i'm here in Soshanguve safe and sound. we're actually posting on a team blog so check this out instead
http://icsoshanguve.blogspot.com
blessings,
Andrew.
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
a new adventure...
so i'm off travellng again! this time its a 6 week trip to South Africa via San Francisco to get involved with an organisation called innerCHANGE, a christian order among the poor.
I am going on an internship for the summer to find out more about the organisation and to spend some time living and breathing in a township near Pretoria called Soshanguve.
Most people reading this blog will probably know all about the trip so I won't bore you with any more details... keep watching this space and i'll try and keep you updated with what's going on.
laters.
I am going on an internship for the summer to find out more about the organisation and to spend some time living and breathing in a township near Pretoria called Soshanguve.
Most people reading this blog will probably know all about the trip so I won't bore you with any more details... keep watching this space and i'll try and keep you updated with what's going on.
laters.
Thursday, 14 June 2007
did you feel the montains tremble?
...well i did. yesterday whilst sitting in this very same internet café from where i am writing this blog i was priviledged to experience a mighty moving of the earth... an earthquake to be exact! and it was a whopping 6.8 on the richter scale. Sweet!! the whole building was shaking and the floor was moving up and down. it must have been strong because all the guatemalans were talking about it and the experience them all the time.
so, what else?
i tried to upload some photos of what i´ve been doing in last few weeks but this computer isn´t the best so i´ll try again another day. i can´t complain really. an hour in an internet café is 30p so i can afford to check my emails (and update this blog) whenever i want.
i´d rather wait and explain what i´ve been doing when i upload the photos so you´ll just have to be patient. i hope that is ok?
so, what else?
i tried to upload some photos of what i´ve been doing in last few weeks but this computer isn´t the best so i´ll try again another day. i can´t complain really. an hour in an internet café is 30p so i can afford to check my emails (and update this blog) whenever i want.
i´d rather wait and explain what i´ve been doing when i upload the photos so you´ll just have to be patient. i hope that is ok?
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Come on you Super Rams!!!!!
Don´t be mistaken, although i am pleased that Derby County have reached the premiership, i´m actually referring to the super chivos (rams) that are Xelaju MC, the winners of the guatemalan league.
so, here we are again. time for some more information and some more photos. in fact, lots more photos. i was feeling generous so i decided to spend 2 hours at an internet café uploading them for your viewing pleasure. i hope you are happy...
the first lot of photos are from the football game i went to see here in Xela. Xelaju MC played local rivals San Marcos in the cup final of the guatemalan league. in the game that i went to (i had to queue for over 2 hours to get tickets) Xelaju lost 0-1. but went on to win the away leg 1-4. sweet. celebrations lasted a long, long time here in Xela, as they haven´t won the league for a long, long time.
the next lot are from a village called Las Nubes (the clouds) where i have been helping build a church. the building will also act as a community space for the villagers, where weekly film nights and typing classes will be held.
the final shots are of another village called xocalja (show-cal-ha) which is over 2 hours from Xela. a missionary group who set up the church i´ve been going to in Xela helped build the school and still have regular contact with the kids. i went along and played some games with them.
This is Shazad and Fred, my housemates, out shopping at La Democracia, the local market.
this is Jacob, Mary-Ann and Ruth (who is a teacher from the spanish school i went to) enjoying the prematch celebrations. we arrived at 6pm for an 8pm kick-off and the stadium was already full. some people arrived at 6am just to get a good spot!
Me and the girls!
things went crazy when the teams entered on the stadium. fireworks were shooting just over our heads onto the pitch. it was a very cool atmosphere. not quite as good as sitting in a half empty stadium watching Darlington FC lose though.
firecrackers were constantly attached to the fence or thrown on the pitch.
more craziness...
This is me explaining the complicated game of ´cat and mouse´ in english, which was then translated into spanish and then translated into the mayan language of quiche.
everyone having lots of fun!
... more fun
one of the school teachers being a mouse, much to her dismay.
me and some friends. very few of them spoke english or spanish, so there was little verbal communication to be had
These are some kids who live in the village of Las Nubes where i was helping build the church (you can just see it in the background). i can´t remember their names unfortunately. i can tell you they very much enjoyed bing photographed and seeing the pictures on my camera!
this is a picture taken by one the above kids.
me and me mates!
so, here we are again. time for some more information and some more photos. in fact, lots more photos. i was feeling generous so i decided to spend 2 hours at an internet café uploading them for your viewing pleasure. i hope you are happy...
the first lot of photos are from the football game i went to see here in Xela. Xelaju MC played local rivals San Marcos in the cup final of the guatemalan league. in the game that i went to (i had to queue for over 2 hours to get tickets) Xelaju lost 0-1. but went on to win the away leg 1-4. sweet. celebrations lasted a long, long time here in Xela, as they haven´t won the league for a long, long time.
the next lot are from a village called Las Nubes (the clouds) where i have been helping build a church. the building will also act as a community space for the villagers, where weekly film nights and typing classes will be held.
the final shots are of another village called xocalja (show-cal-ha) which is over 2 hours from Xela. a missionary group who set up the church i´ve been going to in Xela helped build the school and still have regular contact with the kids. i went along and played some games with them.
This is Shazad and Fred, my housemates, out shopping at La Democracia, the local market.
this is Jacob, Mary-Ann and Ruth (who is a teacher from the spanish school i went to) enjoying the prematch celebrations. we arrived at 6pm for an 8pm kick-off and the stadium was already full. some people arrived at 6am just to get a good spot!
Me and the girls!
things went crazy when the teams entered on the stadium. fireworks were shooting just over our heads onto the pitch. it was a very cool atmosphere. not quite as good as sitting in a half empty stadium watching Darlington FC lose though.
firecrackers were constantly attached to the fence or thrown on the pitch.
more craziness...
This is me explaining the complicated game of ´cat and mouse´ in english, which was then translated into spanish and then translated into the mayan language of quiche.
everyone having lots of fun!
... more fun
one of the school teachers being a mouse, much to her dismay.
me and some friends. very few of them spoke english or spanish, so there was little verbal communication to be had
These are some kids who live in the village of Las Nubes where i was helping build the church (you can just see it in the background). i can´t remember their names unfortunately. i can tell you they very much enjoyed bing photographed and seeing the pictures on my camera!
this is a picture taken by one the above kids.
me and me mates!
Friday, 18 May 2007
I´m back!
my friend has just pointed out that it has been almost a month since i lasted posted anything on here. so what have i been doing with myself since i last spoke to you. well, not a lot. i got very ill with either a parasite, bacteria or some other kind of unpleasantness for quite a few days. it was on a weekend so i couldn´t go to a doctor or get a test so i just went to the chemist and picked up some anti biotics (you can buy them over the counter here) and hoped they might do the trick... and they did, praise the lord! supposedly everybody gets sick with something here so i got off relatively lightly, although i still have over a month left to get something else.
so what other news; i spent two days in guatemala city sorting out an extension for my visa. i caught a bus at 5.15 in the morn in order to get to the immigration office in good time. however a bus journey that is meant to take3/4 hours took 6 and a half due to crazy roadworks, meaning i was late by 30 mins and had to stay over night and pick up my passport the following day. i went with my friend leonor from san fransisco and so we spent the day wandering round the city. we were fine but as guatemala city experiences between 30-50 murders a day we didn´t stay out too late (don´t worry mum i´m fine, no need to worry!) the journey back to Xela was even worse- 7 and a quarter hours!
currently i´m doing some language exchange with a guy from the church i´m going to who wants to improve his english, and on whom i can practice my spanish, i´m doing a lot of reading as well as sorting out some voluntary work, which finally seems to be happening. i was also invited to a piñata party of the grandkids of the family i was living with when i was studying last weekend. that was quite fun and very different.
i will post some photos soon. promise.
bye bye.
so what other news; i spent two days in guatemala city sorting out an extension for my visa. i caught a bus at 5.15 in the morn in order to get to the immigration office in good time. however a bus journey that is meant to take3/4 hours took 6 and a half due to crazy roadworks, meaning i was late by 30 mins and had to stay over night and pick up my passport the following day. i went with my friend leonor from san fransisco and so we spent the day wandering round the city. we were fine but as guatemala city experiences between 30-50 murders a day we didn´t stay out too late (don´t worry mum i´m fine, no need to worry!) the journey back to Xela was even worse- 7 and a quarter hours!
currently i´m doing some language exchange with a guy from the church i´m going to who wants to improve his english, and on whom i can practice my spanish, i´m doing a lot of reading as well as sorting out some voluntary work, which finally seems to be happening. i was also invited to a piñata party of the grandkids of the family i was living with when i was studying last weekend. that was quite fun and very different.
i will post some photos soon. promise.
bye bye.
Friday, 20 April 2007
I´ve got TENDONITIS...
So, it´s not a great excuse as to why I haven´t updated my blog recently, but it rather uncomfortable and I can´t really walk very far without getting quite a bit of pain in my leg. it´s right in my achilles. i´m off to see a doctor today so hopefully he´ll give me some medicine. i´ve been spending quite a bit of time at home in my room reading and studying, which is a good thing. anybody read Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky? it´s great. you should. i urge you to.
so, some photos. just a selection to wet your appetite. you can all come over for scones and a slideshow of all my snaps when i return to Inglaterra.
The highlight of my day... futeo (fussball/tablefootball). this is me and and my friend Jacob from the US taking on 2 teachers, Miguel and Estuardo. I have earned my self the nickname Señor Gato (Mr Cat) i´m not exactly sure why...
This is my Guatemalan family celebrating the birthday of Antonio, the father of the family
This is my friend Shazad, also from England, and the grandaughter of the host familyhe is living with. She´s called Milly, she´s 5 and she is great!
Me and my mum... well, my Guatemalan mum. this is Rosa, and we are standing outside the main cathedral in Xela. not that you can tell.
These are some shots from a procession during Semana Santa (Holy Week). it was quite impressive to see... although i´m not sure exactly what it has got to do with the christian message or the teachings of Jesus!
This is me with some of my teachers at the school. From the top it is Rosario, Paty and Rufina.
so, some photos. just a selection to wet your appetite. you can all come over for scones and a slideshow of all my snaps when i return to Inglaterra.
The highlight of my day... futeo (fussball/tablefootball). this is me and and my friend Jacob from the US taking on 2 teachers, Miguel and Estuardo. I have earned my self the nickname Señor Gato (Mr Cat) i´m not exactly sure why...
This is my Guatemalan family celebrating the birthday of Antonio, the father of the family
This is my friend Shazad, also from England, and the grandaughter of the host familyhe is living with. She´s called Milly, she´s 5 and she is great!
Me and my mum... well, my Guatemalan mum. this is Rosa, and we are standing outside the main cathedral in Xela. not that you can tell.
These are some shots from a procession during Semana Santa (Holy Week). it was quite impressive to see... although i´m not sure exactly what it has got to do with the christian message or the teachings of Jesus!
This is me with some of my teachers at the school. From the top it is Rosario, Paty and Rufina.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
me and a rather large volcano
So, this is our campsite that we set up an hour from the top of Volcan Tujumulco. We slept here one night. I use the word slept very loosely. It was cold. very cold. One girl in our group works in Antartica and she said she was colder here than when she is at work...!
a slightly blurry shot of our group singing boy scout and girl guide songs around the fire.
The top! this was taken at sunrise (5.30ish). I have to admit that none of these photos were actually taken by me as my torch batteries had run down so I had to use the ones from my camera. by the time it was light enough to not need a torch i could not use my hands anymore due to the cold. so thank you anna for the use of the pics.
me... on top of a volcano
this is anna... also on top of a volcano
this is us on the way down, descending in to the crater.
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