fact that this doesn’t make it any easier for a Peruvian person to understand english) the price was established. In here steps our wonderful Spanish teacher Liliana as well as our wonderful host families who did everything to make us feel happy and welcome.

A few stops along a little boy sitting at the back of the bus needs to get off and yet again the bus is thrown into pandemonium. It is our first time at school meeting the beautiful children, teachers and community. Everyone gets up to give us their seats and we are made to feel so included that it feels like we have known everyone forever. For the next little while not too much happens on the ‘bus’ journey. We are getting to know our classes and teachers whilst planning lessons, we are talking with Jane and Arlich about what we want to build in the school and we are exploring the fantastic Cusco! The bus stops and the rest of the group jump on, we are now thankfully al together

A local leans over to chat with me and begins to tell me his life story. After many minutes of polite smiling and trying to converse in Spanish the bus groans climbing the hill making it impossible for any conversation. Our little bus slowly but surely made it up the hill near Sacsayhuaman (Sexy woman) passing many other ancient Inca ruins giving us glimpses into a past life. Looking out the window of the bus I could see the valleys where we white water rafted, the town of Pisac where we went to the famous market, the volcanic mountain and canyons near Arequipa and the river which feeds into Lake Titicaca where we enjoyed relaxing on a boat and the tumbling waterfalls over which we zip-lined! In the distance I even think I eye spied the hazy hazardous Bolivian border and Manu jungle. What weekend adventures we had!!

Getting stopped by a local police check we all felt slightly culturally shocked… a few of us visited the horrible bathrooms after drinking Peruvian water, or eating salad from Govinda Lila’s wonderful vegetarian food and took a little side trip to one of the multiple pharmacies there are in Cusco. But we luckily clear the check unscathed and better off for having experienced it. More incredible stories to tell!

The last leg of our journey goes much quicker than expected, the bus rolls down hill with no vision of stopping. Suddenly the ticket boy is calling our school’s stop and I am left to fight my way to the door. The locals are making it difficult with their beautiful smiles and large baskets of chickens that have also made the journey but finally I jump out to breathe the cool, fresh, clean mountain air. I take a few moments to pull myself together and think about the unforgettable experiences I have had during my time in Peru, the great characters I have met, the wonderful friends I have shared it with and overall how mighty glad I am that I decided to board this bus and not the brand new clean super speedy one full of photographing older tourists that sped on ahead and braved the excitement of uni.

For me that could wait till next year.

Last blog from UniBreak student Rachel in Ghana

2012-02-07T17:20:00.000+11:00

So this weekend we all headed to the Eastern Region for our last weekend in Ghana! We had to catch three trotro's to get to Alburi, but we got there at last!

We went straight to Pete's Pizza, which according to our trusty Bradt Guide, has delicious pizza- it was right, very good pizza! We then went to Bob Marley's studio, that his wife Rita Marley had build in his honor after he died, in Alburi where he was born. Unfortunately it has burnt down previously and we got only look at the outside, but it was still interesting. We also went to the Botanical gardens whilst in Alburi, which was really interesting and got lots of great photos here. After all this we ran out of things to do in Alburi so we caught 4 (!) trotros back to cape coast (our favorite place in alllllll of Ghana!!), and once again enjoyed swimming, hammocking and stocked up on some good books from the english bookstore there. Great relaxing last weekend in Ghana.

We were planning on going to the orphange for Monday and Tuesday but alas Bianca was ill on Monday, we think from some food we ate,- was bound to happen at some stage!! But on Tuesday we managed to go into the orphange. This was a really great experience, and we were really glad that we got to see both the clinic and the orphange sides of things here. The orphanage is very under-resourced and it was very sad to see how many orphans there are here and how hard it must be on them. Whilst the children were in class, there was lots of clothes hand-washing... we appreciate our washing machines SO much now! and dishes washing. During break times it was really fun to play with the kids though and we got some great pictures of us volunteers with the kids. We also got to put the youngest children tied to our backs like the women carry their children here, it was actually really comfy!!

We left our families on Wednesday morning, which was very sad, but we promised to keep in touch and send our photos over to them. It was hard to say goodbye to these families who have looked after us so well for the past month! Well, this is the end of our time in Ghana, and we have all agreed that it was the best way ever to spend our uni holidays and we are so glad that we all came and made a difference here in such a beautiful country.

Well, time to fly now, we can wait to see you all soon!!!

Final blog from University of Queensland in Cambodia

2012-02-03T16:03:00.004+11:00

Day 17 - Saturday

Today was an extremely busy day and the first day that we really had free time to explore Siem Reap. After a nice sleep in a group of us headed up stairs at Jasmine to have breakfast and make plans for the day ahead. After changing our minds numerous times we all worked out what we were going to do. Some were going for massages, some were going shopping but Katie and I had decided that today we would like to see the floating villages.

We went and booked at reception and within 5 minutes a tuk tuk was there ready to go, (which I dont think would ever happen in Australia). After quickly scrambling around getting our stuff together we were in the tuk tuk heading towards a part of Siem Reap that we hadn't gotten to see yet.

The journey in the tuk tuk took about 20 minutes and the scenery along the way was extremely diverse and much more third world then the rest of the city. There were many small thatched houses, heaps of kids riding push bikes home from school, houses that were clearly owned by people with money and some spectacularly green rice fields. Many of the houses were built up on extremely high and rather unstable looking columns that im guessing is to protect the houses from all the water in the wet season however Im unsure of whether I could live in one of those houses without the fear of it eventually falling over.

After the tuk tuk ride we reached the wharf where we headed down to our boat which was a big wooden boat that could seat about fifteen people, however we had this one all to ourselves. As soon as we were in our seats the boat headed out towards the floating village. The floating village was amazing to see it was very different to anything I had ever experienced before and was interesting to learn how people could live and rely on the lake so much. The houses were extremely basic and some lucky people had boats but most of the people just had canoes that they used to get around. Most of the houses had makeshift clothes lines the were strung up along walls and many people were just using the river to bathe in. We passed many children who were playing and fishing in the water and they all seemed extremely happy, which made me think of some children back home who complain about all the things they dont have and dont appreciate how good thier lives actually are. There were floating shops, a floating school and even a floating church.

There were also floating cafes that the tourists could stop at to buy food or drinks during their tour. When we made it through the village we went out into the open lake called Tonle Sap. It was so big that I thought we had actually gone out into the open ocean. According to our boat driver who had grown up in the floating village, Tonle Sap is the biggest lake in South East Asia and is 150km wide. While we were out sitting on the lake a small boat came along side us. This boat contained a small family of a father and a boy and a small girl. Much to my surprise the girl had a python wrapped around her neck and was offering me a photo with it for $1. As fr as Im concerned snakes are interesting to look at but they can stay far away from me. The next part of the tour involved stopping at a restaurant that had a fish and crocodile farm and a large look-out where you could take photos of the village from above. I had never seen a crocodile farm before so when i looked in I was so shocked to see so many crocodiles all being kept in such a confined space.

After the restaurant we headed back towards the wharf through the village, even though it was such a poor village it still had this indescribable beauty about it which was enhanced by how happy the people looked. We arrived back at Jasmine Lodge at 1:40pm after our tour and a group of us had planned to go to a traditional Khmer food cooking class as we had all fallen in love with the cuisine while we had been here. This class however started at 2pm with an arrival time of 1:45pm so back in a tuk tuk I jumped an headed towards Temple Bar in Pub street which was where the class was being held. The group that went to the cooking class included, Anna, Jane, Jess S and Jess H, Kris, Leselle, Maddie D and Maddy C, Amy, Lisa and I. It was $10 and included a free t-shirt, a three course meal that we got to prepare and eat and we got to dress up in aprons and chef hats which to us was pretty much worth the $10 anyways. For entre we made fried or fresh spring rolls, my fried spring rolls still ended up being bigger then everyone elses I still have no idea why.

For main we made with a Khmer Amok or a curry which were both dishes that we had frequently whilst dining in Cambodia and for dessert we made a Banana dish that I didn't particularly enjoy but others thought it was fantastic. After our amazing cooking class we headed back to Jasmine Lodge again where Katie, Anna, Abi and I decided that we would like to try and catch sunset at Angkor Wat temple so back in a tuk tuk we got and headed straight for the temple. Unfortunately by the time we reached the temple we had missed sunset but were still surprised by its amazing beauty under the afternoon sun and still got some amazing photos. That evening I was exhausted but was so glad that I had experienced so much in one day.

Day 18- Sunday

Today was temple day!! I was so excited! Everyone was heading out today to see the temples and some girls had even got up at 4am so go out and see sunrise. Maddy C, Lisa, Katie and I however had booked an English tour guide and a tuk tuk to be picked up at 9am for a full day tour of the three most popular temples, Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm. First we headed to Angkor Wat which is the biggest temple and most well known out of the three that we were heading to today. Angkor Wat is an absolutely amazing temple and its main three towers are featured on the Cambodian flag, however as we leant that day it actually has five towers, four around the outside and one in the middle except the back two hide behind the front two which is why you only see three when looking at it straight on. We also learnt that each temple is created by a reining king and is built in dedication to one of the gods so in the case of Angkor Wat it was dedicated to the god Vishnu and took approx 37 years to build.

Not all of the carvings are finished on the walls of Angkor Wat because after a king finishes his reign the new king builds his own temple rather then completing the previous kings temple. There were many carvings on the walls of Angkor Wat telling stories of the wars between gods and demons. There are also carving describing a well known story in the religion of cambodia about the churning of the sea which involved the gods and demons working together for thousands of years to churn a sea to make the water give them immortality. In the very middle of the temple there is a tower that you can get to, up some extremely steep stairs mind you, and you can see over the whole Angkor Wat temple area. It was an amazing view and made me wonder what I would have seen from the top if I was alive when this temple was being used by royalty. Going back down the stairs from the top tower was extremely difficult as the stairs are all very tiny as well as steep. As Lisa is scared of heights she decided to go down the stairs backwards so she didnt have to look down, this was good for her but made it harder for Katie and I as went ended up laughing all the way down the stairs. Our guide was fantastic and told us all the history of Angkor Wat and how it was built and how it functioned in the past.

It took us around 3 hours to fully see the whole of Angkor Wat but it was so worthwhile. After finishing Angkor Wat, we headed to the complex called Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom contains a very large amount of temples and back in history it functioned as a city under the reign of the king presiding at the time. Inside Angkor Thom lies the temple Bayon however our next stop was Ta Prohm which has become famous for featuring on the first Tomb Raider movie. This temple was a lot different from Angkor Wat not only in the structure but also in the location. Ta Prohm is located more in the jungle and many of its buildings have been destroyed due to extremely large and very old trees growing through the temple. Ta Prohm was made from a different stone then most of the other temples as during the time that this temple was being built there was a shortage of sand stone. The thick roots of the trees run along and down the walls of the temple like snakes pushing the stone aside. Some of the trees have even started growing inside the roof of a building rather then in the ground which is an amazing sight.

Maddy, Lisa, Katie and I got a photo at the tree that was used in Tomb Raider which was pretty cool. A lot of restoration is being completed at this temple at the moment to try and keep the structure intact and restore some of the building back to their former glory. After finishing our tour through Ta Prohm we headed to Bayon which is famously known for the faces in the rock. Just before entering Bayon we were greeted by some monkeys being feed by tourists on the side of the road, there were three of them and we were pretty sure that one of them was pregnant either that or it had an extremely droopy belly. They were pretty cute but we didn't get too close especially after the warnings from the travel health doctor about rabies. Bayon was extremely beautiful and the carvings in the wall of this temple were extremely well preserved and told stories about Cambodian and Chinese soldiers. All of the towers of Bayon had four sides with a large face carved in each side. It was easy to see how the faces had become famous because they were extremely unique and very beautiful.

As Bayon was the last temple of the day the sun was sitting low in the sky which gave us a fantastic opportunity to take some amazing photos of the temple under the light of the afternoon sun. After visiting Bayon our tour guide had to leave for another engagement however he told the tuk tuk driver to take us to Pre Rup (another temple just a bit further away) for the sunset. We thanked our tour guide before leaving as he had done such a great job and the experience would not have been the same without him. When we arrived at Pre Rup, there were already people walking up the extremely steep stone steps to the top. When we reached the top after a few breaks on the way up we positioned ourselves in the best place available to see the sunset. The whole experience today had been amazing and breath taking with beauty that was hard to put in to words. While watching the sunset from the top of a temple over a city that I had fallen in love with I realised that this had been one of the best weekends of my life and that I was so happy to be sharing it with 3 wonderful girls, Maddy, Lisa and Katie.

Day 19 - Monday

Start of the last week of prac, man it has gone so fast. This week Jane, Abi, Amy, Maddy C and I were all at the MHDC school doing education classes for adults, teenagers and children. The way that the day was structured was adult classes (separate classes for men and women) for two hours in the morning, followed by lunch at either Davy's uncles house or the restaurant and then classes with either teenagers or children for the last hour of the day. I knew this was going to be the most difficult week for me as I have never done so many education classes and didnt have any experience to base what I was going to do off of. Today Maddy and I decided that we would take the women's class for the week and that Abi, Jane and Amy would take the men's class for the week.

Our first topics for today were Lifting and Moving with the women's class and Hepatitis B and Rabies for the mens class. When we started we were so nervous because we werent sure what the best way to teach them was and if they would even be interested in the topics, plus everything we said had to be translated to them through our amazing translator Bota. Our lifting and moving topic lasted just under an hour of the class and by the end of the topic the women seemed so bored and uninterested.I felt so defeated and upset because I didnt know how to teach them in a way they would enjoy it and want to learn about it plus it is really hard to tell how they are feeling off their facial expressions which makes it hard to figure out what to do next. As we had covered our whole topic in under half the class time we gave the women a 15 minute break so that we could get together with the mens class group and see how they were going and discuss tactics of what to do next. During this time Maddy and I decided that we would teach them Hepatitis B after the break and hopefully they would be more interested in that topic. Luckily they were a bit more interested in this topic and seemed to have more questions about it at the end which lifted our spirits a little and made us not give up on our teaching skills.

When they had no more questions we asked the women what they would like to learn about for the rest of the week and surprisingly they gave us a list of topics including, lungs and digestive system, appendicitis, pregnancy and breastfeeding, contraception and STD's. This was great as we knew that if we taught them these topics they would actually be interested in what we were talking about. After that interesting session we went and had lunch at the restaurant with the group that was at the MHDC clinic which this week was Jess S, Lisa, Katie and Kris. Lunch was great as usual at the restaurant. After lunch we headed back to the school where Maddy and I were going to teach the teenagers class and Abi, Jane and Amy were going to teach the children's class. As we were unaware of what the teenagers wanted to learn about we decided to teach them about Australia including all the states and capital cities and some of the famous Australian animals. We practiced some of the pronunciation of these words with them and they all copied them down in their books.

At the end of the lesson we also asked them what they wanted to learn about for the rest of the week. Surprisingly they said things like setting goals for the future and healthy eating which was great to hear. That night I was exhausted and felt defeated from a hard day of teaching so I stayed back at Jasmine whilst everyone else went out to dinner and did some research for the next day's topic determined that it was going to be a better day.

Day 20- Tuesday

Second day of teaching was better then the first which was great and it turned out to be a much better day. Today the women's class learnt about the digestive system and the lungs as well as diseases and infections such as tuberculosis and appendicitis. The men's class were learning about Hep A, Hep C and HIV. Today's class was so much more interactive and enjoyable and the women had a lot of relevant questions and seemed genuinely interested in what we were teaching them. We gave them a break during the middle of the class and when they came back they were just as enthusiastic to learn which was a great improvement on the day before. That day we had lunch without the group from the MHDC clinic as they were out buying all of the things that we had decided to buy with the fundraising money. It was at lunch that we learnt that we had to teach the childrens and the teenagers class something to perform at the presentation that we wee going to attend on friday. We immediately freaked out a bit about this as we werent quite sure what to teach them but we eventually decided to teach both classes a song.

As most of the teenagers could read pretty good english and speak pretty good english Maddy and I decided to teach them a bit of a harder song which end up being the I can sing a rainbow song. When we got to the teenage class our first part of the class we had prepared information about setting goals for the future. First we went around the class and asked them what they wanted to do in the future after they finished school. Most of them wanted to be teachers, but two wanted to be nurses, two wanted to be doctors and one wanted to be a tour guide and the last one wanted to be a singer. We then discussed the difference between long term goals and short term goals and how to reward yourself after reaching your goals. After the lesson on setting goals we had a first practice at the song we were going to perform on friday. The first go wasn't too good but that was to be expected but all of the students copied down the sing and said that they would practice at home. But we practiced again for good measure just before they left.

Day 21- Wednesday

Today was a pretty dismal day. It was my turn to be sick so I spent the day sleeping and feeling nauseated which was pretty crappy. When the girls got home they said they had a great day, they spent the day painting the library at the school and teaching the women's class about pregnancy and breastfeeding and the mens class about lifting and moving. They also practiced the song with the teenagers. After everyone got home I was feeling a little better and learnt that Peta our lecturer and some of the girls were going out to get some traditional Khmer photos done. I decided to tag along incase I didnt get another opportunity. Peta, Abi, Katie and I all went together to a photo shop that offered the Khmer photos for $15 which included hair, make up and costume plus four photos... so cheap! After we had arrived another group of girls - Jess S, Amy, Jane, Maddie D and Leselle arrived at the same place, this overwhelmed the make up and hair people I think as there were so many people in the room. So how this works is first you get your make up completed to make you look like a china doll then you get your hair done which is usually big hair and they use a lot of fake hair pieces as well. You then pick out the colour of your traditional Khmer costume and they pick all the jewellery to go with your costume. Everyone looked amazing when we got them done and we were so excited to see ourselves all dressed up.

Day 22 - Thursday (Australia Day)

Today was our last day of prac for the whole placement it was a pretty sad because we had such a great time. Our final lessons for the women was contraception, STD's and menopause and for the men it was a lesson about Australia. The women really enjoyed our class on contraception and STDs and asked heaps of questions about the pill and the depo injection and especcially menopause. Not many women in cambodia know about menopause so sometimes when they start going through menopause and thier period stops they believe that they are pregnant and when they find out they aren't pregnant they don't understand what is wrong. After the class the women were all excited and thanked us for teaching them. They then started asking us questions about our lives n Australia which they found extremely interesting. One lady even wanted to marry Maddy and I off to her 12 year old son haha! That afternoon in our teenage class we spent the whole class practicing the song we had taught them and practicing lining up so that they were well presented for the following day.

By now they were really good at the song and only struggled with a few words. That afternoon when we left the school we were all in high spirits as it was Australia Day and Jasmine Lodge was holding a BBQ to celebrate, so when we got home we had a shower and got ready and then went back out to the front of jasmine for the BBQ. They had steak and chicken wings, potato salad, lettuce and tomato and even BBQ sauce and mustard which we hadn't had for the whole trip! Mr Kun the lodge owner also flled up a big esky with softdrink and some beer and told all the guests at the BBQ that the drinks were free which was great because we got to have a beer on Australia day with our BBQ. That night we all went to bed thinking of home and preparing for the presentation the next day.

Day 23- Friday

Today was a very emotional day as it was the last day that we would be heading to the site that we had been working so hard at over the last three weeks. Today we were attending a presentation with the military and his excellence who is basically equal to the minister of defence for Australia but Cambodia's version. When we arrived all of the school kids were lined up outside the hall awaiting our arrival and the arrival of his excellency. We immediately went in and got seated in the front rows, which were opposite a large group of military people and in front of a group of people from the community. Just after we sat down his excellency arrived, there were cameras everywhere and everyone clapped and stood up when he walked in the room. It was at this point I think we realised how important he really was. When the ceremony started a few people from the military first gave their speeches and then Peta and Liz and then it was mine, Leselle and Anna's turn to make a speech. I was first and was so so nervous as it was the first speech I had done to someone so important and also because I was representing our group at an important ceremony and didn't want to mess up. After me, Anna and Leselle got up and did their speeches fantastically.

Following the speeches it was time for the children to perform the songs that we had taught them. The younger children went first and then the older children that Maddy and I had been working with went second. They sang the song so amazingly I was so so proud of them and also felt proud of ourselves for being able to teach them something new in only a number of days. After the performances his excellency gave a speech and then presented Tom and Dayvy some medals to reward them for their great service to Cambodia through the help they had done in the villages. Following their presentation we then were pulled up in groups of 5 to get presented some framed certificates and scarves by his excellency and members from the military. This was one of the proudest moments of my life, it was this point that I actually realised how important it was that we were actually here and how much of a true impact that we had made, I couldnt help but smile and knew that I would never forget this moment, not ever. When all of the presentations were finished we walked with his excellency down to the new kitchen that we had helped fund to be built and watched the red ribbon be cut to officially open it. We then went to the school were all of the little kids were lined up clapping as we went on a tour to the library. The kids were all so cute and this is the part where a few us turned on the water works and became quite emotional.

We had all loved our experience so much and knew that it was going to be so hard to leave the country and the children. Following our tour we headed back up to the hall to see our buckets of donations being handed out to all of the houses. These buckets contained a mosquito net, a mat (which they use to sleep on), soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, 2kg washing powder and a blanket and the bucket could be used to store fresh water. It was great to see the smiles on people's faces after receiving thier bucket. After this we headed to lunch with the military and his excellency at the restaurant that we ate at during our lunch breaks. I was so surreal going to lunch with such important people. His excellency was such a down to earth person as well and knew a limited amount of english but tried to say as much as he could to interact in conversations with us which was really great.

That afternoon when lunch was over we headed back to Jasmine to have some free time before our dinner with the military and his excellency that night. During the break Maddy and Lisa wanted to go and get some traditional Khmer photos done and as we had become quite good friends I went with them and got them done again. Just after we got back from getting the photos done we had to leave for dinner which gave us about 15 minutes to be ready. We went to dinner at a place where you get given raw ingredients and a pot with boiling water and you put all the ingredients in together to make your own soup. It was really amazing and tasted so good, I wasnt quite sure what everything in the soup was but it tasted good regardless. Dinner was so fun and very relaxed and his excellency came around and talked to all of us at our tables numerous times which was really good to see as it isn't often that you see someone in a high standing position be so down to earth. I'm sure that the girls will all agree that the phrase we will take away from this dinner is "Dont forget Cambodia"

Day 24 - Saturday

My Second last day in Cambodia turned out to be another amazing day in more ways then one. Bota (one of the translators) and I had organised a trip up to Phnom Kulen with Sandi (another translator) and Jess H, Katie, Abi, Anna and Kris. It was an hour and a half away so we left fairly early in the morning so we could spend as much time as possible in this amazing place. So let me tell you a little about Phnom Kulen it is one of the most sacred mountains in all of Cambodia, it features a Buddhist temple at the top and then after a short walk there is a breathtaking three layered waterfall. After our bumpy 1 and a half hour trip we arrived at a little village that surrounded the Buddhist temple.

We went for a walk up to the Buddhist temple to have a look around and right at the top of the temple there is a reclining Buddha that would weigh a huge amount and is painted gold it was really cool. There was also a man inside this room that could read things about you and tell you things about your future. Jess H, Kris and I had a reading done by him and were so surprised by how accurate some of the things he said were. After we finished having a look around the temple we went on a short walk through the jungle of the mountain and came out on the side of a stream which was bordered with some shaded huts, two restaurants and had a rickety looking bridge adjoining each side. By this point we were all getting hungry so we sat in one of the huts by the stream where we ordered our lunch and listened to the sound of the flowing water as we waited for our food to be delivered from the restaurant to our hut.

It was so peaceful listening to the stream and was so beautiful watching the water flow over th rocks. After lunch we headed down towards the end of the stream where it seemed to go over the edge, this I learnt was where the first ledge of the waterfall went down the the second ledge of the waterfall. So after a few short steps I was watching white water flow over the edge of the rock and down along the other rocks and over the edge to the third edge of the waterfall, it was absolutely amazing I had never seen anything like it. The water was so beautifully clear and very fresh and cold as it was travelling down the stream from the very top of the mountain. We each dared each other to stand under the flow of the water and when we did it was like having a cold shower in the middle of winter it was so cold but somehow it was really easy to adapt to and when you stepped out you felt cleaner then you had in your entire life.

After frolicking around on the second layer for awhile we headed down the long steps to the third layer of the water fall, you have to climb over alot of rock and along some makeshift paths to get there but when I saw the main waterfall for the first time it took my breath away and I was speechless it was gorgeous and unlike anything I had ever seen. I could describe it in here but I don't think there is actual words to describe its magnificance, it was the perfect thing to do that day and just made me feel so happy inside it summed up my trip in such an incrediable way. After swimming in the waters of the waterfall for awhile we headed for Jasmine. On the way back we stopped at Bantaey Srey which is a temple famously known for its spectacular carvings and pink sandstone structure. We could only stay for 20 minutes as Anna was leaving on a flight tonight and had yet to finish packing.

When we reached Jasmine we were extremely tired but so happy and content we just couldnt stop smiling. Tonight was our goodbye dinner and we all had to be ready by 6.30pm to head to the restaurant and all of the translators were attending to celebrate an excellent trip. Unfortunately before we had left two of the girls that had been sick for a few days had to be taken into hospital and were admitted to stay overnight. The goodbye dinner just wasn't the same without them but we knew that it was best for them to be better before the flight home. At the dinner we made a presentation to all the translators and gave them certificates of appreciation for their hard work whilst on the trip. Without them we wouldnt have been able to accomplish anything and we really owed them a lot of gratititude, they helped make the trip memorable especially Dayvy who worked so amazingly hard to make everything function smoothly and does an extremely good job at it!

Day 25- Sunday

This was our last day in Siem Reap, which meant our day to pack, our last day for last minute shopping (which i did plenty of) and our last day to spend in a city that had captured our hearts more then we thought possible. Some of us didn't actually realise how much stuff we had accumulated over our month in Cambodia and a few of us had to buy a second bag to bring it home in! Packing was the hardest thing as it ment the trip of a lifetime was over, many of us were sad to be leaving but at the same time were excited to see out loved ones again. At about lunch time we got the girls back out of hospital and helped them pack up all their stuff and get them ready to go and at 4.30, the translators came to Jasmine lodge to say goodbye to us for the last time. Many tears were shed as friendships had been made in the small time we were there but we were all so happy that we could make a difference in a country less fortunate then our own.

Things that I will miss about Cambodia, the people, the tuk tuks, the crazy power lines, the amazingly cheap prices, being offered fish massages every time I walk down a street, the children, the translators, the banana and nutella crepes and most of all the feeling of just being in the city. This was the most amazing and life changing trip of my life, I didn't think that it would have as much effect on me as it has and all the hard work that we put in before we even got there was so totally worth it. After we left Jasmine we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Bangkok, as we waited we all reflected on things that we would miss and many of us wrote the last couple of entries in our diaries. Boarding the plane was a quite sad not only because it was small and had propellors and we were all worried that the extra weight in our baggage would make it crash but because we were leaving behind a country that had had an impact on all of our lives in numerous ways. When the plane finally took off and as I watched the lights of the city fade into the distance I knew without a doubt that I would be back.

Week 1 & 2 in Borneo for UniBreak volunteers

2012-02-03T13:48:00.000+11:00

Week OneOur first week in Borneo has been full of exciting, new and wonderful experiences. We have only been here for 7 days and already we have met so many wonderful people from all over the world, and I’m not just talking about the lovely and hospitable locals but all the other volunteers from all over Australia the UK and Holland. We have done everything from scoping out the streets and city life around Kota Kinabalu to roughing it in hammocks in the untamed jungles of Malaysia. We have travelled down the Kinabatangan River spotting wild monkeys, birds, lizards and countless types of creepy crawlies. In groups we have spent the majority of our time so far in Borneo living with local home stay families in the Batu Puteh community, who showed us all nothing but kindness, teaching us all their way of life; however I think we have all come to appreciate Western plumbing systems we have back at home.

We took day trips to a Chinese Buddhist temple, Sandakan Memorial Park and Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre; I’d imagine that none of us will forget the things we saw in these places for a very long time. As far as our volunteer work has been going we spent a day working in a nursery, planting seeds and maintaining young trees which were going to be planted in the jungle just over the river. We all may have had a little but too much fun using machetes to cut through tall weeds in order to clear space for the trees we were about to plant during the jungle camp. But all in all so far we have been spending time with our local guides who definitely live up to the meaning of working on “Borneo time” and soaking up all this program has had to offer so far, and now we are all very excited about what our next camp, Camp Tinagol in Kudat, has in store for us.

Week TwoWeek two of our time in Borneo has been much harder working; however it has been more fun than any of us expected. Being thrust into the longhouse at Camp Tinagol has forced everyone to bond a lot more than the previous camp did, literally spending every waking (and sleeping) moment together. This week we has had many highlights including, getting amongst our project work, moving into the longhouse, beach parties, drinking rice wine and singing karaoke with locals, climbing Mt Kinabalu, and weekend trips to Kota Kinabalu.

We have learned so much about the local Rungus people from our camp leader, Zul and the other staff members, as well as getting to know the other volunteers, and by now I think we can all say that we have all made so many wonderful new friends. Our project work has consisted of us all rotating through different jobs, including, building a kindergarten in the local village, teaching in the primary school, and building a war memorial statue out of bamboo, that is eco-friendly which will be shown in the streets of KK. As for those of us that did the mount climb, we can all agree that it was one of the most challenging things any of us had ever done, mentally and physically, but seeing the sunrise from the peak made it all very worth it. The only sad thing about this camp is that time is flying by much too fast.

Our UniBreak volunteers hit the ground running in Kenya

2012-02-03T13:09:00.000+11:00

Week 2:This week we begun work on our projects around the village, which we had been eagerly awaiting. There were a few groups working on different aspects of the projects- some were putting up a fence, some were making and painting gates, and our group embarked on the building of a community hut, which meant a lot of land clearing and digging over the full 5 days.

None of us were prepared for how challenging, but equally as rewarding, the project work really is. By the time Friday rolled around, we were all exhausted, but were able to look back on what we had accomplished in such a short amount of time. We could clearly witness the contribution we'd made to the community, in our own small but long-lasting way. As a reward for our efforts, a group of traditional African dancers performed for us an array of energetic and vivacious dances, giving us a true taste of the musical culture. On Saturday night, we all got the opportunity to ditch the work clothes and shovels, dress up a little bit and hit the dance floor at Forty Thieves- our first glance of the Kenyan nightlife. Week 3:

On Monday we commenced our final working week at camp Muhaka, and embraced, for the last time, the friendly atmosphere of the little village. We worked on rendering and painting a toilet block for the Islamic primary school. We awoke on Thursday morning, buzzing with anticipation for the journey to camp Tsavo- a camp nestled beneath a canopy of acacia trees, and surrounded by vast savannahs and African wildlife. All the one month volunteers said our goodbyes to those staying for two and three months, and set off on our travels to the distant but alluring Tsavo, which we had heard so much about from the camp workers and locals alike.

As we arrived, we were all stunned by the beauty of the scenery around us, and the seclusion of the camp right in the heart of breathtaking Tsavo. We were welcomed by the camp manager, Sammy K, and the project managers, Peter and Steve, who once again impressed us with their optimism and humour. Our first sanctuary management project was to clear the unwanted plants from the road so that the bus could drive us to Sasenyi school on Monday. As dusk crept across the sky, we all embarked on our wildlife monitoring project.

The aim was to collect data about the animals in the national park, but it eventually became more of a mini safari treat. We were lucky enough to encounter about ten elephants, clustered in small groups, trudging through the scrubby bushlands. They were astounding, majestic creatures, and sparked a great sense of excitement among us about working so closely with the wildlife.

Cape Coast weekend for UniBreakers in Ghana

2012-01-31T10:33:00.000+11:00

So I left off when we were going away for the weekend to Cape Coast. Got there, no problems, as there is a direct trotro line.

We arrived ready for a delicious (western) dinner- we had steak and it was glorious. Next morning, after we all called home to let everyone know we got there safely we headed to Kaum National park. This park was beautiful and with seven canopy bridges to walk across and take pictures on, we spent all morning there.

These bridges are amazing, so high and a little rickety which some of the girls found a little worrying!! But lots of fun and got some great pictures of some monkeys, which apparently is really rare, so we were pretty excited about that!

After kakum and quickly doing some postcards, we then drove to Hans Cottage. This guest house is so popular due to its crocodile population, and the opportunity to sit on an alive croc and take pictures. Unfortunately, when we were there, the crocs were in the pond and not on the banks so we didn’t get to sit on one -which some of the girls were quite relieved about I think!!

We came back to town for a big lunch and then had a pretty relaxing afternoon of reading in the hammock, swimming in the beach- the waves here are simply enormous, and two of the girls got their hair braided- which took 6 hours each!! We got to see another amazing African dancing and drumming show, which goes for hours!! During this, we had a big power cut and the whole cape coast was out, luckily Oasis (our lodge) had a back-up generator so we didn’t miss much of the dancing show, but it was quite eerie, to look out over a completely blacked out town!

The next day, we enjoyed another western breakfast- in which one of the girls had cereal with long-life milk which she was so excited about, as Ghana doesn’t have any fresh milk and mostly only evaporated milk, so long-life was quite a treat!

We spent this morning at the best internet cafe ever- so quick and cool (fans!) to rely to some emails and generally catch up with life back home! The afternoon, we spent time at cape coast castle. This was such an interesting expedition. Cape coast castle, is one of the old slave forts, and it was very shocking to see the conditions that these men women lived in before they were shipped out to America (cape coast was used to hold slave that were in the transatlantic triangle- Europe would provide Africa with goods, Africa would provide America with slaves, and America would provide Europe with the materials and tools to make the goods).

There is also a really interesting museum there, that explains all the history and has old shackles that were used to restrain the slaves. Along the castle wall looking out over the sea, there is about 20 huge cannons preserved there which was amazing to see.

Feeling quite sombre after all this, we headed back to Swedru. On Sunday morning, we went with our host family to church, and this was so much fun!!! Ghana church services are so LOUD, I felt like I was in a nightclub, and when I left my ears where ringing!!! But this experience was amazing, they clap and sing and everyone gets into the centre aisle and boogies! We are allowed to take pictures and videos, so we got some great footage of some Twi and English preaching. We spent the rest of the day with our family and doing another hand-washing session- the novelty of this has worn out very quickly now and I appreciate washing machines so much!!

On Monday,we didn't go to the clinic, as there was a funeral going on next door, (an old lady who was 70 + - which is very old in Ghana, and died of 'old age') which we got to sit in on and take pictures of. It was very interesting to see all the differences between Australian and Ghanaian funerals and it was nice that they let us join in. This week of work was good, we saw a couple more births and even saw a premature baby (26 weeks) be born, and it was amazing to observe the different care that they do for this child, as opposed to the care that they would receive in Australia.

We have become quite accustomed to being kicked out of our taxi each morning on the way to work, as the drivers have difficulty understanding where we need to go, and when we leave the village, they realise its 10 minutes away and refuse to go any further! We have started taking trotros now!

On our last day (we are going to the orphanage in our last week), we presented our orphange with some donations (thermometers- they only had one for 40 mothers and 40 babies, some gloves- 1 pair usually is worn for 5 HIV patients and just some extra books, pens, rulers and whiteout- which the clinic was desperately lacking in!!) so we left on a very good note!!

Then we went away for our last weekend.....

Missing you all (and the firstworld!) and cant wait to see you all soon!!!

Weekends in Mauritius - UniBreak week 2 & 3

2012-01-31T10:05:00.002+11:00

Blog: Week two.

This week we learned what it means to have all plans and back up plans spoiled by the weather. After a good week of getting more involved in the MMCS dolphin and turtle watching programme, and gaining a much better understanding of how things work, we planned a very eventful weekend. A boat party around the giant coral rock formation off shore, tamarin falls, and a Port Louis adventure or the markets in Quartre Borne lined up for the weekend.

None of these things came into fruition as a cyclone off coast of Madagascar brought with it plenty of rain to ruin our weekend. We spent a very antsy Friday night and Saturday indoors, frustrated that we couldn't be exploring the island in our time off. It rained so much that later in the week we drove passed some roads on our way back from Le Morne that had collapsed with the down poor.

Lucky for us, Daksh - our in house host - made hasty plans for a visit to the North for a rendezvous with the other Antipodeans group staying in Blue Bay. Late Saturday afternoon we all piled into a van and traveled up to the North, where we ate at a very nice restaurant that had generous servings for very small amounts of money.

The other group had planned to meet us there, and did so, but not after a long trip of mechanical issues and so we had already finished by the time they arrived. Afterwards we proceeded to have a night out in our first Mauritius night life experience. It was pretty fun, the dance floor was (thankfully) so air conditioned it felt like stepping into a freezer, which was very welcome as outside was pooring with rain and more humid than we would have liked. The boys - having indulged in a little too many gin an tonics at the restaurant - joined our driver for a nap in the van, the other group headed off similar time, and Amy, Ella, Daksh and his friends and sister danced well into the morning. Once we had had our fill, we piled back into the van and made it back home in time for the sunset.

We may not have got to visit the tourist attractions we would have liked, but good fun was had by all.

Week three.

What a perfect week!After the dreary weather of the weekend, we were thrilled that the sun was out once more for our boat expeditions. We soaked up the sun like only people who have had their entire weekend upset by clouds and who are keen to get a tan only can. So you can imagine our stress when - come Friday - we were alerted that Cyclone Ethel hanging out pretty close, and there was a small possibility than it might come out way, or just bring some generally unforgivable weather. However I think we are still thanking our lucky stars that cyclone Ethel did not come to visit.

It was a long weekend this week for Chinese new year. On Saturday we went to Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, to meet with Ralco, who was to show us around and about. Port Louis was loud and busy. The bus trip there could only be likened to a ride upon the Knight Bus from Harry Potter, however things didn't magically jump out of the way. There were so many close shaves with cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and drivers.

I was very happy to be off that bus. Once we'd arrived, got lost, and then had some lovely locals walk us five blocks to where we were meant to meet Ralco - which was one of two McDonalds restaurants in Mauritius and the only one that served beef - we were all very thirsty hungry and hot, so as we were early we decided to compare Maccas in Mauritius to our own. I got a chicken big mac, which is as it sounds, a big mac but with chicken instead of beef. It was better than I expected, though I was very disappointed that it did not come with Mac sauce, but I suppose you can never really please an ex-McDonalds employee. At the waterfront we saw a great Chinese dancing dragon display, which had so many firecrackers going off that no one could hear anyone else talk! It was wonderful to see.

Then after a quick look around the expensive waterfront 'craft markets' we headed off to the more authentic Mauritian markets, where we were constantly hailed, requested to look at some special item and generally over charged. After the first purchases though we soon found our feet in the bartering word, and made a few purchases. Two of us purchased two supposed water proof watches, however we are both so worried about getting a watch tan that we have hardly worn them anyway. From there we did a quick walk through the meat market, in which none of us were over keen of buying any meat, as most of it was hooves or other unpleasant things.

We were quickly losing time so we said farewell to Ralco and then headed to Pamplemousse gardens, which was absolutely beautiful, all the trees were huge and old and interesting, and the lilies were metres wide, however they had no shortage of mosquitoes and we regretted not planning ahead for that once we were all scratching madly. They also had tortoises, which were huge and strange! Afterwards we visited Daksh's families restaurant, which we stumbled upon by chance and were very shocked to see him there.

On Sunday we went to blue bay to help the other Antipodeans group in a coral awareness day on the beach, where there was live music, face painting and free glassbottom boat rides out to the marine park where we all went snorkeling. The coral was much bigger than where we usually snorkel, but it was sad that it was fairly bleached. Afterwards we chilled out on the beach, and spent some time talking to tourists and locals about dolphins, and of course we all got our faces painted by the other group.

Our weekend concluded with a Catamaran trip on Monday which has been the highlight of my trip so far. We nearly lost all of the money we spent on it due to my poor organisation skills and booking it on the wrong day, however after some hasty begging emails and phone calls, and a small fee, the day went as planned where we spent all day soaking up the sun, being waited, snorkeling and generally just enjoying ourselves. On board was open bar and buffet barbecue lunch. Then it took us to Ile Aux Cerfs where we went parasailing, and those who were keen went wakeboarding and shopped in even more markets. Ile Aux Cerfs had been described as a secluded island paradise, which was only half true, there was definitely no shortage of people or shops on the island, but it still was very beautiful. We all came home smiling, burned and with incredible sunglasses tans.

Group B from Griffith Uni arrive in Laos

2012-01-24T15:42:00.002+11:00

On Friday we had a very busy day indeed! We all arrived with a tone of luggage in tow, excited, teary eyed & ready to leave for our stopover in Bangkok. The flight over was quite good – most reports I’ve asked about seem to be about a very smooth ride & the food being surprisingly good! When we arrived in Bangkok after a whole day of flying though, the team was overall, a little fatigued.

Many of us went to bed, but some of us somehow managed to summon up the energy to attempt to catch a took took into town for some dinner and drinks. After an interesting conversation between two taxi drivers on how to actually get to the city (!), we decided it might just be better if we were dropped off at the local hang out. Firstly, we visited a local Thai nightclub. The club staff made a big fuss over us, making sure that we had fans to keep us cool & mosquito repellant to keep the mozzies away etc. The local band that was even playing sung a song or two in English for us. Next, we walked around for a little bit & then settled down at a quiet little Thai restaurant where the special of the day was a steak, fries, salad AND a beer for 229baht (approximately, $7.50AUD) and a waiter that thought he was an X-man?!? He also had gout… A fun and interesting experience was had by all involved and most of us (MOST that is…hehehe) managed to get back on the bus, bleary eyed & yawning in time to leave for our flight to Luang Prabang.

After our short stopover in Thailand, Group A successfully met Group B in Luang Prabang on Saturday. When we arrived, we all needed to convert dollars to kip, so our lovely guides helped to show us the best places to go to do that and also gave us an idea of where to eat. I would just like to mention here that ‘Joma’, a local western style café where most of us ate lunch on this day, is fantastic even by western standards! Cheap, good quality food that is familiar to the western palate. I had a cheese and chive scone for lunch on this day, costing about 8000kip (One Australian dollar!). It filled me up & it was yummo!

After lunch, they took us around town to a local mountain called ‘Phu Si’. We climbed the mountain together as a group and saw heaps of cool and interesting things along the way such as the 24m guilded stupa called chomsi, the local Buddhist temple, Buddhist monastery and a really cool little cave in the side of the mountain that apparently a couple of the locals used to call home. From the top of the mountain, we took in the view of ‘Buddha’s footprint’ and slowly made our way back down the mountain. After that the local guides showed us some REALLY old buildings and temples (400+ years old) that were undergoing refurbishment. I think the name of the area is called ‘Wat Xieng’.

We were all pretty knackered after our long walk, so we tidied ourselves up and decided where to head out for the night. We decided on a spot of shopping at the local night market before going for dinner. We all just can’t get over how cheap everything is here for us compared to Australia. 1AUD buys about 8000kip and to give you an idea of how much bang you get for your buck – it’s a lot! T-shirts are about 20000kip (approx 2.50) and a can of coke is about 5000kip (approx 70 cents AUD, depending on where you buy it). Bargains galore for any keen eyed shopper out there ;-)

For dinner, different groups went to different places, but a group of students from both Group A & Group B decided to meet up at Utopia, the local tourist restaurant / nightclub. After searching for ages to try to find the place, we walked into a peaceful, chilled out club and settled down onto the floor mats where the idea was to just relax and unwind. ‘Shish’, a kind of local flavored tobacco seemed to be quite popular here. I had a delicious cashew and chicken stir fry and some of the others I was with had vegetarian sandwiches. All really tasty, safe things to eat in the restaurants in town, I can assure you.

Will blog again soon!! Louise Mills

Touch down in Ghana: UniBreak Education Placement

2012-01-24T15:35:00.002+11:00

Hello from Ghana! Happy 2012 to you all! Here's to the beginning of an awesome year.

I don't know even where to start! This country is an incredible place. From the moment I arrived I've needed to pinch myself regularly; it doesn't feel real. Its amazing how comfortable you can feel in a foreign country, and how easy it is to forget your colour. I saw a white man yesterday while walking along the road and it took me by complete surprise. I am loving every minute in this hot, humid, chaotic country. I don't know if I want to leave...

I was picked up from the airport by a young man called Bright who guided me through the chaos that is Accra airport, and safely into a cab. I lost track of the number of near misses made by our taxi driver - the 'roads' (if that's what you can call them) are ridiculously busy, with cars going every direction and with nothing signposted, not even speed limits. I gasped in horror at one near miss and Bright just laughed. I just told myself to breathe, to just go with it, and I am loving every moment since. I actually cannot wipe the smile from my face!

I woke on my first morning to a cacophony of sounds - roosters, horns, singing, traffic, Jesus blaring on the radio... I met Tina, my 'big, black African mother,' (as she calls herself) and was immediately pulled into a hug. She is absolutely lovely - genuine, happy and goes out of her way to ensure I am having a good time. She really is my African mother! I've been on my own at the hostel for three days, just catching up on sleep and going into town with Bright and Tina. Accra is chaotic - very little infrastructure or order. Everyone has a mobile phone and hipster clothes but not always a home. It came as quite a shock initially. The western influences here are obnoxiously obvious - huge billboards placed in the middle of slum areas, advertising American products. I'm trying desperately not to be too cynical, but it is everywhere, and makes me quite angry when the level of need is so high.

The people are generally very friendly, and love it when you say hello. 'Obruni!' they chant, meaning 'white person.' The children will often keep singing it even when you're out of sight. The men are awfully persistent; they all want a white wife! I wear a ring on my middle finger on my left hand and Bright assumed it meant I was married. And if not married, then it was promise ring. 'Not a promise ring? Then it must be from your boyfriend. It's not? But you have a boyfriend right? No?' Haha, it made for quite a hilarious exchange. Bright and I have become good friends - he's taken on the role of my protector, always checking in on me and making sure I am ok. And then there is Samuel, the company driver. He made his intentions known from day one. He has already proposed to me, every day referring to me as his future white wife. Its a little overwhelming at times to be honest, but I just laugh and wave him away. Apparently, this is just a taste of what is to come! They are harmless proposals and I know when to be stronger with my refusals (that's for you Mum and Dad!).

Some of the other Antipodean girls arrived yesterday and they took us to a place called Big Milly's Beach House for Reggae Night. IT. WAS. AMAZING. Situated by the beach and surrounded by coconut trees, the beach house serves as an oasis for travelers and locals alike. There we met a couple of Americans and another Aussie (from Brisbane!), so you can imagine what ensued. Lots of laughter and dancing. The Africans own the dance floor! Particularly the men. It was rare that any of us were without an African dancing partner, and damn, they are good! It was almost embarrassing dancing with them! We returned to the hostel in the early hours of the morning, having had the most incredible night.

Today more volunteers arrive from Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. On Monday we begin orientation - dance and drumming lessons, a tour of Accra and a lesson in Ghanian culture. On Thursday we are taken to our placements in Swedru - I can't wait! The girls I'm staying with in Swedru are both from Brisbane and are rad. One actually lives down the road in Bardon! Small, small world.

This is really all I have time for. But know that I am safe and well! Thank you again to all of you for your support and encouragement - I still can't quite believe that I made it here, and so much of it is thanks to all of you. My next update will most likely be in a weeks time. In the meantime, my Ghanian number is +233 0200 144 573 . It's a little unreliable at times, so don't be offended if I don't reply! Email is still best.

Hope you are all well. With love form Africa,

Ro x

An eye-opening visit to Phnom Penh - University of Queensland

2012-01-24T15:25:00.000+11:00

Day 9 – Friday

Today was the day of our big trip to Phnom Penh and at 7.30am we boarded the bus for our six hour trip. We were all exhausted from our first week and slept most of the way besides a few toilet stops for all our little girl bladders. The road to Phnom Penh got rough at times and for part of the way had been reduced down to dirt due to the flooding rains of the wet season.

When we finally arrived it was easy to tell that Phnom Penh had a larger amount of people suffering from poverty and also had a lot more begger children going around selling items to try and get money. It was difficult to say no to them however we knew that the less we supported them hopefully they were more likely to go to school. As we were all starving after the bus trip, the first port of call was a cute little cafe for lunch, which by the way was delicious.

After lunch we walked across the road to our first proper insight into Cambodia’s sad and horrific history, S-21 which was previously a school however during the Khmer Rouge was turned into a horrific genocide prison of torture. Walking around s-21 was hard, the classrooms had been turned into prison cells where one prisoner would be kept and tortured until they were close to death and sometimes even to death. There were pictures on the wall showing bodies that they had found after the Khmer rouge was over.

There were also still blood stains on the ground where the prisoners laid after being tortured. It was very surreal and upsetting to realise that these terrible terrible things happened after our parents were born which is not that long ago it terms of other historical events. Throughout the museum there were many pictures of the victims of the prison as well as glass cases filled with victims clothes and the torturing equipment that was used. Some of the building fronts were covered in barbed wire and many of the class rooms had been sectioned of into tiny,dark cells where prisoners were forced to stay. For those of you that do not know much about the Khmer Rouge, these prisoners I speak of were not there as a result of crime or misconduct, they were there because they were educated, could speak more than one language or were married to someone who had a high standing role in Cambodian Society.

The more I explored the museum the more sombre I felt and there was many times that I became teary eyed thinking about the hardship that they must have gone through being tortured by their own people for being educated just like we are becoming by studying our degrees. After we finished our tour we were all feeling quite dismal as what we had seen had just hit home in such a big way. The bus trip to the hotel was very quiet as nobody really knew what to say, we were just aware of how lucky we are in Australia and how good our lives actually are. Upon arriving at the hotel we were so excited, we had comfy beds with big fluffy doonas and pillows that felt like sleeping on a cloud. That night we all stuck together in a group, as we didn’t know our way around Phnom Penh and were quite hesitant to explore in small groups, and headed out to dinner before heading back and having one of the best night sleeps I know that I have had on this trip. Day 10 - Saturday

Today was an extremely busy day and we covered a surprising amount of Phnom Penh in a day. After having a small sleep in, we boarded the bus headed for the Choeung ek Genocidal Centre also known as the killing fields. This place is another important part of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge History and we knew it was going to be another sad insight into the history. For those who don’t know the Killing Fields is one of the places where the prisoners were taken to be shot or killed in another way. When buying the tickets upon entry there was an option to hire a set of head phones with an audio machine which gave you an automated tour filled with information, music and survivor stories.

This headset was amazing, I personally don’t believe that I would have gained as much out of the experience if I did not have the headphones and I know that others felt the same way. The killing field’s grounds were pitted all over the place from the large amount of mass gravesthat had been found post Khmer Rouge. Some bones are still to this day being found at the some of the mass grave sites as rain washes away the old dirt.Some of the mass graves still have not been uncovered but the caretakers have decided to let these people’s spirits rest without disturbing them once more. The grounds were extensive and the history behind each part of the tour was fascinating and tragic.

There were boxes of real victims clothes as well as bones that had been uncovered from the mass graves, on display around the killing field. The grounds were so peaceful and yet so saddening at the same time. It was at the killing fields that I also had my first encounter with a wild snake which definitely made my heart skip a few beats. After leaving the killing fields we headed out to the Russian Markets. These markets were extremely large, larger then any markets in Siem Reap. There were many beautiful things to buy however the owners tended not to barter as much as people from Siem Reap do. Within saying that everyone still managed to buy a lot of wonderful souvenirs. After the markets the group split up to explore whatever part of Phnom Penh that tickled our fancy.

Katie, Anna, Abi and I all decided to go and visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. The royal palace was absolutely amazing, the buildings had so much detail and the ceilings were painted with so much detail. The grounds of the palace were so beautifully kept with amazing shaped hedges and perfectly mown grass. Therewere many buildings inside the grounds of the royal palace and all of them contained different artifacts from different centuries and display cabinets containing traditional dress of the royal family. The Silver pagoda was an exquisite building which was named the Silver Pagoda due to the fact that the tile floor is made out of actual Silver.

It was very cool however due to cultural values we couldn’t take photos inside. It was then that we bumped into Amy, Maddie D, Jane, Jess S and Leselle, who had also decided to explore the royal palace. That night we all went out to a group dinner at a restaurant called “Friends”. This restaurant takes teenagers who are working on the street and helps them to learn English and cooking or waitressing skills so they have the ability to gain better jobs in their life. It was such a great restaurant with a really great story and the food was so delicious! After dinner I was exhausted and although others went to explore a little more of Phnom Penh, I went back to my aircon and fluffy doona and fell asleep.

Day 11- Sunday

Today did not start off well. Some of the girls got sick with gastro and were not feeling good at all. As we had to take a six hour bus trip home it was unfortunately bad timing for them and our main priority was getting something to make them feel better before we got on the bus. Luckily we were able to get something from the pharmacy andthey were ok to travel by around 10am.

Every one was exhausted for the bus trip home and all of us slept most of the way. When looking down the aisle of the bus all you could see was body parts sprawled everywhere as people were trying to find the most comfortable way to sleep. The bus trip was absolutely hectic, our bus driver was a crazy driver and was going pretty fast and as everyone loves to use their horns over here he didn’t hold back. Needless to say we got back quicker then expected which gave us all time to prepare for our new clinic rotation and time to go to bed early.

Clincal work and Ceremonies: Griffith University

2012-01-23T16:27:00.000+11:00

We went further out to villages this week than any Griffith Univeristy nursing students had been before. Each day we visted a new village.The roads were bumpy and narrow, at times we clung on very tight as we looked over cliffs to the rivers edge. The mornings were freezing cold as we travelled by truck but by lunch time it was very warm and pleasant. The people in the villages were very excited to see us and the reception we received as we arrived each day, unforgettable.

During clinicals this week everyone worked very hard and efficiently. On average we treated 200 plus people at each village. We have become confident in working with the health care workers and translators and as a result we have picked up quite a bit of the Laoation language in the process.

This week we have treated many wounds, some very infected. We have also treated alot of respiratory infections. Their issues to do with respiratory problems are associated with the way they cook inside by fire, the thick dusty environment and a few are heavy smokers. We have tried to gently educate the Loa people to cook outdoors or at least, to keep their homes ventilated as much as they can. It is difficult for them to understand as they have cooked like that for generations.

After a days work the village comes together to to do a traditional Basti Ceremony to thank us. They wish us good health and fortune as the tie pieces of string around our wrists that we need to wear for a minimum of three days. It's a heart warming tradition to experience and I'm sure I wasn't the only one to get a bit teary when we had our final ceremony at Pak Xeng on Friday. It was sad saying goodbye to the people that had so humbly invited us to stay in their village and homes for the last two weeks. They really did feel like family to us and they treated us like one of their own. We all feel very privileged to have experienced their way of life.

The Lao people live a simple life with only basic necessities but as a result their family bonds are strong. They all pitch in to help with daily living activities such as cooking and washing and they always share their meals together. There is no Xbox, lap tops or Facebook the children play outdoors and before the sun even rises the teenagers are up either cooking breakfast or washing the families clothes and there is no stove top or washing machine. In the western population many have forgotten its the simple things in life that matter the most as we are all caught up in our busy lives. Its been nice to stop and reflect on how we live and remember what really is important.

Before we left Pak Xeng we all did weaving and a cooking class, it was so much fun. We shared the meals we prepared for lunch before saying our final farewells to our homestay mums and the rest of their family. Each one of us were given a scarf they had weaved which take 3-5 days to make depending on how big they are. A beautiful keepsake I'm sure we will all cherish.

We returned to Luang Prabang for the weekend. On Saturday all of 'Group A' went on a day long trek that included lunch, elephant ride, trekking by foot through the beautiful bush land, scenic canoe ride and swimming in the waterfalls. Some of us even swam with baby elephants. It was such a beautiful, fun filled day.

We returned to our hotel to welcome 'Group B' to Laos. We are all visiting the Luang Prabang hospital on Monday. We are very interested to see how the main hospital is run. We look forward to working with fresh faces and spending our final week in Sop Jak.

Rachael Grant, Griffith University-Gold Coast Campus.

Nursing Prac begins for UQ students in Cambodia

2012-01-18T10:10:00.000+11:00

Day 6 – Tuesday

Today was our second day out on prac and after a not so confident day on Monday we were feeling more self- assured and ready to take on the challenges of the day ahead. After another delicious breakfast the groups dispersed to the different clinics once more. Upon arriving at the clinic we completed a quick run- through of the new medical assessment forms that we were to be using to assess the patients as they arrived at the clinic.

These forms were to be used to assist the doctor and nurses in the clinic by reducing the amount of time taken for each patient consultation as the initial patient assessment and patient observations would already be completed by the time they reached the consultation stage. As a patient arrived at the clinic we would use a translator to ask the patients questions about why they were there, how long they had been experiencing their problem for, whether they had been treated for the same problem in the past and we would do a basic assessment such as blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate and respiratory assessment.

All of this information would then be recorded on the medical assessment form and the patient would give it to the nurse or doctor when it was their turn for a consultation. Using this system made it easier for us to assess each patient as we were able to have direction not only with what we needed to do overall but also with the individual questions that we needed to ask each person based on the problem they were having. It also gave us the opportunity to have an attempt at possibly diagnosing the problem and then checking our thoughts against the doctor’s thoughts. At 10.30, Amy, Jane and Abi headed off to do education with the staff of the SHCC School.

Today they were teaching sanitation and a bit of basic first aid. Maddie C and I stayed at the clinic and split between doing triage and sitting in with the doctor for consultations. That afternoon after lunch Maddie and I continued health assessments in the clinic whilst Abi, Amy and Jane taught some of the children from SHCC some basic hand washing techniques and also basic wound cleaning.

The children often become distracted easily so the girls also played games with them throughout the lesson to keep them enthusiastic and willing to learn. Overall it was a better day then Monday and on our way home we passed a official wedding tent being set up for a wedding which was to take place the next day, we got very excited about that because we had never seen an official Khmer wedding before. That night we all went and had Indian at Curry Walla…. delicious!!!Day 7 – Wednesday

Third day on prac. On our way to the clinic today we noticed that the festivities for the weeding had already started and people were cooking and preparing the tent for the many people who were to arrive. Today was an extremely busy day as there seemed to be a large amount of people at the clinic all day which was great because it ment more people that we could possibly help. As it is the Cambodian winter (even though it still reaches 30°C) a lot of the people coming in for themselves or their children tend to have colds or chest infections just like we would get during winter in Australia.

The majority of people do not have the proper clothing or blankets to keep them sufficiently warm at night time and often get sick quite easily. One of the things that I also notice at the clinic is that the large majority of people do not come in straight away when they have a problem and tend to put off coming to the clinic for up to a month, which is sometimes the case in Australia, however personally when I know that I’m getting sick I try and get on top of it straight away.

Today it was Maddie and my turn to deliver the education session for the SHCC staff. Today’s topic was Lifting and Moving as well as the stretches to complete before and after lifting or moving heavy objects. We made the class interactive and showed them how to first complete a full body stretch. We then asked them to show us how they lift a variety of objects and got them to discuss if they thought anything could be changed. After they gave us their example of lifting the objects we then discussed with them the proper technique of not only lifting heavy objects but also lifting light objects as proper technique is required for both to reduce incidence of injury.

We then asked them to lift a variety of objects using their newly learnt technique and quizzed them on the reasons why it was important to lift and move things correctly. It was extremely satisfying to hear them getting the answers to our questions right as it ment that they were actually absorbing the knowledge. At 11.30, Abi, Jane and Amy arrived at the Khmer house where we have lunch and we all helped to prepare the meals, it is really interesting to see the difference between the Australian cooking set up compared to the Cambodian cooking area.

For starters the Cambodian cooking area at most houses is outside which is really crazy considering how much food actually gets prepared in this area. After lunch we headed back to the clinic and Maddie and I taught a new group of kids from SHCC basic hand washing and wound cleaning whilst Abi, Amy and Jane worked in the clinic. The children left rather early today however during the class to the children we gained a group of women who were eager to learn from us. Maddie and I, with the help of a translator, gave the women a quick run down on the lifting and moving class that we had taught previously that morning and Abi gave them a class on rubbish collection and composting which was the personal topic of her own that she had prepared before leaving Australia (each one of us had to prepare one topic to present during the lunch breaks throughout our prac).

The women seemed to really enjoy these lessons and listened intently throughout the whole session. That afternoon on our way home we were getting all excited to see the wedding when we discovered that it had already finished…. Hopefully we will have a chance to see another one. Day 8 – ThursdayToday was our final day on our first rotation for our placement. By this point we had grown so attached to the Krabei Riel Clinic that we did not want to leave, it’s such a great atmosphere at the clinic and so welcoming it was such a pleasure working there. Today’s day had the same structure as the previous days however today Abi, Jane and Amy were completing the education session. Today’s session was on Diabetes, which happens to be a prevalent disease in this country however there is also a lack of basic knowledge on this topic that prevents the detection and treatment of the disease leaving many people untreated and open to the wide variety of complications that it can cause.

While the girls were out doing the education session, Maddie and I got to complete our first intramuscular injections of the placement (which was really exciting!!!!). They were both tetanus vaccinations for adults and Maddie and I were both quite nervous as it was Maddie’s first IM injection and I had not completed one for quite a long time. One thing we realized quickly when giving the injection was that a Cambodian person’s skin is noticeably thicker then our own making it harder to get the needle in initially.

Peta told us that this was because of their constant exposure to the sun, which made a lot of sense and gave us something to work on for the next time that we had the opportunity to give a needle. Just after I gave the needle to my patient I learnt that she was pregnant with TWINS! Which was something I had not come across yet during our week in the clinic. She was 4 months along and this would be here third and fourth babies. I had been hoping to practice my skills with using a pinnard ( non- electrical tool used to listen to babies heart beats within the uterus) and after asking permission from the patient the next thing I knew I was trying to find the twins heartbeats, I was so excited but also unsure of the proper technique as I had only used an electric doppler in Australia.

Unfortunately the twins were moving around too much for me to find hear the heartbeat clearly however I was glad I got the opportunity to try and hopefully I’ll get to practice again before the end of the placement. Our last afternoon in the clinic was extremely busy and hectic and after saying our good byes to the SHCC and clinic staff that we could now call friends we headed back to Jasmine Lodge for a much needed rest. That night Amy, Leselle, Maddie D, Jane, Jess and I all headed to A Viva for an amazing Mexican Dinner followed by a shopping session at Centre Market where we met up with Anna and Katie. That night I went to sleep reflecting on the week that had been and looking forward to out trip to Phnom Penh that was to occur the next day…

Laos village visits by Griffith University

2012-01-17T12:45:00.002+11:00

Wow what a first week out in the villages! It all began when we arrived at the Pak Xeng District on Sunday afternoon. We were greeted by the localchildren. They all stood in a neat line in their school uniform. Each with their own pretty hand picked bunch of flowers for us. The children were soexcited and giggled with delight, it was beautiful to see.

We had a brief meeting with the village chief who welcomed us humbly to their village. We were then introduced to our homestay family. Their homes are basic butclean and comfortable. That night there was a huge celebration in the village, they taught us how to do Lao traditional dance which was hilariousfun then in return we showed them how to do the hokey pokey and head shoulders knees & toes, the children loved it.

On Monday we had a meeting with the heads of the Pak Xeng District Hospital, healthcare workers, translators etc to unpack & organise our donated medications and make a plan of how our clinics would run in the following days. Tuesday was our first clinic day. We drove approx 25 minutes on a bumpy road out to the first village. The day ran smoothly and everyone successfully worked as part of a team with the healthcare workers and translators.

The local village people were so greatful for the most basic necessities such as Panadol for a headache. That day we did see some verysick people too. I treated a person with pleural rub, possible peumonia that was having difficulty breathing.

During the rest of the week as we ventured into poorer and poorer villages the more sicker the people were. We treated a 10 year old girl that had an eye infection for a year and had began to lose her vision. This is just one of the many examples of how early intervention could have prevented serious damage but unfortunately many of these people cannot afford to seek medical assistance early. I think this week we all began to really realise how fortunate we are in the Western population but also how amazing it is to have the opportunity to help these people. Even the most basic of care can make a huge difference here. We all worked hard throughout the week and on the return to Luang Phrabang on Friday afternoon we were so excited to have a hot shower and use a real toilet! During the weekend we all enjoyed free time, relaxed and rejuvenated ready to return and to do it all again.

Rachael GrantGriffith University Gold Coast Campus

Have you ever seen a Liger? Travel time for China Gappers

2012-01-17T11:41:00.001+11:00

Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park - photo courtesy of scenery.cultural-china.com

Well, the winter season has overtaken the city and plunged us all into the negative double digits. Surprisingly (and disappointingly) the snow only occurred three or four times, and none as heavy as the first. The sun didn’t rise until we were on the bus to school, and set while we were on our return journey. The air remained still and we did not suffer the Siberian winds as we had feared we would. That said, we are told it is still Shenyang’s coldest winter in years.

So, with days sinking below -15, the glass in the corridors started freezing. As did everyone’s footprints. I almost stacked it half a dozen times in the same place on my way to class, but then I’m a slow learner. The classes that are on duty during these days (one class a week has to stand in designated places, inside and out, during the breaks) were incredibly unlucky and donned their thick school jackets and accompanied their monitor sashes with multiple scarfs. Every one of them was shaking every time I saw them.

So, the school term began to come to an end and we had to mark our students. How do you mark over a thousand students on their oral English skills? One on one, of course. At least that was our idea. My advanced thirteen year olds, who I have twice a week, were theonly class I finished using this method. I played them a movie and took them aside one at a time. It took 3 weeks and I only got through half of the rest, so I put together a written test to substitute the oral exam (unfair, I know, but its better than giving the rest a mark averaged from the kids I DID test, and the school doesn’t place a very high regard on our results anyway). During these tests I met students I swear I had never seen before, and found out that some of the boys were actually girls and vice versa. It was an eye-opening experience.

At last, the final classes came around and I dropped the news that we would not be staying with the school another semester (thanks to some misleading advice). I was shocked, as at the end of class, the students rushed my desk asking for my autograph on all their diaries and English textbooks and work books and loose paper and hands and tissues and... well anything they could grab. It was chaos. I gave them all my email address, and have received a couple of emails from some students. Oneasked what city I would be moving to, so she could hate it the rest of her life. Unfortunately, I don’t support extremist fanaticism, and I didn’t know which city it would be, so I didn’t tell her. They are great kids and I will really miss them.

After Hayley and I had finished up our classes and said our goodbyes, we got together with Dervla, another foreign teacher from Ireland, and we went skiing. It was one hell of a bus ride up a mountain in the freezing cold. Once we got to the top of the mountain, we changed over to a van, which took us along a terrifying frozen 4x4 track around the back of the slopes. I was bracing myself against all four sides of the van and searching for a way to escape if we rolled, but in the end all was safe. Then we hit the ski slopes. We got our crashes out of the way early so we could enjoy a calm afternoon. Then we hired a taxi and had a much quicker, much warmer ride home. Thank god.

On the first Monday of our holidays, we caught a train to Harbin. But only just. We had arrived at the station a little early but had not anticipated the distance we would have to walk INSIDE the station, nor the staircases leading over the tracks. We we own with us, so lugging our suitcases over all those stairs was a nightmare. We were on the train no more than a minute before it began to roll towards the frozen north. It seemed every seat on the train was occupied, and people switched and swapped at will, wandering down the isle on their phone, stopping at every row for a quick sit in any empty chair before moving to the next. It took 6 and a half hours. Upon arriving, we noticed ice sculptures everywhere. They lined the streets and filled the parks, and this wasn’t even the ice world.

On the second day, we went to the Siberian Tiger Park. If you are ever in this part of the world, you MUST go there. We went on a safari-esque bus ride, where our bus actually got attacked by tigers. But fear not! The entire bus is re-enforced with a metal cage. And this is not even the scary part. After you get off the bus, there is a raised walkway for you to see the tigers from. Once up here, you can pay 20RMB to hold a piece of meat out of the cage for the tigers to fight over. They climb up on the side of the cage and push each other off in their attempts. Of course, its not as simple as that. For 60RMB you can buy a live chicken, which can throw to the tigers. Seem cruel? Well for 2800RMB you can buy a cow, yes a cow, to release into the tigers enclosure. Fortunately, we only saw chickens ravaged by the beasts. In the back of the park they also have a collection of other big cats, from white tigers to jaguars and even the rare liger (a tiger crossedwith a lion). They are all big and ferocious, and I would not like to run into any without the metal bars to protect me.

That night we went to the Ice World. Wow. It was amazing. A massive area filled with massive ice buildings, all lit up from the inside with coloured lights. There were ice slides and ice towers and horses and carriages and yaks. We wandered around for hours, climbing towers and taking photos. It is truly an amazing thing to se, and unlike anything you could find back home.

Just before we left Harbin for Beijing, the company handling us dropped the news that we do not have a second placement. Hayley and I are set on staying for another semester, so we cancelled the rest of our travel plans and are staying in Beijing until we sort out our own placement. Thanks to the incredibly kind generosity of my friend’s father, we are staying for free in his hotel for a few days. The biggest challenge we seem to be facing now is choosing a job, because we have so many people helping us find one. We will resume our travels soon, as we still have enough time to see everything we want to see.

Dolphin and Turtle Conservation in Mauritius

2012-01-17T11:26:00.001+11:00

Douglas Adams wrote when he Authored 'Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy' that one should never go anywhere without his or her towel, the logic behind it being that somebody who can stay in control of virtually any situation is somebody who is said to know where his or her towel is. As the last few panicky items were thrown into my suitcase, which the scale were telling me was reaching its limit, I decided to only take one beach towel and remove my heavy bath towel, my only regret is that I did not back it in my hand luggage, and immediately mop my face off with it upon exiting the airport. Golly gosh is Mauritius humid! I mean, I am talking back of knee-cap sweat, moustache sweat and embarrassed-to-shake-people's-hands-whom-you've-just-met-due-to-torrid-sweat kinda humid. Somehow though, the only downfall to this beautiful island is also part of its charm, and I have grown to...well, not hate it.

The people here beautiful, they are not at all perturbed by the cockroaches that are the size of baby mammoths, or the heat or the hordes of mosquitoes (which no one was at all exaggerating about) and instead compensate by endlessly throwing themselves into the ocean - in which the water is so warm it is only just a relief from the humidity - how can anyone not love the atmosphere!? The people here seem to follow no rules, and their freedom in infectious. At any point of the day going down to La Preneuse the public beach there are endlessly locals drumming and dancing, or playing Rastafarian music. Where ever you go people are so friendly and say bonjour, not in a pushy way at all, just genuine friendliness. I wish I had learned more French so I sounded more genuine when I attempt to greet them back.

I can't believe it has only been one week.

There are five volunteers from the Antipodeans Unibreak programme living in this fantastically located house in Black River, 200 metres away from the beach and a five minute the supermarket. All of us volunteers are doing some kind of Marine/coast/environment/etc, course so it is a very like minded group that we are in. With us also is a South African volunteer not with antipodeans and not marine based, but very knowledgeable and passionate all the same! Doing the dolphin research is amazing, it is endlessly worth while for my own endeavors (I have now completely change my views of not bothering dreaming about working with dolphins due to lack of job prospects to having faith and trying to get into it). I have just finished my bachelor in Marine Biology and am about to begin honours myself, so it is a well deserved holiday I feel, and being able to do something worth while in between the endless snorkelling, sun baking and drinking mojitos definitely takes away any holiday guilt one might have about having too much fun. We have been also taking back in some turtle monitoring, which is not as well developed as the dolphin monitoring so feels beneficial to be helping.

We go out in a boat 3 times a week and afterward do data entry, we also have tourist surveys on other days - I have not had to do any yet and it's probably the thing I am looking forward to the least, but it seems crucially important. When monitoring dolphins, there are around 25 boats, some of them rather large, all toting tourists who jump in and try and swim with the dolphins. It was absolute insanity, therefore, as it is only tourists getting in, I understand why tourist surveys are crucial, I just hope they speak English!

Everything is so green and leafy, every tree seems to bear fruit or flowers, every house has palms and looks like a holiday house, all the fish are friendly and colourful! This is a fantastic paradise.

I never want to go home!

Jesse Jorgensen-Price.

University of Queensland - first five days in Cambodia

2012-01-12T10:41:00.000+11:00

Oh my goodness! Today is only day number six in Cambodia and I feel like so much has happened and that Cambodia has had a massive impact on our lives already! So heres a quick recap of our trip so far.

Day 1- Thursday

After a 4:30 start in Bangkok we arrived at the airport tired but excited and unsure of what faced us in the day ahead. After what felt like a ten minute flight (actually 40 mins) we finally landed in Siem Reap. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, the sun was shining and there were small wispy clouds floating high in the sky. The mood among us was buzzing with excitement as we headed towards customs.

As soon as we got through customs we met up with Jo and Thomas, our on the ground team while we are in Cambodia, and got into vans on our way to Jasmine Lodge. The traffic on the road to Jasmine Lodge was epic, there were people turning left right and centre and every one drives on the right side of the road completely opposite from Australia. I swear that was the most nerve racking drive of our lives. When we reached Jasmine Lodge we settled in with some delicious lunch and a quick Khmer lesson, most of us picked it up pretty quickly and can now introduce ourselves and count up to 20.

As soon as lunch had ended and we had settled into our rooms we got back into the vans and headed out to the Self Help Community Centre School and the Krabei Riel Health Centre. The SHCC is an amazing place that helps children in the nearby villages by teaching them English, Sport, Art and other various subjects. They currently have just over 1400 students that take various classes during the day. We explored the grounds of the SHCC, which contains various buildings, multiple vegetable gardens as well as some animals that the children help look after.

The children there were so sweet and very willing to learn. After viewing the grounds, some of the group joined some of the SHCC kids in a game of soccer which we lost by a couple of goals. We then headed to the Krabei Riel Health Centre, which greeted us with an eye opening view of the medical facilities available in the villages. The clinic was very basic and only contains four rooms which includes a delivery room and some consulation rooms.

One of the most interesting differences from Australian health care is the fact that no shoes are worn inside the building. By this point we were a little amazed with what we were seeing, knowing that we take the luxurys of the Australian health care system for granted. After our tour of the clinic we headed back into town for a tour of the local area whcih helped us a lot with finding places to go for dinner etc. Everything over here is so cheap and that night I got a large plate of fried rice for $2, finding that in Australia would be imposssible.

Day 2 - Friday

Today was another very hectic amazing day. After a lovely breakfast we walked into town headed for the Angkor hospital for children. This hospital was absolutely inspiring. When we first arrived we watched a DVD about how the hospital was founded and how far it had come. The waiting area of the hospital was packed with parents and their children waiting to see doctors and receive treatment. One thing that I will never forget from this hospital was seeing a girl aged around 2 laying asleep on a swing chair with a rash covering her body, there was nothing that any of us could do and no way that we could help her I just felt so helpless.

After seeing the waiting area we continued on to the kitchen area where the patients family would prepare food for the family either while they were waiting for treatment or while they were receiving treament. The hospital also had a vegetable garden where hey grew fresh produce to give to the patients family to cook if they could not afford to buy food. After looking around the rest of the buildings we headed off towards the Provincial hospital.

This hospital was a lot larger then any other of the hospitals or clinics we had seen however it still had quite basic facilities, none of the beds had sheets and there was no proper cooking area for the patient's families. We had a guided tour of this hospital, which is the main hospital in Siem Reap for the people to go. following the tour we had lunch and took approx an hours drive to the Military Handicap Development Centre which is another basic health clinic that we will be working in throughout our placement. we also visited the school and played with some of the children that attend the school. They were so cute and showed us how they could sing the alphabet as well as some other english songs.

Following our visit to the school we headed to the Cambodian Landmine Museum, which was amazingly insightful. It was extremely interesting to learn about how landmines are uncovered and remved from the land. There was plenty of information about Cambodia's dark and tragic history with the Khmer Rouge as well as stories from survivors of that time period. I have never seen so many landmines in one museum before and according to the information only 30% of the mines that have been uncovered were in that museum. The search for landmines in villages around Cambodia is still completed to this day by a very skill team and believe it or not they can detect the landmines by using a stick.

As we left the landmine museum I think the group had an improved understanding of the hardships that the Cambodian people experienced during the rough Khmer rouge time period. On our way back to the lodge we passed a small temple which gave us a taste of what it will be like to see Angkor Wat. The temple was beautiful and as the sun was setting it seemed to bounce off the uneven edges and jagged walls of the temples capturing its beauty in a way that couldn't be described. That night we went to a restaurant for a group dinner where we experienced some traditional Khmer dances, each dance displaying its own beautiful and individual story with such detail and elegance.Day 3 - Saturday

Today was the day of our home stay, we were all very excited to stay in a real Khmer house and gain a greater understanding of the way that they live in the villages. After a little bit of a sleep in we headed off on our hour drive towards the homestay. On the way we stopped off at a cute little restaurant for a really delicious lunch and some people bought fresh coconuts to drink the coconut water out of which were cut there fresh at the restaurant.

After lunch we headed out to a school called "My Grandfather's House"" to do some health education sessions to the children of the school. When we arrived we were greeted by approx 250 school children as well as the teachers waiting in lines for us to arrive. It was quite overwhelming at first because we didn't know how we could provide education to such a large group of students. So after a quick introduction we split the children into three groups and taught them three separate topics which were First Aid, Hand washing and Sanitation and also Teeth Brushing. The children were so eager and willing to learn and they all wanted to get involved in our interactive sessions.

After teaching them our topics we taught them some simple English games such as Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, Simon says and also the Hokey Pokey. They all had such a good time and it made our group feel good that we could make an impact on their lives by teaching them basic skills that we take for granted. The next part of our day was also amazing we got to go on ox cart rides...Yes believe it or not OX CART RIDES! we boarded our ox carts in an extremely awkward fashion at my grandfathers house and got off an hour later at our home stay house. The ox cart ride was quite bumpy but extremely enjoyable and there were many laughs along the way. I had never experienced anything like that before and a lot of us found it so surreal and quite relaxing.

During our ride we traveled along dirt roads, past local houses and across vast fields and witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets that we had ever seen and although we couldn't quite capture it's beauty on film I think it will be a memory that will stick with us for quite a long time. When we reached our homestay house we all got back into the vans and headed to dinner at the same restaurant we had lunch at previously that day. It was at this dinner that we learnt that not everybody had quite gotten the knack of aiming in the squat toilets and someone had accidently missed and hit their foot. If you had seen a squat toilet you would understand how easily that could have happened.

I also learnt at dinner that mosquito repellant and eyes really don't go together and I had to get Peta to wash it out.... so tip from the experienced dont scratch your insect repellant covered arm and then wipe your eye. We also had our first experience with begging children who were trying to sell bracelets to us at the restaurant, they were really cute and knew really good English however it was really sad to see young children trying to sell items on the street at night rather then laying in bed getting excited about thier next day at school.

After dinner we headed back to the homestay house and walked upstairs to where we were all sleeping. It looked like any kids dream, there was six mosquito net tents lined up in two rows each of them with woven mats laying on the floor which was the equivalent of a bed. We then each had a blanket and small pillow and there were two or three of us in each tent. It took me back to my childhood when i used to make cubby houses under the kitchen table for fun except so much better! The weather that night was quite cold which none of us were expecting so it made sleeping a little bit uncomfortable but it was good to see how Cambodian people lived and slept. The was the first night that we actually felt the cold of the Cambodian winter.Day 4 - Sunday

This morning we all we up before sunrise after having a not so comfortable sleep the night before. As soon as everyone was up we piled into the vans and started on our hour drive back to Jasmine Lodge for breakfast. Today was our free day so after breakfast and some much needed sleep everyone dispersed to explore Siem Reap. Some people went shopping, others lazed around and watched movies however most of us went out and had $5 and hour massages. I personally went with Katie and Anna to the Seeing Hands massage clinic to get a massage from people who had become blind. The massage was amazing and we felt so relaxed afterwards. Knowing that we had our first day of prac the next day we all went to bed pretty early not knowing what to expect from the day ahead.Day 5- Monday

Today was our first day of prac and we were all feeling quite nervous and unsure of what to expect. We were all ready to leave by 7.15am with one group going to the Krabei Riel clinic and the SHCC school, one group going to the MHDC clinic and the final group going to the MHDC school. Each one of the groups had planned education sessions to present to the men, women and children of the villages and also some of the staff of the SHCC. My group consists of Jane, Amy, Abi and Maddie C and this week we are based out at the krabei riel clinic with included education at the SHCC.

When we first got the clinic we were all so nervous unsure of what we were ment to be doing, how we were meant to do it and how we were going to overcome the language barrier. it was just very confronting first up and with Monday being the busiest day at the clinic there was already a lot of patients there. The group split up and some of us went with the nurse doing triage and the rest of us sat in with the doctor and the translator to listen to the consultations with the patients. Even thought the doctor couldn't speak any English he was so willing to teach us and help us gain a better understanding of his processes and also to let us have a go.

There were also vaccinations going on at the clinic as well so all of us got to watch some babies get vaccinations and watch thier needle disposing technique which is quite different from Australia. After a morning at the clinic we headed to SHCC to do a health promotion class with some of the staff and social workers from the SHCC school, today we focussed on Hepititis B and taught them what it is, how you can contract it and how to prevent it.

The class were so eager to learn and at the end of the session had some extremely relevant and interesting questions which was great because it ment that our class had understood and taken in what we had taught. That afternoon, after lunch, we can back to SHCC and taught the children some basic first aid and wound cleaning and also how to bandage a snake bite, they picked it up so quickly and they looked so cute wrapping themselves up in bandages, hopefully now they know what to do if they do happen to get in that situation, hopefully that won't happen though. By the end of the day we were in high spirits we felt like we had accomplished something that day and now had a bit more of an understanding of our role in the clinic which we knew would help with our confidence the next day.

Griffith University arrive in Laos

2012-01-09T13:26:00.000+11:00

We all arrived safely to Luang Prabang, Laos on Saturday to a beautiful sunny day. We were greeted by our local guides/translaters that took us on the back of a truck with all of our luggage to our hotel, the Haysok Hotel.After settling into our very comfortable hotel rooms Graham our guide along with the lovely translators gave us an orientation and showed us around the town. We were able to explore the beautiful local temples, sample some mango & sticky rice and get to know some of the local traditions. At 4pm we listened to the rhythmic beats of the monks a definite must for anyone visiting here. Then we split up in groups for some free time.A group of 10 of us enjoyed a cold drink next to the river then we wandered the streets looking for somewhere to have dinner. We came across a bamboo bridge that went over the main river. Apparently it is replaced approximately every 6months because it gets washed away. It was a little daunting to cross for the fear we would fall through. On the other side we found a beautiful restaurant on the hillside, just think Bali style huts, lit with lantern and cushions for seating.

The meals were incredibly cheap I think it worked out to be about $6 Au each for a banquet of food including our drinks. Was such a beautiful relaxing atmosphere. After dinner we strolled the local night markets before calling it a night. New friendships within our group are already starting to form. We are all throughly enjoying Luang Prabang and getting to know the locals and their traditions. The Loatian people are very friendly, helpful and gentle by nature an absolute joy to be around.

Today we enjoyed a hot breakfast at our hotel and some of us have gone out to buy some supplies in the market. We are booking an all day trek for next weekend which includess riding an elephant, swimming in the waterfalls and getting photos with Sun Bears. sure to be a fun filled day. After lunch we start the 3hr journey out to the villages via truck, I'm sure that will be an experience with many giggles along the way. We are all very much looking forward to see the smiling faces of the Loatian people as we enter the many villages to begin work in the clinics. Saba ai-dii for now from all of group A.

Rachael GrantGriffith UniversityGold Coast Campus

Safari in the savannah - the final blog for Unibreak in Ghana

2012-01-06T12:25:00.001+11:00

Our last weekend together in Ghana could have been a disaster. It was our most ambitious travel plan to date. A minimum of 14 hours travel time stood between us and a successful safari weekend. We had to get from Swedru to Accra (Circle station) – about 2 hours on a tro tro, Accra to Tamale - about 8 hours on an overnight bus, and the last leg was from Tamale to Mole National Park - about 4 hours in a ‘heavy duty’ tro tro.

One of Ghana’s most notorious regions for bad roads, our travel North for that period of time would have been the most uncomfortable ride if it wasn’t for the blissful air-conditioning and ever-so-welcome reclining chairs that were a pleasant surprise on the overnight bus. It was a relatively trouble free journey (the late night stops were a little hairy) but we reached Tamale later than expected and missed the connecting tro tro to Mole National Park. Stranded at the station, Tina (our in country agent) came to the rescue once more, working her contacts and getting us on the road again.

Falling victim to the unpaved road for an hour while the driver fixed the tro tro, we finally arrived at Mole National Park. Nothing says ‘welcome to your safari getaway’ like a troop of baboons at your front door. Mindful of our welcome party’s sticky fingers, we had a tasty lunch inside before cooling down in the hotel’s swimming pool and settling in for our first night in the National Park.

We woke early to chance our luck at seeing elephants on a 2 hour walking safari. Our armed safari guide led us past crocodiles, antelope, monkeys, vultures, warthogs and plenty of elephant tracks until we heard an almighty splash at a waterhole near where the elephants like to come and like salt from the rocks. Unfortunately the sound was bigger than the culprit and our excitement was dashed when we scrambled through the bushes only to find a croc sunbaking on the bank was the culprit of the crash.

Nonetheless it was a good start to the day and many tried their luck again to see the world’s largest living land animal on a jeep safari to no avail. Still the evening was not lost as we laughed our way through a team trivia night, enjoying the company of the big group and having some good fun. The good times rolled on even when we were stranded on the long, red road on the way back to Tamale with a flat tyre. Making the most of the setting and time, we posed for a team photo shoot against the picturesque African landscape.

On the drive back from Tamale, somehow the driver managed to get us back to Accra three hours earlier than expected, a feat we hadn’t catered for or even experienced on our travels in Ghana. Stuck in the dark with the prospect of lingering around the station until it was light enough for tro tros to take us back to Swedru, our kind bus driver Kofi said we could sleep in the comfort and safety of the bus until daybreak. Not only that, he then went to another station in Accra to find a tro tro to takes us back to Swedru – all for free.

For the rest of the day we lounged by the pool at Greenland Hotel in Swedru. It was a great way to get ready for the last week at most of our placements.

This blog has solely been about our time spent travelling as a group on weekends and doesn’t even scratch the surface of our placement experiences because of the big differences between orphanages, schools and hospital placements and our time spent with our host families too. Even with these differences, Ghana was undoubtedly a great experience for all of us and one we’ll remember for many years to come.

UniBreakers unforgettable experience in Peru

2012-01-06T12:19:00.003+11:00

Our Final Week came to a bittersweet close this weekend. Saying goodbye was hard without a doubt. Goodbye to our families – so loving and welcoming and whom we started referring to as ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ a long time ago. Goodbye to Cusco – daily views of lush green mountains, memorable taxi rides and cobblestone streets. Goodbye to our ‘escuela’ in Ccorao – those affectionate, cheeky kids, the amazing machine that is Ricardo and our helpful, gracious teachers.

The week was taken up with frantic hard work on The Wall (now complete!), last minute shopping for llama jumpers or Cusquenian trinkets, packing, and our last time at our favourite eateries (adios Jack’s!). We’ve all had a great time spending our last week with our families (thank you Wills and Nelly for taking such good care of Nivine and me!). Being able to buy them a small Christmas present, cook them dinner for once or take them out somewhere were some small ways we said ‘thank you and we love you’.

Our last day at school was one of the best we’ve had – each grade performed a song for us in an assembly, we got to spend some time with our classes giving out presents and capturing some moments with them on camera and it was topped off with an heartfelt inauguration ceremony of the wall and Christmas chocolate ‘caliente’ and panetone for everyone. The dismal weather did nothing to deter our spirits during this last day.

Also, during the trip, the boys came up with a really great list of tips for the next groups to come through and here are a few of them for you guys:- When bargaining, cut the vender’s price in half and go from there- When quad biking: Be. Careful.- Be prepared for cold and sometimes no showers- When buying agua, remember: always Sin Gas- Invest in a alpaca jumper on Day 1- Do not eat the hommus at Jack’s Café- When hopping in a taxi, some key phrases include: “normalmente ocho soles senor!” and “cerca el Maestro”- Embrace every moment

One month. A Horseriding trip. A Machu Picchu Trek. A weekend away at Lake Titicaca. Numerous trips to Pisaq Mercado. Countless clubs. Countless cafes. Quad biking. Mountain biking. Three cases of salmonella. One twisted knee. A fractured nose. Countless other issues regarding bodily functions. Seven incredible host families. One funny and irreplaceable Arlich. One wonderful school filled with even more wonderful kids. One wall. Fourteen volunteers.

Thank you Antipodeans for an unforgettable experience that has changed us forever and of which no part I regret!

Heaps of love,

Sach, Nivine, Rowan, Dan, Joe, Louis, Arnav, Ben, Harshita, Tess, Nadia, Vanessa, Liz, Megx x x

An education students adventure in Nepal - by Emily Tapper

2011-12-20T14:51:00.000+11:00

Namaste!

My Name is Emily Tapper and I am a third year Bachelor of Education student at RMIT in Bundoora. Only a few days ago I returned from a 3 week education placement in Nepal through Antipodeans. It was such an amazing experience! The only thing I can fault is that it wasn’t long enough!

To give you just a snapshot of my time in Nepal I have written some of my memories and a typical day/week in the life of an Aussie gone Nepalese/Tibetan!Despite the flight delays, we made it safe and sound to Kathmandu :) only 12 and a half hours but luckily for me I slept nearly the whole way. From our flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu,

I scored a window seat so had an amazing view of the mountains through the clouds which were really just too surreal for words! When we arrived at the airport it was a bit of a shock. Everything is so different! The airport was a singular building where really all we had to do was show our visa and get pushed through to the exit, where I did get hit with a lot of cages of baby chickens! It was insane, there were like 20-30 different packs of chickens on trolleys.

We were picked up from the airport by Serang, the son of the head man for Antipodeans in Nepal (Sonam). He is extremely nice and speaks amazing English. We then took a bus to our hotel. The streets of Kathmandu are insane, everyone is constantly beeping, people, dogs, cows and all sorts battle for control of the road, and I’m surprised we didn't see any crashes!Our hotel was hidden in some backstreets of the busy Kathmandu markets and was a lot nicer than we were expecting - having a western toilet was defiantly a plus!

When we got to the hotel however, one of the girls realised that she had grabbed the wrong bag at the airport! After ringing the airport, she found out that she had to go to the hotel of the girl whose bag she had, and then back to the airport to collect her bag! As she left with Serang, the rest of us took the opportunity to have a look around. The streets are so busy and you have to dodge the cars not to get run down!

When we got back to the hotel we meet up with Sarah, who had just done the Everest base camp trek and had been stuck at Lukla airport for 6 days! It was so good to hear all about her trek, I'm so jealous!

We all went out for dinner at a Nepalese restaurant, I had fried rice and momos (a spicy dumpling) which was actually extremely hot!After dinner we went back to the hotel and went to the top level where there was a big yoga room were we had some celebratory drinks by candle light.The next morning we left for the bus terminal at 7am to head to Pokhara! We got a take away breakfast which included a juice, 2 hard-boiled eggs, an apple, orange and bread. Safe to say not many people were keen to try the eggs!

The bus ride took 7 hours (most of which I was knocked out with travel sick tablets!), when I wasn't asleep the views were amazing, we were driving along the hillsides (literally tilting on the side of hills!), where beeping indicated ‘GET OUT THE WAY’ as you were heading around corners. It was strange that you never really felt in any danger. Countless clear rivers, hills and small settlements made the ride so much more enjoyable, and the continual mountains in the backdrop just made everything seems so awesome!

A lot of naps later we reached Pokhara! It is kind of like Chang Mai (Thailand) in a way, everything is a lot calmer and the people are all so welcoming, also they all have such amazing English! Although I tried very hard to pick up some Nepali and Tibetan!We stayed one night in a hotel in Lakeside Pokhara, where we were meet by Sonam and told about our home stays and schools, we were all so excited! It was an early night after some exploring of the town :)

The next day we had to get up early as we had a very busy day of language and culture lessons. Our first lesson was about the history and culture of Nepal which was very interesting especially as the presentation was done with amazing photos!Our second lesson was in Nepalese, which was quite funny with us trying to pronounce all the words, and listening to everyone try and say sentences without sounding extremely aussie! Overall I think I got most of the basics, which we all needed for our schools!

Our final lesson was on Tibetan which was extremely hard! For a language that sounds so beautiful, they certainly have to say a lot of words for such short sentences! As our host families are Tibetan we tried to just get some of the basics, but again...I don't think I am very good!After the lesson, our teacher told us a lot about himself, his family, and the history of the Tibetans - being a political activist it was so interesting to listen to him talk about something he was so passionate about.

The rest of the day we spent sight-seeing! We went to an Indian temple which was a little tricky to get to as a big hay truck was stuck under some power lines, amazingly they got out and nothing caught fire! (Luckily missed the sacrifices!)We also went to a gorge and finally the Nepali museum.

We then went on our way to Tashi Ling, the Tibetan settlement in Pokhara where we would meet our host families!When we arrived, our families were all waiting for us, for Emma and I, our home stay mother was Tashi Dolma who has three daughters, one studying in Canada and 2 in India. We were welcomed into her home with sweet tea (which I must admit I love!). We then set up our rooms and Tashi took us for a tour of the village, it is such a tight little community and everyone seems to know each other, many of the locals welcoming us with a smile and friendly hello!

All the houses of our other antipodeans were very close, which was good as it is easy for us to arrange meetings. Emma and my house had three rooms, a kitchen, living room, which was also Tashi's room, and our room. Our shower was a room located in our front yard, for showers, Tashi warms up some water for us in a bucket and we use a smaller bucket to tip it over ourselves, it took a bit of getting used to, but it really does become one of the things you really gain to appreciate (especially when everyone else in the group has to shower with cold water!. Our toilet is a bit of a hike, it is a block that we share with our neighbours, located outside the gate of our front yard and a little walk. To use the toilet, you have to first get the key from the clothes line, making sure to remember to wear shoes and be well equiped with toilet paper. This can be quite a hike at night time! The toilet itself is a traditional Nepalese toilet, so basically a hole in the ground that you squat over. You really do appreciate a good western toilet (our preference were the toilets at moon dance, a local western restaurant just in lakeside). One bonus I must mention is that my legs defiantly do feel stronger!Our first dinner was Dahl Baht, which is rice, a liquid lentil and garlic sauce and vegetables - believe it or not, I loved it! After dinner we watched an Indian movie with English subtitles, it’s funny because every so often they just decide to talk English.

After the movie we headed to bed. Its funny that days feel so long that we were often ready for bed around 8:30. Just before bed we had a visit from Gram (the only male student teacher) and his host father Tamdig, who is luckily good friends with Tashi. The next morning we got up at 7:30 for breakfast, we had Tibetan bread, which somewhat looks like pancakes, with peanut butter and jam, they were soooo good!Then at 8:30 we said goodbye to Tashi and headed off with Tamdig and Gram to go to school!

We took a bus from the main centre (Churbutton) to Lakeside which cost 10 rupee (not even 15 cents!) and only took around 10 minutes. We then walked to the house of a man named Mr Sharma, who is like a local celebrity due to all his work for the community including helping to fund the school that we were headed to. He walked us to the school and told us all about its history. It was founded by an Indian woman who was heartbroken after her visit to Nepal. After seeing all of the orphans, she set up a small community school as a place that they could live and learn. A few years later, a 19 year old girl came from England and fell in love with the school. Unfortunately after a few years she became very sick and passed away. Knowing how much the school had meant to her, Zoes' parents donated lot of money to build the school and to set up a housing block where the orphans could live, this is known as Zoe house.

We then got to our school and met our principal Amin, who has only been the principal for 3 years. He is very well spoken and the children are just amazing. The school caters for ages 3-16. It currently has 450 students and has just recently adopted 3 new orphans into Zoe house. The school itself has 30 teachers. The class sizes are a lot smaller than I thought, ranging from 5-40 children per class. The first day was spent observing, as we sat in on a lesson with the principal on a comprehension lesson for ages 11-12. It was hard for us as the poem that they were reading from didn't make much sense, ever though it was in English! But the students are so good at English comprehension and are very, very friendly!We then went to the library and spent a session with children aged 9-10 who found it hilarious reading books with us and hearing all about where we live. It is very very easy to fall in love with all of them. The school itself has 4 levels and the classrooms are quite small, although they do have some of the work up on the walls, especially from the younger children. Again, words cannot describe it, or the children - photos don’t even seem to do it justice!

We then met with the principal to discuss what we would teach and when. As it turns out, since we were leaving halfway through our third week, we would only really have 10 days of teaching. With the school hours being from 10-3, we were assigned 11-1 for our teaching, as the first hour is always devoted to prayer and assembly, and the hours after 1 are very short and mostly devoted to exam study.

The next day was our first real day of school. Unfortunately that night Emma, my roommate, got quite sick, we think it was probably from using tap water to rinse out her mouth! Determined not to miss our first day, Emma, myself and Gram left for school (only getting a little bit lost!) to teach our first class. Because of exams, we were only teaching 2 classes a day 45minutes each. Our first class was of grade 5's with about 15 kids in the class. But since their classrooms are quite small, it always feels like more. In a way it was lucky for us to have older kids for our first lesson, as their English was surprisingly good. Being excited to use our big inflatable globe (I scored job of inflating!) we taught a lesson about ourselves, our country and our way of life. As we are there to learn about the kids, we got them to write us a letter telling us about their lives and their favourite things about Nepal. Not anticipating that they would be quite so fluent in English. Our lesson went quite quickly and at the request of the kids, we ended the class with a big group singalong of 'Tie me kangaroo down sport". It was so adorable and they all did so well! I was a little embarrassed though, not realising that the words were 'tie me kangaroo down sport', and not 'tiny kangaroo down' - which I wrote in big words on the blackboard, whoops!

Our second lesson was a bigger group - 30 students of grade 4's who we had met in the library before (there may have been a little bit of favouritism because of this!). It is amazing how efficient they all are - not like back home! They are so disciplined. There is no pack up time, or mucking around or talking (except for the older boys, trying to show off I think!). I am so excited to read all of their letters as they are so cute! After School, Emma went straight home to rest while Gram and I went with our tour leader Serang to the gorge behind our settlement for a hike. The view was simply amazing - surrounded by hills, GOATS!! Lots of babies :) and water so clear it really does look blue. There is also a big suspension bridge which joins two islands together, where a few days before we had met many of the local kids walking on their way home from school. We ventured down to the bottom of the gorge for a relax and watched the many hawks fly overhead and people doing their washing and fishing in the streams (not sure how much they would catch!).

After trekking back, it was dinner time. Unfortunately Emma was still sick, so I stayed up to watch the Tibetan news with Tashi. It was so interesting and a lot less censored than back home. The news is only available once a week to the locals in Pokhara, so it is a big deal to have access to the Tibetan news. Luckily for me, Tashi translated a lot of the stories to me. It really did make me feel so naive about the world around me, learning so much about the Chinese occupation in Tibet and limited freedoms they have in terms of schools, and even basic freedom of speech. They also showed footage of some of the monks who burned themselves in protest last month which was quite confronting. It really did make me appreciate the freedoms I have at home, but at the same time I can't help but feel somewhat helpless. Getting to know the culture and a lot of the Tibetan people, it’s so unfair to know what is happening, I feel so sorry for them too as many of them, like Tashi, have family back in Tibet who they cannot contact. Tashi was separated from her Mum and Dad at age 2, and she has only just come back into contact with them. Tashi is now 50 years old, with 3 children. It really is just unbelievable, I really do feel so lucky to be able to contract and see all my loved ones so easily, I really could not imagine how she does it!

On Thursday Emma was feeling a lot better, and considering our lessons went so well, we taught the same one as the previous day, but it went a lot smoother! As Thursday is also our end of the week, we all went out as a big group to Moon dance, a popular western cafe in lakeside. It was so good to see everyone and hear all about their schools. It seems we are very lucky to have such a caring and friendly school environment, everyone else's schools seem almost militaristic in their disciplines, in that learning was basically say and repeat. Unfortunately, our celebratory drinks didn't end well for many, as even only 2 drinks led many to vomiting (yours truly included!).

On Friday we headed over to a small island located in the middle of the lake where a small Hindi temple is, and where we would see fire most days! It was very busy and very loud! Very nice though. It's one of the places you really feel like a celebrity as you are constantly having your photo taken and being filmed!We had an early night as on the following day (Saturday) we had planned to go paragliding!!!!!!!!

Our flight was at 11:30, with 3 other girls at 9:30 (unluckily for them it was a bit foggy!). One of the most adventurous parts of the paragliding was actually the truck ride up the hill - the roads are basically rock and seatbelts don't really exist in Nepal so it was basically, DON'T LET GO! - But it was great fun!

Once we got to the top of the mountain, you could already feel the thin air. We all separated and got to meet out pilots - mine was a man named Graham who had been a pilot for 15 years in Pokhara - actually a co-inventor of the ever so famous Para-hawking, which was unfortunately booked out. After suiting up in all of our gear and strapping together our parachute, we were of. I must admit I was a little nervous about running off a cliff that high, but it was amazing! It really is the one moment I have literally felt like I was on top of the world. Everything looked so small and the view was just stunning and we were able to see all of the Pokhara valley at the snowy mountains that surrounded it. I really wish I could put it into words better, but I really cannot do it justice - it was simply breathtaking (even though being myself, I spent most of the time in the air talking dorkily saying wwwwwoooooowwwwww).Half an hour has never drifted by so quickly. Unfortunately a lot of people felt quite sick after we landed (somehow I felt fine!) so took the time to lie on the grass. We were laying with a dog named Scooby who became quite alert when a little monkey on a lead came over and then jumped on his back - unfortunately the monkey then attacked our friend Shev! Luckily she was ok, and hopefully doesn't have rabies!

I really could write for days about my experiences in Nepal. It was truly the best, and most life challenging experience of my life, and I found that it really put many things into perspective. I really do encourage people to get involved as it is far too good an opportunity to pass up – and this coming from someone who was terrified before they left - I have never been happier I went. For me, one thing that really made the experience all the more amazing was the fact that I had done some fundraising before I left and was able to buy a lot of supplies for the school and donate money. Prior to me leaving, my cousin also did fundraising for me through school which included things such as pens, pencils, rubbers, sharpeners etc. Together, Emma and I raised $3,000 dollars for our school. I did my fundraising through a trivia night held at my local hall (with the questions compiled by my sister), as well as auctions and prizes given throughout the night from things people had donated. Emma did her fundraising through a BBQ with family and friends. We were both so overwhelmed by how much people are willing to give to a worthy cause.

The money that we raised is going to go into an emergency school fund where it will be used to help send both orphans and poorer students to school, provide school supplies and uniforms to students in need, and a safety net for any student that may need it. For example, a few days before I left, there was a 6 year old girl, who was sexually abused. The money that we have raised is going to help relocate her, and send her to Good Will Activity School (the school I was volunteering at) and also provide a spot for her in Zoe House (the orphanage created by the school) where she will be cared for. The most powerful thing that we were told by the school council was that through this money we had saved and given life and opportunity to children who would otherwise never have had the chance. The school council were grateful beyond words and we could not be happier to know that it is going to such an amazing cause.The people, the sights, the children and landscape could have kept me there for years - I’m already planning when I’m going back! Thank you to Antipodeans for giving me the opportunity.

Emily TapperRMIT Bundoora - Third Year Bachelor of Education

Barker College update from the heart of Tanzania

2011-12-20T14:40:00.001+11:00

Having a blast! We arrived back to Arusha from the Trek yesterday. Everybody reached the summit, 4560m above sea level after 3 days & 1 night of solid walking (over 30 hours of walking).

On the Wednesday morning we got picked up by Maasai Wanderings (the group organising the trek) and all squished in to a 12-seater bus. The drive there was amazing and we got our first glimpse of African wildlife seeing Zebras, Giraffes, Buffalo and 'Pumbas' (warthogs). We started the trek after a deliciously fried lunch and began our initial 6 hour climb to Miriakamba hut at 2500m above sea level. To keep ourselves entertained while we walked we sang, learnt African songs from our guides Ozzy & Buster and told stories whilst enjoying the scenery. After climbing 1000m we reached the hut being greeted with a platter of warm popcorn and hot chocolate whilst playing a competitive game of UNO. We had a delicious dinner of soup, potatoes and vegetable stew with the Tanzanian staple of stale, sugary bread. We slept in a comfortable wooden hut with bunk beds. Everybody slept like a baby after a hard day of walking.

We woke up early on Thursday to warm peanut butter, sloppy porridge and some more stale bread. The hike began with lots of steep stairs that seemed to go on forever. This tested our endurance. During the walk we noticed we were higher than the clouds and saw the beautiful view of the tip of Kilimanjaro. We arrived at Saddle Hut after another 7 hours of walking, reaching 3500m. After a short break of popcorn & UNO we tackled Little Meru peak at 3800m, to help us acclimatize for the next day. At the peak we saw a breathtaking view of the Meru summit which we would reach the next day. We were also treated to an African rhyme & dance from our guide Buster. We descended to Saddle Hut taking our total walking time up to 15 hours. We had an early dinner and rushed to bed to get as much sleep as we could.

After 3 hours sleep we woke up at 11pm, 2 hours more than Jen (Redknap) who left early to allow for her her ankle & knee injuries. We followed our head torch lights up the mountain for hours. Unfortunately, not everyone was feeling 100% so we had constant breaks throughout to ensure everyone made it to the top. The walk consisted of rock-climbing, sheer cliff faces, and steep, slippery volcanic ash mounds. Many people questioned why we were doing this at 2am in the morning. We got our hopes up everytime we saw one of the billion false summits, that we were all hoping would be the top. At 6:30am as the sun slowly began to rise we got our first glimpse of the real Mt Meru summit. This was accompanied by a spectacular view of Mt Kilimanjaro with the sunset which made for a good pic.

Eventually we gathered below the summit where everyone was feeling tired & sore. We all touched the flag together and took a well deserved rest at the top. The summit was freezing but nobody cared and everyone was scrambling for a good picture. We also enjoyed probably the highest game of UNO being played in Africa. The descent from the summit began at 8:15 am when most people would still be in their beds. The descent tested our knees & quads & calf muscles & ankles & backs & will power. Even after arriving at Saddle Hut we had to continue our walk down to Miriakamba to stay the night.

We began our final descent at 8: 20am and walked for about 4 hours to reach the base of the mountain, where we were greeted by buffalo with certificates and flags and had a group photo and a nice coke. We then had a little ceremony where we thanked all the porters (24), cooks, guides, leaders etc. and gave them all tips to show our immense gratitude for their hard work & support in getting us up the mountain. They performed an African song and we sung the song Buster had taught us in reply. We then crammed back into a bus and returned to Arusha, for a well-deserved and highly demanded rest where the smell quickly dispersed into the shower. After a really good group debrief we went out for an early Indian dinner at Big Bite - a group favourite. On the way we saw two lots of wedding cars being accompanied by a loud African band on the back of a ute. The Indian well & truly cleared our system and everyone enjoyed a really good sleep.

Jess & Max cutely versed each other in an alphabet memory game to entertain themselves. In true style, they tied. Elise became besties with Buster discussing the widest range of topics including politics, tax systems, schooling subjects etc. Will & Rach led the group in a range of African and Barker and Australian chants & songs to lift the spirits and spread a bit of Red Fever in Africa. Alec took spectacular sunrise photos of Kili. Zoe showed her true determination and fighting spirit to summit the mountain. Tracey showed her huge mental strength to reach the summit (which made up for her physical strength). Mel acted like as a caring mother as we strode to the summit, ensuring we were constantly drinking and happy. Sara took out the award for falling over the most, much to the amusement of the rest of the group.

Steph had extreme blisters but pushed through without complaint. Bri maintained her bubbly self and was dubbed female Bear Grylls due to her spider-man like climbing abilities. Courtney proved her athletic ability in racing down the mountain. Sally wasn't so keen to make friends with the giant ravens at Saddle Hut. Stu won UNO at the summit and was crowned UNO alititude king. Sally Collins is an excellent leader and pushed us up the mountain. Papa (Rob Schulz) inspired us and provided light-hearted humour depsite suffering knee issues on the way down. Jen was a true inspiration to everyone with her determination.

Today we are having a relaxing day in Arusha, planning on returning to the markets and having a nice lunch. Tomorrow morning we are saying goodbye to Arusha and being picked up by our Safari leader Godwin for 4 days of exploring African wildlife which everyone is really really really excited for.

Next update will come in Moshi, following the Safari. Hope all is well in Sydney. Until next time,

Love from everybody. Jess B, Zoe D, Alec N, Sara R & Stu C.

First Aid Volunteers from St John's Ambulance reflect on their time in Cambodia

2011-12-16T12:12:00.001+11:00

From January 8th-29th 2011 a team of 7 St John Volunteer First Aiders attended a joint project with Antipodeans Abroad based in Siem Reap, Cambodia.During our time we ran different health workshops which included; oral hygiene, hand washing, basic hygiene, nutrition, manual handling, kitchen safety and a series of first aid sessions in burns, fractures, snake bites, wound care and bleeds.

We visited several additional schools in and around Siem Reap during our time. During this time we taught over 1 000 staff, students and community members. In the course of three weeks we distributed over 350 toothbrushes and toothpastes, books, beginners English books, whiteboards, poster, charts, flyers, sports equipment and several water filtration systems for the water pumps.

Thanks to the Australian Youth Council for their hard work and organisation of this project. Everyone on the trip thoroughly enjoyed the experience and skills in which we gained. The trip was truly a worthwhile trip and I would recommend it to any-one and everyone. From Aaron del Pino.

Update from Brisbane Girls Grammar School in Borneo

2011-12-16T10:09:00.002+11:00

Hi all, Its been a while since our last update and we have had a very busy week and a half with the project and the climb. We set off for the project not knowing what to expect however were very pleased at the end of the five days, The work was gruelling - lugging wood and concrete bags of up to 25kg's up a massive hill, sawing, hammering, shovelling, you name it. At the time we were all very tired and the heat didnt help but the experience was so rewarding as we could physcially see our progress as the walls of the pre-school appeared and the area of concrete floor expanded.

The people at the project were warm, welcoming and lovely. They made every effort to make sure we were comfortable and the food was divine. On the first and last day the villagers threw ceremonys for us, the first of which was a welcoming and "stay safe" ceremony and the latter a goodbye ceremony. On the last night all of us dressed up in traditional clothing and learnt the Iban dances and then followed to teach the children some "traditional" western dance including the macarina, twist, chicken dance and krumping. This was a particularly special night as we later learnt that the adult villagers, who got up to dance with us as the night progressed, are typically very modest and would normally never get up and get their groove on.

On the last day the chiefs son and Gary - the spiritual leader - said a farewell speech and we gave the villagers small presents which they were delighted to recieve. Upon leaving the chief's son and Gary hugged us which is also something they have never done before and the women of the tribe wept whilst the children held our hands down to the longboat and waved us off. It was amazing to experience this minimalist lifestyle and heartwarming to see the impact we made on the tribe. We hope they will be hugging all day long and dancing to western beats for as long as they live.

From here we went to embark on the dreaded ascent up Mt Kinabalu. We began the day at 6.30 with a buffet breakfast to ensure we hd enough energy for the day. We only climbed the first 6 kilometers to Laban Rata - a halfway resthouse. It took the group between 6 and 8 torturous hourse to make it here and at around 3.00 it began to rain cats and dogs and girls found themselves clambering up rocky hills which turned into waterfalls in desperation to get to shelter or Laban Rata. All girls and teachers made it to Laban Rata which was a fantastic and admirable effort however not everyone summited due to illness and injury. The next morning was a very early start indeed at 2.00 for the girls to begin the summit. The girls found this particularly challenging however made it up to the summit in around 4 hours, just in time for sunrise.

Two days later and many of us cannot sit down without groaning and walking down stairs is a particulary funny site - 19 robust individuals grappling for the railing to or slowly lowering themselves down one set at a time moeaning the whole way. Today we have been exploring Sepilok and will be travelling Sandakan tomorrow to see the War Memorial and other sites before beginning our trip home.

Hope everyone is well and we are counting down the days till we can see you all again. If we don't speak again then we will see you on monday night at the airport.Miss and Love you all,

Team Kebersamaan Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Finding our Oasis - UniBreak in Ghana Week 3

2011-12-15T12:28:00.001+11:00

After a challenging week at our respective placements, there was nothing better than the prospect of a beach-side oasis all weekend long.

Many of us travelled to Cape Coast on Thursday evening to wine and dine by candlelight listening to the waves crash upon the shore from a tropical hut. Romantic as it sounds, the candlelight was solely because Oasis hotel had lost power which meant even the kitchen staff had to work by candlelight. Not that it mattered, we had escaped the hustle and bustle of our towns and had arrived at a place that seemed a little closer to home.

In full swing, we set off for some monkey business the next morning. Run by a Dutch couple, the Monkey Sanctuary felt like we were on tour with George of the jungle (or is this case it was Dennis). We saw monkeys, crocodiles, turtles, snakes, frogs, antelope, a relative of the elephant that looked remarkably like a badger and a number of cat family creatures, all of whom 'spoke Dutch'. The couple adopts, raises, protects and releases a number of animals and hope to have a bar and accommodation ready in full swing in a few years.

If eating breakfast whilst being surrounded by a number of hungry crocodiles sounds like your every day routine, you must be a regular at Hans Cottage. Reuniting with all the Unibreak antips, we enjoyed a meal together before the 13 Australians and two adopted Australians (one New Zealander and one German) returned to Cape Coast for a quick shop before heading to Green Turtle Lodge.

I'm not going to pretend I know much about cars but one thing I do know a little about is suspension, or in Ghana's case, the tro tro's complete lack of suspension caused by the continual assault of the poor roads in Ghana. The road to Green Turtle Lodge was the worst yet. After a drive reminiscent of a washing machine cycle (sweat and all), Green Turtle Lodge's white sand, palm trees, bar and western style meals went down a treat. At last, we had absolutely no plans for the next day.

Countless swims in the ocean, walks along the beach, reading books in the hammocks, playing a good game of pool and enjoying some good company was all that filled the weekend. Run by an English chap, Green Turtle Lodge brings that little feeling of home back while taking advantage of the beautiful white sandy beach front in Ghana.

We reluctantly left on Sunday morning, walking along the beach to the fishing village where we could catch a tro tro to Takoradi and then home to Swedru (and the surrounds). Even FuFu (the owner's dog) was sad we were leaving, accompanying us all the way to the tro tro door. Compared to our Volta transport weekend, the weekend could only be deemed a wild success.

Today we're taking the plunge for our last weekend together and travelling the long road to the North. We're planning to visit Mole National Park and go on safari! Wish us luck, I can hear the Lion King soundtrack starting already...

Are you interested volunteering in Ghana? Antipodeans Abroad offer programs in Ghana for both gap year and university aged students. To find out more go to www.antipodeans.com.au.

UniBreak volunteers kick start health work in Nepal

2011-12-09T09:53:00.001+11:00

Nepal; a vibrant, eclectic mix of religions and cultures, set amongst topography so diverse and so incredible.

If you were looking for a definition of Nepal the one above might go someway in do doing it. Yet, after our first week together as part of the Nepal November Antipododeans group, it is obvious to all of us that no one definition describes Nepal. It's personality and beauty are simply impossible to describe. My name is John Polson and I am a Physiotherapy Student from Bond University on the Gold Coast. Along with 18 other fine young people, I have come to Nepal to chase a different experience, a different outlook on life. An experience I will look back on in retired life and say to the grandkids, "I did that". My intention in these coming blogs is to not just provide a journal of some of our experiences. I want to go a little deeper, I want to give you a taste of Nepal that not only highlights what makes it so special, but also the situations and circumstances that see it crying out for need of international aid and the assistance of people such as ourselves.

Many of our journeys started at different times. Some, like myself, were fortunate to have the time to come to Nepal a little earlier and complete a trek or do some sightseeing. For others, November brings with it end-of-year exams, assignment deadlines, graduations, or even the stresses of misreading a departure time that was actually in a few hours and not the next day. I'll try not to name names! This all made arrival in Kathmandu on the 26th somewhat eventful. Everyone made it safely, and the majority met at the Eco Thamel Resort to meet with all the other nervous faces, sharing travel stories, and finally getting out and experiencing a bit of Nepal. Without going into too much detail about Kathmandu, the place is crazy. And then Thamel, where the Antipodeans hotel is located, is basically the heart of all this craziness. It's the shopping, clubbing, business, and religious centre of Kathmandu. The old adage of seeing it is believing may not be quiet fitting. Ther were times in Thamel when I was not quiet believing what I was seeing.

The group left Kathmandu the following day (with a sigh), heading off on a seven hour bus ride to Pokhara. This bus ride is regarded as one of the most scenic in Nepal, yet one of the most dangerous as well. The majority of the trip winds itself along cliff sides. However this is not the most dangerous part. You quickly discover that Nepal does not discriminate sides of the road and over taking is based more on how much you use your horn rather than if there is any oncoming traffic. Thankfully, the group made it to Pokhara and to lakeside, a beautiful part of the town situated next to a large lake with the Himalayas forming a very surreal backdrop. For the rest of the day we got to know each other over a few local Guerka beers, Majitos, Long Island Ice Teas, and the odd Shisha.

Following our first day in Pokhara, the majority of us were introduced to our Tibetan host families at the Tashi Ling Tibetan settlement. Unfortunately for myself and Crystal, we had to delay our introduction due to a rather inconvenient and embarrassing case of food poisoning. Without getting into too much detail, I was unaware of how much of a pleasure having food poisoning is, and the amount of time you are forced to lie in bed, predominately in the fetal position. Anyway, that's a story for another day. I think we would all agree that our initial experiences with our host families have been fabulous, and have given us a very unique opportunity to learn more about the plight of the Tibetan people and the circumstances surrounding their fleeing of their own country from Chinese rule. It's also a very refreshing feeling going "home" to a family rather than a hotel room in the tourist strip that is Lakeside.

So skipping to the end of the first week. Everyone is settling in, finding their way in each of their placements. Just to give a brief idea of who we are and what we are doing over here; we are a group of university students doing Medical, Dental, Optometry, Speech Therapy, Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, and Nursing placements, all located throughout greater Pokhara. Placements are mainly observational of nature, however these experiences have already included opportunities such as attending surgeries, participating in remote camps, visiting special education schools, and conducting home visits. We are therefore provided a unique exposure to not just the Nepalese Health system, but also a greater insight into the people, their culture, and their traditions.

I know I speak for all of us to say how excited we are about the next few weeks. Yes, it's full-on and an immense social, cultural, and gastrointestinal shock. However, that is exactly what we are here for; to see a developing country in its rawest form without the glorification. Stay tuned.

John

If you are interested in seeing some more photos that Crystal has taken from our trip, I have put them all on my blog at www.johnpolson.com.au/blog

UniBreak Thailand volunteers work on refugee safe house

2011-12-08T11:41:00.001+11:00

It has now been almost a week since I started my placement as a development volunteer in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand. So much has happened that it’s hard to describe the whirlwind of experiences I’m having right now, but I’ll give it a go. I am with two other development volunteers, Anita and Bree, and we are helping a local contractor to build a path and several drains at the Safe House rehabilitation home in Huay Malai, which is a small town 20 mins from the town of Sangkhlaburi and very close to the border with Burma (Myanmar).
The residents at the Safe House are Burmese refugees with a variety of mental health, emotional and physical problems. They are also members of ethnic minorities such as the Karen and Mon, which are persecuted by the Burmese military.

So far, the work has mostly involved hard labour like mixing concrete and digging out drains. I won’t lie: it’s been pretty hard, especially for someone like me who is only 156cm tall and 50 kilos! In Australia, I’m a law student, which is a lot of mental work, but at least you can sit at a desk with a coffee while you do it! But for all the sore muscles and complaining I’ve been doing, it’s been so rewarding to see the improvements slowly take shape. We are building a path to make it easier for patients with physical disabilities, and for staff to respond to emergencies more quickly. When I first started, I couldn’t have imagined how rewarding it would be to see people use a path that we helped to lay. Today, a patient with a deformed foot walked from his bed in the male quarters down to the main house. A trip that used to be quite dangerous and set over broken ground now takes him half the time and is a lot safer. I’m really proud that I could help make that happen.

We are in Sangkhlaburi with six ‘medical’ volunteers, who are also at the Safe House with us. While their daily schedule is different to ours, on weekends we are planning to travel together. So far we have an elephant trek and the King’s Birthday celebrations planned for tomorrow. The Elephant Trek is pretty self-explanatory, but the King’s Birthday is one of the most important holidays in Thailand, where the King is revered by almost everyone. At the moment, royal yellow and Thai national flags are everywhere on the streets, and the King and Queen’s portraits are set up outside nearly every government building and at major intersections. It will be interesting to see what celebrations they have planned for an ethnically diverse town such as Sangkhla.

Other than that, the only thing I will mention is the food, and how delicious it is! I definitely loved my Thai food in Australia, so it’s been a special treat getting to eat it for every meal, but there are also pretty good Western meals here because Sangkhlaburi is a major destination for volunteers from developed countries. I’m happy eating my way through everything Thai that’s on offer, but some of the other volunteers are pretty well-obsessed with the vegetarian bakery, which does awesome breakfast bagels. We definitely need to keep our energy up to get the path finished!

Until next time,Lauren

Argentina GapBreak wrap up

2011-12-08T11:25:00.001+11:00

As we pack our bags and get ready for our journey home we can only think of how much we are going to miss Argentina.

For the last 3 months we have had some outstanding times. We have all had many amazing experiences such as working with the underprivileged youth in the villas, travelling through the breathtaking landmarks Argentina has to offer and hitting the town in some of Buenos Aires coolest bars and clubs. It has been a long time since we have seen the faces of our loved ones. To hear their voices again, to feel the arms around us and to be there for the special days will be such a reward to have again.Thinking where we will be this time next week or even this time next month is scary. For some of us we will never see each other again, only the tagged photo’s that pop up on our Facebook news feed with the familiar faces from Argentina will be left.For the few of us who have been fortunate enough to have a homestay family it will be hard to say goodbye. It’s going to be just as hard as it was when we said goodbye to our parents and family back home. The families we have been blessed with here have only been welcoming, loving and have left quite an impact on our lives. They have been there when we’ve had a harsh day at volunteering, when we’ve need someone to talk to, and when we’ve just needed someone to be that parent figure. They have done an exceptional job at opening their homes and hearts to us and they will not be forgotten.As we were jetlagged during our first two weeks again we will most likely be jetlagged when we arrive back home. It’s time we prepare our bodies for the shock they are about to receive and squeeze everything back into our suitcases... for some this will be a very difficult task as we have all accumulated so much since being in Argentina. All the best to those who are heading straight back home and to those who are either hanging around for a few weeks or continuing their travels around South America.

GapBreak France 2011 come to an end

2011-12-08T11:14:00.001+11:00

At the moment I am waiting to board the plane at the Charles de Gaulle airport which will take me to Kuala Lumpur where I have a 12 hour wait until I finally fly from Kuala Lumpur to Adelaide. Oh well, plenty of time to reflect on the fantastic overseas adventures that the five of us shared. It goes without saying, I am extremely sad to leave my French family and the beautiful Brittany that has been home for the past 3 months.

Today I felt a great amount of sadness saying my final goodbyes to my lovely Bretagne host family. It is safe to say on behalf of Rebecca, Samuel, Anna and Andrew that we had an absolutely incredible three months in France. We will miss the people, the architecture, French food and yep the entire experience! The experiences we shared with our host families and our new friends will be remembered for many years.It is remarkable to think that just three months ago, we were all extremely nervous about being sent to an unknown family in a foreign country with a completely different language. Looking back now we had the time of our lives. It was not always easy. Some of the foods took a little bit of getting used to, the language barrier could be frustrating and let’s be honest not knowing our way around at the beginning was a little nerve-racking. We wouldn’t change those things for anything! We overcome all barriers and grew more open to trying new things and being independent.

Watching the children that we were tutoring progress with English was extremely rewarding. At first most of them were too shy to talk to us but as the days and weeks progressed, some of them could even have a flowing conversation in English! It was so cool to watch! I was lucky to enough to have two host families and I was able to keep going back to visit my first family, it was so nice that my little host sister remembered all of what I taught her such as the names and spelling of Australian animals. With both families, tutoring was fun! Activities included cooking and eating in English, arts and crafts such as Aboriginal dot painting, board and video games and if the kids were older having a conversation and helping with homework.

The Antipodeans placement has come to an end but the Gapper’s overseas adventures are not over! Andrew is spending another weekend in the city of lights visiting night clubs and eating quality French food. He is also heading to Rome and London to visit friends and family! Rebecca and Samuel are exploring London and a little bit of Eastern Europe and then returning home just before Christmas! Anna’s European adventures are not even close to finishing, the lucky thing! She is meeting her mum this weekend in Paris and will be spending the week soaking up some France and London culture. Anna will enjoy the rich European lifestyle until the end of March 2012! Her itinerary includes England, Belgium, Sweden, Germany and Amsterdam.

So yes, having a GapBreak in France was such a great idea, I know I can speak for the entire group when saying this too.

The final weeks in Ghana for Anna and the Gapbreak volunteers

2011-12-07T13:57:00.001+11:00

We’ve come so far! Since I last wrote and also since the beginning. We’ve all been thinking about the beginning a lot lately because right now we’re all at Felcare Hostel, the place where we spent our first few days in Ghana. It was three months ago that we walked down these same dusty streets, bought our SIM cards and spent some valuable time chilling in the lady’s house that developed passport photos. We’ve come a long way in these past three months! Our two weeks travel was absolutely amazing. We were very fortunate, everything ran quite smoothly and went off without a hitch. Our exciting journey started at the ridiculous hour of 3am when we woke up, packed those last minute things (like the toothbrush and the pyjamas), said goodbye to our host families and boarded the first bus to Kumasi.

It was actually quite cold, there was a smashed window a few seats in front of us so Harriet had to whip out her sunnies (in the dark) to save her eyeballs from the wind! I thought she looked pretty cool. This is where we started our donut trend… and ended our ‘let’s-get-skinny-on-travel’ trend. Hot donuts make for an amazing early bus breakfast. We arrived into Kumasi at about 10am, which felt strange because we had to travel for about 5 or 6 hours. We were too exhausted to do anything much but the rest of the day was spent planning, walking and taking advantage of the cheap and yummy street food (strefoo). Our days in Kumasi were fairly touristy!

We checked out the Museum (mainly a room of the various Ashanti Kings’ possessions) and also the cultural centre, where we saw some traditional kente cloth being woven, and also a disabled man who produced amazing artwork by painting with the brush in his mouth. We also visited the Komfo Anokye Sword Site, a sword that was planted in a stone some 300 years ago, and cannot be removed (otherwise the Ashanti kingdom will collapse). This was less spectacular than it sounds, more a small sword handle in a hole in the ground surrounded by strange bottles, but cool all the same!

Then it was time to up and go again – this time off to Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo region. The ride was about 3 hours, and we had to awkwardly stop the bus on the side of the road because it had driven straight through the town. It was even more difficult to find our accommodation… after clearly stating the “Prince of Peace Guest House” our taxi took us down a random dirt road and dropped us off at a sign that said ‘GUEST HOUSE’. This lead us to another leg of the journey in a private trotro, that took us to the ‘Prince of Peace Maternity Ward’.

Luckily the other taxi had arrived safely at the correct hostel, so we could give directions to the driver (which turned out to be walking distance from our original position anyway). Good times! We had a beautiful waterfall experience at the Kintampo Falls, and even got to go swimming in the 3rd falls. It was such a cool experience… wearing bikinis and closed in shoes with a waterfall hammering down on my back… I could hardly keep my eyes open. Probs the coolest shower I’ve had in Ghana.

The next leg of the journey saw us on a nice cramped and sweaty trotro ride to Tamale! We were so lucky to have Moses to look after us : ) When we arrived in the bus station, he was there to pick us up and take us to our accommodation. Or should I say donkcommodation! (There was an awesome donkey there!) As soon as we came in he ambled over and nuzzled for our attention. Wheeee. This was the night that Kristen and I were supposed to spend bonding, but instead spent picking bugs out of our hair and clothes and skin. It was a mistake to take off the sheet and find an infestation of ants, crawling up the sides of the beds and having a party in our sheets. This was when we knew it was time to shimmy in on other people’s rooms and do some pencil sleeping. (Pencil Sleeping: when you are cramped in a bed, i.e. three in a double, and the only sleeping position available is the classic pencil).

But all of this was okay, because after an awesome breakfast of pancakes and super tasty jam (Kristen will confirm) Moses gave us the news that he had found 6 other backpackers heading our way (to Mole National Park) so it was actually cheaper to hire a private air-conditioned bus to take us directly to the park! Yabadabadooo! ;) This was such a relief after the horror stories of 16 hour waits we’ve heard about trips to Mole.

For me, Mole National Park was the highlight of the two weeks travel. There was just so much wildlife! Even in the living quarters, warthogs were shuffling just outside on the grass. There were monkeys by the pool to steal your biscuits, strange scorpions in the pool (I’ve never seen Gina move so fast), deer poking their heads out of the trees and countless stick insects and spiders to keep you company. Mole was hot – so the pool was a blessing. On the first night we all sat around it and watched the sun set over the savannah. It was gorgeous, and unlike any other sunset I’ve ever seen!

The sun was huge, and looked kind of fake.. like a huge orange ping pong ball suspended in the sky, lighting up the lakes with flocks of birds flying around.

It looked like something out of the Lion King.

As far as activities go – we got to do this cool as driving safari along some dirt roads through the park. This was especially cool because we all got to sit on the roof, and spy the various baboons and antelope (Cob) and pray for an elephant. When our guide got the news that one was in the trees, we set off at such a pace that we nearly fell off the roof. But it was all worth it to see these 3 beautiful creatures walking through the trees not 50m away. This was nothing compared to the waking safari, when we got even closer because “the elephants are in a good mood”. We circled around and got so close that we could see the wrinkles around their eyes. Mole had a very relaxed atmosphere, so when we weren’t out with the animals we just got to chill by the pool, sleep, read and play scattergories.

We left Mole on the 4am bus back to Tamale. The bus was cramped, and smelly, (buckets of mud?) but luckily we found a donut lady to carry over our tradition and tide us over until arrival at about 8.30am. Even though we got on the bus to Bolgatanga fairly promptly, we didn’t set off on our journey until about 11am. Bolgatanga was the place that we stayed so we could do a day trip to Paga – the crocodile sanctuary right on the border of Burkina Faso. The crocodiles were huge, and didn’t seem too happy to be coaxed out of the swamp. We payed our money to lift up his tail, and then skedaddled out of there before he could munch on any of our ankles. It was very incredible though, to be so close to such a powerful creature. There wasn’t a huge amount of stuff to do in Bolgatanga so that meant there were a lot of rounds of scattergories to be enjoyed under the trees and in our stuffy hotel room.

From here we started our journey back down to the South of Ghana. Baaaaack to Kumasi! I think we were all very happy to be back in that sunny town. It felt nice to arrive (after 6 hours especially) in somewhere familiar, and a place that we had already explored at the start of our travel. We had two days there, so on our second day we decided to visit Lake Bolgatanga, the largest natural lake in Ghana, (formed by a meteorite – just a fun fact). The lake was beautiful, and we spent the time sitting on logs and taking photos on the jetty! Pick your pose – titanic, praise to the gods (a Maddie invention) or the classic tree pose. This was when I discovered the funky settings on my camera (yes, a week from the end) so when our batteries died we thought it time to head back. This all happened on a Sunday, so it was impossible to find something to eat because everyone goes to church. That night we went to the petrol station and bought cold soup, bread and chocolate bars, which actually turned out to be rather amazing.

We decided to end our journey with a trip to our treasured Big Milly’s Backyard, so it was only fitting to continue the tradition of getting the 4.30am bus from Kumasi to Accra. This didn’t really work out as planned, as although we boarded at the correct time, I woke up about 2 hours later to find that we hadn’t actually left the station yet, and the bus was going to leave at 7.30am instead. We ended up spending about 10 hours on that bus… I think we were all grateful that we hadn’t slept the night before so we good just pass the time with our heads on our backpacks, snoozing the potholes away. We arrived at Big Milly’s at about 3.30pm, nearly a 12 hour travel day. As you can imagine, it was pretty much pizza and bed. But not just any pizza… I will remember this pizza until the day I die. It was thin and crispy and juicy… and followed by half a slice of chocolate cake. Perfection.

Our final days were spent in the sun (Bardie’s red skin can vouch for that) swimming, eating and reflecting on our months in Ghana. Lauren, Hari and I had this huge sentimental chat about growth, challenges and culture shock… it made me realise how far we’ve come since we arrived, and even though it may be difficult to tell, how much we all would have grown.

I think everyone will agree with me when I say that this experience has been the best thing that had ever happened to me. Living in a different culture is just such an eye-opening experience, and we’re so lucky to have that sort of opportunity. As it’s all ending I suppose there’s nothing left to do but say goodbye, board planes and greet our families with a million memories, photographs, presents, and journals full of 3 months of emotion. Ghana is such a beautiful country and we’ll be so sad to leave!

As for Maddie, Kristen and Harriet – they shall see you all soon, and the rest of us will be with you in the New Year. Not long now!

We send our love, our smiles and our gratitude. See you in Australia!

Are you interested in working as a GapBreak volunteer in Ghana? Find out more about the Ghana GapBreak program here.

Snow falls on China Gappers

2011-12-07T11:18:00.001+11:00

SNOW! At long, freezing last. The first snowfall of the season came last Friday, and brought with it chaos. The graduating classes of the middle school ganged up on the third story walkway and pelted the unsuspecting younger classes (my classes) from above. There were kids diving and sliding everywhere, but the third floor was too high to retaliate. The steps became treacherous and many fell victim to their icy edges, and the ramps alongside were transformed into ski slopes. Inside the classrooms, there was little attention to be payed to anything other then the falling snow, and a student even put a lump of the stuff on my desk and told me it was a present. How thoughtful.

Hayley had the good fortune of finishing early on that day, and so she caught an earlier bus with her students. Due to the horrible conditions it took her a good two hours, instead of the usual one, to return to our home. I had the misfortune of having the last three classes of the day, and so, finishing at 4:05, I waited inside until the bus would arrive before braving the elements (this being the 4th or 5th hour of the snowfall). When I arrived at the location, amidst the glistening snow, I joined a group of other teachers who were also waiting.

My black coat went completely white with snowflakes, my teeth had begun to chatter, and I was starting to doubt whether this bus would come or not, when a group of the teachers began walking down the road towards the gate. Figuring they had better intel than I did (having none) I followed, but alas, five minutes later we all turned back again. I decided that, since I had not yet seen the American teacher, I would go to his office and see if he was still there. If he was not, I was in trouble.

He was, and the first thing he said was “Didn’t anyone tell you? The bus is going to be late.” No, no-one did tell me, so I stood in the snow for half an hour. Eventually the bus did come but, due to an accident somewhere, we did not arrive home until seven o’clock. On the way I was finding it hard to tell between piles of snow ploughed onto the side of the road, and most of the cars. Many had at least three inches of snow clinging to every surface but the front windscreen, giving them the appearance of a lump of snow on wheels. This was indeed an experience.

In light of the snow, Hayley and I returned to the famous Wuai market, to find that we had actually never been there before. The first time, when we asked the cab driver to take us there, we had found ourselves in a large, cramped, grimy and foul smelling store that we could not bare because of the heat. It was still summer back then, and we had not seen any need to return to that place, but had we known just how great the REAL Wuai was, we would probably have been there every day. Hayley bought some blindfolds for the class she is teaching on sight, and some amazingly warm snow boots.

I was caught with a beanie in my hand when the lights went out the shop-keeper said “guan men” (which means the shops are closing). Feeling the need for something warmer on my head, I bought it in a heartbeat and we were out the door. Needless to say, with the biggest indoor market in China closing, a very large mob exited and blocked the street. Taxi’s immediately became scarce and the busses were, as one of my students put it, like a can of fish. Faces squashed against the windows. We stood on the street for quite a while before a taxi was actually willing to stop for us.

It snowed again on Tuesday, and a few classes were cancelled while the kids put muscle to snow and shifted a hell of a lot of it. Even at “the best school in Liaoning”, the students study comes second to the life lessons of manual labour. When all the snow is moved, they still have to chip away the ice and move that too. It’s a miracle we don’t lose them by the hundreds. This week the temperature dropped below the -20 mark, and the snow is above the ankles. For those of you who complain about Australia’s winter, you have seen nothing. I don’t believe I will ever truly feel cold in Australia again.

At least it’s not raining. Touch wood.

Are you interested in teaching English in China? What about volunteering with Antipodeans Abroad in over 18 other destinations such as Argentina, Borneo, Tanzania or Brazil? Find out more at www.antipodeans.com.au

Magical Cuzco and the llama - Roseville College

2011-12-07T10:52:00.001+11:00

Dear Loved Ones,On Saturday (Peru time) we had a long day of travel. We'd arranged to get bus transportation from our hotel in Puno to Cuzco. We'd also made a reservation at a beautiful looking hostel, which was right within our budget. All was perfect.

We set off on the 7 hour bus ride with much enthusiasm, and pumped music from the portable speakers we'd brought along just for occasions like this. We sounded fabulous, but are glad there aren't any videos to prove otherwise.

At first the scenery was rather boring. Everything was dry, brown and repetitive. But then, as we started to climb higher in the Andes (just had to throw that in there - did you know we're in Peru????!!!! So exciting!) things became greener, the corners on the road became tighter, and sitting in the same seat for an extended period became a little more bearable.

We stopped for a toilet break at a pretty spectacular lookout. It probably seems like we go on and on about toilets, but it's pretty exciting when one appears in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, it was here that we had a chance to get a photo with a real llama! (See attached - hope you like 'em). It was extremely smelly, nowhere near as cute as they look in The Emperor's New Groove, but everyone back home will be hearing about just how cute and cuddly they were - please don't spoil it with reality.

You'll notice from the picture too that we were at an elevation of 4,335m. For those of you who don't know what that means, it means that basically there was no oxygen in the air and we're superheroes for surviving it! However, we did manage to shop, get excited about the llamas, run around taking photos of the magnificent vistas and all that before we realised, so perhaps we'll be ok for the trek after all. Still, it was the highest we've been so far, and there were a few headaches afterwards. Needless to say, the party bus pumped the tunes a litre lower after this, and some even settled in for a nap.

Lunch ended up being in a buffet restaurant, with full glass walls so you can see the rise of the mountains above. It was such a chillaxing (combination of relaxing and chilling out) moment to be able to guzzle gourmet dishes whilst taking in the view. We've been pretty lucky with our food finds on this trip, but we're not sure it can continue being this good.

Among the things we got to try were this scrumptious chicken curry that seems to be all over the place in Peru, steamed veggies (these taste so good after such a carb high diet!), really yummy rice with some sort of yellow stuff on it (sorry, can't give you much more than that), a zillion other chicken varieties, beef salt ado (sort of like a stir fry but way way better), and that's before talking about the soups, noodles, creme caramels, purple corn jelly (yes, that's the truth!) and a really delicious rice pudding. The highlight was perhaps the real live bananas that we could peel ourselves so they were safe to eat. Fruit is the one thing we're missing a bit on this trip. Please have fruit bowls stocked for when we get home. (Thanks).

Anyway, we had to get back on the bus and the last few hours seemed to drag on forever. Trivial pursuit challenges were had, singing continued a little, but sleeping seemed to be the most popular activity.

Driving into Cuzco was such a disappointment. We'd read so much about it and were so excited about the cobblestone streets, so when we could only see dirty, dilapidated buildings on scruffy, ordinary streets, we thought we'd got it all wrong. However, once we got to the main square, the Plaza de Armas, all our dreams came true.

Cuzco is magnificent! There are stunning churches and cathedrals everywhere. The streets really are lined with cobblestones. At one point, we thought our bus wasn't even going to make it up one of the steep inclines, but he got there in the end by zig-zagging across the road. Everything was perfect, until our bus driver asked us where our hotel was.

This is a good lesson we've learned, and we'll never repeat it. We all assumed the bus driver knew where the hotel was. We thought he was with the lady who had organised it for us. Turns out they were different companies, even though we'd dealt with them together (how does that work??!!) so there was no way of finding out where our super cheap, super cute, super convenient, home for 20 people was. We had thought we were so organised that we hadn't even brought the brochure with us. It's ok though, we're tough and independent and know how to put a roof over our heads, so we did just that.

Some of us minded the bags in the main square, watching all the people hanging out on a Saturday afternoon. While this was happening, the leaders for the day went off to find accommodation. Luck had us find a gorgeous Hospedaje (hostel style accommodation), perfectly located, with availability. However, it was out of our price range. It was too good to be true... or was it?

We've learned how to bargain, so worked out a deal with the hotel owner. We got it down to the price we needed, and even got breakfast included! Score! The group then had to carry their oversized packs through the streets of Cuzco, where we then dumped our stuff at the hostel, before hitting the town to see what was on offer.

We started by walking uphill from our hostel. Dinner was on the menu and we found a great little place that closed its doors once we were all safely inside, and even put up the closed sign. It was so exciting to have a whole restaurant to ourselves!

The budget people had bargained an excellent deal which would see us eat a huge meal of entree and main, well within our budget. We're becoming pros at this. It's a shame we can't do this sort of thing in Australia!

Seeing a lively, bustling place, many tourists stuck their heads in, made comments that clearly it must be a wonderful restaurant if it is so full, so they said they'd go back the next night. The truth is, we hadn't even eaten the food yet! It's funny how congregating in a place makes things popular, often for no good reason at all. Second element of the truth - we wouldn't go back there. We've been spoilt with some amazing food in Peru, and unfortunately they just didn't make the cut. There was nothing wrong with it, but we've had better.

After this, we went down to the main square and had a look around. The first thing we all found was McDonalds, so of course had to buy a McFlurry for dessert. When in other countries, it's crucial to experience all of the cultural elements, including pop culture and fast food, so we immersed ourselves for a learning experience and will most likely do so again.

The Snickers McFlurry was a winner (chocolate fudge, Snickers chunks), as was the M&Ms McFlurry (caramel fudge, mini M&Ms). It seems the ultimate champion was the Oreo McFlurry (chocolate fudge, Oreo pieces), so we'll have to experience it for ourselves if it wasn't our choice on this night. Plenty of time for that.

We returned to the hotel happy but tired. A team meeting was held to work out what the plan of action would be for our first day in Cuzco, and you'll read all about that in the next email.

We hope you're all well and can't wait to see you!

Love Team B. Today B is for Bus-lagged.

Roseville College take a trip to Lake Titicaca in Peru

2011-12-06T11:19:00.001+11:00

Hola Amigos! Today we went to Lake Titicaca... it's hardly a lake, it is a sea. It is the most ridiculously large lake in the whole world.

But first off today, we woke up in PUNO and began to truly discover the impacts of altitude sickness. After yesterday afternoon, where Kate, Emma and Yianna spent dinner about to vomit in the bathroom (with Yianna being the only successful one!) we slowly discovered more effects of altitude. Walking up stairs caused us all to puff for air, and some to have headaches and tingly feet. If the PE Department could hear us breathing, they'd be sending us off on massive fitness programs thinking we're in danger of heart attacks. But, it's just because the air up so high has less oxygen, and nothing to do with fitness, so we'll be fine once we adjust.

After breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bread and pineapple juice, we were picked up by a bus and taken down to the port of Puno. Gorgeous ladies in traditional dress (called a bollera) were selling all sorts of trinkets, and the water looked so inviting. As we got closer, the stench was a bit much, but we boarded our boat and off we went.

We are sure that the tour guide would have been both informative and interesting had we understood a word he was saying, but from what we could make out (he was speaking English!), Lake Titicaca is named from a combination of local languages and it means Grey Puma. We were shown a map of the lake, and we could vaguely make it out. Hopefully when we get home we'll remember still and be able to show you.

About an hour after boarding, we arrived at the first of the islands we were to visit. The Uros floating villages are completely man-made islands, that are built up year after year to house small villages. There are a number of steps to creating and then maintaining such an island, and once reeds are put down, layer after layer, the village celebrates with a game of volleyball. This actually has a purpose too - the running and jumping compacts the reeds so the island remains stable.

We were greeted by woman of the village, along with the president. He then took the time to explain their lifestyle, and we even ate some of their staple diet - the Lake Reed. It tasted a bit like celery with heaps of sugar in it, and for those of us who liked it, we chowed down. The president suddenly started jumping up and down making all sorts of strange noises, and when this failed to communicate his message, he ran around snatching back the reeds. Apparently it's an acquired sort of food and if foreigners eat too much of it at first, they can get really sick. Luckily we were all ok.

After shopping (it seems that this is possible even in the most remote of places!) for handicrafts created by the women of the Uros, we set off on a reed boat which even had a top deck! We were rowed (and Bellie and Kate had a go too) across to another island, where we saw the local school and a 7th Day Adventist Church. A little more shopping was had, then we set off for Isla Taquile - a real island out on the lake, not far from Bolivia.

On such a beautiful day, the only thing to do was to climb up on top of the boat, stretch out, and fall asleep to the gentle rocking. This was one of those really special moments where we talked about life, marvelled at the spectacular views, and relaxed just taking in the serenity.

Arriving at Taquile, it felt like we'd jumped from Peru to the Greek Islands. Spectacular stone arches lined the path up the cliffs, and the water was so blue it looked like it had stepped out of a painting.

We were totally pumped to be doing something energetic after sitting still for so long, so we set off with a bounce in our step. This was a big mistake. We'd forgotten about the altitude and the fact that it was our first day in it. 3,900m above sea level at the highest navigable lake in the world.This means that we got about 20m (no joke) before we had to stop to catch our breath. It would be a bit ridiculous to see if you had no idea about the effects of altitude. However, a few bananas later and a nice steady pace meant we huffed and puffed our way up the hill. It was well worth it.

When we got to the top, the most stunning views were all around us. Looking out across the water, we could see Bolivia (seriously!) and it was tempting to organise a boat to go across just to say we've been there. On that note, the Uros floating villages have to be tethered down so that they don't cross international waters, because apparently there can be issues with visas and passports, because they don't have either of these!

We walked right around the island, stopping in the main square to look at the sparkling waters below. There was a really cool sign post with directions and distances to all sorts of places, and this is where we found out that we're actually 13,027km away from Sydney, as the crow flies.

A delicious lunch was had at the Cafe Flor de Coca. This translates as the Coca flower cafe. For those of you who have never come across Coca before, it's what Cocaine is made from. Don't worry, we haven't encountered any of that, but Coca leaves are used to assist with altitude sickness. We were treated to fresh trout, yummy soup and lots of bread.

As well as great food, we had a great cultural lesson. We were taught about the differences in the local dress, so now know how to identify men who are married, engaged, under 18, or single and looking. Quite convenient really don't you think?

All too soon it was time to trek back down to the water. Down was definitely much easier than up, but it was kind of sad to leave this magnificent paradise.

The boat ride back consisted of lots of laugh, Trivial Pursuit challenges (it's amazing how much our teachers don't know! And pretty funny the stuff they do know!), singing dancing and just absorbing the wonders around us. It was hard to imagine how a day such as this could ever be improved.

We returned to the same place for dinner and were treated to another festive song and dance routine. All sort of dishes were tried - chicken, alpaca, beef, etc, and we went home well fed and ready for the next adventure.

We so wish you all could have been there to share in this adventure with us. It truly was one of the greatest days of our lives.

Love to all,

Team B. Today B is for Burnt (but don't worry, it's just a little bit, and we're all applying Aloe Vera).

Madness in Mumbai - UniBreak Placement Week 1

2011-12-05T15:55:00.001+11:00

Namaste.

The first four things that we noticed when we stepped out from the plane were the heat, the sheer amount of people, the very unique smell and the incredible state of the roads. We were told by our caretaker, Yogesh, upon arrival that ‘there is no need for seatbelts in Mumbai’. He further stated that ‘if you are able to drive in Mumbai you can drive anywhere in the world’. Drivers are prepared for the unpredictable, however we were not. There are no lanes, blinkers are used but not noticed, there is a constant use of the horn and there is little spare road that is not in use. In contrast in Australia where the horn is used rarely and only in anger or frustration, in India the horn is used to say ‘hey just to let you know that I am driving centimeters besides/behind or just cutting you off in a close manner.’

The enormous population Mumbai of approximately 12,479,608 (According to the 2011 census) means that pedestrians (who interestingly walk on the road rather than the footpath), animals (from cows to elephants!) and machines all use the road to push to their destinations. It is common to have a donkey in front, an auto rickshaw to the left, three bikes with people without helmets to the right and a car with the side mirrors removed/broken off and five people weaving among the road users to cross the road, whilst the traffic is moving at approximately 40km/hr.

The curious eyes in array of the coloured, sequenced and beaded saris stare upon our strange white skin, blue eyes, light hair and unusual way of being. Although we are sore thumbs in streams of beautifully dressed locals we have had positive interactions with all the people we have meet from the people we have been working with to the local tailor.

Of a Morning in our guesthouse our treasured caretaker Jyoti is making a rice dish for breakfast, a western style pasta dish with minimal spice, in Indian terms, for lunch. We are served Chai (tea in Hindi) a favorite of the Antipodean’s, which is not like any tea we have tasted in Australia. With the aroma of Jyoti’s cooking we start our day.

New Horizons Child Development Centre

Laura (Speech Pathologist Student), Lizzy (Speech Pathologist Student) and I (Rachel- Occupational Therapy Student) have spent this week working and observing the staff at New Horizons Child Development Centre in Mumbai (NHCDC). NHCDC is a multidisciplinary center for children with disabilities, it was founded by Dr. Samir Dalwai, a Developmental Pediatrician, and provides therapeutic services of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Remedial Education, Psychology and Parental Counseling.

In a country that is still at a nascent stage with respect to awareness and acceptance of developmental issues in children, the centre strives to provide coordinated and consistent therapy by intervention in order to help the child achieve his or her best potentials.Rachel, Laura and Lizzy with the doctors and therapists at NHCDC

We have greatly enjoyed forming relationships with the therapists, doctors and other staff members as well as the clients of the center. Throughout the week we have been taken aback at the differing styles of therapeutic interventions and assessments compared to what we know from our training at the University Of Sydney. We were given the opportunity to discuss these differences and share our knowledge and gain insight from the local professionals. We have been overcome with the way the Indians flow from there heavily accented English to Hindi, Marathi, other Indian languages and back to English in the same sentence. Seeing therapy in an unknown language in a different cultural has opened our eyes to the diversity of therapy within the world. However at times this has been frustrating and meant that we have had to naively sit and smile. At one point a client burst out laughing that the Occupational Therapist Student was silly for not knowing Hindi.Laura, Rachel and Lizzy with the Pediatricians at Sion Hospital.

A highlight of our time at NHCHD includes our trip to the Sion Hospital to see a presentation about a supplement that is being used to treat severe acute malnourishment along with an onsite demonstration into how the supplement is made with a trip from the Minister of State for Health of Maharashtra and an introduction to the Pediatricians from the hospital.

Nurse Emily’s CornerI started my placement at Datar Nursing Home this week. Unlike in Australia, a nursing home is a small hospital. Three doctors who specialize in gynecology and obstetrics run Datar Nursing Home. Within the first hour I was taken into the delivery room to witness a birth. The energy in the room was incredible, I have seen nothing like this before, as the nurses assisting where equally excited as the new Mum. I am sure the coming weeks will bring many more amazing experiences.

Week 1 - UniBreak volunteers in Peru

2011-12-05T14:02:00.001+11:00

Week 1 has been amazing. Gruelling and challenging but absolutely amazing. Coming together from all over Australia, I think we were all a little nervous about group dynamics and how we would work together as a team. We really shouldn’t have worried at all – everyone has become so close already. I think because of the shared experience we’re going through here. From altitude sickness to a need for facebook access to ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over the Peruvian trinkets at the markets.

The school we’re volunteering at in Curaou has been one of the best aspects so far. These kids, ranging from 6 to 12 are so affectionate and willing to learn! On our first day at school, all of us volunteers got a hug from each of the students, and the little ones just didn’t want to let go! I’m partnered with Rowan and we’re teaching Year 2. The subjects we’re covering are English, Art, Sport and Computers. Computers is definitely the most challenging, art the most fun and sport the most tiring for us not used to the altitude!

Our construction project is the most physically tough aspect of our volunteering – we’re in charge of completing a wall around the parameter of the school and though it’s a big task, we are all really determined to complete it.

Today, the end of our first teaching week, the school held a carnival. Sporting matches were organised and ‘pescado’ (aka fish) were sold to families and friends. Morning classes were followed by an intense Team Australian Volunteers vs. Team Peruvian Teachers soccer – sorry, football – match. I’m sorry to say that we lost 3-2 but a rematch has been organised so I’ll update you asap!

We’re all also a little in love with our host families – these people are so affectionate, gracious and caring. Settling in was a breeze ☺ We’ve already explored the city and are going out tonight for weekend drinks while plans for Machu Picchu have been made! This weekend some of us are going horse-riding through the Sacred Valley as well!

It’s all happening here – salsa lessons, a room with a view, altitude sickness, amazing food, families and kids and improved Spanish exchanges with taxi drivers – what’s not to love about Cusco?!Love, Sach x x x

Tanzania Gappers say goodbye to camp

2011-12-05T11:12:00.001+11:00

The last two weeks have been so exciting yet at the same time the most depressing as we bid farewell to our friends which have become our family over the past 3 months.

We spent last week in the village adopting the village lifestyle. We milked cows, herded cows, participated in seaweeding and surprisingly we were trusted with machetes to chop firewood. Our favourite however was cooking japatti and samosas with the mamas. After spending some quality time with them we developed a strong friendship. So much so that on our last day in Mwambani we were invited to one of the mamas houses for afternoon tea.

Unfortunately Friday ended on a sad note when one of the village boys passed away from eating a poisonous fish. Many of us had taught him English and would watch him play soccer on the field. The next day we attended James' funeral. Because of the Muslim community in the village the funeral was different to what any of us had previously experienced-nevertheless it was an equally nice and reverent ceremony.

Our last week was spent finishing off our paintings on the school. We painted worlds, digestive systems, maps, eyes and ears. On our last day at the school we were bid farewell by the school children through song. They had prepared for us 2 traditional Swahili songs and a song in English wishing us luck for the future. We were put on the spot when we were asked to perform so settled with singing Do-Re-Mi (a song that has frequently been sung in our group). Whilst taking hundreds of photos, we hugged goodbye to the children and took our last glances at what we had achieved in our time working there. It was then time to say goodbye to the villagers.

As previously stated we were invited to one of the mamas houses for afternoon tea. We ate one of the traditional dishes; rice pudding and potato. We had invited all the villagers we had become rafiki sana (good friends) with and over rice pudding we laughed, hugged and finally with teary eyes waved goodbye.

We have all learnt different things from our 3 month experience in Tanzania. A big aspect I'm sure we will all take home with us is the 'pole pole'(slowly slowly) attitude we have become accustomed to. Another lesson that specifically came from Eliphas (one of our leaders) is just to be happy; "Although at times it can be hard, you live life to the fullest when your happy." whilst we are excited to see our families or to begin our next adventure, living in Mwambani has been such an experience words cannot describe. Over our time here we have shared laughs, discussions, tears and memories. But most of all we share a special place in our hearts for Mwambani village, Tanga, Tanzania. NAPENDA TANZANIA! Camp Tanzania 2011.

Want to find out more about your chance to volunteer in Tanzania? Antipodeans Abroad specialises in gap year ideas for Australian and New Zealand students. Find out more at www.antipodeans.com.au.

Ghanarama from the get go - UniBreak land in Africa

2011-12-02T13:28:00.001+11:00

If you thought 27 hours on a plane is hard, then you haven't been stuck in a tro tro in the middle of a 4 hour traffic jam. Add 35 degrees, add no air conditioning, no bathroom, and then throw 16 other bodies in the one 'mini bus' (better known as a tro tro). There's nothing like bonding when you're sharing sweat with the people you met yesterday.

Cue heat stroke. A dashing side effect from the 35 degree sweltering heat that is Ghana. BUT nothing cools you down faster than a swim a Krokobite beach. Proving obruni's have no rhythm, we all partook in an african dance class by the beach. Fortunately our drumming skills were marginally higher than our d-floor moves so maybe all wasn't lost. We let the waves wash the layers of grit, grime and sweat from our faces and spent much of the time dodging the Ghanaian seaweed - the black plastic bag. Calling it quits when none other than a weave floated pass, we headed back for another day.

The next day put our haggling skills to the test at the Accra Arts Centre. Let's just say there's room for improvement for many of us but at least we picked up some art and crafts (I hope I didn't just spoil the Christmas presents for families reading this). A novel meander through the Koala supermarket also filled the day and for chocoholics alike, the Ghanaian chocolate goes down a treat. many of us have tried the local cuisine - maze, yams, smoked rice... but a standard dinner meal is rice or spaghetti with a spicy tomato sauce. Mind you, I think they're easing us into the food so it's not too much of a shock to the system. Stay tuned on that case...

Today was the first day of our placements and second day with our host families. We've all got a buddy with us but we're split all over the central region so I can't report on behalf of everyone about host families and placements. I'm sure they'll all say 'it's very different'! Tomorrow we'll be reunited when we travel to the Volta region for the weekend. It's a farmers' holiday tomorrow so we'll take the day to travel west.

Despite the trials and tribulations, we're absolutely loving it here!

Will send another update with pictures next week.

Love to all at home,

Akua Laura on behalf of the Antips obrunis

What I learnt in Kenya - Crewe reflects on his three months volutneering abroad

2011-12-02T09:35:00.001+11:00

On our last day we went out to a fantastic restaurant called Sails to celebrate and everyone chowed down, especially the boys who had two servings of brownies and ice cream for desert each. It was terrible to say goodbye after being with each other for so long and many of us have already made plans to meet each other again soon.

When I deceided I wanted to volunteer in Africa (this seems like years and years ago), I expected simply to work hard, be fed and have a place to sleep. I don't think any of us ever anticipated how many new friends we would make, or how close we would grow in three months. This trip has given everyone a chance to make a small difference in a small community in Kenya, to experience a new culture, to make lifelong friends and find our own places in a very unique and dynamic group, from many different social backgrounds and nationalities.

I can happily say that we all took these opportunities. Not only did I get to know people from Holland, America, China, Scotland, Wales and England, I've also made great friends who I can't wait to see back in Australia and I know I have made my own effort, however small or insignificant it might seem, to help Kenyan families in need.

When I look back on what we've done, from the weeks of cement mixing, roofing and building in Muhaka, to conservation in Kaya and all the other smaller projects, our achievements feel so much more valuable because we won them together, overcoming practical and personal obstacles in the way. I don't think I'll ever be able to explain to my mates back home how much this time in Muhaka has meant to me, or how much I have enjoyed working and living with everyone at camp.

Crewe

Are you interested in doing your gap year in Africa? What about volunteering in Kenya or Tanzania? Antipodeans Abroad are specialists in gap year ideas and programs for young Australian and New Zealand students. Find out more at www.antipdoeans.com.au

Adios Cusco! Gap students finish three month placement in Peru

2011-12-01T16:27:00.001+11:00

After three life-changing months, our time in Cusco has sadly come to an end. This week we held our last lessons at Corao, enjoyed last meals with our gracious host families and absorbed our final visits to the beautiful Cusco city, for now. Our construction projects are finished and essential items have been delivered to families in need, on our house visits.

As we finished our lessons at Corao on Thursday, Friday was dedicated to a fun day with the kids and their parents, the teachers and workmen at Corao. Stall tables were set up with face painting, macaroni necklace making, finger painting and the very popular egg toss. With eggshells scattered around the grassy school grounds all that could be heard were shrieks of pure joy from the children, soaking up their last moments with the volunteers.

We used our fundraising money to order chicken, chips and salad for the entire school community, and in return we were treated to home grown trout. Our tree mural was completed, with handprints of every student forming the coloured leaves; a beautiful memento to leave with the grateful school. Dressed and accessorised in our gifts from the students and parents we enjoyed a farewell show, each class singing a song, playing a game with the volunteers or even pulling us up for a dance. It was a beautiful, poignant moment to see the children so happy, but at the same time so upset to see us go. As we finally left Corao we were all satisfied with our improvements to the school and our impact upon the children’s lives.

Aside from saying goodbye to Corao we spent our last week taking in Cusco city, our home for the past three months. Time spent in cafes, last minute shopping, sending Christmas presents home and just enjoying each others company. A few brave volunteers took the bungee jumping challenge at Action Valley, with hilarious videos to prove it. Some took their host families out for dinner and presented them with home made gifts from Australia.

A bittersweet end wraps up the incredible three months we have spent in this city so different to our hometowns. As we all go our separate ways from here it will surely be a little strange to leave our homes for good. To not return after a weekend trip or hike will be a comfort sorely missed. Now for those back home it’s not long until we all return to Australia, eager to share our stories from our placement. With our construction complete, another big thankyou to those who donated; the joy it has given the Corao community is priceless.

Are you interested in volunteering in Peru? What about teaching English overseas? Find out more at www.antipodeans.com.au

Last blog from our flagship Southern Africa Gappers!

2011-11-30T16:48:00.001+11:00

So here it is the final blog, the final few hours together!

Since the last blog the group has kept themselves busy volunteering. Our energy went into painting walls at Sentinel, Christmas craft classes with littlies and end of year graduations where the children dressed up in white silky attires.

The group of us that worked at Sentinel were taken to Cape Point with the vice principle, a fun afternoon out-and-about exploring the coasts of Cape Town. At Ikaya La Temba as the last week of afternoon care approached cooking classes continued however tutoring and reading classes were replaced with hair braiding and soccer games with the kids.

Like Swaziland saying goodbye to the children at our placements and Ikaya La Temba was hard. We all have different memories and experiences while volunteering to share with you all. It is fair to say spending time with these kids giving our time and energy into helping them not only benefited the children but also benefited us as the volunteers.
When it came to weekends, Antipodeans all went and did various things from Long Street to Green Market in Cape Town. As money began to run dry Hout Bay Habour market and tanning by the pool was the best option for some of us.

It would be a lie if I said we’ve walked away with nothing. I think every member of the group will leave here a more mature person than before, we’ll appreciate home more, we’ll take time to see the bigger picture and we’ll take into consideration other people. I can’t imagine doing this trip with a more diverse yet wonderful group of Australian. Everyone bought something about them to the table.

You could trust Mitch to be the one who goes to the pub with you or who’ll cook up a yummy feast. A guy happy to help if you ask. Kireeti is our go to person when one was sick or had possible rabies bites, his medical wisdom was always appreciated. During our first few weeks Joni would clean all the girls dishes, it wasn’t long till we named Joni the ‘Gentleman’.

Tessa has the most contagious laugh yet when she had to she played mother hen perfectly, the kitchen and lounge were always clean if Tessa had anything to do with it (couldn’t say the same for her room). Nicole is the peaceful and easy-going member making it easy to become fabulous friends with her. Whenever in need of a good chat or a fun night our Maddy is the go to girl, when not asleep, Maddy’s bubbly personality is loved by the whole group. Katie’s positive and enthusiastic personality made her an influential member.

Although she was shy to begin with, it wasn’t long till Nicki’s amazing confidence shown through. Nicki’s good opinion and grace made her a well-respected member of the group. Emily’s inquisitive nature made for interesting conversations. Behind the quietness, all in the group loved Emily’s lively personality, which made for fun and enjoyable times in the lodge and out on the town. And finally the girl who taught us the difference from right and wrong, She is so good hearted and patient, from that alone it would be fair to say Jozie has taught us all a little something.

Shelby our in country coordinator asked us what were some on the highlights these past few months, at first I blanked but seconds later flashes of memories came back I didn’t know where to begin. Seeing Lions mate in Kruger National Park. Whale Shark snorkelling in Mozambique, swimming along side these creatures was incredible. Nights out in Swaziland at House on Fire where interesting dancing styles were seen by Jozie and Kireeti! Group workout sessions at Ludwala Lodge. Marine World in Durbin. Movie nights at the lodge in Hout Bay. All these things I wish I could go into detail about, however I am assured the Antipodeans will come home and tell you everything in more detail.

So there is it, the final blog from the first group of Antipodeans to venture out and do the Southern Africa Volunteer program. Not long till we’re all back in the arms of loved ones whether that be Coco - Tessa’s Cat, Bingo - Nicki’s dog, Leigh - Jozie’s much talked about boyfriend or our parents, we can’t wait to see you all. And to those continuing on with their travels to Europe, have fun and beware of the Euro it’s very different to the Rand. Merry Christmas everyone.

I can’t wait for our reunion… at Jozie’s wedding! Here is a little link by Nicki: http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/6re8cctTErfI5FXp

Got to go group board game in progress, Kireeti and Joni ahead with Emily and Nicole falling behind. Wish Tessa and I luck!

Update from GapBreak In-Country-Agent in Brazil

2011-11-24T15:26:00.001+11:00

Yesterday I went to Florianópolis to visit the group. Oh Gosh, the goodbye will be hard for them and for the kids. Some of the children got so close to the volunteers! One of them, Otavio, started crying when we told Angela was going back home at the end of the month. He hugged her and kept saying (in Portuguese) “I won’t let her go, I won’t let her go…”.

Angela also started to cry and it hurt my heart! Otavio is such a sweet litle boy with a sad background.

We had lunch at a great Japanese restaurant and went to buy paint. We always donate part of the program fee to the projects we send volunteers. So this time they choose paint, a new cabinet and fans for the students rooms. We involved the volunteers on painting and today I just got a picture of the Capoeira room from Angela. They did such a great job, check the pictures!

The volunteers have also fundraised and they bought balls for the kids and will also buy a tennis table, among other things. I told them they could use their money for things for the kids.

They are also having a great time in Florianópolis in general and will be going to Rio next Thursday for 6 days. We will put them in touch with our current volunteers there, so maybe they can do something together.

It was so nice to see them with the hands on, it makes our work so rewarding when we share their enthusiasm!Bye!Rafaela
Keen to volunteer in South America? What about teaching English overseas? Antipodeans Abroad specialises in gap year ideas for Australian and New Zealand students. Find out more at www.antipodeans.com.au.

University of Wollongong students live with Tibetan family

2011-11-23T15:25:00.001+11:00

We have so enjoyed being placed with a Tibetan family, not only to get to know them each as individuals but to reach a greater understanding of the struggles of Tibetan people. We have gained a much greater appreciation of our free and fortunate lives, and will continue to support Tibetan people.

A major highlight of this trip for us all has been the trek to Poon Hill, which was one of the most challenging yet rewarding things. The kindness and generosity of the Tibetan and Nepali people here, always sharing a sense of humour even when faced with adversity has been an opportunity for some of us to consider how to change the ways that we look at and experience our lives in the west
An experience of a lifetime which we highly recommend. Some of us will most definitely return to Nepal.

There have been a number of different experiences that each of us have had, we have experienced life with different Tibetan families and also in different educational organizations. All of us have been most fortunate to have caring and kind families who cook the most awesome food everyday. Way better than you can buy in the tourist hub of Lakeside. Although the living conditions are different to those in the west they are comfortable and cosy.... Bring warm clothes as well as the nights are beginning to get cold as we edge closer to December.

A couple of volunteers went to a Monastic School, here we have experienced the hardships of 78 children from extremely poor families from the Mustang region. Whilst these children are doing things way tougher than we see in our own country they have a lot of fun with very simple things in life such as a bottle top cap....

As a teacher, one of the volunteers says, "I have enjoyed my time at the school, and was welcomed with open arms by the principal and head teacher. They have been eager to share the Nepali culture with me and have created many opportunities for me to enjoy cultural and spiritual events. I have faced challenges as my teaching philosophy is very different to that of the school that I volunteered at, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share ideas and learn from the teachers here."

A few of us have been on another trek to Dhampus....... totally amazing and a must do two night, three day experience. Don't use a trekking company, just ask your in country agent at the Tibetan settlement.Much cheaper, a higher level of care and way more personal than the commercial ventures. Don't forget to tip the guide and porter and take snacks for energy boosts along the way.

That's it for us, most of us leave this week and head on back to Australia.Taking home memories and experiences for a lifetime.

UOW Education Placement in Nepal, 2011

GapBreakers finally visit Machu Picchu!

2011-11-21T15:13:00.001+11:00

Lonely Planet’s South America On A Shoestring promotes Machu Picchu as the number one highlight of Peru and the continent as a whole. Now, for our group, we are proud to say after five days of serious trekking, and for some a 2 day train and trek, we have finally visited this incredible place.

We started the challenging Salkantay trek November 9, finishing up at the rewarding Machu Picchu November 13. On the starting morning with 81km ahead of us, the group was a little apprehensive but looking forward to the final reward of our trek. Our guide Nilton led us at a cracking pace with no complaints from the group across the beautiful countryside.

With 5 days of hiking; hours of constant uphill inclines and treacherous declines dodging rocks on the dusty trails we powered across the mountainous terrain. As the days progressed our surroundings changed to muggy jungle, crossing rivers and side towns to arrive at our beautiful campsites nestled in valleys shadowed by enormous mountains. We were provided with history lessons on the Andean spiritual culture of Pachamama (Mother Nature) and the power of the Mountains.

On the second day we reached the 4600m above sea level summit with a fantastic view of the snow capped Salkantay mountain. Thankfully we were incredibly lucky with the weather for the 5 days, making the success of the hike all the more rewarding. We all felt such a sense of achievement as we pushed ourselves physically and mentally hiking day in and day out, supported by excellent cooks and an encouraging guide.

Upon reaching Aguas Calientes, the pit stop town before Machu Picchu, we rested our sore bodies as the prospect of the next day dawned on us. Up at 4am we were welcomed by a 40minute continuous stair climb to the sacred site. Upon entering the ruins we were met by a sight more incredible than anything we could have expected, a view to beat any postcard. As the morning mist and haze lifted from the mass of mountains surrounding this oasis, a perfect day was revealed over this world famous site. We spent the morning exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu in total awe of this experience. Some climbed Waynapichu to take in a more wholesome view of the site, then a few even made it up to Sun Gate. The day was perfect, all injuries, sore feet and leg muscles were forgotten as our cameras clicked constantly.

As we creep closer towards the ending date of our three months in Cusco, the visit to Machu Picchu completes the trip for our group. Less than two weeks to go now the reality closes in. Our last visits to Corao school have been made sweeter as we finished the Water Reservoir and delivered much needed items to one of the houses we visited. Blankets, pillows, food, shoes and warm items were amongst the delivery, cementing why we are here. A big thank you goes home to those who donated to our cause, the gracious and thankful families makes our work here worth it.

With our time winding down it leads us to reflect on how incredibly lucky we have been these past three months, how fortunate we are and how far our presence here can go for those in need.

Conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro - Kenya GapBreak Volunteers

2011-11-21T11:39:00.001+11:00

After a long and crowded bus ride we finally arrived in Moshi, Tanzania, beneath the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. We enjoyed hot showers for the first time in months and prepared our selves for the next week of climbing.
Every day the air grew colder and thinner as we ascended through different levels of rainforest, jungle canopy, scrubs and finally bare rock and snow. On the day of the summit climb we awoke an hour before midnight and began climbing. The bright stars and near-full moon provided all the light we needed. The wind howled around us as we looked down on a massive thunderstorm above Moshi,reaching temperatures of -9 degrees (which our guides told us was warm for this altitude!!) At the top we enjoyed breathtaking views of the gigantic glaciers and endless clouds stretching to the horizon. Although it was challenging, we agreed that climbing Kilimanjaro was a once in a lifetime experience and it was awesome to see everyone make it all the way up!

Now we have returned to Muhaka and it's still just dawning on us that we only have one more week left in Kenya. We are continuing our work on the toilets at the Islamic primary school and made finishingtouches to the vocational centre. As the projects come to a close it seems strange to think that three months ago we started working on them as a group of strangers. I know all of us have made some incredibly strong friendships in such a short space of time and although we will all sorely miss Muhaka, the Kenyan culture and especially all the staff here, we can also look forward to seeing each other back in Australia. The last three months have been an eye-opening, fulfilling and exciting time which I know we will look back on with fond memories in the years to come.

Crewe Dixon

Are you interested in volunteering in Africa? What about teaching English overseas? Antipodeans Abroad specialises in gap year program and gap year ideas for Australian and New Zealand students. Go to the website at www.antipodeans.com.au.

Adrenaline filled days for our GapBreak volunteers in Cape Town

2011-11-17T10:21:00.001+11:00

So here we are in Cape Town, our final destination on our trip away. The place is amazing; one side we’re faced with mountains and forests while on the other side, a beautiful harbour surrounded with penguins and seals. Our placements and accommodation are situated just out of Cape Town, in Hout Bay. Our welcome to Hout Bay was pleasant. We were greeted by both Shelby, our coordinator, and Shannon, the lodge manager, come tourist guide for weekend activities.

After our initial tour around Hout bay, it wasn’t long until we discovered just how segregated the society here is, from the townships to the mansions. The society is split between coloured people, black people and white people all located in separate areas of the bay. For our morning placements the Antips group is split to help in the many kindergartens for children or at Sentinel, the local primary school. Jozie, Nicole, Mitch, Joni and myself are at Sentinel, while Maddy and Katie are at Little Angels, both these placements are at the Harbour side of Hout bay, home to the coloured community.
Tessa and Kireeti are placed at Siyazama, a day care centre along with Nicki and Emily nearby at Star Fish & Angels, both are in the Township. The township is home to thirty thousand people of different races. The Township is also where we spend the second part of our day volunteering at Ikhaya Le Temba which is an afternoon care centre for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Ikhaya Le Temba meaning ‘home of hope’ is supported by sponsors across the world which has created a warm and welcoming environment for these children. We run programs there from swimming lessons, drama classes to cooking classes. Although our weekdays are full on, our placements here are very rewarding, although we are teaching every day, we are learning so much more from them in return.

Our weekends are spent trying to see as much of Cape Town and the surrounding area as we can, or at other times taking a restful day to relax after a hard week. On our first weekend here some of us chose to go on a Wine Tour seeing some of South Africa’s famous wineries where we loved driving through some of Cape Town’s most beautiful landscapes, slightly tipsy. Another weekend found some of us hiking up the famous Table Mountain, I can say on behalf of all of the hikers it was agony but the view at the end was well worth the painful scrawl up. While up on Table Mountain, Mitch and I decided to abseil down it. I couldn’t stop shaking as I realized this one piece of rope was literally my lifeline; nevertheless it was an incredible feeling and adrenaline rush. As was Paragliding which many of the others chose later that day to do.

Thanks to Joni’s mum who informed us about Madame Zangara’s Circus, we spent an amazing night being entertained both by the food on the plate and unbelievable performers. Watching dreamy acrobats dazzle while eating heart shaped ravioli, the whole thing was incredible.

Just last week a group of Antipodeans with their Aussie heads held high marched into the cricket grounds to support Australia in the Test tournament against South Africa. Although we came out with a devastating loss, Katie among other volunteers made in onto World News, seen also in Australia.

Just yesterday Tessa and Katie ventured out into the ocean to swim among great white sharks. Enclosed in a cage they saw sharks come up centimetres away from their face attacking the bait. Katie described the experience as “jawsome!!!” while Tessa tried her best to agree, even if half the time she was vomiting out her insides over the side of the boat.

All in all, these two weeks in Cape Town have been full on from the wonderful markets, adrenaline filled activities and to the children which we take time to help and spend time with, so far Cape Town has blown us away. It is a diverse place from the people we meet to the things we do, the place is a real eye opener. Despite the fact we are counting down the weeks, days and hours till we go home, it’ll be sad to leave this place, this place we’ve grown to love.

Are YOU interested in volunteering in Africa? What about teaching English overseas? Antipodeans Abroad specialises in gap year programs and education travel for young Australians. Go to our website www.antipodeans.com.au to find out more.

Countryside travels for our France GapBreak volunteers

2011-11-17T09:48:00.001+11:00

Salut Australia!

Welcome to the fourth addition of my blog all the way from Bretagne France! Time is going too fast! It honestly does feel like just yesterday that we began our French course in Paris! Everything is going well for all five of us and I think it is about time I put you all up to date with what has been happening throughout our lives in France.

I have spent the afternoon making Lamingtons with my Host siblings. The lamingtons turned out excellent even if we do say so ourselves. I just returned from 4 nights in the United Kingdom with my friend from Australia, it was excellent! I saw many amazing things including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The London Tower and a number of Theatre productions and bookstores. It was great being able to get my hands on some English books!
Andrew took a trip with his host sister to North West France and enjoyed the main attractions of Bretagne! Bretagne is differs quite a lot from the rest of France, they have their own culture and specialties. The specialties include salt (they love their salt) and butter (they use so much more butter it is crazy!) . In Bretagne there is literally a Creperie in every town, no matter how small the town is! Bretagne even has their own language. Andrew's trip was fantastic, he really got to bond with his host sister and she took him to everything that there is to see! He said that it was great to travel with someone who knows the area because that way it is impossible to miss anything.

Anna spent a week in Normandy with her host families extended family. Normandy has a lot to offer and she had an amazing time enjoying the town as well as bonding with her host family. Normandy is famous for its beautiful beaches, lush farmland, bustling markets and fine cheese and wine. She also explored Mont Saint Michel! The Mont Saint Michel is the second most popular attraction to visit in France after the Eiffel Tower.

Both Anna and Andrew have been attending school in a small town outside of Le Mans, they are helping out in English classes and attending some other classes. They have made some French friends which is great!

I was sad to say goodbye to Rebecca today who is leaving the town of Vannes that we have both spent the past 2 months. Rebecca has moved into an apartment with a young university student who she will tutor. She has taken to the busy city very well!

Well that’s all from me, I will be sure to keep you updated :)

Hilarious Gapper Anna shares her last week in Ghana

2011-11-16T13:37:00.001+11:00

HELLO FRIENDS! It is with shaky hands that I write to you from the Eagle's Link Net Cafe in Ghana, no I am not hungry, or scared but in fact COLD! A celebrated phenomenon. It's been a rainy day in Ghana - a nice touch when you spend most of it sitting in church...But more of that later.
This feels like a bit of a wrap-up blog because next time I send my words your way I'll be back where we started in Accra at the Felcare Hostel, most of us getting ready for the next stage of our journey but for Kristen, Harriet, Renee and Katie getting ready to go HOME and see all your smiling faces! It's a very strange thought!
But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me take you back to where I left you, about to head off for a weekend in the Volta region visiting the Wli waterfalls. It was such a long distance to travel to Hohoe, we left at 8am and didn't arrive until 5pm! A whole working day spent with sore bums and trying not to drink water.. trotros don't stop for anything so thirst must be balanced with bladder control. We stayed at taste lodge (oh so tasty) and enjoyed being the only people on the premises. The people that owned the lodge were so kind! As soon as we arrived they all said "awkwaaba!" and pulled up plastic chairs for us. The waterfalls themselves were magnificent - so loud and extremely powerful.

We couldn't communicate with our guide well enough to tell us how tall they were, but from 100m away you were getting wet from the falls splashing on the rocks below. I was too chicken of fresh-water creepie crawlies - but Lauren, Bardie, Hari and Katie braved the power and had a splash! That was when Lauren and Gina took off for a 4 hour hike to the upper falls, basically a higher part of the waterfall. Most of us were feeling blistery and lazy and tired so we chilled at the bottom and ate cookies and mushy bananas. Apart from the falls there's not much to do in the sleepy town, so after taking advantage of some cheap local souveniers we were once again on our way back home to Swedru.

And so it began our second last week of work. I'll take some time to talk about other random things before I dive into the happenings of our next weekend.. let me see.. twas a good week. Though I had to take some time off work, and not for anything exciting but I was painting my classroom and fell off a stool and the stool landed on my toe. So I crumpled and it went blue and swelled up and I stopped walking for a few days. Lucky I had Hari to carry me around, she piggy backed me down our whole driveway which may sound fickle but is actually quite the achievement considering it takes about 5 minutes to walk over all the uneven ground and sand and rocks all the while avoiding the diseased dog (Peace) from jumping all over you.

Who am I kidding - all the dogs in the compound are called Peace. Which is a strange touch but fun all the same when you're calling for a dog to eat your leftovers - "ahh - Peace! ahh - Peace!". Got a little side-tracked there didn't I. But I believe I speak for all us antips-ladies when I say that everything that was once scary and exciting and new is really quite normal! There's nothing strange about buying things through windows or out of baskets on peoples heads. You wouldn't think twice about fishing some earth out of your bucket-shower water, and having someone (female or male) urinating on the side of the road is completely normal. Every day I swap my thongs for my sandals, and every day I saunter out to the well in the hot sun to fetch myself some water. Swedru has been a bit dodge on the running water lately so we're all quite accustomed to the famous bucket shower :D

Ok now for the weekend. For our final one all together we decided to head back to Cape Coast, the absolutely stunning beach about 2 hours drive from Swedru. When we got to the tro-tro station the only one available was AIR-CONDITIONED (what?) so we had to pay an extra 50 pesewa. It was strange and empty without the wind in our faces - instead a man who was preaching extremely loudly to the whole bus. Ohhhh Ghana. Nobody seemed to really be listening but he insisted on the arm-flailing party for a good 45 minutes before he collapsed in his chair. You've just got to go along with it.

UHH just lost power. Another thing that has become normal here ! The moment of dread when the lights go and the fans slow and you're left with a blank screen .. just asking yourself why you didn't save a draft sooner. Good times. Oh well it only took 30 minutes of awkward conversation with Ghanian's (avoided giving out my number, don't worry) before the happy hum began again.

Where was I CAPE COAST ahh yes. The sun was hot! Luckily we had the communal TRUE GUARD sunscreen on the bench for a last minute pump-lather on your way out the door... (thanks mum).. It was nice just chilling, and not really having anything in particular to do but lie in the sun and eat peanut brittle. She was so happy when the girls practically bought out her .. store? (her case on her head). I'll have 1 please. Make that 2. Or 3.. "oh me too, 3 please..!" Our outings were limited to sauntering to the orange lady across the road, the vegetarian place that sold amazing tofu sticks and vegan cakes. TASTY TIMES. But not as tasty as that Hawaiian burger... Maddie will agree. We had this burger 6 weeks ago and even after dreaming about it and raving and trying to remember the juicy goodness for all that time, it was still just as perfect. The pineapple here is so sweet and juicy, and in burger format it's just perfection. Sorry I'll stop talking about this now - everyone's heard enough of it for it to deserve a whole paragraph in the blog.

Anyway we also spent some time venturing back to the souvenier stores at the Cape Coast castles that we were unsure of the first time around. Bardie was feeling good - finally crossing things off her list - "Buy gifts for friends = check!" Our nights were spent chilling out in our happy dorm room, this time avoiding falling through bunks. Hoorah! On Saturday night we watched the most amazing drumming and dancing. They had so much energy! For hours they danced and drummed with smiles on their faces and in their hearts :) <3

After that the rest of the group (bar Gina, Hari and I) headed off to Hans cottage for some chillz with da crocodiles! We didn't get to see any before we left but at least we got a good swim in the pool. We also followed all the rules - It's hard not to when there's a massive sign saying NO DROWNING hanging above the pool.

And then at last it was our last week of work, and I've never felt more proud of the kids there. Especially Staffan! Our youngest little bopper took his first steps! :D We spent our last days with the same routines as usual, but Hari and I knew that it would be the last few times we sung the "Days of the week" song, the last times we give out stickers before break, and the last few times we danced to Michael Jackson on the classroom floor. On our last day we all gave them special lolly bags we had made, and these awesome drinks called Africa Fun. Although they were content just running around with the balloons that we drew on... the end of the day was rough though. We were glad we wore our big long skirts to wipe tears of our darlings' faces. At least we get to see them again! And so will all the others - we're taking them out for a trip to Winneba beach on Sunday :)

And it wasn't just the last teaching moments - we had the lasts of everything! Last market day, last time we wash our clothes, and the last obruni meeting! We celebrated nicely (Bardie got particularly excited and managed to knock over everyone's fanta bottles) and Harriet, Katie, Maddie and Hari brought along things to get signed.. you know things are serious when there's signing involved.

A quick word from the others!:

Katie and Ren - "Cape Coast was fun! Weird that it was our last weekend, loved the vegan cakes. Me and ren loved the last day of teaching, Sir Patrick gave our certificates and we bought them icecream and danced :) It was sad when we started our walk home 15 minutes later remembering we forgot the certificates, we went back and all the kids were like "you're here to stay forever now!"

Harriet and Kristen - "Our last days of school were fun involved 26 FanIce, glitter everywhere, singing, dancing and guitar playing, bubbles, gorgeous photos and sad goodbyes. We will miss our grade 2 kiddies so much :)"

Bardie and Lauren - "We finished teaching abruptly as inter school sport games were wednesday to Friday. We surprised the school with an art + sport cupboard full of goodies and they kept saying "you are too good to us!" :) We had a goodbye prayer and morning tea with all the teachers at our school, they got us Ghanian dresses made."

Maddie - "It was sad to leave the kids, but knowing that we left them with something to remember us by is relatively comforting."

And as it stands it is our final day in Swedru! It's going to be so strange leaving this town that has become our home. We have learnt so much over the past few months and it's going to be so sad to leave. Last night was our goodbye dinner which was so much fun. :) It was really cool to meet everyone else's family members that we have heard so much about! We had it in Seth's backyard and there was amazing food and drinks and lots of Ghanian style dancing. Seth, Felicia and Tina have been the most amazing in-country agents we could have asked for. Every little worry or qualm we had was easily fixed or sorted out - all you had to do was ask. And I think everyone will agree our group had no shortage of house swapping and sickness and donation money to organise so they have just been a god send!

And it turns out that most Ghanians you will meet are the kindest and selfless in the world. Every time they eat you'll hear "you are invited" as they offer their plate to you, taxi drivers will give you free fares occasionally just because "you are human!", if you're running down the street in a torrential downpour they'll beckon you into their shop and spend 15 minutes mending your broken shoe... and there are always smiles. Happiness is just everywhere in Ghana, and we hope on our two weeks travel we'll be able to experience much more of this beautiful country.

We're off to Kumasi tomorrow, and next time I write to you I'll have to tell you all about it. Unfortunately Katie and Renee have left to go back to the land down under, so hopefully they will be safe at hope by the end of the week. We'll miss you guys!!

Ok that's all for now :) We send our love, our happiness and our thoughts.

Notre Dame UniBreak nursing group trekking in Vietnam

2011-11-14T14:19:00.001+11:00

Our UniBreak group from Notre Dame Fremantle Nursing faculty have been having a great time trekking from village to village in the mountains of Mai Chau, Vietnam. So far, the group has spent time at Tay Dang orphanage playing games with the children and providing the centre with their donation of gifts and resources. They also visited Bach Mai hospital and had a good chance to start making comparisons with hospitals and health care in Australia. Reports are that the weather is turning colder and a little wet from tomorrow which is a shame for the group but they are prepared and it hopefully won't hamper their spirits.

Sunrise safari for our GapBreakers in Kenya

2011-11-10T12:56:00.001+11:00

As our second month in Kenya came to a close we finished flattening the bottles for the mud hut and moved on to a new project constructing toilets for the Islamic school, ten minutes down the road from Muhaka Primary. On Thursday we welcomed two volunteers from America and China, that afternoon we stopped by a roadside stall on the way home to sample some local food. We feasted on freshly cooked potatoes with onion dipped in chili sauce, a bag of which costed only a dollar each!

The work at the Islamic school progressed rapidly as we have all become very competent cement-making and brick-laying, and on Friday we put up the roof of one of the structures. Nevertheless it was hard work transporting the bricks, wheelbarrows, tools and cement from the camp to the school everyday, especially under the fierce heat. Most of us have tanned quite a lot since our arrival and we all have thickly calloused hands: the local guys joke that we are slowly becoming African. On Saturday we spent our last day at the beach at Forty Thieves and ate as many burgers and beef medallions as we could afford. The next day we awoke early and hit the road to Tsavo National Park.
Four and a half hours later (Arabella and Amy sang the whole way) we arrived at camp, located in the middle of the wilderness, far from any of the supermarkets or internet cafes we had enjoyed in Muhaka. On our first drive outside the camp we saw an enormous group of baboons, meerkats, mongooses, gazelles, elephants, warthogs, giraffes and my favorite, dik diks, a kind of minature gazelle. On Tuesday we visited the Imani women's group and worked on the Mama's kitchen which Belle raised money to fund. A spokesperson from the group told us about the difficulties many girls face growing up in rural Kenya. It is common practice for a family to arrange their daughter's marriage to middle-aged husbands in return for four or five cows - this can happen before they turn twelve. The 'wife' will never go to school or earn a wage, effectively becoming a slave in a new family.

The next day we woke at 5.30am before sunrise and set off for our Tsavo East Safari. The park was packed with wildlife: baboons, waterbucks, gerenuks, dik diks, gazelles, meerkats, zebras, buffalo, giraffes, elephants, vultures and... a female lion! The animals in the park are much more accustomed to the sound of vehicles so every time we were able to get much closer to the animals than ever before. The lion was spectacular but my favorite sight came right at the end, only fifty metres from the gate where we saw a tiny baby elephant, only a few weeks old, stumbling around after its mother.

The next two days were spent working at the local primary school building a new classroom. At the moment in Kenya the government is meant to provide each school with as many teachers as there are functional classrooms, and it was clear to us that the school desperately needs more staff. For most of the day classes of 60 or more students sit unsupervised, eager to learn but unable to work through their aged textbooks without assistance. For the first time we were given the opportunity to do some teaching for ourselves. This was definitely the most fulfilling work I've done in Kenya: the classrooms are overcrowded and poorly equipped but the kids literally begged us to come in and teach them.

We taught English and Maths to the year twos and the next day we helped the senior students study for their upcoming exams in maths and English. We helped the year sevens with their letters to their pen pals in England. Reading some of these letters was a real insight into the everyday life of the students: many were orphans living with relatives or were looked after by the Imani women's group and others had to commute nearly 10km by foot to get to school. In a stuffy classroom where there are only a couple erasers in a class of 70, and rarely any assistance fromteachers, the children's motivation to work was inspirational.

On the weekend we climbed Mount Kasigau, an experience which Megan summed up with the words 'it was bloody hard!' It was an amazing walk through the rainforest and great training for the six of us who plan to tackle Mount Kilimanjaro in 5 days!

Do you want to become an Antipodeans volunteer? Want to volunteer in Africa or teach English overseas? Check out our website at www.antipodeans.com.au.

GapBreak volunteers leave Borneo with great memories

2011-11-10T11:21:00.002+11:00

'Team Borneo' have just spent the last 2 weeks at the final camp - BongKud. Camp Bongkud is located in the heart of the small village and is surrounded with magnificent mountains and an amazing view of Mt Kinabalu - so along with comfy hammocks and delicious meals, we were most definitely always in our element. We've all made the most of our remaining time on the program with a 5 day jungle trek, involvement in construction projects within the village and in enjoying the cultural side of Beautiful Borneo. On arrival at the camp, we were immediately welcomed with the warm hospitality of the staff and village members and were given a dance performance which of course we joined in and impressed many with our amazing dance moves.

One of the biggest challenges yet most incredible experiences of the trip was unanimously agreed, the jungle trek. The trek follows that of the Death Marches trail - a path in which huge amounts of British and Australian soldiers were once forced to walk in poor conditions, resulting in over 2500 deaths, a tragic moment in history. We began the trek in Bongkud and completed it with our final destination being the Sabah Tea Gardens near Ranau, a place where we visited a war memorial and were given insight into the loss of lives within the death marches and the importance of remembrance.

Everyday during the trek; we would walk in the sun, climb steep uphill and tumble down steep slopes and clear a path through dense vegetation - so it is obvious that it proved a struggle for everyone. Along with this, we carried our backpacks, heavy with clothes, food and a hammock and tarp necessary for 5 days of roughing it. Although each day was hard work, we were rewarded with the sights and sounds of the jungle and also with a daily swim in the beautiful river. On the trek not only did we stretch our levels of fitness, but we also stepped out of comfort zones involving insects. With alot of screaming and whinging, we became at one with the mosquito, fire-ants and the group's personal favourite, leeches. We got through each day with the assistance of our trusty guides, the thought of mealtimes of noodles and baked beans and of course, trekking singalongs. On completion of the trek, we spent a night at the Sabah tea gardens longhouse...hot showers and a mattress were most definitely a blessing.

Whilst at Camp Bongkud, we took part in two major construction projects within the village. We put work into hand-mixing cement for the village community centre and also spent time clearing a sight for the construction of a large communal water tank. This was also hard and messy work, but most definitely rewarding at the end of each day.

In Bongkud, we also spent a day at the traditional markets, where we brought four baby chicks for the campsite. We spent a relaxing day at the Poring Hot Springs - taking part in a canopy walk above the trees, bathing in a waterfall and taking advantage of the slide pool. One of the highlights was our last meal at camp together as a group, followed with rice wine celebrations and the learning of a traditional malay song.

At the completion of our time at Bongkud, we said our goodbyes and went ahead in enjoying our last day in Kota Kinabalu together - going to the markets, enjoying an amazing lunch and soaking up the last of our Borneo experience. We waved each other goodbye with a mix of tears and joy, reminiscing about our memories from the past two months and the amazement at how much we have done. Finishing with the most corny of lines from a past Gapper, but which I am sure all of us would agree so very true..... 'Summer dosen't last forever, but memories do.'

Do you want to visit and volunteer in Borneo? What about teaching English overseas? Antipodeans Abroad specialises in gap year ideas and educational travel. Visit the website at www.antipodeans.com.au.

Volunteers in Brazil become locals in Florianopolis

2011-11-09T17:19:00.001+11:00

One of the most special parts of this program is that fact that once you have come home you can say “I lived in Brazil for 12 weeks,” not only that you “travelled” there. Now that we are two thirds into the trip, we are all starting to feel a lot more integrated in Florianopolis. We have become experts with the bus system, we have our cute little ‘meeting spots’, and are feeling really comfortable in our families.

The most significant moment for me was when I organised a “rapid pass” for the bus. This pass allows you to upload credit and pass through the gate inside the bus with one beep. The inferior alternative is scrounging around in your wallet for some money and waiting for the ‘bus man’ to find the correct change. Meanwhile, the bus has taken off having you bash from structure to structure on each side, and sometimes even hitting the fellow passengers. Every time this happened, we weren’t being integrated in the Brazilian culture. We stood out like sore thumbs and held up the line. Then, everything changed with the “rapid pass.” We no longer bashed through the entrance, but breezed through. The day I got my rapid pass was the same day I began being approached by Brazilians asking about the bus timetable or route. I always tried my hardest to explain my expertise, but I think they always left more confused than to begin with.

Our voluntary work placement is also starting to become easier, and with the ease came a whole other level of relationships with the children. There is nothing better than walking into the hall in the morning and seeing all the bright faces looking up at you, just so excited about the fact that you are there. For children that are experiencing a challenging upbringing, they are certainly more cooperative and willing than I imagined. Whenever we want to teach them a new game or organise an activity they are always so keen to participate. They are also a lot more tolerant of the mistakes we make in Portuguese, which allows them to understand us more. During the second week Lucas and I even started to take some English classes. Due to the laid back nature of the program we never know what days we will be taking the classes, but every morning, without fail, every child asks at least twice if we are having them that day. They are extremely excited about the thought of being able to understand Justin Beiber’s lyrics.

We have decided that a worthwhile contribution to the project would be to paint some rooms and perhaps replace some furniture. We think this will make the building look slightly more official, but more importantly a nice place for the children to spend their mornings or afternoons. We are not sure when this will be done, but we are organising now exactly what needs to be done. For now, we are really enjoying keeping the children occupied and having the freedom to assist in any activity that we want to. Every day we can chose from playing soccer, volleyball, board games, dancing or teaching English. However, most of the time it is playing soccer as for the kids the sport is nothing less than an obsession. Lucas was already a soccer player, so he has a fun time flaunting his tricks, but for us three girls it has been a great bonus getting to know the game and finding that we aren’t actually as uncoordinated as we thought. At the moment I am trying to teach them some volleyball. They have the equipment and the motivation, but they just insist on always using their feet. I have come to the conclusion that it’s in their genes.

Working with the underprivileged children at Cidade da Crianca, is a big contrast to the somewhat materialistic nights that we spend out clubbing. Both of our host brother’s absolutely love to party and could almost be classified as nocturnal. There is no doubt that we have a hard time trying to keep up with them, sometimes there are nights when a movie and popcorn is just so much more tempting than a club. Needless to say, we have had some great nights out, meeting lots of new people and dancing to some great music. One of my most vivid memories of this city will be driving down ‘Beiramar Avenue’ in my host mother’s car, listening to awesome brazilian music and gawking at the incredible lit-up city around me. The only way I could describe it is as magical.

Another one of my favorite memories is the day that we all spent with Ange and Ellen’s host family on the South of the Island. We drove there in the morning and found ourselves in a cute little restaurant on the beach. This restaurant was something out of a movie, or perhaps an artistic magazine. Every wall and every bit of roof was covered in letters from the people that had eaten in the restaurant. It was breathtaking, even before I got to taste the food. Our lunch was a ‘all you can eat’ seafood buffet followed by an ‘all you can eat dessert.’ Everything was delicious, apart from the traditional 70% alcohol that they tried to make us ‘shoot’ at the beginning. We felt a little bit weak having to refuse the drink, but then again, the Brazilians dry retch from trying Vegemite, so I suppose everything is relative.

The weekend after this Ange and Ellen’s family took them and Lucas to the ‘Oktober Fest’ in a town called ‘Blumenau.’ I had to sit out on this one because I woke up extremely exhausted this day, but hearing about all the stories certainly makes me a little bit jealous. The really rowdy party occurs during the night, but the others only went during they day so I guess their experience was more civilised. They did still drink beer, they did still dance and they did still have a great time, regardless of what the Brazilians classify as a ‘great time.’ Sometimes I want to remind them that you don’t have to be drunk, stumbling around and groping someone of the opposite sex to have a great time. Oh dear, I sound like my Mother.

The other day we were lucky to catch up with three Australian girls that are doing the Antipodeans program in Argentina. We took them to a typical Brazilian restaurant where we exchanged stories of our programs so far. They sound like they are having a great time, and were also very impressed by what we had to share. It was very refreshing catching up with people that understand how challenging the cultural immersion can be. Even their accents made us feel closer to home. We wanted to go out with them last night but they unfortunately had sunstroke from getting way to excited about the clear sky. I hope that their bus ride to another part of Brazil wasn’t too painful. The next day was a ‘feriado,’ which is a curriculum day. As Brazil seems to have a countless amount of these, we decided to make this one special by going to a theme park. We went with Ange and Ellen’s brother and sister who enjoyed reminiscing in childhood days with us. Everything about the theme park was extravagant; the colours, the food, the sculptures on the rides, the extreme car show- My head was spinning just from the sight of the place and that was even before we went on the ‘fire whip’ ride. After the park we drove to have dinner in a town called Bulenario, where we hope to spend next weekend with Carla, the other host sister.

After that weekend Lucas, Ellen and I have our trip to Rio de Janeiro and Angela has her trip to Buenos Aires. After that we will be on the home stretch. It’s scary to think about how fast the time is flying. There is still so much that we want to do and see, but so little time left, so here is where the ‘living each day as if it’s your last’ comes in to play. Come to think about it, if it were my ‘last day’ I would do something along the lines of what I have been doing. Spending time with amazing kids that appreciate life, eating delicious food and sipping on great coffee, soaking up the sun on some of the most amazing beaches in the world, drinking the world’s best juices, dancing to great music and spending time with great people. LG. Life’s Good.

Argentina Gappers walk through the beautiful Andes

2011-11-09T17:06:00.001+11:00

A relaxing week in Mendoza was more than a well-deserved trip for us Australian Gappers here in Argentina. On Thursday afternoon we got ourselves ready for a very tiring 16 hour bus trip. We arrived in Mendoza early Friday morning and made our way to the hostel. We walked into the hostel and were thrown with a whole page of adventure packed activities we could do whilst in Mendoza. The best part of the list was the price of each activity and how astonishingly cheap each was. This is where we all had to work together and decide exactly what we wanted to do as there were many activities.

So.. Saturday we were scheduled to participate in a bike tour through a few vineyards and an olive factory. Here we examined the exotic flavours formed in each of the different organic wines by simply smelling, twirling, smelling again and then finally drinking. After this we rode our bikes to an olive farm/factory where we were able to taste test the many different varieties of olive oils and pastes. Here a few of the boys made good use of the free sample olive oil body creams as they were just a little bit sunburnt…..

Sunday we woke up nice and early as we were scheduled to take a casual stroll through the breathtaking Andes Mountain. A small mini bus took us through the many windy roads all the way up to the main attraction site in the Andes. Every single one of us made very good use of our cameras here. We drained the batteries and filled the memory cards before it was time to leave. When we took our first step out of the mini bus we all received a sudden chill of the icy breeze coming from the tops of the Andes but low and behold we put it aside as nothing was going to stop us from trekking on through.

Monday’s activity was much similar to Sundays except required a lot more fitness as we were scheduled to trek up mountains and then abseil down. 30 Minutes through the trek some of us started to feel the pains in our calf muscle, the clench for thirst and strain on our shoulders from our backpacks. We eventually made it to the top where our mouths were paralysed by the views we had just been hit with. We could see far beyond Mendoza if that’s what we were even looking at.

To top the rest of our day off we were taken to hot springs that left some of us breathless. The place looked like an amusement park; it was nothing like what we had expected. This day had left us feeling more than exhausted so Tuesday was a day of relaxation before a few of us had to make our way back to Buenos Aires.

Some of us have a few months left here in Argentina and some only a few weeks. We are never sitting with nothing to do, as many more travel plans are in the making and so are many celebrations. A few are due to return from Brazil where they will have plenty of stories to share.

Eurodisney, Rennes & Italy for our Gappers in France

2011-11-09T16:52:00.003+11:00

Salut!

I have just come back from a weekend in Rennes with my new friend Meagan! Rennes is a largish city in Bretagne. It is very popular among teenagers and university students! We spent our days shopping, admiring architecture and reading in the park.It was an exciting experience shopping in H&M because in Australia the clothes are only available online. I think the two of us spent about 2 hours in that store! The nightlife in Rennes was buzzing! There is a narrow street that looks isolated and untouched during the day but comes alive as soon as the sun goes down. The atmosphere was awesome, filled with music, dancing and of course tasty cocktails. It was an AWESOME weekend. I met people from all over the world!

I have just moved to my second host families in the town of Pluneret and I am settling in nicely! I warmed to the family instantly. It is great having a teenage girl to be able to talk and hang out with. I do miss my previous family although I have arranged a few dinners and coffee dates with them. My new host Mother Benni is the best cook, she has made such terrific French dishes. Each night she describes where the dish is from. I have absolutely loved every meal even the ones that sound or look bizarre absolutely amaze me. I am currently searching for an Australian recipe that I can make that they will love! Any ideas would be much appreciated?

About 2 weeks ago Andrew and I took at trip to Disneyland and the beautiful South of France. Eurodisney truly is a magical place. It definitely bought back some childhood memories. We spent the evening in Paris and explored the city by night, beautiful! The Eiffel tower sparkles in the darkness and it is so amazing to watch! The two of us boarded the TGV to Marsaille (the second biggest city in France). We spent three exciting days in the South and loved every minute of it. We visited some really beautiful islands, ate some great food and met an awesome Canadian guy at the Youth Hostel who became a great friend of ours. We took a day trip two hours away from Marsaille to the beautiful holiday city of Nice, I loved Nice! It was absolutely divine. My personal favourite I would say.

Rebecca and Samuel took a trip to Rome and enjoyed some magnificent sites, Italian culture and of course some of the best foods and gelati! I am looking forward to hearing more about their stories when they get back.

Tutoring is so much fun and it doesn’t even feel like tutoring. Today I played mastermind with my 12 year old host brother and it was heaps of fun. He explained to me the rules in English. Yesterday my 16 year old host sister taught me how to make her favourite French dish so that I can make it when I return to Australia, it was so good! Most of the English lessons with Marion are not even lessons; it is more like hanging out and having a chat over tea and chocolate. We are becoming very good friends.

I am not just staying in France anymore instead i am living in living in France. I have routines, a favourite cafe and park and of course an awesome second family. I think I can speak on behalf of the rest of the group when I say that too.

Life is great.

Samantha!

Gappers in China are getting ready for the cold as they explore the country

2011-11-09T16:40:00.002+11:00

It has been a few weeks since my last update, and so much has happened. Hayley and I did some local sightseeing in Shenyang over the Golden Week holiday. First, it was nice just to have some time to rest, but we got into it a day or two later. We saw the Imperial Palace, which is like a (much) smaller Forbidden City. It took us a while to find it, but when we did we had a great time wondering through the courtyards. We even ran into a teacher from our school there, and finally located some postcards. This adventure was trumped, however, by the Beiling Park and the Zhaoling tombs. We wandered up the main path through the park at a leisurely pace, enjoying the various statues and the lake, and if it hadn’t been so cold, the two of us might have braved the Zorbs.

Inside the temple complex that surrounds the tombs, we entertained ourselves by visiting such buildings as the guard towers, the fruit storage house and the sacrificial animal slaughtering platform (which had unfortunately collapsed and replaced with photos). We spent hours in there looking at everything, and steadily making our way to the very back where we came across the Burial Mound. We finished our tour and jumped on a transport shuttle to take us back to the gate, and as the temple disappeared behind us the ominous grey beyond made us shiver. And, knowing that rain was on its way and thus demand would go up, no taxi driver would stop for us. So we stood in the rain for an hour and got saturated, before ducking into a restaurant to wait it out. We had a good feed.

We also took great advantage of the Golden week sales to stock up on winter clothes. It is fast becoming very cold. This winter will be like nothing we have ever seen before, possibly dropping to -25 degrees. Can anyone say snow angels? We have been back at school for a few weeks since then, and things are going well. We have been to a wedding and a party with some of the English teachers, and have been invited to another wedding this weekend. We are getting along very well with the staff here.

Outside of school, all of the teaching interns in our building have taken up tutoring as well. Hayley and I were approached after a conversation in a noodle shop beside the school, and now have four hours each a week. She tutors a 7 and a 3 year old, and I tutor their father. All of them will be visiting Australia next year, so they have a strong interest in the language. The pay is good, not to mention the extremely nice, extremely new car he drives us around in and the places he takes us for lunch. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

In more recent news, it seems likely that Hayley and I will be offered an extended contract until next June, which is perfect as we intend to stay.

Beach visits and Tie-dying lessons for our Gappers in Ghana

2011-11-09T16:29:00.001+11:00

HELLO AUSTRALIA!

We meet again! Another 2 weeks has passed so I am tippity tapping my way through BLOG NUMBER 4! A respectable number considering the fact that only 6 blogs are required and the halfway point has passed :)

The weeks go quickly here...maybe it's because we have all reached such a comfortable routine with school, home and weekly visits to the internet or the post office that just makes it fly by. I thought I would have a lot more free time here, but at the start of the week I actually have to plan how I'm going to fit it all in! Washing is a weekly duty - and has to happen straight after work otherwise you'll be stuck with wet clothes for a few days. Every Wednesday we have Obruni meeting, which is where all us white folk of Swedru meet up for soft drink and weekend organisation :) And when you factor in blogging and letter writing and going to the river with ya host brother... and pocahontus nights at Katie's house... it all kind of crams in and before you know it it's Friday afternoon and you're on a trotro off to the beach!

Speaking of the beach ;) (what a good segway) we headed back to KOKROBITE for a nice weekend of relaxation. And relax we did! It was sooo nice to go somewhere close and familiar, and buy some things at the markets that we were too hesitant to buy the first time around. Happy pants, necklaces, beads, paintings, coconuts = everyone's smiling faces. OH AND THE BON BONS they were the cause of the most smiling that weekend - we discovered these amazing little bundles of joy... little chocolates with creamy filling for 50 pesewa. life complete. but yeah - we smashed out the Italian restaurant again (main reason why we came back) and ordered the best pizzas, and mixed juices and bruschettas... you probably don't want to know the details of our orders (renee got an olive pizza) but food is on my mind at the moment as I am really hungry. Fun fact for you all at home. Not that I'm always hungry here.. it's actually quite the opposite! We have huuuge breakfasts and huge lunches... that we try to eat as late as possible so it can double as a dinner.
Anyway back to Kokrobite.. the sun was so intense.. last time we were there it was slightly overcastingly dim/sad (that made sense) but this time the sun was scorching and the sky was blue and our souls were smiling.

And once again this last week went really quickly because dear Seth (bless his cotton socks) was jolly enough to take us to his house for a tie-dying session! The great thing about tie-dying is that no matter what you do they always turn out cool. Now we all have a nice little GHANA 2011 (or something of the likes) momento to take home with us :) Things have changed so much at the orphange! We also got to see everyone all together last Thursday because it was time to paint the classroom that I used my donation money to build! Maddie's furniture should be arriving sometime this week and then the classroom will be put to use. Turns out even with 8 people and 2 flashy extendo-brushes (paint brushes nailed to sticks) painting the inside/outside/doors/window ledges of a room is quite the hefty job and we couldn't finish in one day. Perhaps we'll have to recruit the crew in for another session this Thursday.. (yes I am already planning my week because there's just SO MUCH TO DO)

Last weekend we ventured into the Eastern region to check out the Aburi Gardens, and I can safely say it was my favourite weekend of all. It was such a nice change to mix it up a bit from your classic beach weekend and chuck some botanical gardens on ya tasting platter! Every weekend I feel like we just get closer and closer. When we're not finding trotros or trying to book accomodation, we'll just be chilling in someone's dodgy room, everyone sprawled over the beds and floor and just talking about anything and everything. One time I decided to jot down all the topics we cycled through in a night .. that was quite the extensive list :)

Anyway so on the Saturday 5 of us (Bardie, Harriet, Gina, Lauren and myself) decided to brave the 24km bikeride over Ghanian jungle-infused countryside. And we all agreed it was the best decision we ever made! Not only did we find our mountain biking legs but we got a nice little tour around a cocoa forest, we stopped off for some palm wine under a tree, we visited our guide (Ben)'s brother also his coach called Lesley, who is a half-Ghanian half-British man who has a lot of nameless cats. After bonding over a waterfall and an extreme rapping sesh, we became so close to Ben (or should I say STONZY BEE) that he bought us a pineapple and he promised to take us out for a real experience of Ghanian nightlife. Little did we know this would also include a chill out in his recording studio, in which we were encouraged to "show us your stuff". We made a pathetic little chorus about palm wine and it's effects on bike riding.. but stonzy found this so exciting that he burnt it to a cd to take home. That's one for the ipods! The rest of the night was spent dancing on the side of the road in the rain in a town called 'tutu'... not being 18 yet I can say that was a strange 'first clubbing experience'... :D

I am now typing this half for the second time as I had a lovely little run-in with unreliable internet and as soon as I hit send the web decided to crash! So hopefully I can remember what I typed. Honestly I don't think you're missing much, a lot of this is just ramblin' good times from ansy gray.

But reading back over this it looks like all I talk about is the weekends! I suppose the weekdays have just turned into such a routine that it's kind of strange to say well, today Georgina urinated on the floor! Or - hey Australia, our class drew pigs today! They were really nice pigs. And nobody chose pink when colouring them! There were brown pigs, and orange/green pigs, and red pigs.. a plethora of piggity joy. Sorry my head is in a strange place! I am utterly exhausted from a long afternoon of painting my classroom. So. Much. Surface. Area. I must look a little kooky covered in sweat and red and blue paint :) :) But we're all very happy with our kids' progresses. Even though it may be small, every little difference means so much from our point of view.

I'm quite glad the internet crashed actually because we had a classic Ghana experience just where I left you yesterday. Hari, Gina and I were in Melcom (a supermarket) and a woman from across the street smiled at us and decided to cross. Things got a little strange when she accompanied us through the checkout and started kissing us and calling us her mother. But that wasn't the end of the strangeness. She decided to follow "her daughters" all the way to the next shop.. all the way up a side street.. all the way to Katie's house... will she come inside? Oh. Wow. Okay she's in Katie's house. What do we do... we can just leave her in the hall. Oh ok, she's in the lounge room now and kissing all our friends.. annnd... settling in for a nice view of the Tuesday movie. Luckily we had Linda (Katie's host sister) to coax her out of their property. Oh Ghana.

There are so many times you just have to smile and go along with it. I was buying deodorant (hair minimising deodorant .. just for fun) and a woman stopped me and told me I was buying hairspray. "But it says anti-perspirant deodorant.." "NO. It's for the hair." "Ok.. thank you!" :) wheeee.

Well I can't really remember what else I wrote but this is getting quite lengthy so I might leave you there. It's a scary though that next time I write to you all we'll be in our last week of teaching and saying goodbye to our host families!! Time has gone so unbelievably quickly. This weekend we're off to the Wli waterfalls in the Volta region!

I'll be sure to give you the low down in Blog number 5... Until then, adios!

We send our love and our smiling hearts :) <3

Final Goodbye's for our Gappers in India

2011-11-04T16:49:00.000+11:00

What a sad, but exciting week we’ve had. This week we had our last days at school, day care and orphanage, because next week is Diwali. It was very hard to say goodbye to our kids, and many tears were shed. Annie and I found it particularly hard at the day care, because the kids there are so young (some could still be considered babies) and therefore had no idea we were even leaving. As per usual, our orphanage boys were very cheeky on our last day and we had to chase them to get photos, we even managed to squeeze a couple of awkward hugs out of them! We have all had an unforgettable experience teaching these kids, and we are so lucky that we were able to be part of their lives!On Saturday afternoon we all boarded an overnight bus to Agra… a 16 hour bus ride!! (Minus Maddy who got to spend the weekend with her mum in Agra – lucky thing). We handled it quite well and even managed to get a few hours sleep. We had a quick, but delicious breakfast when we arrived and then headed straight to the Taj Mahal! Once we found ourselves a guide (actually he found us and practically begged us to hire him) we headed in. Our first few glimpses of the magnificent building were breathtaking. It was so hard to comprehend the fact that we were really there, standing in front of it. It looked just like it does in the pictures, and of course our tour guide took all the corny tourist shots for us. After leaving the Taj, we had a quick visit to Agra Fort followed by a well deserved lunch at Pizza Hut! At 5:30 we were dropped at the train station for our ride home (only 12 hours this time). We were so worried we wouldn’t have time to fit Agra in so we were so happy with the weekend and had the best time.