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What is it these students actually do over at RVA and how does a normal day look like over there? Are they simply laying on the beach all day and stare at the beautiful palm trees?! These are but some of the many questions I was asking before coming here, so why not just come with a clear answer!
An ordinary morning we all hear the bell ring at 7 am. That is the signal for breakfast and initially we all where there a few seconds later. But now two months into the program one gets used and relaxed… well the right word would be that one feels more ‘home’ I guess, and so no one rushes around anymore, the Caribbean spirit of taking it easy is resting over all of us! Every morning one of us has to wake up at six o clock to make this breakfast… I know it’s early!
After breakfast there is what we call ‘morning action’, which means morning duties, but for some reason a lot is labeled with ‘action’ over here, don’t ask me why! The duties vary and we all get a different area to take care of every week. It can be cleaning the kitchen, halls or bathrooms, baking bread, gardening, taking out the trash or some other things. Obviously everything is what you make it and so the most daily routines can become a blast I you want it to… so fun!
Afterwards there is time for showers, Email-checking or a divine nap before the first lecture of the day. In my team most people has a tendency to be a bit late because why in the world would anyone want to have lecture without a nice cup of coffee?! … so a quick run into the kitchen, grabbing whatever comes to mind and the lessons starts. What we learn varies; it can be practical sessions, interactive discussions, classical deep going informative classes or even seeing documentaries. We cover a bunch of various topics, all to get as prepared as possible for our time in Africa later on. We even have language classes, some learn or better up their English, myself I am studying Portuguese… Why in the world Bob, of all languages? True there… well the reason is that in Mozambique where I am planning to go, this is believe it or not their actual language! So when going there I will in fact understand what in the world they are saying and hopefully talk back as well.
Afterwards it is time for lunch and then we either continue with more lectures, get time to study or going to community work. The community work is twice a week and for our team this means walking to a secondary school and teach the kids Spanish, Math’s, English, Computers, and helping out with sport activities. At first I thought this is a piece of cake… I am going to teach them computers… how hard can it be right! I mean I have been emailing for years now, can’t be much to it! Well little did I know, because first of all there is more preparation for one of these classes than I thought, then over here sometimes the students will just not show up and the complications can sometimes grow like there aint any working computers! Hurray I am teaching computers without any computers!
At 7 pm. We eat dinner and man am I usually hungry by now! After dinner there is time left for a meeting, maybe a documentary, or just hanging around the area playing ping pong, taking a late dip in the ocean, skyping with my folks back home, playing a game of poker, hanging around the Brazilians (they are quite a bunch of them here!) or just making a banana-shake in the kitchen.
Day is over…. Goodnight!
-Bob van den Eijkhof
An ant got under my computer screen ARGH!! I didnt know that was even possible… I felt mad and wanted to kill the little thing, but then it died right there under my screen… more ARGH! Its going to be there forever and ever… What a cruel world we are living in people!
Coming all the way from a big city –suburb in Sweden, St Vincent and the rest of the Caribbean with its untouched nature, warm climate, warm hospitable people and tourist-free surroundings this island surely is an ideal place. This also includes the small but yet challenging difficulties that goes with coming over here, such as the mosquitoes, cold shower in the morning, the seven o clock breakfast, hard work and let’s not forget the absents of my favorite TV program… it’s all a part of the… adventure here at the Richmond Vale Academy. But then again these minor drawbacks are long forgotten when being at the beach, snorkeling among the colorful fishes, freely eating fruit from numerous different trees, hiking to the waterfalls and hanging out with the people over here.
Mmm!
Today we went to the Trinity waterfalls… (because there are three of them) after a 2 hour hike in the jungle one reaches this amazing place… like a mini hidden paradize, obviously we took a refreshing dip in the clear and clean water…. yes surey, I could actually drink from it and it tasted jummy (for my tummy). So tomorrow the school begins, we will get an introduction to everything. The team consists of 5 Brasilians one from Costa rica, one from Germany, two from Hungary, two from mexico, two from south Korea, one American, one from Holland/Sweden… and uhm one I dont remember now…. So yeah its like a DTS all over again =)
[Press on the picture for a larger view... jao!]
oh bye the way I have got a pet, named him charles… but thats for next time.
Peace/b
After my first day at the beach noticed something very weird… I was on my way getting a sunburn !! yes me sunburn!.. so I thought I might as well not be in the sun to much for a day…. but hey guys this is Barbados!! But now my troubles are solved… a guy on the street sold me this Aloe Vera, in front of my eyes he pressed the juice directly from the plant into an empty rum-bottle. So sunny here I commy hehe
YEEAAA. I have got in contact with some people I will study with in St Vincent (God thank you for facebook!!), and they are apparently already there. So here are 2 wonderfull pictures (thanks Lucas). First one is an overview of the school and the second one, a nearby villagecalled Chateaubelair Village, a small place in the black sand beach… did you hear that… mmm.. Did you know they recorded Pirates of the Carrabean over here!
Now I dont know about you but I am seeing palm trees… Palm trees man!! … I will be touching Palm trees for a half a year, I love Palm trees AAAH.
So as far as I know Jeroen is right now in Washington State hanging loose with his new WIFE Sandhya… (or “new wife”..! sounds like has has seven older ones.) They had an amazing time in Santorini.. Jeroen I have seen the pictures and they are goood. Right now they have moved into their new apartment which has a pool and a gym. Yes, where they live the average apartment has these life-necessities! (Jeroen I am not jealous at all) And as far as I know they have already been to Ikea eating swedish food… because as we all know to be true… American food suck! hehe. Here are some pictures of the newly weds. First their wedding day, then the two next ones are from Chicago where they had more parties, and the last one from their honeymoon. (press on the picture for bigger size)
Not THE last weekend but the weekend beofre this one that is… last weekend I was with Bas and Mika (yeah Bob.. we know it says it the headline dude!!) hrm, So anyways they were here in Upplands Väsby while Linda (the misses of Bas) was checking out their new House in Göteborg where they soon will move into, beacuse as I mentioned everybody is mooving nowadays. Its like this amazing trend!… wanna be cool -then move! (press on the picture for bigger size)
Yes its crazy. First Jeroen left to the states with his new wife, Then I am leaving to St Vincent and then Bas leaves with his Linda and MIKAAA to Göteborg. And like that was not enough now Emilia is leaving today to go to Malmö…. AAAH! Whats going on!? Had a great last meal with Emilia the other day. Så Tack Emilia för att du är så ****** bra !
The wedding was amazing. My little brother just got married, managed to say Yes (as did Sandhya his WIFE) It all started in Sofia Church and Ended at our home here in Upplands Väsby… The feast at Stora Essingen also was a success with lots of family and friends from all over the world congratulating the newly weds. And as the picture shows it ended with an Indian tradition were the mothers from each family gave presents to each other and the couple aswell. By that time it was 2 o’clock at night and as you see Sandhya and Jeroen look tired and happy. Now they are of to Santorini, Greece for their honeymoon and then they are of to Washington ….
ps, Jeroen you still owe me a wife ;)
On Friday Jeroen will get married. CRAZY. I mean he is my little brother and getting married, moving to the states… my little little tiny mini insi pini brother! So Anyways, Today Bas and myself had a great time together planning (I wont tell you what) … but it is going to be great for sure. The evening ended with us three brothers chilling alone together and suddenly in stillness realizing that this moment ain’t coming back for a long time. Our family is spreading out all over, Jeroen to Washington State, Bas to Göteborg, me to St Vincent…. all at the same time too! Mamma-Caramba!
Well the family vd Eijkhof is for sure Changing life direction… but still heading the same way *blink blink*
My new travel computer…. it is a bad ass wow-thing.
Ok, Yesterday nobody cared about him all that much nor … in all honestly did many people like him. Now when he has left us.. which is sort of surreal everybody loves him. I once liked him but have like most people just thought of him as a weird and lost man in desperate need o God! … well he is gone but so are many other people fighting poverty, diseases, or other humble causes… so ehm well if you did not care yesterday, its kind of false caring today, get my point?
No matter, In Respect Michael Jackson leaves us with a legacy of No. 1 hits, top awards and astounding dance moves. Let’s remember the King of Pop as much as the others who wont be remembered!
So latest from the world of football is that several people have kicked from the Iranian football team for life merely because they showed their support for Hossein Mousavi and the green revolution by wearing green wristbands in their game against South Korea. Some say football and politics don’t go together, I say everything is politics, espesially football! The fact that the Fifa world cup unites the planet in a huge sport event next year in South Africa is so much politics. The country has to think of their reputation before this event could ever occur… So did China last year when they hosted the Olympic Games … unfortunately they totally blew it because of what happened in Tibet. Just wish every football player representing a country could wear green just to show the Iranian people that they are not alone in their struggle… and to show their leaders that they suck big time… yes they suck! sucksucksuck … suck!
Now interesting enough Fifa have contacted the opposition in Iran to ask what the heck is going on… as the rest of us asks… GO FIFA =) I mean what is next … maybe Ahmadinejad will forbid football totally because the grass they play happens to be green… yeah then he will issue a law killing all green frogs and forbid people from eating salad. ajajaj!!
Last weekend we had an amazing bachelor party for my brother who is getting married in less than a week now (GAH) It started by us (around 8-10 guys) waking him up and then dragging him around in the city for breakfast in a bikini… then after a wild motorbike-ride our Kano trip kicked of… an amazing time for sure… We spent the weekend at some far away forest-place where we canoed, barbecued, fished, swam, pushed each other around and Rolled a huge Roch of the cliff (what!!). Yes we where guys and… need i say more?! Ok, we all felt the urge to move this gigantic rock and feel the thrill as it fell down the steep with all its power… and gah, it was amazing (eeh ok!)… yeah well you just had to be there… (girls, you will never understand anyways). God gave us sun all the way, he even bragged by making a square cloud!! what a showoff God is sometimes huh!! =)… Here are some pictures… be amazed and jealous that YOU where not there mohohohahaha!!
The rock =)
nice =)
the square clowd
Jeroen in the canoe
the guyz at the end… tired and wet… I am loving it!
