Abidjan first impressions... Pays beau et tellement fou (a beautiful and really crazy country)

So I have been in Abidjan for about 3 days and have gone through 20 million types of emotions... the following are only a few bit little tid bits of my thoughts on this CRAZY but BEAUTIFUL city:

Family
My family is so sweet and they treat me and the other canadian like their own daughters... they cook for us, do our laundry. I love them so much. But one crazy thing is that because our boss is so well known we have a security guard.

AIESEC
What I have found is that no matter where in the world you are AIESEC will always be there. I have heard so many horror stories about the organization of development internships but everything has been so smooth and amazing here. I feel so safe as their is always a person with me. They have brought me around everywhere and even had a welcome party... I am able to confirm my love for the organization in Abidjan. The communication barrier between french and english amuses me and it's just so wonderful. I tried to teach them an AIESEC Canada cheer that did not work out too well... as they couldn't say it fast enough. Mais tres bon effort!

Weather
It is constantly hot, but I have gotten use to the fact that I will be sweaty the whole time... as long as I sleep in front of the fan at night, everything will be fine. I drink water like their is no tomorrow. But am getting use to the "groove of things".

Tid bits here and there
The roads are nuts and their are 4 types of taxis... red one (the safe but expensive one... converted it is only 2 dollars maximum... but it does add up), yellow ones that don't take you exactly where you want to go just on a certain road close by, roro - crazy cramped bus that I have yet to figure out how it works.

I am off to do a session (en francais... je suis tellement peur!) so will try to add more on this post later. Hope everyone is well.

Marcia

Airplane friends, Dubai and +37 C weather

Above is a picture of Dubai taken from the wonderful 12 hr plane ride. It is one of the longest flights I've taken but their was great service. Emirates really has great customer service: hot towels, great meals, endless list of music and movies. Plus they provided passengers with over night flights with a free hotel room and meal for the night.

Dubai is a very interesting city, however the bright lights and numerous stores in the air port remind me of las vegas. But when looking outside at the "non flashy" areas, I really feel like I am in other area in the world (perhaps because I am :) ). It's a wonderful 37 C right now but really is not too bad... it feels like a heater is on 24/7 but it's a nice change from the constant snow!

Being in the UAE, has really gotten me excited for Cote d'Ivoire. Right before my flight to dubai I was very scared... not knowing what to expect. But although it is true I am still scared I am also very grateful and excited for this wonderful opportunity. While talking to two airplane companions on the flight to Dubai, we had talked about how the world is quite small and that you never know what will really happen unless you communicate with people and discover/explore different cultures and parts of the world. The wonderful 61 year old lady I met informed me that she tries to instill 3 main characteristics in her children - Ambition (reach for the skies... never limit yourself), hard work and exploration (go and discover the world). If we all kept those 3 things in mind, imagine what we can each accomplish.

Going to cote d'ivoire, helping with HIV/AIDS is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am excited to learn not only about the culture of cote d'Ivoire but about HIV/AIDS itself and see first hand it's impact on individuals and communities. I sat in my hotel room yesterday reflecting on why I was doing this internship. I see this opportunity as an eye opener and that first step in "saving the world"... yes it sounds fluffy but helping (even just a little) such a huge cause as this is extremely soul fulfilling. I am not going to Cote d'Ivoire to instill my thoughts on how things should be done, I am going to learn about and engage in their culture. Obviously HIV/AIDS will not be fully prevented from the three months I am in Cote d'Ivoire... but getting this experience and bringing it back to Calgary will help towards this step. This really is the only thing individuals can do on short term developmental internships. We need to absorb in the culture, cherish the opportunity and bring back what we learned home.

I am off to my flight to Abidjan... cheers to 10 hours from ABJ!

Baby bird flying out of the nest Part I (Waiting for my flight to Dubai)

As I sit here at the Toronto airport waiting for my flight to Dubai, I find myself contemplating on this adventure to come... I feel like a baby bird flying out of their nest. Not really knowing what I am doing, dazed but still head strong on taking this "flight". This sentiment was further validated just a moment ago when I went through customs with questions and comments thrown at me such as: "Oh your going to Africa?" "How old are you?" "Awww, you look so scared". I am not afraid to admit that I am scared out of my body to what will happen when I arrive... I have a faint idea of what to expect of Abidjan but things are never what they seem and I guess that is the beauty of this adventure!

This is my little rant before I board my flight. So expect a little blog in Dubai on further thoughts and feelings on the internship, etc.

Cheers to 2 flights away from Abidjan!

Feelings on the final week in Canada (-4 days)

I am at the stage of pure excitement. It's true that I am a bit scared (as are many travelers when going to a completely different country and culture). But I am as prepared as I can be to leave the country and immerse in the culture of Abidjan. And I think that is the right mentality when leaving the country... I need to go there with an open heart, open mind and just completely absorb my surroundings.

The one thing that has really gotten my spirits up is an e-mail from a fellow Canadian who is already in Abidjan (we will be living in the same house and working in the same organization) and is having a wonderful time. It makes me want to just get on my plane tomorrow and start this adventure.

I know it will difficult, especially because of the language barrier. Yes, I can understand french better then most but I haven't practiced in over 3 years and hope that the 6 years of french immersion classes kick in. I don't want to go there and have them expect some one with completely fluent french (Je suis peur... tres peur pour ca)... as I am known to be an avid speaker of "Anglicism". But I am sure after a few weeks things will start to become "daily routines" and I will get use to the French.

Good byes have been said and I will truly miss everyone back home. Thank you to everyone who have been nothing but supportive of this internship, whether that means writing a heartfelt card, words of encouragement, random gifts , contacts and advice or a wonderful hug. These all mean the world to me and I am truly grateful to all of you. I cannot wait to share the experiences from these 3 months with you when I return (A&B je me tellement manque beaucoup LULT).

Au revoir Calgary, Salut Abidjan... Je suis prete pour vous et tous tes défis!
Good bye Calgary, Hello Abidjan... I am ready for you and all of your challenges!

Just... RELAX (-12 days)

As I sit here, "studying" for my last exam and trying to mentally prepare myself for Abidjan. I find myself reflecting on what has happened so far in my preparation for leaving.

For those that know me, I am a very organized person that likes things set in place and loves to create lists. However, the past few weeks (just trying to get everything prepared for Abidjan) has gotten me to question this regiment and made me realize that sometimes I just need to RELAX!

On top of that I need to keep my faith open and keep that attitude that things do happen for a reason. I know I am meant to go on this internship and that I will go through many challenges during the next 3 months but these challenges will happen.... for a reason!

This reflection has a lot to do with the events of the past few weeks and my list of what needs to be done in 12 days:

• Visa - Apparently I can only have a visa for up to three months in Cote d'Ivoire (it is the law), that means I will need to get an extension when I arrive in the country. This initially made me completely freak out. But from talking to my mom, really there is no point in getting flustered about it. Worse thing is that I do not get the extension and have to come home early, but at least I would of got to make some sort of impact for 2 months. But being an optimistic hopefully things works out. I am thankful for my lonely planet that my sister gave me, as it has the visa extension office address! I am definitely going to rely on lonely planets on my other travel adventures.
• First week in Abidjan - I have talked to Alex and I will be in the AIESEC office in the first week then go to Le Soutien the next week (of course depending on my boss, as I will be living with him and his family). I also hope I can figure out this wonderful visa extension during my first week.
  
• Packing, packing, packing - I have finally bought linen pants (Melynda mentioned that these are the best pants to get for HOT places) and hope that they will help with the heat. So I am good for clothes, now I just need an adapter and all the other travel basics.
• Gifts - I am excited to go shopping this upcoming weekend for Maple Syrup and little "Canadian" souvenirs. Anyone have suggestions for great little Canadian gifts?
• Learning more about HIV/AIDS and potential workshop activities
• Medication - I get to start my potential "crazy malaria pills" tomorrow. I am suppose to take these pills 2 weeks before I leave, but the doctor warned me that they may cause me to have vivid dreams and go a little crazy (hopefully this doesn't happen!).
  
• Mental preparation - This is probably the key thing I have left to do, I need to get into the "Abidjan" mode and prepare myself to go away from my everyday comforts. And as much as I want to go away and experience a new culture, I know I will still find it very hard to have such a different daily routine.
  

It's time for me to "RELAX", get these little things prepared before I go.

Cheers to 12 days till Abidjan!

Travel visas (-30 days)

It's always good to get your travel visa way in advance to your departure , just in case anything goes wrong. So that is what I exactly did, I leave May 8 but I sent in my visa application last week.. thinking the only thing that could go wrong is that it would take more than a month to process.

To my surprise I received it in the mail yesterday. Being my first major trip, I was very ecstatic about receiving it so early and without a hitch. But it did seem to good to be true. So yes there was ONE MAJOR PROBLEM. The embassy issued my visa from April - July... which means I can get into the country in May but will get kicked out a month early! It was clearly stated on my application, sent flight ticket AND invitation letter that I would be in Abidjan from May 10 - August 16. Thus, I will have to call the embassy on Monday to tell them of the mistake and will then send my passport back to Ottawa. Thank goodness it only takes less then a week for them to issue a visa.

Moral of the story: It really is ALWAYS good to get your visa done ahead of time, because you NEVER know what will go wrong. It could even be the embassy that makes the mistake!

Time is running out (-39 days)

It's only been 4 days since my last blog and over these past few days I have gotten a sense of TOTAL STRESS. Maybe because it is the first day of April or the fact that I have just realized there is only 2 weeks of school left and I am completely behind. Oh yeah and because I will be off to the other side of the world in a month and 9 days. Yes, TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

I know that all students go through the stress of school, assignments and balancing and I really thought I had mastered the art of the balance. But apparently not... I sit here thinking I have a lot to do and end up procrastinating and in the end do nothing.

On the bright side my first list of what needs to be done before Abidjan is getting smaller... but I have started a new list:

• Visa - Application has been sent in and now I play the waiting game (will call them next week to see if they received it)
• Bursary - I sent in my application for the international studentship award on Monday and hope to hear back from them this week... this is a big source for money and I really hope I can get at least some money for this trip.
• Flight - Set and booked to leave on the night of May 8 and come back August 16.
• Accommodations - Have been confirmed to live with one of the co-founders of Le Soutien and his family (quite exciting!).
  
• Fund raising events and promotion of the internship
• Getting together more workshop materials and extensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS
• Look into local organizations (AIDS Calgary) and Le Soutien
• Packing, packing PACKING... getting all the items needed for 3 months as well as gifts, etc. (I am so thankful Amber has given me a start up list of what to bring)
  
• Putting together a video of Canada/Calgary for the AIESEC Abidjan - Not only am I going to experience a new culture but I of course have to share my culture as well and be a fantastic Canadian ambassador.

I honestly do not think this list of things to do will ever stop. But at least it is the "small things" that I have left to cross off. It is now starting to sink in that I will actually be leaving and thus the stress comes on. So for now I will keep the positive vibes going and just keep trucking to get things done.

It definitely helps that my parents are just as excited as I am. Maybe not my mom so much (Asian parents, youngest daughter and Africa do not mix too well). But it is understandable for them to be scared and through it all I know they are proud! My dad has even bought me an "African musicians CD"...

Check out one of Angeliques songs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vP3ic1Jwog

I guess that is it for now. Back to the endless assignments, restless nights and ongoing preparation. I just have to keep the amazing experience ahead of me in mind =)!