Words of (humble) wisdom from a fellow world traveler…

Words of (humble) wisdom from a fellow world traveler… 

I had just finished watching the USA play Germany in their third match of the World Cup in Szabadság ter (Freedom Square), Budapest. Surrounded by hundreds of people— mostly German fans but also many Americans— I felt alive as can be in this beautiful city that I had never been to, much less even heard about. Although we lost 0-1 (it was kind of expected- we were playing defensively), I still cheered my heart out and the USA still advanced to the Round of 16!

However, as the match ended and the crowd started to disperse, I was struck by a moment of intense loneliness as the elation of the festive mood left me suddenly. In truth, I had felt it coming. Traveling to Budapest for two days by myself, I knew I’d be officially on my own, without knowing a single person around me, for the first time since I arrived in Europe over a month ago. The group of EPs I knew already visited Budapest, but I really wanted to so I decided to come on my own.

I don’t usually get lonely. You know me— I’m the kind of guy that loves to live in the moment, to meet new people, and to try new things! But this was different: You see, this entire year of 2014, I have been in my house— at home with my family— for less than six weeks. Since August 2013, that number rests at ten. The months of being away from my home and family finally caught up, and as I sat in the middle of this wonderful city, surrounded by people, I felt sad and alone. I was tired of being away. Many other AIESECers and Yalies are in similar situations: you know how it can feel.

Suddenly I just wanted to feel sorry for myself, take the metro back to my hostel, and go straight to bed. But I figured I might as well take the long walk back and enjoy the city since it was my last night. At times it is good to be lonely— it’s good to express our natural emotions— but for the moment I wanted something to occupy my mind.

I came upon the most beautiful sunset over the Danube— those five minutes of the day where the sky is on fire in a perfect mix of orange, yellow, and pink. As I walked further, the lights of Budapest were lit slowly and beautifully one by one, and I felt as if I had been taken a century back in time as the river became even more majestic. 

In that moment, I realized how lucky I am. I was lucky to be in a perfect place at the perfect moment. I was lucky to be able to be in Europe and see so many things that most people don’t get to see. I was lucky, through this AIESEC experience, to be able to meet and influence so many people, and to become more of a Global Citizen myself.

Then more realizations started coming in— I’m lucky I don’t have to worry much about money, or where I’ll sleep tonight, or what I will eat tomorrow, or if my family and friends love me, or if my future is bright.

I felt a lot more content about where I was. I was grateful to God and to my family and friends and to everyone who has helped me and shared their experiences with me. I thought about my purpose in Europe through AIESEC. All of my traveling was allowing me to teach Czech children about languages and cultures they wouldn’t otherwise know about. It was expanding my knowledge about the country where my ancestors came from. And, perhaps most importantly, it was preparing me to better serve others in the future— at school, through AIESEC, and in my career. Whatever that career may be, I will apply the unique skills and experiences I’ve learned because of my travels.

Feeling much better, I returned to my hostel expected to go to sleep early. But then I ran into four British guys playing cards. I love to play cards, so I joined them and we had a lot of fun. Since they were my age, we all ended up going out and had a really adventurous and (with some effort) memorable night until we finally crashed at 4:00AM. I wrote this on the 9:00AM train I had to take after that…

This story has three (humble) points of wisdom for everyone, not just AIESECers. Many of you probably already know these. Everyone who is in a similar situation needs a reminder like this sometimes :) 

The first is that whenever you feel lonely, sad, or lost, observe the beauty of the place and moment in which you are, and remember why you are there. You are serving others and making a positive difference in their life, and it is also developing yourself as a person with experiences that will properly equip you in whatever you choose to do later in life.

Secondly, it’s okay to be lonely. It is part of being human. True friends and family will always be there for you, no matter how long you are gone. That is why you must pursue your own dreams wherever they take you, and you must allow them to do the same. Distance and time can be hard on love, but they will never break it and, sooner or later, you will be home with the ones you love.

Lastly, when you are in a new or different place, never just give up and go to bed. Many fun and exciting adventures await, ones that will create a more formative experience wherever you are.

Life is good, and the world is a beautiful place!

Cheers from Vienna,

-Derek

A Tour of Ghana

    I have had so many amazing experiences in the last two weeks that I don’t even know where to start.  A couple days ago the other interns and I got back to Kumasi after a 10-day trip all around Ghana.  Just a few days before we started our trip, the World Cup started.  I watched the opening Brazil match at our neighbor’s house with some Ghanaian AIESECers, the other interns, and a Brazilian girl who was an intern here last year and came back to visit the Local Committee President of AIESEC KNUST, who is now her boyfriend (AIESEC, oh AIESEC).  Since then I have watched dozens of World Cup matches in many different settings, and have had to miss some matches due to power outages and other obstacles.  The German intern and I went to an outdoor viewing of Netherlands vs Spain during a blackout and, after waiting 20 minutes for the generator to be fixed, the TV turned on just in time to watch Spain score a penalty shot. Thirty seconds later, the TV broke, and we had no choice but to walk home in the dark.  The interns and some locals also squeezed into a small room in our neighbor’s house to watch Ghana vs USA, and I have to admit that I was rooting for Ghana. 

            The first part of our trip was a three-day excursion to Mole National Park, about five hours north of Kumasi. We hired a driver and got a van that we affectionately called our private tro-tro.  Mole is a giant national park is home to many wild animals such as monkeys, elephants, and antelopes.  We were very lucky to spot three elephants as soon as we arrived, and we quickly arranged for a park ranger to bring us closer. We ended up following the elephants through the forest, getting within about thirty feet from them.  

That night, I had to bribe the bartender to keep the bar open past its normal hours so that we could watch the Italy vs England match.  A group of about fifteen British girls showed up just before the match, so there was some tension in the room (which didn’t go away after Italy won).  The following morning we went on a 7am safari, sitting on top of a jeep and driving along bumpy roads through the national park.  We were again able to see monkeys, antelopes and elephants from up close.  The views of the park and its water holes and vegetation were also beautiful.

            Our next destination was the Volta region to the east, home of the second largest man-made lake and other attractions.  We were supposed to get there in half a day…but it ended up taking us two whole days.  One of the Ghanaian AIESECers helped us find a rental car and offered to drive us around. The plan was for us to meet him in Koforidua, about three hours by bus from Kumasi. Due to a really bad tro-tro accident on our road, our bus was delayed and ended up taking five hours.  Kweku, our friend and driver, was also caught in traffic, and we had to wait in the bus station in Koforidua for three more hours for him to arrive with the car (luckily a shopkeeper invited me to the back of his small clothing shop to watch a soccer match while we waited).  By the time we got on the road in our rental car it was dark, and the roads we were unpaved dirt roads with potholes everywhere. After driving over one of the holes, our back bumper fell off, with only one corner still attached to the car.  After a few failed attempts to reattach it, we came up with the idea of ripping the traditional cloth that one of the interns had bought in Kumasi into long strands, and using it to tie the bumper to the car. It worked perfectly, but we had lost so much time that we had to stop a nearby guesthouse for the night, not even halfway to our destination.

            After getting the car fixed in the morning (for a cost of about $10usd), we got back on the road towards Amedzofe, the highest settlement in Ghana. Driving up a skinny bumpy road, we got an amazing view of the town and the mountain. Continuing our streak of bad luck, it started pouring rain as soon as we parked our car in Amedzofe.  We tried to wait for it to pass, but we had to leave in order to get to our final destination before it got too late. I was upset that we were not able to hike to the top of the mountain and enjoy the view from above, but I hope I will get a chance to go back in the future. We left Amedzofe and headed towards Wli. I made a slight mistake in navigating us with the GPS, and we ended up on small dirt roads rather than on the main road.  I tried directing us back towards the main road, but the dirt roads were really bumpy and wet from the rain, and our car got stuck in the mud just a couple miles from the main road.  A bunch of boys from the nearby village immediately ran over and tried to help us push the car forward, but we soon realized how useless it was.  We worked at it for hours, even after the sun went down. Several teenagers and a few men came and tried to help us put wood under the tires and push the car, but we were seriously stuck.  We were fairly sure we would have to just leave the car overnight and come back and try again in the morning, so a man with a motorcycle drove me to a nearby guesthouse to check if they had any open rooms.  However, when I got back the other interns had come up with the idea of lifting the car up using a carjack, shoveling out some of the mud, and placing planks of wood under the tired before lowering it back down. And so, after three long hours, we were finally able to push the car out.  Enthusiastic cries and celebrations followed. We gave our helpers some money, and got back on the road.  It was 10pm when we got to our hotel, and we were all exhausted and covered and mud. Despite the struggles of the day, we had a fun night watching some World Cup soccer and dancing AIESEC Ghana roll calls.  A new intern from Singapore joined us that night.

Wli Waterfall

            The next day we did a six hour hike to the Wli Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in West Africa. We climbed to the very top of the mountain, and then along the side of the mountain to the waterfall itself. The view as we climbed up was incredible, and when we stood on the peak it felt like we were on top of the world (or of West Africa, at least). It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  The waterfall itself was incredibly strong. We all entered the water and stepped slowly backwards towards the falling water, and we felt water spray against our back. When I put my arms out to the side, I felt like I was skydiving. 

Ada

         The next day, we drove six hours south to Ada, a beautiful town right on the coast. Our “beach resort” (essentially a series of straw huts on the beach) was on the thin strip of sand where the Volta River meets the ocean. We had a fun and relaxing day on the beach, followed by a fun night of dancing to Ghanaian music with some other foreigners at the resort.  After we left Ada, we stopped in Accra, the capital city, to watch the Ghana vs Germany match in an outdoor bar. Watching the match in this crowded, noisy setting was so much fun.  Shouts and celebrations came with every single offensive chance that Ghana had during the match (the German intern swallowed his pride).

Our last two days were spent on the beaches of Busua, in the Western Region.  We walked several miles along the beach and then up a hill to find the ruins of Fort Batenstein, an old Dutch fort.  We had the entire place to ourselves, and we explored and climbed all over the ruins.  On our very last day of the trip, we tried to drive to from Busua to Cape Three Points, the southernmost point in Ghana. However, the roads were very bad and muddy, and at a certain point we decided not to risk getting stuck again, and so we turned back towards Busua. On the drive back to Kumasi the following day, we stopped in a small town and watched the Italy vs Uruguay match with some locals.  Eventually we made it back to Kumasi, and our trip was finished. I have to say that, despite the endless delays and complications, it was an amazing ten days that I am sure I will never forget.  I have now seen seven out of the ten regions of Ghana, and I have so many stories to tell.    

        













    It feels nice to be back in the Kumasi, and going back to teaching.  When I went back to school yesterday I was greeted with my students shouting “We missed you!” and “Thank god you made it back safely!” I only have about 10 days left here, and I am going to try to make the most of it.  I am disappointed that Ghana has been eliminated from the World Cup, because I would have loved to be able to watch more Ghana matches while I’m here.

Weeks 2-3 in Kenya

The good news? I've been having an amazing time in Kenya. The bad news? I've been enjoying myself so thoroughly that I've forgotten to update this blog for a few weeks. After one month in Nairobi, I've had more adventures than I could possibly recount in one post, but I'll attempt to convey the highlights.

My second weekend here, I traveled with four other interns to Amboseli National Park, a game reserve (and UNESCO Biosphere site) near the border of Tanzania. From the wild baboons running freely around our tents to the breathtaking view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, this place is unlike any other. Though I believe strongly that Kenya is a country with much more to offer than tourist attractions, I can now understand why thousands of travelers fly across the world each year solely to experience this sort of safari.

Back in Nairobi, teaching has been going well. The children have been taking midterm exams, so many days I do not have much to do other than supervise and ensure a quiet testing atmosphere. When not completing examinations, my class has been working on telling time (the difference between 'quarter past' and 'quarter to' proving especially difficult), division, Kiswahili, English grammar and spelling, and environmental science, among other topics. I've been enjoying getting to know the children more and am still working on learning names, which is challenging in a class of over 35! Originally I assumed the class couldn't be more than 30, but after a quick headcount this week I realized the burden placed on each teacher in the school.

Last weekend, I traveled with the other interns to visit Fourteen Falls, a natural landmark boasting fourteen distinct waterfalls along the Althi River near the town of Thika. With a guide's help, we all held hands and crossed the river by foot until we reached a large flat space in-between two waterfalls. After our guide effortlessly backflipped into the water below, he asked if any of us would like to do the same. In the spirit of adventure, I squeezed my eyes shut and jumped off the stone outcropping into the basin below. The exhilaration was certainly worth the subsequent chill of the water!

Heretofore unmentioned events of the past few weeks also include market visits, excessive amounts of World Cup viewing, and surviving sickness in Kenya! Look for another post soon(ish) for more. 

Week Two (and a half) in Mauritius

My second week in Mauritius was full of welcome ceremonies, culture seminars, and exploration! Some ups and downs but overall a pretty great week.

The main highlight was on Saturday, when we took our first trip into the wilderness side of Mauritius. We woke up early to take a tour of the southwest, which started with Ganga Talao, a sacred place of worship for Hindu people that surrounds a crater lake believed to be sacred water from the gods. The location of the shrines can be seen from miles away because of two huge statues of Hindu gods, and once at the base of these massive Shiva gods, we followed the path through a religious archway to the shrines that were decorated all around the Grand Bassin (the lake). The best part of this walk around the water? There were monkeys!!! A pack of about 15 or 20 monkeys were just cruising on the sidewalks, following us around and looking for food scraps. Some of them even had adorable babies hanging on to their stomachs, so naturally I chased them around with a half eaten coconut hoping to interact, but to no avail.

Past the monkeys and around the beautiful lake was a collection of god and goddess shrines, and a man who was blessing anyone who entered the area. He painted the dot and lines on my forehead and recited a small prayer that blessed me for coming as well as for (I think) positivity in my life. It was really cool to experience the Hindu culture, because I have never interacted with it in depth before. We learned about their holidays and special practices--such as Maha Shivaratri, which is a day when many pilgrims in Mauritius walk bare foot from their homes to the lake. This really struck me as powerful that people would believe in a higher power so strongly that they would walk hundreds of miles without sleep or food just to go to a worship service. To have that connection and live it so thoroughly in your every day life is really rare to see in American culture, so I found it refreshing and invigorating to learn about Hinduism from people who are so passionate.

As for work, there was a bit of low point this week because an NGO cancelled it's program with us for the time being. It was disheartening because we were relying on that foundation to keep a lot of our interns in jobs, but our leader says that they are working things out so that we can possibly resume interning for them in mid July. On the bright side, the other NGOs we are working with, PAWS, Environmental Protection and Conservation Organization (EPCO), and Mauritian Underwater Group are starting to provide us with quality work and ideas. A fellow team mate and I hope to get a monthly newsletter started for PAWS, as well as other building projects to improve the quality of the animal shelter. We also start presenting about PAWS's mission and purpose in elementary schools this Saturday. Secondly, EPCO is providing our interns the opportunity to research sea turtle and octopus habitats by talking to local diving companies. Lastly, I met with the VP of Mauritian Underwater Group to organize a three day beach clean up in July and also possible outings to gain first hand knowledge of the reef.

Overall, the disappointment of being dropped by the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation provided us with an opportunity to be innovative and show determination to make a difference in Mauritius. I'm optimistic about the upcoming events and can't wait to present in schools this Saturday!

If you want to follow my travel blog for more updates about my life in Mauritius, follow me at lostinmauritius.weebly.com. Until next week, au revoir!

Argentina --- Uruguay

Hello!

Sorry I have not written in a very long time. Wednesday marks my half-way point here (4.5 weeks of 9 weeks). The problem is I am still without computer and my phone is broken so to do anything I have to borrow a computer for someone.

It is pretty amazing to me that I have been here 4.5 weeks. I feel at once as if I had lived here forever and also as if I had just arrived. I feel like I haven't done enough touristy things (although I have done many). I think my favorite place in Buenos Aires is Puerto Madero, which is an area by the water (a port) with nice shops and restaurants. It is a nice place to walk and sit. One of my favorite things is when everyone goes to a choripan stand there and we all eat outside together by the water.

I have introduced everyone here to peanut butter. They are not as impressed as they should be. I really like cooking in the hostel though as a group (I especially like it because it is so cheap. US$1 or $2 for a lot of food). It is cool to try everyone's favorite foods from home. We have had 2 international lunches where everyone makes a plate from their home country.

It is strange being here for so long because I have now seen a lot of friends come and go. It is weird because the group who is here now is so different from the group who was here when I first arrived. Not better or worse, per se, but different. It is so cool now though because I have friends in pretty much every country so now I have so many people to visit.

I have been really into soccer/football here. I just learned how to spell it actually (I thought it was futbol like in Spanish but apparently no). By really into football I mean I have watched 4 games. I like going to bars to watch Argentina's games with everyone. There is one other American in the hostel so we cheer for the US together (although sort of half-heartedly). I am rooting for Argentina because I want to be there for them to win.

I went to Uruguay last weekend because it was flag day in Argentina and we had the day off on Friday. We took a boat for one hour into Uruguay and stayed for 3 days. We visited Montevideo and Colonia. Colonia was very quaint and tranquil and it was nice to walk around there. Montevideo was interesting. It has a very different feeling than Buenos Aires. I liked walking around the old part of the city (we went on a free walking tour), but it felt a little bit more dangerous to me than any other city I have ever visited. I am not sure why. One thing that was really cool was in places where the sidewalk tiles had broken, some mysterious person has been replacing them with colorful mosaics (no one knows who). All are abstract except for one which is in front of the civil registry place where you get married. It is a heart there. I thought that was cute. Both cities had so many wild dogs everywhere, which scared me because when I went to Iguazu and went for a run, wild dogs chased me (it was probably the scariest moment of my life. Like for real. I thought I was going to get rabies and die).

Working is a weird experience. I am not doing at all what I thought I would be doing. I work in a soup kitchen for 2 hours a day to help prepare food. It is a good way to learn Spanish but it is pretty tough going because my Spanish is not good enough to keep up with the women there, who all have very strong accents. I also am trying to organize the fundraising efforts for my NGO. It is really difficult and overwhelming because there is really no structure and I have no clue what I should be doing. I have been trying to contact different organizations with which we may be able to partner, so far to no avail. I have a new coworker now and I think we are going to try to start setting up a fundraising platform. I am sure that I could do more than I am doing if I had more information about the specific projects they want to do and their existing budget but the time tables here are very lax. I have been asking for the information for 4 weeks and I always hear yes yes yes but never actually get the information. Hopefully I will find out more by the end of my internship so I can make some sort of meaningful impact there. I am trying to make the best of the situation but it has been very frustrating for me.

I am really loving Buenos Aires and I will write more when I can! I am very excited because tomorrow I will go to see a bookstore that is inside an old theatre and I will also visit the famous Teatro Colon.

In other news, my Spanish has improved a bunch (although I never realized just how weak my Spanish was). The people in Uruguay were much easier to understand than in Argentina. My Spanglish is really reaching its prime. I don't speak normally in English anymore. I even have a funny accent. It is real weird.

Okay. Adios for now.

Hungary from a New Angle

Budapest

I’m a big soccer fan. My roommate at Yale and I have been talking about the World Cup since fall semester. For me, the tournament transcends even the beauty of the game at its highest level- when billions (?) of people around the world stop once every four years to watch the same games and share in the craziness of the world cup, the cultural mixing and energy is mind-blowing. So as excited as I was for the tournament to begin, I did not expect to experience the first game in such a fittingly epic setting. When Neymar scored the first goal of the world cup, I was packed into a cluster of people from all around the world in a beautiful square in downtown Budapest called the Szabadság Tér (or Freedom Square). On my right, was an Egyptian friend I had met earlier that day, on my left a man from Albania with whom I had been discussing the game. A sea of yellow and green rippled all around me, including at least a dozen Brazilian friends I had already met through AIESEC. A Brazilian flag danced above. Blaring horns, Brazilian drums, people dancing… and pure joy.

Celebrations in the  Szabadság Tér following the first goal of the world cup

            Though this happened about two weeks ago now, this moment has accurately represented my time in Budapest. As I told one of my friends from back home the other day, it has been a multicultural explosion, more intense than I could have imagined. I’ve been raised to naturally love this multicultural feel- my mom is from Hungary, my dad is from a French, Caribbean island named Martinique; I was born in France, have dual citizenship from France and Hungary, and I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since ’97. I came to Hungary through AIESEC, because I wanted to experience the country from a fresh perspective while still being close to my grandparents and other family in Hungary whom I haven’t seen in three years now, I wanted to do meaningful work, and I wanted to be around students my age from all around the world. My trip so far has been a dynamic combination of these three things.

 I’m volunteering at an institution called the Equal Chances Foundation in Csömör, Hungary, about an hour outside the Budapest city center by public transit. It’s a non-profit center where people of various disabilities (both mental, physical, and combined) receive institutional care and work in various workshops. There are four AIESEC interns here including me. From left to right, meet Charlene from Singapore, Aya from Egypt, Slavina from Bulgaria, and me looking way too excited on the right. It’s a great crew, and we’re having a good time at the Foundation.

We all help out in the employment workshops from 8 to 3 every day; then we have optional time to work on other projects, or go explore the city, etc… Some of us have been helping out in the Ceramics workshop, where the residents prepare all kinds of products like decorative mugs, plates, and pots for retail. My Hungarian knowledge has opened some other really cool opportunities as well-  I’ve had the chance to translate a grant application for the organization from Hungarian to English, I’ve represented and taken notes during an international webinar on social entrepreneurship, and I’ve been the main link between the center and the other AIESEC interns. The director of the center, Erzsébet Szekeres, has given us a lot of trust and freedom. As another project, I’ve been working on learning how to use the Soundbeam 2 device, a therapeutic electronic, musical instrument that allows people with physical impediments to create music based on how their body movements interact with motion sensors. Here’s a link to the product’s website: http://www.soundbeam.co.uk/ if you're interested. Next week, the goal is to start working with a girl who has severe Autism and is very passionate about music. I’ve been working hard to learn how to use the machine and to plan my project with Sonia and I really can’t wait to see where the it goes- I’ll definitely post updates!

Aya, Charlene, Kriszti, and me in the Ceramics Workshop

Outside of work, there have been plenty of opportunities to get to meet new people from all around the world and get to know Budapest and the surrounding area. Just this past weekend, there was a town celebration in Csömör (which by the way is a beautiful, peaceful town)- the director of the Equal Chances Foundation arranged to have someone drive us there and show us around. We watched some traditional Hungarian music and dancing. The dancers are dressed in Slovakian wear because many of the original residents of the town were Slovakian.

Traditional Hungarian  music and dance at the town festival                  
We’ve also gone clubbing with our Hungarian AIESEC hosts as well as all the EP’s from around the world (strong contingent from Brazil)- of course this has been really fun. But the chiller events have been the coolest for me. For example, last Saturday night I took public transit to the southeast tip of Budapest, where I spent the night watching the movie Alien in the backyard of a Hungarian AIESEC host- along with a Canadian girl of Afghani origins, a girl from Singapore, a few Hungarians, and a Venezuelan guy. We sat around the fire as we laughed at Private Hudson’s cheesy lines (the movie is worth watching just to laugh at Private Hudson by the way)- the movie was projected on the house’s wall and the stars were surprisingly visible for a big city sky- and though I was super far from home with people I didn’t know well, I felt at peace.
            The next morning, I hopped on a bus, and arrived at my grandaparents’ house in a town 20 km outside of Budapest . This was my second trip to my grandparents’ house. I’m planning on going back every weekend, even if just for a day. The weekend before this one was the first time I saw my grandparents, uncle, and cousins in three years (first time since I’ve started college). I used to go back to the town every summer with my family. My grandpa is very sick with dementia, he can barely string together two or three meaningful words, and my grandma spends all her energy day in and day out taking care of him, so it’s been great to go back, spend time with her and support her and the rest of the family! Loving the family time. 

            Anyways, since I started with the world cup experience, I’m going to complete this first post by recounting how that night ended. After traveling for a good hour-and-half, our night bus arrived at our stop in Csömör. Unfortunately, all four of us were fast asleep. So I guess I accidentally and literally took a hit for the team when I bonked my head really loudly against the seat in front of me in my sleep and woke everybody up on the bus (including my three roommates and myself), just in time for us to get off. People who know me well know that I have a pretty hard head. So luckily, I didn’t feel a thing or even get a bruise, and on top of that, I provided some quality comic material for Charlene, Slavina, and Aya to laugh about for the rest of the summer. I’m glad my unintended shenanigans came in handy… we’ll see if I’ll top that in the coming weeks. Next post coming soon since the first one came late, hope everyone is having a great summer!

            -Márk, Morse College ’15