& It Begins

THE START TO THE CHAPTER: THE JOURNEY TO AFRICA-  FIRST STEPS BEFORE TRAINING

So much already has happened in this experience. I can’t believe I got accepted into this. It all started just over two months ago. I was sitting in Ihop with my friends, talking about how we wanted to do something great around the world. I wanted to cross off my bucket list, make my dreams reality and conquer my fears. Africa was the number one culture I wanted to experience. As we all shared ideas on how to do this, I got a phone call from my aunt, Kelowa, saying, “Shainie! You have to apply! I was emailed about a six month internship program to Africa! This is a job opportunity; this is your dream- Go for it!” I couldn’t believe an opportunity like this existed. Before I had even done research on the association I applied immediately. My dream I had once had as a little girl felt at my grasp. A part of me had doubt- how could I, a twenty-three year old from the small town of Chilliwack ever get accepted into such an amazing opportunity? Then I thought- what the hell? Take the chance- step forward, you never know. The application process took me near to 7 hours to finish, but it was well worth it. The questions that were asked really dug deep in my soul & already just by filling out the application, I felt I had grown as a person. I was grateful I came across this opportunity even if I didn’t get accepted.

I was emailed back about a week later saying they had narrowed it down and now wanted a phone interview. Ah, I couldn’t believe it, I was one step closer. This is actually happening! They called me right on the dot at two pm, and I’m not going to lie, the entire morning working up to it, I had sweaty palms, heart pounding and stomach was flip flopping. As I saw the phone ring in my hand I told myself, “Straighten up Shaina, breathe, don’t fear- fear is a wasteful negative emotion; it is something that hasn’t happened … it just holds us back from truly living. I need to express myself without fear.” Then I straightened up and said, “Hello!...” The phone interview was about forty-five minutes long and went so well. I reminded myself once again, that even if I don’t get accepted, this application process has given me hope. It has expanded my mind and I am so grateful for that.

A few weeks later, after waiting patiently, I had received a phone call from Rohan, VIDEA’s (VICTORIA INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION) (www.videa.ca)overseas coordinator. She had sounded somewhat sad at first, so I prepared myself for rejection. Her words, “It has been very competitive, but if you choose to accept, we would be honoured to have you be a part of this internship.” My heart skipped a beat; I could not believe what I heard. At that moment I felt like the luckiest woman on the planet. I responded, “Ahhh, is this really happening? I ACCEPT without a doubt!” I was screaming with joy. I feel so blessed and privileged to be a part of this. I truly believe that God has everyone’s lives already planned out- and he has something great planned for my life. I will take advantage of every gift of breath He’s blessed me with. “YAY!”

Everything happened so fast after that. Rohan had sent us weekly emails of what to expect, packing list, etc. Every single time I saw her name in my inbox my heart skipped a beat. January first is the official start date of the six month internship. We were given two weeks to focus on community engagement so I had reached out to radio stations, schools, newspapers, clubs & band offices… everyone I came across at my Job waitressing, every single person I chatted to and networked with on line knew about this opportunity. The way I see it is, if my community can see one person step forward and take advantage of this opportunity, then they can envision themselves, and we all can contribute something in some way and step forward as people. Together we can create a more equitable world. I wanted to take full advantage of what I had in my grasp. From there we were given time to say our farewells to our loved ones and pack our things and move away for a total of five months.

CHAPTER: THE JOURNEY TO AFRICA- TRAINING

January fifteenth was the day I moved to Sooke, Vancouver Island. Amy Mitchel, a volunteer for VIDEA had a sign held in her hands saying our names (10 interns all together). She drove us from the ferry terminal to our new home of two weeks in Sooke, at the Sooke Ocean resort, where there was a total of ten of us interns living with Rohan, our coordinator. The Resort blew my mind… such beautiful aboriginal art. Everyone was so nice instantly! The interns: Greg, Nathan, Attila, Brendan, Ashley, Tashayna, Courtenay, Kirsten, Leandrea and myself (All from the west side of Canada, besides Ashley who is from Alberta). We all had similar passions and dreams which were so refreshing to be surrounded by. By day 2 we had already come close and felt like family. The First two days were quite slow because of heavy snow, but we all got to know each other more and did a lot of team building. We had a lot of circle time with Rohan and had all shared out loud what skills we have in previous work to bring to this internship and what are some of our insecurities. From this I looked at the position I was chosen for, THE UNIVERSITY (SUPPORT) YOUTH GROUP LIAISON (Partnering with a NGO called Women For Change in Lusaka, Zambia) (www.wfc.org.zm) I had originally applied for positions in Uganda… well I applied for all 10 positions, but my main focus was in Uganda with young youth. But as I did more research on the position I was assigned, I realized that they chose me for a reason. I recognized that this is exactly the position I had dreamed of.

The university youth group liaison works with Women For Change (WFC), and the tasks are to focus on women and youth and empower them, help organize discussions and debates on child development, gender, youth issues, economic issues, and culture; also expected to engage the youth in to volunteer work with WFC. This really excited me, my whole life I have been surrounded by youth that struggle because of the unfortunate life they’ve been brought into. My mother, Sandi, and aunt, Kelowa, who helped raised me have worked in foster care and social services since I was at a very young age. My whole life we’ve had to speak up for those voices that could not be heard. I grew up in a huge family with two strong female leaders so it’s in my blood to empower women, it’s in my blood to fight for children’s rights and it has been a regular daily occurrence to engage with young people… so I feel as though, this is the perfect position for me- I believe I have many skills to bring to this internship because of that! =)

In our circle time went over some important information. Such as, VIDEA has been partnered with WFC for seven years, but this is the toughest year yet. Never before have they struggled this much. Their main European sponsor had pulled out and now they are in panic. We were just informed that because of this there is a lot of work to do for the three interns that will be working with WFC (Nathan, Ashley and I). We’re going to do more then what our job descriptions detail… which excites me! Also something huge I learned today is that this is the first ABORIGINAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM CIDA has sponsored. We are the PILOTS in this; VIDEA doesn’t have the funds to document our training and journey so it’s up to us to show that this is effective. That we are making deep routed relationships and a lasting sustainable impact for the people overseas and for ourselves as interns to influence our communities in a positive way- we are ambassador’s .This is what I’ve only dreamed of doing - I’m up for the challenge. I’m willing to mould anyway I can to help make this world a better place.

Jan.19^th. Day 4

                Today we went over “RESPONSIBLE TOURISM” with Rohan and Lesley, another coordinator of VIDEA. This included on how to travel in a culturally sensitive way. Such as: respectful clothing, gestures and customs, representing Canadians appropriately, when photo taking be polite and ask permission, and to watch our manners. We learned something very interesting to me, in Zambia, the person comes before the issue. In Canada, the majority of the time, people are always rushed… if they need something they ask for it instead of first being patient and taking the time to ask how the person is doing before the issue. Hearing this really gave me perspective, made me realize that the majority of westerners including me, have slipped into a selfish mindset unconsciously. That we as a people need to start analyzing and changing our habits, such as this, even though it’s in our documents and in our languages. We need to humble ourselves in order to grow and develop in to the positive world we dream of. Zambian people are very friendly and always want to shake hands and take the time to know how you’re doing; they want to know about your family. We need to recognize that we’re gaining more from this then teaching. We also recognized that favouritism can be destructive. Rohan shared a story of how an intern went out in Zambia and had made a close friendship with a Zambian youth. He had given him his IPod when he left to go back to Canada. But that only made situations worse by dishevelling the power, making others jealous and creating more problems.

                Some more key notes we learned in responsible tourism are to read the local paper for topics to talk about, learn some stuff about the Canadian agriculture because that is usually the number one questions Zambians ask. We should represent a Canadian who cares about what is in their news. We must be open to our journey with whoever crosses our path and is willing to hear. We must watch our assumptions before we act and hear more then we say. Learn! A key word we learned we will be called often is, “mazungo” which means white person.

                We then watched the movie called, “War Dance”. It was real interviews done in northern Uganda a few years back. Focussed on youth around the ages of 7-15 that had been affected by the rebels and had experienced things none of us here in Canada could ever imagine. One particular story really stuck to me… a boy who was the eldest of his other 3 siblings, only 9 years old was in his clay hut home as rebels came in and kidnapped his parents. He rushed and gathered his siblings in a nearby bush and watched for three days waiting for his parents to come home…. He then went straight to the rebels and asked where his parents were. They took him to this dingy outdoor place where there was a huge pot boiling with water, they told him to find his parents in the pot. He dug and dug then found his parents; but only their heads… in this interview only a few years had passed and you could see the traumatizing pain in his eyes… it clenched at my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I never imagined something like that to be going on in this day in age… it broke me inside to see this… but I had to see it… I had to open my eyes to reality. After watching this video clip, I just sat in silence for a moment, took in everything I had witnessed and prayed,

                “God, I thank you for this opportunity it has opened my eyes, and taught me how to see. God, my hearts aching right now… please give me the strength and wisdom to do whatever comes my way. Make me your instrument to help in whatever way possible. I give myself entirely to help people. Lord, help me enter this new culture with an open mind, walk with me every step of this journey and protect us from any negativity that’ll try and stop us. Thank you for every single person you’ve blessed me with in my life God, & thank you for every single breath<3 Amen”.

Jan.20^th. Day.5

            Today we went to the T’sou-ke Nation, where they have welcomed us into their land with open arms. Angie Bristol went over conservation training with us. Their reserve focuses so much on conserving energy (they are even off the grid!) and the entire world should learn from them in my opinion. Here is some of many things they have done to conserve: with BC Hydro they have gotten “energy saving kits”, have made anti idling signs to lower pollution in the air, recycling, composting projects, community gardens, solar power, reusable cutlery, “reuse and reduce” signs, and getting creative with getting the elders and youth involved. Because the children are our future, it’s in their hands and we need to equip them with as much positive knowledge as we can to protect and educate our earth and our people; so it can be sustainable for generations and generations to come.

                Angie played us many video clips on you tube that everyone should be aware about:

“Shallow Waters by Ta’kaiya” about protecting our coast from oil spills. (She is a 10 year old aboriginal girl from Vancouver with a powerful loud voice that is reaching many souls, it reached mine <3)

 “STROMBO: Soap Box: Wabkinew”

 “Oil in Eden- battle to protect Canada’s coast”

“Tar sands to tankers- the fight against Enbridge”

We then did a “pledge tree” where there was a construction paper made tree, that had branches and a lake under it. We all were given a fish or a flower and were told to write pledges on them. These pledges were our habits that we’d like to change, such as: turn of the computer when done, have shorter showers… and this is an idea we can bring back to Zambia and our communities, especially me who will be working with youth. We also learned a bit about digital audio story telling thru media movie maker to be able to create a little video clip of our experience for the people back at home and something for us to look back on for the rest of our lives.

Jan.21^st to Jan.23^rd

            We had 3 days in a very compact intercultural learning course (CIL). It’s a government course that I found to be very influential and informative. We learned what “culture” is and we looked at many different culture learning models. One of them really intrigued me (First Nations Holistic diagram), it was a diagram of a tree… each branch represented something different: political, economic, social, and spiritual culture. The centre of the tree, its trunk represented the collective well-being… and the roots represented languages, traditions, natural world, ancestors, family, self, nation, and other nations. The leaves represent depth of knowledge. The rain represents the ones that feed and cleanse us and the leaves that fall are what we carry on to others. This model really put life into perspective for me and I’ll keep the learning tree model in mind when I go to Africa and when I come back home. I’m not going to lie, Jan.21^st was the first down morning for me… and it’s to be expected from branching off for the first time for an extended period of time. I just felt alone and I couldn’t express myself… but then our instructor for our CIL training mentioned, “ You’re in a forest, there’s tree’s all around- you’re not alone!” And this really cheered me up; it gave my head a shake and realized there are 10 other interns in this with me… I’m not the only person on this planet feeling down; people have it far worse than I do. You are lucky Shaina!

                We then recognized that in any different culture we enter we must remember the “ice burg”, that there is only about 1/3 we see, but we can’t see what they’re thinking, feeling and believing. This model really helped me … and I believe it’ll help everyone. It really put things into perspective again. We looked at the tendencies involved in cultures and how to build bridges between us, an ice burg and a new ice burg. I specifically learned to come in to Zambia with an open mind, to listen to what the people have to say before making any moves because they are thinking and feeling something that I can’t recognize. I need to be sensitive and aware of my behaviours; I need to learn as much as possible, and realize that there is more then what we see.

                We then had resource people one for Uganda (for the other half of interns) and one for the five of us that are going to Zambia. His name was Emmanuel; he had lived in Lusaka for the majority of his life. We learned how to complete a hand shake, how to say how are you, “modashanaye”, and “telebreeno” means I’m fine. Some key things we also learned:

-ask about families and bring pictures of your own because they are always so curious

- have a local plan if there is any floods or crisis

- leave all important stuff home and have the exact amount of small $ counted out. Because this is a developing country; there are so many people in poverty. Pick pocketing exists just like in our own home towns

- If there is any car accident, leave the situation as fast as you can. Get to the police station, they may ask for a favour $ but leave the scene because you are a foreigner, they tend to blame you and it could lead to conflict

- Bring your own cultural things to share and tell stories (Christianity etc.)

- There always has to be a third party to resolve problems

- Bargain with them- never pay the first price

- Make jokes; the majority of Zambians joke and laugh often

- Gifting at the end of the trip for the entire community

- HIV/AIDS is an open topic to talk about (1 in every 5 is HIV positive in Zambia)

- We must not talk about: sexuality (homosexuality is illegal- up to 14 years imprisonment), disability is viewed as negative and cursed, and mentally ill people are usually locked up (which really hurt me to hear; it hurt to hear that people are still so judgmental and closed minded in this day in age)

- Pointing with fingers is for dogs and animals, if we want to point we must use an open hand

- Do not pat anyone on the head, it is degrading (which I will find it hard to not do, I do it so often as a sign of love, especially to children)

-Dogs are considered an inconvenience not pets

-Wear your shoes in the house when someone invites you in

-Always iron your clothes after washing and hang drying to kill ticks and bugs that can borrow in your skin

                On our final day of CIL training we learned about culture shock and the roller coaster of it. We have to be able to recognize this in order to have a healthy positive experience… that we are going to be down but we have to remember that we will get back up. We looked at this as a team and mentioned different culture shocks we could experience and solutions to them. Thru out these three days we had played many games that tied into each topic and helped us grow as a team and grow mentally- I recommend  this training to everyone that plans on travelling or entering a new culture=)

Jan.24^th

            We had the morning off, then at noon went to the T’sou-ke nation and took a free yoga class. It taught me so many breathing techniques to ground myself; techniques I can take with me into Africa and all the steps ahead of me. Then at 1 we had a huge community lunch again… they are such an incredible nation that are willing to teach us, feed us and take us under their wing. I feel so blessed to be here.

Jan.25^th

                Today we got up early and went to T’sou-ke’s Lady Bug garden where they have grown plenty vegetables that have sustained the nation for so long. We observed their three stage compost and how to sift the soil and prepare it for seeding. We then got down and in the dirt and did it for ourselves. Which I thought was amazing to learn; this is something we can take with us to Africa and also in every day ahead of us… learn how to be our own supplier and not have to rely on anyone. Wayne was one of the two workers that maintained the garden. He sacrificed so much of his time to maintain it, but funding was next to nothing that they weren’t sure they would be able to keep it open for much longer. It hurt to see that because they had such a passion for the garden; a dream that their community can survive just on the ocean and on gardens and not have to rely on any one. (A week later: we found out through an email from Rohan that the T’sou-ke Nation’s Lady Bug garden was granted a million dollars to help expand and maintain their gardens… ah, this was such incredible news. Prayers do get answered. We all were overwhelmingly excited!)

Jan.26^th

                Today we learned a bit about HIV/AIDS. It was a real big eye opener for a lot of us. Everyone needs to be educated on HIV/AIDS and not be so hush hush about it anymore… everyone is an equal and deserves to be loved and accepted. People struggling with it shouldn’t also fight to be accepted into society. WE NEED TO SPEAK ABOUT IT ALL AROUND THE WORLD and open the minds of all the people!

Jan.27^th

            Today some people of the T’sou-ke nation took us out to Sombrio… which is about an hour drive away alongside the ocean. It was unbelievably beautiful. We gathered our own mussels and boiled them over a fire and we collected our own wood and felt for a few hours what it feels like to fend for ourselves. It was amazing! Shirley, an elder of the nation smudged (where she burns sage in a shell and with an eagle feather fans the smoke and we cleanse our eyes, ears, face, entire body with it… it’s a moment of silence and prayer). We all did this then had a cedar branch and dipped it into a shell of water she had and splashed the water in the ocean one at a time while we said a prayer- this is meant to reach us when we go overseas. It was such a beautiful day; I felt so balanced and at peace… ready for the steps ahead of me.

                Then later, we had about 25 people come over to our resort- including the board and members of VIDEA, chief and members of T’sou-ke nation, supporters of VIDEA, some friends from Africa and us interns. Kaiee, who is the daughter of the executive director of Woman for Change showed us how to make a Zambian traditional meal with cabbage, tomatoes, onions, yams, peanut butter, and pumpkin leaves.. Mmm nom nom! Andrew, one of the teachers from Ts’ou-ke who has guided us in this journey pulled out about 30 African instruments, we then all got into a circle and played some basic beats, then individually had solos and swapped the instruments, then had our free time to play whatever we wanted. I felt so free; music is so soothing to my soul. I jammed out for hours. We all shared such great laughs together. It was an incredible evening. I look forward to the Zambian foods, music, people… the entire culture! Ahh, so excited!

Jan.28^th

            Today we all presented our presentations on sustainability to some of the members of VIDEA. Mine was on food security in Zambia. I’ll post the video presentation I made for it on my blog =) Then we had the rest of the day off to do laundry and enjoy our last night in Sooke. We all went out as a team for sushi on a sail boat behind out resort. Ralph is the owner of the sushi on the sea and the resort we were staying in. We had so many good laughs together. Such incredible sushi and beautiful scenery. It was such a great way to end our last night in Sooke together. I prayed once again, like I do every day.

                “God, I can’t believe how lucky I am. Thank you so much for all these blessings. I am such an incredibly happy woman because of all that you have given me and done for me. Thank you for the new friends that have become like family & thank you for the love & support I have back home. “

Jan.29^th

                Today is our last day at the resort. We packed our bags and were out of there before noon. We all split up into homestays in Victoria so we can be closer to the VIDEA office down town for the next two weeks of training. Courtenay and I got partnered together to live with a family. Monika, who works for the UN and is a board member of VIDEA, her husband Bob, who is a physics professor at Uvic and daughters Chiara and Antonia. They instantly treated us like a part of the family. We ate such healthy and organic meals I wasn’t use to eating... but I know this journey ahead of me is going to consist of foods I never even imagined eating- so get used to it! We have to get acquainted with the transit.

Jan.30^th

                Our first day of training in the VIDEA office=) Today Lynne, the executive director of VIDEA, went over what VIDEA is, what they stand for and why they are doing this. VIDEA has about 25 partnerships with NGO organizations and the ones we are going to are the strongest links. They are helping people develop capacity for sustainable development- core capacity so people can make the decisions to develop themselves.

                Lynne also went over some risk management to prepare us for Africa. The mosquito net is our responsibility and we should get two; one for where we live and one for when we travel into the field. We should create a small emergency kit to take under the net with us after we tuck it all in at night. It should contain, band aids, duct tape to mask up any unexpected holes, pocket knife, Tylenol, hand wipes, flash light... We should brush our teeth with bottled water only and shouldn’t wash our face with it if it is very dirty… carry many bottled water and wiped with us. There is a community within the YWCA compound we will be staying in. Many people of VIDEA have lived there. Always make sure to have toilet paper on you, and we’re to read all the way thru the travel warnings.

Lesley, a coordinator of VIDEA then went thru lines of communication with us. For support our first person to go to should be Rohan, who has become such a close mentor to me. She’s taken on the role of being our boss but also our mother in many ways, or big sister. She is one of few who work all hours of the day and night sometimes writing grants and proposals to help make something like this possible. I am so grateful for VIDEA, so grateful for her. We all have such a high respect for her- she speaks to us as equals and in such a respectful way- I hope to be like her one day to be honest- Same goes for Lesley, she is like a big sister and mentor to us<3 When we’re in Zambia our go to person day to day is our supervisor at WFC. Take note: WFC is very formal; everyone goes by Mr. or Mrs. and last name. There are expectations of us to report on a monthly basis of what we’ve been doing and if there are any problems. Lesley’s main expectation is that she wants us to fit in our organization, be flexible and help where ever we can- be very adaptable.

Jan.31^st

                Today a speaker named Peggy, whom started overseas international development in the 80’s, came in to talk to us about HIV/AIDS. She had contracted it when she was working in Zimbabwe years ago. One of her employees got a promotion and they went out to celebrate. She had a few too many and had slept with an infected man. This was around the mid 80’s and no one really knew about HIV then… her whole life changed from then on. I loved Peggy; she was so open to express any matter on the topic and was such a vibrant woman that sees beauty in any circumstance. I have such a huge respect and admire her. Her story really touched my heart, in the mid 90’s she was in the final stage…where any breath could have been her last but for some reason she fought thru it, with a white blood cell count of only about 5 ( the average healthy human is between 700-1400). God had a huge purpose for her, now she travels around the world and helps educate people on HIV/AIDS. Her voice is heard loudly which it should be. People shouldn’t restrict ever talking about it. It exists and people are battling the disease. They are not only trying to stay alive and fight off infection, but battling being accepted into society- being seen as an equal person still. We all as a people need to be willing to speak about it with our youth, our communities- because if we are aware we can use more precautions, be more humble people that can work together as one to help make this world better. She shared some key facts with us, that it’s contracted thru semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and blood; but not thru saliva or HOLDING HANDS! Blood dries very fast and after it is fully dry the disease is dead and can’t be passed on: for instance sharing a towel that’s been washed and dried is ok! 25% of HIV positive people don’t know they are positive! She suggested we all read the book, “28”, it is based on 28 people that are HIV + and their stories.

Feb.1st

                Today we went to UVIC and took a tour of the first people’s house. It absolutely blew my mind; it was detailed and traditional as it possibly could be. There is such a huge support for First Nations people and such incredible courses. I felt at home here… I started to think about going back to school... something along the lines of what I’m currently doing with VIDEA, international development. I feel so passionate about it and I know that there isn’t much money involved with a job like that... but I’ve come to realize that life is far too short to do something your “ok” with. Life is meant to be lived to the ultimate fullest and enjoyed. I would rather wake up smiling every day and doing something that I love broke, then filthy rich waking up dreading my day to come. After this internship, I know that VIDEA has mentioned in our week debriefing when we get back in Victoria that there will be a career and employment counsellor and VIDEA is going to make sure we are on the right path we’ve dreamed of doing. Which really excites me, once again, I feel overwhelmingly blessed for this opportunity. I know that this is a GIFT. Usually when people don’t have teaching education and want to volunteer overseas they pay 5-$8,000 / month just to go help! We are getting this amazing opportunity given to us- compact training that will forever stick with us and be carried with us thru-out our lives and I know that this opportunity is the gateway to something huge for my entire life to come. God, I can’t even express how grateful I am in words. I feel like the luckiest woman on this planet. I truly am blessed. What more could a girl ask for, solid roof over my head, way too many clothes on my back, an abundance of food with the peace of mind knowing I will never starve, the most amazing, accepting, loving and supportive family, friends and man at home, new friends that I’ve made in this journey that have become family- that I know will be a part of my life forever and this incredible opportunity that is making me grow so profoundly. God, thank you for all that I have- I am truly blessed! Thank you for placing me in North America, I am so lucky that it hurts to think of the ones who don’t get to choose where to live, don’t know when their next meal will be, don’t know where they’ll find shelter in the rainy nights, and the ones that don’t have a family because of diseases and poverty… the ones that don’t ever get to come across an opportunity like this… Ugh, it kills me inside to think of how much is given and taken for granted… makes me so sad to see people complain about their lives in North America when millions would kill to have theirs. God, thank you for opening my mind to this.

                Ok, so after that rant of mine… we then went to the BCIC learning group in UVIC and discussed youth engagement with them. We had three separate presentations and a time to discuss as a core group. It really intrigued me to know that there is such a complex science behind youth engagement! Their main quote was, “Change starts with youth” and more information is found on “youthcoreprogram.ca, artsdoor.ca”.

Feb.2^nd

            Amy Mitchell, a volunteer for VIDEA went over Job skills and business communication with us today. Some key points are appearance, respect, avoiding gossip, listening to others, mannerism, hygiene, work ethic, being an active participant with a volunteer mindset, contribute as much as you can, try and mirror the staff, be observers, confidentiality, be compassionate. We went over and practiced proper: email etiquette, phone etiquette, computer competencies (with internet we must always consider where information is from and remember that anyone can post anything). We then wrote out what communication is to us and why it is important. We practiced business writing: content (message, purpose, audience, style, memos, reports... and business writing and research characteristics between formal and informal. Lastly, we practiced how to write a newsletter and we were split up into two groups to write a mock news-letter for VIDEA. This is the first time where I felt hostility with our group… who was going to step forward and lead... a few people seemed upset, but we took a 5 minute breather and were ok... I guess it is to be expected after spending so much time together. But apparently we recovered faster than any other group and still work very well as a team=) Lastly, Amy showed us how to properly present something to someone.

                Later, around 5 pm we met at a coffee shop called “Habit” downtown, where they had it open just for our specific event. Many NGO key people around Canada were there, including VIDEA’s main sponsor CIDA. We all were very tired and run down from the compact training but I knew I had to pull my energy together for this huge opportunity. I was a busy little bee, sharing who I was and what I’ll be doing with whoever crossed my path, many people we’re in their mid 40’s and said they had a huge respect for us interns and looked up to us which made me so shocked. So many of the people I spoke with had run many NGO workshops overseas and they gave me lots of ideas for engaging youth in my job position with WFC (like having a circle time- bringing the aboriginal traditions there , some particular ice breaker ideas.) I exchanged a lot of contact information and many of them want to be followed up with when we get back and even asked for me to put on a work shop for them. Ah! This really excited me! Once again, feeling very blessed!

Feb.3^rd

                Today we went over mini presentations on concerns and briefing on our specific job description. My position is the “University (support) Youth Group Liaison “ and what I recently found out after asking my questions on that is there is no group created yet, WFC has only been dreaming about it for years, but with my help they plan on creating it and putting it into motion. Which makes me actually smile inside, I feel so blessed to be a part of making a huge dream reality. The age range will consist of all ages from 15 to around my age. To follow thru with the tasks of helping organize discussions and debates on issues I am going to be trained on these matters with WFC. Also, at some point go into the field of rural communities (their main focus) and see first-hand the issues that the people struggle with. I am so overwhelmingly excited about this once again! The periods spent in the rural communities are up to 3 weeks with no electricity , living the way the local people live: in a clay hut, on a grass matt for sleeping and collecting wood to make a fire and cook… it could be just one of the three of us (Nathan, Ashley & I) or a few of us together… and I’m going to be honest, it is going to be a challenge to be isolated away from the outside world, and living the way the locals live… working hard to find their next meal… I know I will be down at times, but this is what I signed up for. I know when I get down, I’ll come back- God never gives us anything he knows we can’t handle… I know he will be carrying me thru the toughest times… so I’m ready as I’ll ever be. I know that this will profoundly change my life for the better! <3

                Today was also Ashley’s 23^rd birthday =) She has become such a close friend of mine. Just like all the others, but when we lived in Sooke for two weeks we shared an area and a bunk bed so we got the opportunity to get to know each other more. She reminds me of my two friends, Kaity and Melissa… such a happy outgoing person; every one of the interns is so selfless, I’m so blessed to be a part of this group. All of us, with a few home stay parents and Rohan went out to The Reef, a Caribbean restaurant, and celebrated with Ashley. It was so awesome, of course none of us drank because it’s an alcohol free program, but we still had a blast. There was a DJ playing reggae music- some Bob Marley. I was dancing away and all of us shared so many laughs. It feels so amazing to have a group that’s like family after such a short period of time. After that, I went over to Ashley’s homestay and we had a sleep over (like I was 10 years old again). We laughed uncontrollably, so much that our stomachs were killing us! Fell asleep the way I woke up, happy.

Feb.4^th

                Our day off, woke up smiling and made french toast with sliced bananas for Ashley, Leandrea and I. It was such a beautiful day. Ashley and I went on a long walk in the woods of west Saanich and I took many pictures. I took a few moments to sit down on a patch of moss over-looking the woods and just thought about my entire life, this journey & my heart was filled with warmth. I smiled uncontrollably.

Feb. 5^th

            For the Zambian team, our day didn’t start till 1pm because Lesley and Rohan had taken the time to have one on one meetings with each and every one of us since we’re always doing things as a team. It was a time for them to see where we are at, if we have any worries and stresses and just to clarify more particularly on our job position. I must say that I never believed such an incredible organization like VIDEA existed. They are so thorough, and are covering all the points possible to have a successful and healthy international internship experience. Once again, feeling so lucky to be chosen for this opportunity when I know there were many that never got it… God, THANK YOU!

                At 1pm we had a young couple named Natalie and Peter who are members of the PODA (partnerships for opportunity development association). They have been traveling to Uganda since about 2005 and have worked with many different projects and even started their own. They shared their stories and it was so intriguing to hear them. An example of a project they started was in a rural community in Uganda was the Goat Project… it started with only about 2 goats , but now to this day there is close to 700 goats. One goat can do so much for a family… it can produce about 6-8 cups of milk a day (nourish a family and left overs to sell and generate income to build a solid house), the urine of the goat can be used as a pesticide and the feces of the goat can be used as a nourishing fertilizer for the gardens, goats reproduce quickly and when it comes down to it the meat can feed so many people, and can be sold to generate money as well and the fur as clothing. It really astonished me!

                Natalie and Peter also gave us a few pointers such as: For safety wise, young women we are targets so dress conservatively (people are more concerned about legs showing then arms. Skirts should be below the knee and plastic flip flops are viewed as only worn in the bathroom).  If you’re going to eat, it is polite to sit down. We should also take it easy at first with local foods so our stomach can adjust. Usually if it rains, people don’t come to work. Also, new public holidays are announced unexpectedly all the time and people may not show up to work because of that. People are very religious and will want to talk about it with you. (Culture barrier- Christianity/condoms) We should bring rehydration salts. Malaria takes about 7 days to notice (signs are vomiting and diarrhoea). Jiggers are in the dirt and are like a flea (they burry under the skin, create a boil and when it bursts the creature comes out). Lastly, they advised we have latex gloves with us for any emergency, such as: having to help a person with HIV that is bleeding. It was very informative, and they shared many pictures of Uganda with us that helped expand our minds. I love this!

Feb.6^th

            Today Amy went over the 4 stages of learning so we are made aware of it.

1)      Unconscious incompetence (you don’t know what you don’t know).

2)      Conscious incompetence (you know there’s things you don’t know).

3)      Conscious competence (you know that you know).

4)      Unconscious competence ( just now doing things with having to think- natural to you)

Also today a former intern named Liz came in to talk to us; in 2006 she was the first intern of VIDEA to partner with women for change. She shared her story with us. Back then VIDEA was just learning… she didn’t have much training and restrictions because they weren’t aware of the security and culture issues. She shared with us how she had taken a scuba diving course in Zambia and didn’t recommend it; she also had swam in the Victoria Falls, and at some point had contracted a parasite that made her very sick for two years and from that grew to have a wheat allergy. She advised us to be cautious! She had also had mild side effects from the anti-malaria pills and had stopped taking it and got malaria! So we are learning from her mistakes. She mentioned that there are no bus stops in Zambia and that WFC people will point us the regular spots where buses should be. Lastly, she advised that we should listen first and speak second. Looking forward to experiencing AFRICA ALREADY! 

           

Feb.7^th

                It is our final week before departure and the training load is going to be pretty compact so we were warned to be prepared! Today we looked at reverse culture shock and how to prepare for it (physically, psychologically, sociologically, emotionally, and behaviourally). Every former intern and speaker that has gone overseas shares that the very hardest part is coming back to our original culture. It is such a shock to see how much we take for granted. Liz had shared with us how when she got back after her 6 month internship in Zambia she had gone to a grocery store and stood in front of the milk section… “organic, 1%,2%,homo,skim,lactose free”, and her heart was filled with emotion… she broke down and cried… she was so used to seeing only one kind… goat milk.. and saw thousands that couldn’t afford it and would go to bed starving and thirsty all the time. They advised us not to jump back into our regular work routine for our bodies would go into complete shock.. also to watch what we ingest… one step at a time. What’s important is to be aware of the culture shock and know that it will get better. What really made me happy and gave me peace of mind is that VIDEA is putting together a 5 day debrief for when we get back in Victoria where we will have an employment and career coach that will help us with finance, cover letters and resume’s. They advised us to recognize our own care patterns and pull it thru out now and when we get back. We then took the time to jot down what we will miss in Canada when we’re gone and what will be strange when we get back. I’m aware that there will obviously be things I will miss and it will be a bit of a struggle, but I know I am strong enough to accomplish this. I have the greatest support and this will profoundly change my life for the better and I know I am lucky to be coming home back to it all when the people in these 3^rd world countries can only dream of this. Here is some of my list of what I will miss:

Family, my love, friends, Tim Horton’s coffee, hot clean water showers, clean toilets, safe fresh water lakes to swim in and eat fish from, my own bed and fresh smelling bedding, being in control to drive around, being able to go on runs without fear, my family’s cooking, beautiful spring, celebrating my birthday with my friends and family, mother’s and father’s day, birthdays, shaving legs without fear of cutting and getting a parasite form water, high speed internet, personal space, safe transit and cooler temperatures…

What I think will be strange when I get back:

Having hot clean showers and being able to swallow the water without fear, brushing teeth with running water and not a bottle, the variety of foods in stores, not seeing these 10 faces every day, adjusting back to food, trying to relate in relationships but there will always be that difference, travelling around at night, transportation/driving…

                We then had a Skype presentation with a Zambian man named; Malambo Moonga. He worked with women for change 2006-2009 as his first job & was born and raised in Lusaka. He shared some vital information with us:

He advised us to dress conservatively. There are multiple political parties and an election every 5 years. In the rural areas someone can get marries under the age of 16 and in the urban areas they have to be over 21 years old (dual jurisdiction). Homosexuality is criminalized and can be imprisoned for up to 14 years! Even if you defend the rights for homosexual people… This absolutely hurts me to hear, I believe in equality in all races, gender, preference… It’s sad to know that people are still so closed minded… but I have to respect this even though I disagree with it. Prison population is increasing the HIV/AIDS population because of the mal practice and other reasons. He advised that the people of Zambia are very relaxed (they love to laugh, joke, lounge, and go to the movies, shopping malls and Sunday market). Zambia has 75 different tribes but English is their main language but he suggests we pick up a few key words of the main tribal language in Lusaka.. which I am so excited to learn about! Zambia is very Christian.. over 90% are Christian, so there is a lot of hypocrisy. “No means no” in Zambia, I know that in parts of Mexico when you shake your head no that actually means yes to them! We should expect very heavy rains when we arrive, and because of that it is very muddy. We should enjoy the massive avocados when we arrive- they are about 3 times the size of Canada’s. We should visit Livingston and the Victoria falls. Most of all we should have an open mind! He was very helpful, once again I am so grateful for VIDEA covering all these angles for us.. getting sooooo excited to be there already!

Feb.8^th

            Today VIDEA had two ladies from Transformation International Company, Carolanne and Ainjil to come in and share some key points with us to carry with us to Africa and in our everyday lives. They started off with saying that communication is the number one way to find out people’s model of their world in a different culture. Ask questions.

                They explained this awesome model too us:

C > E

(cause) (greater) (effect)

Cause- what we want:

Taking 100% responsibility.

Saying it the way you want to say it.

Effect- what we don’t want:

Words such as: can’t, shouldn’t, mustn’t, quit, try

It’s in our documents and in our language.

An example would be “MADD” mothers against drunk driving. It’s putting drinking and driving into our subconscious even if we mean the opposite. We want to use the LAW OF ATTRACTION. Say it how you mean it… for example: Speaking to your child. If you say to your child, “don’t go play on the road” curiosity will take over and they will be driven to see why they shouldn’t. but what we should say is, “ if you play near the road you could get hurt and I don’t want that to happen to you, so please play within the fence” because we are getting our point across. We all should evaluate our communication even though we’ve been taught different.

                They also explained how we should all practice and see with peripheral vision (PV), which is seeing all our surroundings even when we are focussing on something. It is proven to bring up a grade average in school when taught correctly. It helps make things easier to keep together. They explained that sometimes we can get caught up in tunnel vision (TV) such as being sad and angry and it can spiral us downwards and feel as though everything is closing in- we need to force ourselves in that moment to give our heads a shake, see in peripheral vision and make choices.

From there they explained, “Ha Breathing” with us which is an old Hawaiian tradition. You inhale through the nose and out through the mouth exhaling every last breath out of you and saying, “hhaaaaaaaa”. We should do 2 sets of 4. The Hawaiian people usually do it before any group gathering. It helps ground you, give you energy, help you focus and even an help you sleep. They advised that if we do it before we sleep we should think of what we want to happen the next day and then when we wake we should repeat for what we want to happen in the day. It grounds you in a crisis and builds rapport with anyone. We gave it a try as a group, and I’m not going to lie, it instantly took away my burning headache and I felt ready for whatever obstacle that was going to come my way.

Their contact information is open to anyone who wants to know more about these topics:

Aigjil Hunt: ainjil@me.com

Carol Anne Hilton: cawaaknise@me.com

www.transformationinternational.ca

Twitter: @ainjil_hunt, @Hesquiaht

Facebook:  Ainjil Hunt, Transformation carol anne Hilton

Feb.9^th

                Kerry and Jeremy (both 25 years old) from Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network came and talked with us more thoroughly on HIV/AIDS since Zambia’s stats are about 1 out of every 5 person is positive. We need to educate ourselves! Personally, I believe the whole world needs to be educated more.. not just on mathematics, history, etc.- we need our people to be prepared on the future, basic life skills and the stuff that the majority of the population never wants to talk about-like HIV/AIDS. They started off by holding a bowl of water, in their tradition they splash their face 4 times before starting any gathering- it’s said to wash away negativity. It was so refreshing and beautiful to be a part of. www.CATIE.ca is free information on HIV we went over- everyone READ IT!

                Then Atilla’s aunt, Lorna Williams, came and had a session with us on her experiences in Africa. She is a very close friend of VIDEA who went to Uganda. She said that the people in Uganda always wanted to hear her stories (she realized that the indigenous people of Canada were colonized much longer then the people of Africa). She gave us a memory stick with information on languages, reports, culture camp hand book and a map (firstvoices.com).

                We then had our final speaker for the day, Leanna, who is a youth facilitator for Volunteer Victoria. She helps 15-29 year olds find volunteer work that they love. She shared many great ideas, games, ice breakers for youth engagement. I took over 5 pages of notes just on her, very informative. She covered the 4 primary principals of youth engagement:

1)      Respect- the greatest thing is to respect youth. Using the word, “kid” is belittling and we should try and remember names.

2)      Get to know people’s story- individuality. It shows sense of care. An idea would be the 5 W’s questions.

3)      Trust and boundaries- be consistent with it; if you’re able to give it you can get it.

4)      Learning- we are always doing this. We don’t have to be an expert and we can always ask for help.

She was so much fun and so glad that VIDEA got her to come in <3

Feb.10^th

            Ah, I can’t believe this is our last day of preparation! Man, time has sure flown by. Today, Lynne, the executive director of VIDEA covered pretty much entirely everything we learned in the past month. Held it open for any last questions and answers and group discussions then covered risk management one last time. She told us these:

No unmarked cabs, no sweat markets, stick with advise of women for change because they are looking out for us, do not go out after dark (6pm) even the locals don’t like to be out after dark, don’t listen to the advice of other interns and stick with what VIDEA has taught us, don’t call people by their first names but use the names that colleagues use for them. We then broke up in partners and jotted down what we believe would be safety and culture risks and reviewed them as a whole group. “If in doubt do not cross the road”- pedestrians do not have the right of way in Zambia. Almost everywhere outside of Lusaka in the rural areas there are road blocks with fully automatic armed men and do not panic! They are usually just looking to see if your seat belt is on. Sitting in silence with a Zambian is fine- you don’t need to jump up and talk to avoid silence. There is a danger to not going out and eating when invited. Steer towards eating the indigenous food. When you land know where to get your medical attention.

                Lynne then got us to make a “social contract” (which follows everything we learned) basically stating why are we going to do a social contract and in the positive, what does it mean to you? Here is mine:

“I’m going to follow everything in the social contract because I want this to be an ultimate positive life changing experience to the fullest. I want to build relationships, lessons and knowledge to carry out for the rest of my life and pass down to my children and anyone that crosses my path. When I’m old and looking back on life I want to know I took full advantage of this experience. I want to know that I impacted the world in some positive way.”

                Lynne then talked about every step of our journey to Africa. Some tips she gave us was to think about what we pack on our carry on- imagine what we would need for 4 days if our luggage goes missing. Keep your baggage stub from Vancouver to Lusaka for security reasons. Save sleep for Amsterdam to Nairobi because you may not have time for jet leg. Lastly, always think ahead!

                God, I can’t believe this is the end of our preparation for our internship. I walked into this training thinking that I was ready.. but I can’t believe how much I’ve learned and grown in this experience. Not even just from the training that VIDEA has provided us but just living away from my family in friends in a new city really taught me a lot. I am so blessed to have made such a strong friendship with everyone in this journey and blessed for this GIFT! I walked out of the VIDEA office thinking, THIS IS IT!! I felt like an excited little girl waiting for Christmas!

My Aunt Kelowa, sister Savanna and Baily came out to Victoria, we spent the night in a hotel and they helped me downsize my bag. We went out for dinner and my aunt treated me with prime rib… my god, am I ever lucky. Every single bite was heaven to me. We had our left overs packed up then gave it away to people on the street, there’s no way I can waste food anymore knowing that people are going hungry every single day and dying every single day! I can’t stand for wasting any more.. it hurts my heart to see how much we take for granted in north America. We then went on a long walk and shared so many laughs. God, do I ever feel like I have the most supportive and loving family in the world; I’m truly blessed.

Feb.11^th

Today I woke up surrounded by my family one last time for 4 months. I woke up smiling, praying and thanking God for all that I have. We went out for breakfast then went to the mall for my last minute things where we met the love of my life, Dylan. O man, it was so good to see him and be held tightly in his arms. Never have I met a man like him, and I feel so blessed that God placed him in my life. He is so supportive and always pushing me towards my dreams; always knowing exactly how to lift me up when I am down. I can be me around him and laugh uncontrollably without feeling bad or embarrassed. I feel like the happiest woman on this earth. Our story… well that’s an exciting one, but I’ll keep this brief considering many people I know will read this. Kelowa, Savanna, Baily, Dylan and I all went to the fundraising tea party that VIDEA put together at Lorna William’s house. So many people were there, the entire house was packed, shoulder to shoulder. It was so exciting to meet many supporters and friends of VIDEA. I was very happy that my family and Dylan had the opportunity to meet the people who have now grown into my family. Lynne talked about what VIDEA is and what they stand for, then all us interns said briefly who we are, where we’re from and what we’re going to be doing in Africa. I was so excited to speak up; I said something along the lines,

“Hello everyone, my name is Shaina Edel. I am an annishanabe woman of the Sagkeeng First Nation, which means the mouth of the Manitoba River. I was sitting one day in Ihop with my best friend and discussing how we’re ever going to accomplish our bucket list, how we’re going to be able to do these humanitarian things and I unexpectedly got a phone call from my aunt, Kelowa. She told me briefly about this internship program and said apply instantly, so I did! & I thank God every single day for that. I’ll be partnering with a NGO called Women For Change; and every day I am realizing more and more that God does everything for a reason- that this position is for me exactly. I’ve been raised by two strong women so I am quite the feminist- always fighting for women’s rights, and I have a huge household of children my mother has taken in, we have been the voices for those that could not be heard. So I feel very blessed to be a part of this- I have made a family with these interns and people of VIDEA. A long time ago I had asked someone what the purpose of life was, and she responded, “… to try and leave the world a bit better than it was before you got here.” So that is what I will do; I am so excited for every step ahead of us!”

It was such a beautiful experience to have all of us under the same roof with supporters, families and other loved ones. There we’re silent auctions and a fundraiser going on for the 4 organizations we have partnered with (Women for Change, Justice for Women and Orphans, Women First and Uganda Rural Fund) also for this internship program itself. I felt so at peace and watched in awe as every one of us interns spoke; we have all grown so much. A supporter names David, had even given us a leadership book he and written up to take on our journey with us. Lorna Williams gave such a powerful speech, saying how proud she is of us to step forward and impact our communities by every step we make. She thanked the ones that raised us, for they raised strong young people; she reassured them not to fear... as she spoke I got goose bumps... I looked over and saw my aunt, Kelowa, crying. After Lorna spoke, I gave my aunt such a big hug. She is such a beautiful person inside out that has impacted my life profoundly. She is one of the many people that have given me guidance and strength through-out my entire life. I am eternally grateful for every single person that has influenced me in a positive way. We left the house with more then what we had when we entered; our hearts were full of empowerment... and I just felt a peace I cannot explain in words.

My family, Dylan and I went out for our last meal together. We shared so many laughs and spoke what we think life will look like when I’m in Africa... and what it will be like when I get back. It just excites me to know that I am growing every single day and life when I get back is another amazing and exciting chapter. I thank God for helping me realize after so many years, that life is truly what you make of it. I'm so shocked that it took me so long to comprehend that concept. Just a short while I go, I wasn't active, I just believed that if something great was going to happen, I'd have to wait for it. I would let negativity have the power to get me down. Until this amazing concept finally rushed through my veins... LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT- YOUR EMOTIONS AND OUTLOOK ARE ALL UP TO YOU. Chase after your dreams, make it happen. Be active; it doesn't matter if you crawl, stumble, skip, jump, run.. as long as you are moving forward, you will get there; you will accomplish your dreams.

After dinner, Dylan and I walked my family to their vehicle and they both cried and gave me a huge hug. I wanted to cry, but held it in. This is only temporary, I will come home a stronger and more compassionate person; this will change my life forever and I need to keep my head up, this journey is just beginning- I need to walk into it strong. I told them to stay strong, promised I would take care of myself and said my good-byes.  Then Dylan and I went back to make the best of the last two days together before I left for four straight months. I seriously love every single second that I spend with him & my family. I feel so blessed. Sunday, the day before I flew out my very best friend, Amanda came to visit me on the Island with Jessica, her brother Matt and his daughter, Maddison. I couldn’t stop smiling; I got to spend my last day with my love, and close friends. I stayed up till 5 am feb.13^th… could not sleep, last minute organizing of my bags and just thoughts running through my head. But finally with an hour to spare before waking, I curled up, closed my eyes, smiled, prayed and dreamed of this journey ahead of me.

CHAPTER: THE JOURNEY TO AFRICA- ZAMBIA

Feb.13^th

                Early in the AM, opened my eyes and realized- This is it… today’s the day! Ah! I prayed for God to walk with me, give me strength… but most importantly, I thanked Him for all that I have. The list of things that I’m grateful for is endless… Then, I kissed my love and jumped up. Gathered all my things and rushed to the ferry terminal. We had to make the 9 o’clock one. It was a stressful moment; we were just both praying to make it on time. Prayers were answered, we were pretty much the very last one to board, ahh thank you God! Amanda and my other good friends were on the same ferry to see me off, her and I stood out on the deck and looked at the ocean, and the sun trying to shine through the clouds; she hugged me and told me she was so proud of me. I just told her that I have never had such a supportive friend in my life. I am truly blessed for her. She is a light that continually keeps my fire burning. We hugged once again and I reminded her to stay strong and we said our good-byes…I keep typing out the word, “good-byes” and I don’t like it. It seems to me like a permanent saying. From here on out, I will say “see you laters”, I know it’s not proper English, but bear with me.

                11:45am there was a group meeting at the Vancouver airport; we took our first anti malaria pill together and I enjoyed my last meal for four months with Dylan. I am so blessed to have him in my life. It was the hardest to say “see you later” to him… He stayed as long as he could before I had to check my bag and go thru security. But I wiped my tears, and looked towards the future- this journey; And I smiled thinking of what life will look like when I get back. Every single bite of food will taste that much more delicious, the roof over my head, clothes on my back, and every clean drop of water will be that much more of a blessing. Every single time I look into the eyes of the people I love, I will capture those moments in my memory and cherish it. Life is beautiful!

                Because of a bomb threat in Amsterdam, our flight was delayed to 5:30pm. It was an 8 hour long flight. When we landed in Amsterdam the first thing I realized was how gloomy it was, reminded me of home. We lingered around the airport for another 8 hours. We then boarded the Kenya Airlines, Pride of Africa. It was an 8 hour and 20 minute flight to Nairobi. The crew on board are so friendly; everyone was right when they said African people are so sweet. We just landed in Nairobi Kenya, when we could see African land from the air plane that’s when it hit me! My stomach was flipping around and hands were sweating- just the anticipation to get off the plane and smell the “African air” that everyone was talking about was killing me! So exciting! One by one we got off the plane and stepped out on to the runway cement- waaam, the heat wave hit me. Then with my first step, I took a deep breath, it almost smelt like burnt sage, sweet grass and cement… ahhh- I loved it instantly! We directly got onto the shuttle bus to take us to the airport terminal. We walked past many little shops, brightly painted walls, many people everywhere, noise everywhere, and chaos (following close behind my temporary mother figure, coordinator, Rohan) to find our next spot. This is where the 11 of us split up. Rohan, with the Uganda team, and then Courtenay, Tashayna, Ashley, Nathan and I to the Zambia area. It was a sad moment for a few minutes to part with the people that have become so much like family to me. I was sweating like a mad woman so I went to the bathroom to change out of my sweats and noticed a hole in the ground with a toilet seat cover over it as the toilet- these culture differences are sure intriguing me. It was such an experience that’s for sure! We are now without our fearless leader from here on till a week from now; this is so exciting to me to branch off & rely on what we’ve learned & our common sense. I will be challenging myself and growing every single day. We just got through security, not patiently waiting. I was just watching the Kenya news and the headlines say, “God Changes People”… it made me smile.

                Ashley and I got the left side of the middle of the plane. Kenya Airlines again, but definitely an older model. Right before we took off I said a quick prayer,

“ God, thank you for blessing us with this amazing life changing experience. Thank you for my family, my friends and supportive man I have back at home. Please protect us every step of this journey. Help us enter this new culture with positive open minds and put our fear and anxiety aside. With you, I can overcome anything. Thank you. Amen.”

We flew over the second largest mountain in the world, Mt.Kilamanjaro.  I took quite a few pictures of it. O my, do I ever feel like quite the tourist. I’m loving every single second. I cannot sleep anymore since we took our first step into Africa.  The pictures aren’t doing justice for what I see with my eyes, I wish everyone I love could be experiencing, smelling, and eating what I am. I’ve had two African meals already on the airlines. Breakfast was chicken sausage, beans, an omelette with mushrooms, spinach and pumpkin leaves in it, and a fried triangular hash brown and grilled tomato with dried pumpkin leaf sprinkled on it. Also a fruit bowl, watermelon, orange, pineapple- so much more flavourful then back at home. Ashley gave me her left over “veggie breakfast”, it was delicious as well. It was fried plantain I believe with this curry sauce and gran beans all over it, and a croissant. Yum, my kind of food. The North American food we had on the first flight was so blah. I am so looking forward to trying many more new things. We are meeting some staff of Women For Change when we land after we get our visas. Then we will be settling into our new home, the YWCA compound for four months.

Side note: I haven’t showered since Sunday, the one shower opportunity was in Amsterdam and was about $20 US to use and $5 US for a McDonald’s coffee… o man, people were right about Europe being expensive. I just wanted to thank God for baby wipes! =)

Ashley and I noticed a mosquito in the front of us on the plane!! We had a mild panic attack then laughed about it. Our bug spray was in our check on bag =O but the crew just went and sprayed something down the aisles that I believe was bug spray… whatever it was made me cough… We were not getting malaria on our first day of Africa! O man, and the experiences unfold. We just landed at the Kamuzu international airport at 11:53pm BC time Feb.14^th to gas up the plane. We are to remain seated till plane takes off again in 45 minutes. It was so beautiful flying down, the land is so much more rural then Nairobi. There are huge luscious green trees that remind me of the Lion King. I am so blown away by all of this. My heart is filling with emotions. I wish Dylan, family and friends could feel what I am feeling at this very second. We are soon to be landing in Lusaka! The 5 of us were told from Rohan to rush to immigration and purchase our visas. We are to only answer the questions but nothing more. We’re supposed to be prepared when we finally pick up our luggage to be stopped by armed men who are only checking if our stubs match the ones on the luggage, then wait for WFC staff to greet us. Yay, I am so looking forward to everything.

We landed in Lusaka!! Ahh! As I stepped out of the plane that wave of heat hit me again, the slight smell of burning and sweet grass surrounded us. There are so many different smells in the air. The five of us grouped together and walked straight to the tourist visa line. We gave him $50 US for our visas and then collected our bags. We then walked thru the line that said, “no goods”, they checked to see that our names matched our check on bags. Then we waited outside. Many men ran up to us and tried talking us into catching a ride with them to where we need to go and we were being eyed up by so many people… we were now the foreigners… such an experience. Tashayna came with me inside to use the bathroom, where I walked by a security guard with a fully automatic gun who was eyeing me up. I just minded to myself and stayed calm. Maggie and Clive, (such nice people that have already become our close friends) workers for Women For Change, picked us up in a big white SUV. I trusted the both of them immediately, VIDEA has such a close relationship with Women For Change, so because of that I let my guard down and listened to all their pointers and advice, which they had plenty of.

                We drove about 20 minutes to YWCA, its right side driving on the left side of the road.. but from time to time people drive in the oncoming traffic as well. It was pretty chaotic looking… thank god Clive was used to it. I was just blown away by everything I was seeing. I was so grateful everyone else didn’t want to sit in the front seat; I got the best view. I just took everything in with awe. They pointed out specific places like a university, university for teaching hospital, elementary school, Canadian embassy.. I took so many pictures. I stopped taking pictures once we drove past the Lusaka army base, camo dressed men with guns everywhere, and a sign strictly saying, “Photography is prohibited”. I noticed that in many gaps of land alongside the road was many corn/maize fields- reminded me of home <3

                We arrived at the YWCA, it looked a lot different then what I imagined (lesson learned, don’t assume anything- always have no expectations and walk into anything with an open mind). I tried telling myself that is I get a small matt to sleep on I’ll be lucky, if there is at least a floor- it doesn’t matter if dirt is everywhere, I’d be lucky. I didn’t care if there was a hole in the ground for a toilet… I just didn’t want to have high expectations. But when we arrived, there were locked and secure dormitory like rooms, an office, common room to hang out in, and open area in the middle that had no roof but so beautiful with plants everywhere. There was an old stove with 3 working burners that are stuck on the same heat always, but hey, it works! Our rooms have two twin size beds, two big dressers, a desk, a little TV with one channel, and a gated window in it. Quite homey. There re mosquito nets already up and above our beds! There is one bathroom that has two stalls for females and two for males, and four showers that are shared… and what’s amazing is that some of the showers have hot water, sometimes =) So awesome! The female toilets even have seat covers to my relief. The YWCA has many visitors around the world there that are coming in and out… so it’s a chance to make a lot of new friends =) We are the only “mazungos” white people.

                Ashley and I shared a room, we unpacked feeling extremely tired and dirty, no shower in 3 days and dirt had stuck on to us everywhere, and it was quite funny. All 5 of us decided to have dinner before we winded down. There is a “restaurant” right beside our dorms in the Y fenced in community are. We went there and the Zambian lady said, “What would you like? We only have T-bone left... beef its good.” We were so hungry thirsty and confused with the menu written up on the board so we said, “ok, we’ll take 5”. I felt like everyone was just staring at us like we were from another planet. The lady we were talking to seemed a little hostile towards us but we kept smiling and thanking her- keeping our composure and remembering we have entered into a new culture… I played the CIL training and ice burg analogy in my head (1/3 only what we see, 2/3 like feelings, beliefs we can’t see). We also got 5 bottles of water, and had to pay before they started cooking. For one T-bone meal and one bottle of water it came to 22,500k… and we figured out that about 4800K is equivalent to about $1 US.

                Our meal came with a side of mixed cooked veggies (cabbage, tomatoes and onions), a big very well cooked T-bone with a tomatoey sauce on it YUM!, and a plate of NSHIMA (which is like ground maize that’s been cooked into something similar to hot dough, over cooked bland rice or sticky mashed potatoes). I was a bit confused on how to eat it… especially since we didn’t have utensils. The traditional people don’t use them, they use their hands. Luckily, the lady that seemed a bit hostile towards us noticed us struggling and helped show us how to use the currency and also how to roll the NSHIMA in your hand and dip it and eat it. It was our very first time eating NSHIMA and we had heard so much good things about it. It is something we would have to get use to because it is a regular side dish… almost like a bun in North America is to us. I got all into it, hands right in my food, at home eating with your hands would be looked at in disgust… but here, here it is traditional and a regular occurrence. I rolled a ball of NSHIMA in my mitts and dipped it in the tomatoey sauce… delicious! Thank God, I have rough hands from waitressing… NSHIMA is sure scalding hot, and the Zambian ladies find it funny when you can’t handle the heat =P We devoured then thanked for the delicious food and brought our plates to the counter.

                We then showered, there is 4 shower stalls with doors that lock. The one shower I had was scalding hot water, no cold, then two were them were just cold… but I found one that would switch hot and cold.. that seemed to be the one I’d use regularly. As I showered, I thanked God that we even got showers… the other 5 interns that went to Uganda, 3 of them were staying in a small village and have to walk about 2 km with basins to bathe in water. So I am blessed! I went back to my dorm room that we have to lock every time we leave, laid out my clean sheet Vannie washed for me and folded it in half so I could crawl in the centre, put my pillow case on my pillow, threw down my fuzzy thin travel blanket and tucked the bug net under my mattress all around me. I gathered particular things under the net such as: head phones & music, Kleenex, notebook, photo album of family, ventalin, water bottle, cards from Dylan and the Combes family, and D’s things to keep close to me <3. Mmm, so exhausted. I crawled under the net, tucked it back in and starred at my notebook. There was so much I wanted to write and things I wanted to say to people but the tiredness got the best of me and I passed right out. 2 hours later sometime after 6 Maggie was knocking on the door. She asked how we were feeling- everyone is always so concerned with our well-being which is so nice to know. She said if we felt up for it we should go in to town to get some necessities. So we all went. Wow, were we ever looked at funny. So white, and so under dressed. Everyone dresses so formally and so beautifully.. even if they are a developing country- they take care of themselves well. We went to a market part of the mall and  we all got 4 L bottles of water which was 7200 K which is basically $1.50 US. Then we had gone to Maggie’s humble home. I noticed that quite a few people lived in her house, and there were only a few bedrooms but that didn’t matter- they were all happy and smiling away. She has twins that are 6 years old… so cute and curious of us “mazungos”. Maggie picked up some clothes then came to stay with us at the Y for one night so we could figure out the bus in the morning. I crawled under my net, plugged in my peace playlist, pulled in D’s things close to me, looked at my ring, smiled, prayed and fell asleep with headphones still in <3

                Woke up to my alarm set for 5:40 am so we could shower and be ready for 6:50 am to catch the buses and make it around 8:30 am to Women for Change. I’m getting more used to this morning routine. Took a bag with my towel, shampoo, tooth brush and bottled water into the bathroom so it can hang and not sit on the ground open for any insects… clever =) We all met Maggie outside the Y and walked down the road about 8 minutes to where we caught the bus. (There is no actual bus stops or labels on the buses.. they are often changing location. So we need to specify clearly to the head guy where we are going. ) Many people walked by us and called us, “mazungo” white person. Maggie replied once, “yes, and your black!!” it made me smile. The transportation is a small mini bus, with usually 4 -5 rows and about 4-5 people squeeze into each row, then there’s a man that stands at the left corner and collects money from everyone once the bus has started up and driven a bit (To prove it works I’m assuming), we have to tap the person on the shoulder that sits in front of us to pass the money down. Thankfully Maggie took care of all that for us. We then stopped and got out at a place called, “Town” where there are over 30 mini buses just like the one we were on… and maybe 1,000 people everywhere.. bus drivers honking, head men yelling out their destination, people shuffling everywhere.. I’m not going to lie, I felt un easy… confused, stressed, and overwhelmed.. but I just followed Maggie into another bus. All of our bodies, squished tightly beside each other, sweat pouring down from all of us… but then after about a 15 minute drive arrived at a place called, “North mead”. We had to tap the person in front of us to get up so we could shuffle out. Maggie took us to a bakery where we had a homemade fresh scone. We were so starved. Tashayna all of a sudden started puking… members of WFC took her to the mum’s clinic where they diagnosed her with a too high white blood cell count? And had prescribed her some antibiotics. (her symptoms only lasted a day)  Everyone was so amazingly nice to us at WFC… every one of them asked us how we were doing, and seemed so genuinely interested in our lives, our families, beliefs, and well-being. It was so nice to be surrounded by such happy people. They gave us a tour and introduced themselves and we shared a bit about ourselves. Thank God I brought my family photo album with me- they all loved the fact that I had a huge family- just like the traditional families here.

                We all were adjusting and I cooked whatever I found at the markets that looked familiar. First time making breakfast on the communal stove with 3 working stuck on one heat elements… thankfully, I saved the extra plastic utensils, condiments, sugar, creamer and jam from the air plane… because it helped a lot! O my, I am so silly… to my family that is reading this, I bet you’re thinking, that sounds like Shaina! But hey, my habits carried us thru the first few days I tell ya =) I attempted to make oatmeal and coffee; I came across a few challenges… such as, we only had a small amount of water, so Ashley and I both sacrificed 3 cups each of our own water to make this; I only had a plastic spoon to stir the scalding oatmeal but managed =) and no plates, although we did have a mug each that came in our rooms =).. o and of course the fact that the burners were stuck on one hot heat was a challenge… but I managed. My mom would be proud =) we were all starved and devoured!  We then were lounging in the common room writing, since we had no internet access to blog… and one of the managers of the YWCA came to me and asked if we would mind moving to a cottage that would suit us better.. it was hard to understand her but we followed.. she showed us a cottage about 15 feet away with two same style rooms, a small kitchen and bathroom in it- our own bathroom! So we agreed to it, although it made us feel more isolated… thank god the 4 of us girls were together though. Nathan stayed in his dorm room still at the hostile. We packed up our stuff and moved into our new home… the place we will call home for the next 4 months =)

                Next morning Clive and Andrew, a worker of WFC met us at our place, and said they needed to show us around town. So we followed them. Clive left, so it was just Andrew. We caught a bus.. and this time had to figure out our own currency and make sure we get our change back. We were all spread out separately thru-out the bus this time… and I’m about to share a valuable lesson I learned. I was squeezed in between two men that were just eyeing me up, I started to feel very uneasy and panicked.. I felt as though they were going to rob me or harm me… I clutched onto my bag tightly, looked down at the ring D got me and closed my eyes and prayed,

“God, I thank you so much for this opportunity of a life time- this gift. But God please protect me, protect all of us, and please give me the strength and wisdom to get myself out of this situation not harmed… God, please help me right now…”

I opened my eyes, and looked on either side of me; both men were reading the BIBLE! Bah, and I quickly realized how foolish I was… for assuming and judging. I was mad at myself… I realized that they were just staring at me in curiosity… every day I’m learning something new and growing as a person… God, I am just so grateful for this… it truly is a life changing experience.

A few days in I realized laundry had to be done… so for the first time, I gathered water in a basin with the tide laundry pack I brought. Took it outside, threw my clothes in and let it soak for about half hour. Then I got on my knees and started scrubbing… I actually really liked it… I love this whole experience, we have to get productive and resourceful. I created drying contraptions in my room and outside in our small patch of back yard. Also, after the clothes were dry, I ironed every single thing, even my under garments. We were told since they dry out side, little insects can cling on the clothing and burry into our flesh… so the heat from the iron kills whatever may be living on it…. Learning a whole new world I tell you! Then I put the extra fridge divider beside the sink to create another drying contraption for the dishes; and tied up a string across the kitchen window sill; I put tied up grocery bags full of our dry foods on it. It gave us extra space in our small kitchen and away from insects. After it was complete I had a good laugh to myself… so resourceful… kind of like camping… for 4 months.

Norman, the project coordinator at Women for Change came to pick us up Friday around 1:30pm to take us to “The Lodge”, right near the airport that we were first picked up from. He said we’d get to see animals we’ve never been able to see in our lives…. So I charged my camera and ran out excited like a little girl waiting for Christmas. When we got there we had to wait about half hour for the next vehicle to take us around… so we started taking pictures with Norman’s two kids. We looked over and noticed the hugest cactus we all have ever seen in our lives… it was like a massive cedar tree back in British Columbia. It just blew my mind! O my, the silliest things just astound me. We took so many pictures, then got to try some Zambian cheese that they made right there at that building… mmm… one of mine kind of tasted like samosas and it made me smile… it’s the little things that make me smile. Then we all piled on a big safari 4X4 vehicle. Ahhh, so exciting… this is only something I ever dreamed of… and it’s actually a reality! It was about an hour and a half ride into the wild. The clouds had some of the craziest shapes, and the tall long grass reminded me of Ghost in the Darkness… O man, I took in everything I could with the hugest smile on my face. So many animals that I never thought I would get to see in my life: a black mamba snake, vultures, many different birds, almost extinct mammals that look like wildebeests, hyenas (interesting fact that I just learned about them is that they can be very vicious and can eat bones like it is nothing to them, their feces is amazing fertilizer too!) and last but not least… I got to see three beautiful elephants. My favourite was the elephant. It reminded me of being a little girl and watching, “Dumbo” laughing away with my sisters =) O how I miss them… but I am living something that countless amounts of people can only dream of.

Monday, Febuary.20^th, was our first day of work. Nathan, Ashley and I got up early and walked to the UTH area for our bus; this time we didn’t have a Zambian friend with us to help guide us through. Everyone eyeing us up once again… but I just smiled and asked how they were… knowing that they were just curious… Every time I got good response with a smile. We found the “town” bus and gathered on, I had made sure that before I left home that I had 3500 K ready. I was getting this currency difference down pat =) On the second bus I didn’t have exact change, only a 20,000 K so quickly I had to do the math to make sure I get exact change back… this daily routine has really exercised my mathematics that’s for sure.

                Once we got to the office we all sat around a big board table. There were about 12 others that work with Women for Change. It was so nice, everyone was smiling. We then were told to go one at a time around the circle and say how we are all feeling today and introduce ourselves. When it got to me, I was so excited, I said a little bit about my life and said I was happy… ready to learn and help anyway I can. When we got around to the end of the circle I realized something common with almost everyone, “hungry, broke, but happy.” I later realized that because of the pull out of funds, every one of them are working pretty much for free… are so hungry…but still getting up, leaving their families and coming to work… waiting patiently for funds to come in.. and who knows when they ever will. I have never seen so many selfless people under one roof at a time. Every single one of them have a sparkle in their eyes and the more I get the opportunity to talk with them the more empowered I get. Every one of them says that they would fight to their death for justice and equality of their people… that just blows me away. The entire world needs to learn from them. In the board meeting we also went over reports and briefing on what each unit (Community unit, Youth and Child unit, Information, Advocacy and Training Department, Information, Advocacy and Training Unit, Finance and Admin. Departments, Support staff, Traditional Leaders Unit, Executive Directors Office) did in the past week and what is in store for the upcoming week. Then it is open for anyone to add anything else for us to discuss as a group. I just listened to everything and tried to soak it all in. I was just blown away at how efficient and selfless everyone was. I was so excited to be accepted into a program that partnered with a NGO in Africa, but what’s even better everything the organization stands for, I stand for. Justice, equality, and trying to work to make the world a better place. I feel like God has truly blessed me. He placed me here for a reason… and I will do everything I can, with every bit of strength in me to help.

                We were given a tour of Women for Change’s offices and then were asked to have our first orientation with a unit… the community unit. They gave us a brief overview of what WFC is and what they stand for… we were told that their main focus is the rural communities… the communities that other NGO’s haven’t put focus into, to try and avoid over-lap. We were told that there are two separate regions we work in. The first region consists of southern, eastern provinces and Lusaka (Choma, Kalomo, Mazabwka, Sinazongwe, Retauke, Lundazi, and Chongwe). The second region consists of western and central provinces (Senanga, Kaoma, Mumbwa, Kapiri Mphoshi). The groups are divided then into further districts. There is a commity for each level and also a community centre in each area so the people don’t have to travel much. Wfc tries and benefit the people as much as possible… they realize that there are many with young children, that are sick or need to tend to the sick and just don’t have the time or access to travel far distances to attain these workshops that WFC provides… hence why they have created community centres where workers of WFC can stay, where there can be resource papers there for anyone that wants it , and a place to just meet.

                Women for Change focuses on gender rights, and advocacy of the 5 human rights:

1)      Access to medical care

2)      Access to clean water

3)      Access to food

4)      Shelter

5)      Education

The Community Unit focuses on many projects such as fish farming, bee keeping, goat project, etc. They also showed us something called the, “A-ha Model”… it’s where they come into a new rural community in a sensitive way… not wanting to point out,  “this is your problem, here is your solution.. they are more as a guide. They go into these communities and ask them to draw out their vision (because a lot of the places they walk into are illiterate and there is a huge language barrier). They ask them, : what do you want to see in your community, what do you want to achieve and draw it. It ends up being a huge picture- their vision- and they respond, “a-ha”. They then take a copy of the picture with them to come back and follow up with the communities but leave the original copy with them to prioritize what they want and step forward as one. They shared a few other models with us, it was so inspiring to listen  to them… I just soaked it all up like a sponge. I can’t wait to learn more. Our first day has been a success; it took us about an hour and a half on two different buses to get home… but we made it. I feel like such a happy lady and I am so excited for all the steps ahead of me. Tomorrow we are scheduled to have orientation with the Child and Youth Development Unit and Training Unit. Bring it on! =)