Home again
Now I am home for a while, until the 5th of January as it's planned so far.
I've been home for one evening and one whole day now, so I feel that I'm beginning to settle a bit here now, to get a grip of the situation. The weekends I've been home was too short for me to be able to really feel like home, only one evening, one full day and one morning.
It's much of my tiredness that is coming up to the surface now. I'm in this high tempo we have in Denmark still, so it's hard for me just to take it easy. I feel like I want to do lots of things but at the same time I don't really have energy to do much and I would just like to relax.
Today I went to Stockholm with Mattias (my brother), Lina (his girlfriend) and Olof (a good friend) to buy the last christmas presents. It was nice, I found everything I needed and I think I managed to get all my presents to a fairly good price as well. I think it matters more to find something that fits the person you're giving it to than to find something expensive.
Also, I'm beginning to see more and more how people are stuck in their routines. Not everyone, but still it's like they experience the same things, spend their time with the same kinds of people and spend their days in the same manner all the time. I'm getting more and more perspecitve on this, that going to Africa is something very unique and that few people actually would do that even if they wanted. Too many are too stuck in their lives so that they really don't even think about how they would like to live.
At the same time, I'm more and more feeling like Gävle will be very fun and nice to live in after Malawi. It seems to be a nice city in the right size with nice people. I will be able to do exactly whatever I want to do there and I'll be fully responsible for my own life, so it's going to be really interesting.
Tomorrow it's cleaning and preparation for christmas and then on monday all the relatives are coming to our home and we celebrate! I really hope that I will get a digital camera, but I'm happy for anything.
Merry Christmas to you all!
I've been home for one evening and one whole day now, so I feel that I'm beginning to settle a bit here now, to get a grip of the situation. The weekends I've been home was too short for me to be able to really feel like home, only one evening, one full day and one morning.
It's much of my tiredness that is coming up to the surface now. I'm in this high tempo we have in Denmark still, so it's hard for me just to take it easy. I feel like I want to do lots of things but at the same time I don't really have energy to do much and I would just like to relax.
Today I went to Stockholm with Mattias (my brother), Lina (his girlfriend) and Olof (a good friend) to buy the last christmas presents. It was nice, I found everything I needed and I think I managed to get all my presents to a fairly good price as well. I think it matters more to find something that fits the person you're giving it to than to find something expensive.
Also, I'm beginning to see more and more how people are stuck in their routines. Not everyone, but still it's like they experience the same things, spend their time with the same kinds of people and spend their days in the same manner all the time. I'm getting more and more perspecitve on this, that going to Africa is something very unique and that few people actually would do that even if they wanted. Too many are too stuck in their lives so that they really don't even think about how they would like to live.
At the same time, I'm more and more feeling like Gävle will be very fun and nice to live in after Malawi. It seems to be a nice city in the right size with nice people. I will be able to do exactly whatever I want to do there and I'll be fully responsible for my own life, so it's going to be really interesting.
Tomorrow it's cleaning and preparation for christmas and then on monday all the relatives are coming to our home and we celebrate! I really hope that I will get a digital camera, but I'm happy for anything.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Christmas holiday soon!
Soon it's time for my christmas holiday, something I'm looking forward to very much!
This weekend we had a Status Meeting, my third, and I'm a bit behind with the studies now... It's not so good but I hope that I will be able to manage it. I feel that I really need to recover some during the holiday to be able to get some energy...
We also had a promotion weekend, but it wasn't so well organized... At least we had some fun games during the saturday evening and the food was good as well.
Today one of the teachers was sick so I got to be teacher in his class. There were five students, all with differents things to do and all tired since the weekend (it is a monday, after all). During the first hours they worked quite good and there were no problems, but then they just wanted to sleep on the floor. I figured that the only thing that could wake them up a bit was some kind of game so we played Hangman with english words and they actually learned some. The one who guessed the word got a point so it was also a competition, which made them more motivated.
After that we went to the swimming hall, but it was closed so we had to go to another (and a bit more boring) swimming hall. There I met the german truck driver who also goes swimming on mondays, he's actually nice to talk to.
Now I'm going to prepare a course about stress, so you'll hear more from me another time!
This weekend we had a Status Meeting, my third, and I'm a bit behind with the studies now... It's not so good but I hope that I will be able to manage it. I feel that I really need to recover some during the holiday to be able to get some energy...
We also had a promotion weekend, but it wasn't so well organized... At least we had some fun games during the saturday evening and the food was good as well.
Today one of the teachers was sick so I got to be teacher in his class. There were five students, all with differents things to do and all tired since the weekend (it is a monday, after all). During the first hours they worked quite good and there were no problems, but then they just wanted to sleep on the floor. I figured that the only thing that could wake them up a bit was some kind of game so we played Hangman with english words and they actually learned some. The one who guessed the word got a point so it was also a competition, which made them more motivated.
After that we went to the swimming hall, but it was closed so we had to go to another (and a bit more boring) swimming hall. There I met the german truck driver who also goes swimming on mondays, he's actually nice to talk to.
Now I'm going to prepare a course about stress, so you'll hear more from me another time!
To my Swedish readers
Här är en länk till ett ganska bra online-lexikon där ni kan kolla upp ord som är knepiga:
http://lexin.nada.kth.se/sve-eng.html
Above is a link to an online-dictionary that translates between swedish and english.
http://lexin.nada.kth.se/sve-eng.html
Above is a link to an online-dictionary that translates between swedish and english.
English & Status Meetings
Since I'm getting to know more and more people from different countries, from now on I will write this blog in english so that more people can read it.
On Thursday we are having a Status Meeting, it's going to be my third. Before each Status Meeting each one of us (volunteers) also have a personal meeting with our teacher, Vick. We also go through a Self Assessment, where we get to evaluate ourselves. There are many different things that are important for a DI (Development Instructor, we are called that), for example the ability to take initiatives, the ability to make plans and implement them and so on.
So we first give ourselves points and then we also give points to all the other DI's in our team and we talk about two abilities that are good and two abilites that could be better for each one of us.
I like this because then you get feedback on how you're doing and also you get to know your team better.
I've also gotten my specific job description now and I will write a short summary:
My job will be in the country Malawi, the city Chilangoma. I will work at a Teacher Training College that is driven by Humana. They train teachers for the rural areas of Malawi there, so the teachers also get practical knowledge about how to build, for example, because it's not guaranteed that there will be school buildings in their area where they are going to work after the education is finished.
I will train and supervise preschool teachers, because they aren't educated and their teaching methods are oftenly very old-fashioned.
I will also start a Youth Club at the Teacher Training College with books, games, information about HIV/AIDS and so on.
Clubs and sport activites with the student teachers.
To arrange a sport event together with a group of students and a teacher that will last for three days for 1500 kids where they also are supposed to learn about HIV/AIDS.
To make sure that a chess club is running at the college.
This is basically it. I will arrive during the rain season so I have to bring good shoes and clothes for that. After the rain season their winter will come, but it won't be colder than 20 degrees probably.
Here's a picture of me with a crab as well :)
That's all for now, but you will hear from me more!
On Thursday we are having a Status Meeting, it's going to be my third. Before each Status Meeting each one of us (volunteers) also have a personal meeting with our teacher, Vick. We also go through a Self Assessment, where we get to evaluate ourselves. There are many different things that are important for a DI (Development Instructor, we are called that), for example the ability to take initiatives, the ability to make plans and implement them and so on.
So we first give ourselves points and then we also give points to all the other DI's in our team and we talk about two abilities that are good and two abilites that could be better for each one of us.
I like this because then you get feedback on how you're doing and also you get to know your team better.
I've also gotten my specific job description now and I will write a short summary:
My job will be in the country Malawi, the city Chilangoma. I will work at a Teacher Training College that is driven by Humana. They train teachers for the rural areas of Malawi there, so the teachers also get practical knowledge about how to build, for example, because it's not guaranteed that there will be school buildings in their area where they are going to work after the education is finished.
I will train and supervise preschool teachers, because they aren't educated and their teaching methods are oftenly very old-fashioned.
I will also start a Youth Club at the Teacher Training College with books, games, information about HIV/AIDS and so on.
Clubs and sport activites with the student teachers.
To arrange a sport event together with a group of students and a teacher that will last for three days for 1500 kids where they also are supposed to learn about HIV/AIDS.
To make sure that a chess club is running at the college.
This is basically it. I will arrive during the rain season so I have to bring good shoes and clothes for that. After the rain season their winter will come, but it won't be colder than 20 degrees probably.
Here's a picture of me with a crab as well :)
That's all for now, but you will hear from me more!
The Holiday
Såg just på filmen The Holiday tillsammans med Martin, Sandra och Emma (de andra volontärerna). Den var riktigt bra tycker jag, kan definitivt rekommendera den!
Håller också på att klura lite, jag ska nämligen spelleda lite rollspel under jullovet tillsammans med Mattias, Lina och Olof. Har tänkt att det ska utspela sig i Sverige, nutid, så det kommer bli spännande ^^
Den här helgen kommer vi ha en studiehelg och en man från Malawi kommer hit och han kommer lära oss lite Chichewa (deras språk). Hoppas att jag kommer få tid till att plugga lite, för det är något jag verkligen behöver göra.
Håller också på att klura lite, jag ska nämligen spelleda lite rollspel under jullovet tillsammans med Mattias, Lina och Olof. Har tänkt att det ska utspela sig i Sverige, nutid, så det kommer bli spännande ^^
Den här helgen kommer vi ha en studiehelg och en man från Malawi kommer hit och han kommer lära oss lite Chichewa (deras språk). Hoppas att jag kommer få tid till att plugga lite, för det är något jag verkligen behöver göra.
Gävle!
Har just bestämt att jag ska flytta till Gävle efter att jag är klar med det här volontärprogrammet! :D
Jag kommer flytta ihop med Olof som pluggar där och börja jobba, eventuellt plugga lite.
Det känns väldigt bra att ha lite framtidsplaner. Tror att det kommer bli väldigt trevligt i Gävle också.
Har även tänkt börja vampyrlajva lite där, så det ska bli skoj det med ^^
Jag kommer flytta ihop med Olof som pluggar där och börja jobba, eventuellt plugga lite.
Det känns väldigt bra att ha lite framtidsplaner. Tror att det kommer bli väldigt trevligt i Gävle också.
Har även tänkt börja vampyrlajva lite där, så det ska bli skoj det med ^^
