This is Our World

To pass some of my free time here in Vietnam this weekend I began watching some documentaries online, starting with White Slums in South Africa, then Prostitution in Tanzania, then onto the Albino Witchcraft Murders in Tanzania too. Not light viewing I must add! But some of the most fascinating, shocking and inspiring programmes I have seen. I don't often think to watch documentaries in my spare time, but now I have loads of others lined up already! I've also been reading about some of Africa's indigenous tribes and sustainable living, including the Hadzabe tribe. This is the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribe in Africa and one team had the opportunity to work alongside them on my placement in Tanzania with Raleigh ICS.

I feel like I am being taught about a whole new world that is easy to be ignorant of, which in turn is motivating me to learn more about it. I know I can't change the world, but my experiences this year have taught me to challenge myself and to get out there and do something.

Reversed racism in South Africa is creating a new underclass of white Afrikaners, living in slums and poverty. It's a controversial and sensitive topic after apartheid ceased only twenty years ago, and the media only focusing on black Africans living in poverty. I think Reggie Yates presents this really well too by exploring both sides of the story and if revenge is fair.

I found the documentaries on Tanzania particularly gripping because of my brief insight into the country, so it was interesting to learn more about the hidden problems that exist there. The poverty cycle leads many women to prostitution, whether from being tricked or a means to find food to survive. Sadly one woman in the documentary felt she had to sell herself to fuel her addiction to drugs, as there was little else she was living for. It's impossible to even begin to imagine what these people's lives are like and the only options available to them. As well with the Albino's in Africa, every day they fear being hunted, killed or dismembered. This is due to a superstition that witchdoctors uphold, claiming that bringing them an albino's limb will give you good luck and prosperity. I encountered similar beliefs when I was in Tanzania, mainly related to HIV/AIDS. It is difficult to campaign against discrimination in communities that have a deep-rooted belief system based on curses and witchcraft. In 2008 there was an increase of brutal murders of people with albinism, and still today many people suffer. Most have been forced to leave their communities, are unable to access education or have to live in camps separated from the outside world. All the while having to cope with the symptoms of deteriorated vision and sensitivity to the sun. This documentary follows a guy who has dedicated his life to campaigning against the discrimination of Albino's in Tanzania - and it is pretty gripping.

I don't want this to be all dark or preachy, just to ignite a little flame to get others thinking about the world out there!

One of the main objectives of my placement year is to explore the possibilities and consider my options for after I have eventually graduated. It has certainly opened my eyes to a lot of things - there are cultures, issues, beliefs, sufferings, rituals and discriminations that had never even entered my mind before. However I feel impelled to not just sit here and watch, but perhaps get out there and help those that are fighting for their life, whether from AIDS or a disability or being hunted for their skin colour.

Again, I know I can't change the world, but I think being aware is a good start.

Here's the links to documentaries I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to sit down one afternoon and watch!

Reggie Yates' Extreme South Africa: The White Slums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWOq4iBSW-4

The Horrifying Truth About Tanzania's Den Of Prostitutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UODCeqpVEEE

The Albino Witchcraft Murders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTawybZ4BIw

Lecture over :)
..x

Good Morning Vietnam!

My third and final placement is about to begin, I can't believe how far I have come already! I am looking forward to starting now and seeing how this experience contrasts from the other two. I am very glad I chose a diversity of projects, I don't think I could have stuck with one unpaid placement for a year, especially if not in an exciting exotic country!

I allowed myself a couple of days to settle in to Hanoi before coming to the volunteer house. I also treated myself to an affordable hotel as the first time in a room by myself, and even got a cheeky free upgrade! It has been good to absorb the new culture without rushing, with help from some friendly locals along the way. On my first day I met up with Izzy from Sri Lanka to explore the city with a couple of students, who showed us to the Temple of Literature, Botanical Gardens, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museums. Even more exciting that they took us around on their motorbikes! The streets of Hanoi are literally heaving with bikes, you can't escape them! To cross the road you simply close your eyes and walk...

I was also lucky enough to have a free food tour with Izzy, run by some students setting up a mini tourism business as part of a university project. It was fab! We rode around on the back of their scooters to some of the top spots for traditional Vietnamese food. First a street vendor, with plastic tables and stools spreading around the street corners between the bikes on the pavements. They explained how to go about ordering street food, what dishes to get, how to eat it without looking like a numpty and not being ripped off with a tourist price tag. We had phở trộn with a cabbage salad to share - it was amazing! Phở trộn is basically noodles, chicken, green veg and herbs, served with a side of chicken broth with ginger and spring onion. Ok so I may not make it sound that appetising, but honestly it was delicious!

We also tried a traditional sweet dessert called chè, which is popular as a summer refreshment. It's a sweet drink with lots of sugar, ice, jelly, coconut and lotus seeds. Finally we were taken through silk shops, down an alley and through an old Chinese house to a cafe overlooking Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Six floors up the view was spectacular! Here they offered the famous Hanoi egg coffee - like a latte but with frothy egg on top. I am not a fan of coffee but it was acutually quite nice! I've since tried the egg and green bean drink too, again it's surprisingly good!

 
The food here has been described as rice is your wife and noodles are your girlfriend - you eat rice at home everyday but if you fancy something different you go out and enjoy noodles! Luckily I love rice and noodles, so I am enjoying the food a lot. It is all really fresh and I'm loving all the green vegetables!

 

  After a few days of wondering around Hanoi it was time to head to the volunteer house, which is just outside the city centre. On the ground floor is the CSDS office - Centre for Sustainable Development Studies - which is the NGO I will be working with. As with most Vietnamese buildings it is tall, long and narrow, six floors up with two rooms on each floor. The first two rooms are the kitchen and lounge, then each subsequent floor has two bedrooms and a roof terrace at the top. Unfortunately we have to sleep on creaky bunk beds, but I was over the moon when I saw air conditioning and hot water - absolute luxury compared to Sri Lanka! We have two lockers each as well so I finally don't have to live out of my rucksack.

When I arrived there were eight volunteers and two long term workers living here, but over the next two weeks I will eventually be the only volunteer remaining until a new batch arrive. Two of the volunteers have been working at my project in the Phuc Tue centre for children with mental and physical disabilities. They have been establishing physical therapy sessions for a select group of children to assist their motor development and encourage interaction and engagement. I will be observing them until they leave and then hopefully carry on the sessions, with the aim to bring in more ideas for future volunteers too.

  In a couple of weeks I will update you on what I have been doing at my project and how I am adjusting to life in Vietnam!
..x