first week and bit...

hello everyone! Bienvenue a l'ile Maurice!



So been here 12 days now and its going well.  First impressions of Mauritius were.. Hot and its winter..yeah baby! The mountains surrounding us are funny shaped but can be seen all around the centre plateau. We were picked up by Mandy our rep from the airport, she was standing with a sign saying 'project trust'. I was so tired.. hadn't slept for hours and now its was 9.30am in Mauritius.. 3hrs ahead of UK time. we only found this out a week ago.. aha we thought it was 4hrs. We were first taken to our home, in Eau Coulee Curepipe, it was a 1st floor apartment with a huge lounge, kitchen, bathroom area and 3 large bedrooms. However there were four of us… we needed to do a random lucky dip, we all picked out the hat and i got my own room,  My tiredness had past me now i started to unpack and make my room my own before i slept in it for the first time. Mandy came back and took us out food shopping, it was more difficult than i thought… starting from scratch! It was very cheap though. At this time we also got our Mauritian sims and phone. We then went home and put photos up. felt more like home now. family and friends surrounding me.
Our first weekend in Mauritius consisted of learning how to use the buses to get to 'flic en flac' on the west of the island where there is a public beach. 2 buses later we arrived to a beautiful golden sand beach and clear blue water. It was slightly overcast but this did not bother us. I went in the sea which was colder than imagined, and experienced Mauritian cuisine 'beach food' noodles which were amazing. We were told to leave the beach at 4 as it gets dark and dangerous. The bus took us over a place called Bambous which was very different to Eau Coulee, houses made out of cardboard and corrugated iron. The little narrow streets held so much character, regardless of what they were made of they were houses of proud owners who put their own stamp on it. Arrived home in dark and it was only 6pm. Bed was early as we were shattered. Sunday was a relaxing day, we didn't do much but cleaned the house and did washing. Received phone call from my Mum and Grandparents, was good to hear their voices.  Monday came and it was time to start work, Sheela our boss, and founder of the shelter took us on our first day. We arrived and ate with two other volunteers who were only there for 3 weeks as part of university. was so scared to go through and meet all the girls, but they were very welcoming and the little ones loved the camera! week 1 was getting to know all the children. 39 in total. They were all lovely however the language barrier is proving to be a problem at the time, im sure in time we will learn creole. During the week i taught maths, english and art. Some thrived in it and others struggled.

 Week one flew by working 930am-330pm.So tired this week. Getting on the bus we often are stared at and horns are peeped constantly when walking down the road. Here we look so different and attract a lot of attention. Some cars often slow down and ask us if we want a lift places. The weekend came and we decided to go to flic en flac again where it was sunny, went right under the water this time, a lot more white people there.. its funny that everyone stares at us but when we see white people we cant take our eyes off them and wonder what are they doing here? ha! sunday we went to Quatre Bourne market which sells a lot of indian textiles. I got another pair of cheap flip flops and a indian style top. It was interesting to see all the foods being made at the side, dal puree,briani, rotti, all mauritian foods i haven't had yet.  Did my first airmail letters and sent them on Monday.

Today we started work at 12-5 to help those who go to school with homework afterwards. We arrived and found out that 3 of the girls had gone this morning, the twins and their sister. Hit a nerve when i found out as i had became close to them, hope they get on ok where ever they go. In the afternoon i sat in the classroom with the teacher and 4 students who were doing english which i was helping with. Some of them are really good at it and puts my french to shame. Many of them talk to me about missing their families which they haven't seen for months or years, i miss mine very much as well.

So i have settled in i think, just need to focus on making a change at the Shelter.  Miss you all!


Love


D x

Ten Days to go.. things are becoming scary

So last night we went out in Inverurie and got rather drunk haha. My friend Emma made me cry cause she was crying, quite hysterically hahaha. Ahwell we got through it with a sambuca shot. Which i am regretting now. 

Anyway ten days till i go and the packing is getting harder haha, items are coming out everyday due to my change of mind. Went to buy toiletries today... jesus got so much and some unrealistic things that i will never use but youve got to be safe! My room is becoming bare, photos are coming down and my mum is planning on decorating :( ! come on im not out the door yet...

Would appreciate any photos to be given to me that i can put on my wall in my bedroom in Mauritius and around my home to make its slightly more bearable in the first 3 months when things will be tough.

or anything that i can do when im not busy.. or help me plan my get away year on my return. 

Anyway see ya at my leaving party, its not a  big thing so its only close friends so i can say goodbye to them. 

Cheers everyone 

Daisy

My first message. 26th JULY 2011

So, 5 weeks tomorrow i will be leaving from my hometown of Inverurie and stepping into the unknown. I will lead a different life, where there will be cultural differences and i will have to become completely independent. Pretty Nervous to tell you the truth, not gonna lie. Leaving the comforts of home will be so difficult, the ones i love and the people i spend most of my time with.  This blog will allow me to let out my emotions, bad or good, i hope good though.

Starting on the 31st of August ( a Wednesday ) i will be stepping on a plane to Dubai, then on to Mauritius. A country i have never visited, and i will be living and work there for one year. I will be working in a Shelter for girls from a few months old to the age of 18.
Living in Mauritius will be totally different to living in Scotland. Of course the climate will hit me first. The hot humid days will pressure my body to change and get use to it, instead of rain everyday!!
The Food will be different, no home comforts,  no meals made by my mum, but me teaching myself how to cook with the facilities i will have and the ingredients available. Washing my own clothes, cleaning my home, maintaining a healthy life style.

Im scared, so scared. But this year i'm sure will set me up for life, the experience will be unforgettable.
hopefully i will come back with some idea of what i want to do with my life, but if not its no big deal? more experimenting to find whats right for me.

I will leave now with saying, thanks for all the support to get my overseas. I cannot wait, but it will be sad to leave!

My next update will be the day before i leave or when i arrive in mauritius.

Bonsoir

Daisy