There's no denying it, these bloggers are bound to make you jealous. Whether it's their guts, their energy or their tan you admire, overseas volunteers have got plenty to share with you about their remarkable work in fascinating countries. Read on to find out what you could be missing.

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Thursday Feb 28, 2008

My team

The team I was with for the first phase - 'Alpha 4' - were  very nice. At first we were all very nervous, but quickly felt more relaxed and comfortable round each other, and by the end we felt so much like a family that it was very upsetting to leave this beautiful place. Prima and the rangers set up a party for that evening to celeberate our time there, with lots of lovely food and salsa dancing (though I am still no better at it!), and a speech saying how grateful they were. In return, we made them a card and also had written a speech in Spanish that each person read - while it was hard to pronounce, they seemed even more touched by the attempt!

We left that morning and our currently back at field base waiting for our 2nd phase to be decided, so thought I would use this free time to go into the local town and use the internet cafe! Soon we will be given our new Alpha groups and be told what phase we will next be doing, so there is alot of suspense!

Adios, James x

Posted by James ( 3:39 PM )
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Getting to know the locals

The locals are very friendly, and they actually really take you under their wing and treat you as part of a family. I knew very little Spanish and was very nervous about this, but they made even me feel so comfortable. One of the rangers, Prima, cooked us lovely meals every now and then and always had a lovely smile across her face! On one Sunday she took us to their local Gospel Church; a very surreal experience. While it was only simple bits of wood with a long sheet of metal placed above offering shelter, it was very moving. At first I was worried they would feel offended by Westerners coming and watching their lifestyle, but it was the opposite. They hugged each and every one of us, danced and sang, and persuaded us to join in also! Later that day they also asked us to take part in one of the local football matches - by this time, the whole town knew of our presence, even our names. Every single person was warm and welcoming as we arrived to the pitch, only to be greeted by a football team kitted out and ready to go. We, however, weren't exactly kitted out... they lent us some t-shirts and got us to play one of the teams for a total of 60 mins. The heat was extreme, reaching 40 degrees at times, and it was fasinating to see how they managed to run at such a quick pase! Alas, we did lose 5-1, but I left with a smile on my face similar to Prima's.

Posted by James ( 3:38 PM )
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