Another week closer to departure. Just finished my second training course at Harborne Hall in Birmingham (it's a converted convent: little statues of Mary in niches along corridors). Very intense course; I think we all felt emotionally drained after four days. I have to say, the VSO training regime is very detailed and thorough. Such a great bunch of other trainees, too - nobody in common with my first course, but at last I've met another volunteer who'll be in Rwanda with me! The range of posts and countries between 14 of us is simply amazing - Cambodia, the Gambia, India, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Jobs ranging from paediatrics, to working with HIV positive sex workers, to education, to compiling a signing language for deaf people. Restores a bit of faith in humanity.
Our course ended up with VSO's customary health and safety advice. This can be summarised as:
Don't eat anything - it's nearly all buggy, or you'll blow yourself and half the neighbourhood to smithereens if you tinker around with your gas cooker
Don't drink anything non-alcoholic - 'cos it's swimming in bacteria, even in ice
Don't go anywhere - 'cos the roads are dangerous and everyone drives like maniacs
Stay indoors - 'cos if the bugs don't get you then the sunshine will
Don't have sex with anyone (or even anything) - you're guaranteed to end up infected or married
Can someone please bang me on the head and remind me why I signed up to VSO?
Now it's back to reality; yet more injections (3 this week alone); insurance to sort out and all sorts of boring domestic finance to prepare for departure. My clockwork radio has arrived and I've been fiddling with it to try to get short wave reception (world service is going to be a life saver); my new camera works beautifully but I need to get more proficient on close-range shots, and at last I have a moped helmet which fits me. (Apparently it's the biggest size they make, but if I tell you all then you'll make the obvious comment back).
1 comment:
are u UN dr.s in Rwanda? or why did u go to Rwanda?
ok, but no matter why, i must thank u all very much, i'm from Ethiopia, and i know the sanitational conditions in Africa are bad, actually. but we(i mean my colleagues on positivesingles.ocm) are working very hard and try to change it.
so on hehalf of ALL AFRICANS, thank u very much!!!
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