Training

Woke up at 7 am, which I think I will have to do every day that I am staying here. I would have liked to be able to sleep at least an hour more, but what won’t I do for humanity. As the night person I am, getting into bed early is not my strongest side so I usually have to pay for that with being tired all day. Unlike the other volunteers, I have to get up early to attend the morning meeting with the other leaders and our very dear volunteer coordinators before the the real work begins. To put it simple, this resort is HUGE, to the extent that I got lost trying to get to breakfast and I am not alone being lost.

After breakfast we had a half day of leader training where we got to know more about out our tasks to come, about each other etc. It didn’t take long to figure out that the other leaders and coordinators are really great people. We are from: US, Sweden/Bolivia/Brazil, Canada/France, Mongolia and Italy. This was followed by team training with the rest of the volunteers (we are in total 39, divided into four groups with four different main tasks). Info and getting to know each other. Dinner. The buffet we having is massive and it’s a lot of good stuff. I’ll get back to that again later. The waiter at the table I sat at that nights is named Hasan. A 100 % Turkish guy with red hair and freckles who was really interested in speaking to us, asking us where we are from etc. Very close to my room (that I am sharing with three other Swedish girls) there is a nice pool, so at around 11 pm I went for a swim and it was really nice. Before going to be I went out on the balcony in my bikini, Skyping with M, chatted with a good Mexican friend and checking my email. Just a great day of ending an exciting and eventful day.

To Turkey & ICM 2009 and Back

(I haven't read this through so there might be a lot of mistakes)

2009-08-04

Departure 30 minutes late. That is how the story begins at Katrup airport in Copenhagen. Fortunatly I got window seat. It’s three years now since I last flew. Although, this is the first time to Turkey. I love looking out the window. 11 300 meters ut in the air, the clouds are nothing more than fluffy white things below or beside you, or an even world of white. I also enjoy seeing the tiny, thin roads on the ground, surrounded by paches of ground fields in different colours. Seeing things are certainly a way of grasping a little bit better how big the world is and how small you are. Eg. flying above cities like São Paulo in Brazil or Mexico City in Mexico feels like a never ending experience of cities which don’t seem to end. Try to imagine all the inhabitants of Sweden in one city and double it, then you almost have a city of that magnitude.

Enough about that, I am on my way to Turkey. To do what? Work my ass off is the idea, but I like working for Amnesty even when it’s for free, which it always is. For months I waited for the judgement by the people responsible of the applications to work as volunteer at the International Council Meeting (ICM) 2009 in Antalya, Turkey. After been looking for a (better) job for 2,5 years with ”thank you for applying, but we have decided to give the job to someone else”, I hardly expected someone to actually choose me but they did.

The ground has changed from that I took off in Copenhagen. From nicely squared fields to softly changing shapes. Did I mention that I 1668 km closer to my destination than when I left? In other words I am 47 minutes away from Istanbul, and leaving the clouds behind, where I will change to another flight to get to Antalya.

There is a lake below that has the colour of gold and turqoise, shaped like an artwork. The nature is different here and even if its is about -55 degrees up here, it will be at least 25 degrees down there. The (frost) is clouding my view over the turqoise sea and halv moon shaped coast lines.

Late departure hence a late arrival. Of course the terminal I had to go to to Antalya from Istanbul was far away. I was so late to the airport bus that it was only an Englishman and I on it. Do you think that the plane left on time? It took another 25 minutes before the plane acutally took off. Yet again I have a seat close to the wing. I must say that the following text on the middle of the wing feels unnecessary: ”Do not walk outside this area”. I promise I will not walk on the wing. At all. Ever.

Reality check at work

Suicide attempt, depression, cancer, self mutilation (cutting), rape, dysfunctional families and relationships, theft, abuse, alcoholism, lack of food, racism, miscarriage, inappropriate jobs, teenage pregnancies, very wrong men... I don't envy some of the women at work. Some are barely 20 years old.

This is what I call an entrance!

Weddings should be joyful and this is certainly a joyful wedding! It would be great having an equally fun entrance at my future wedding,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&feature=fvw

Vovo Moca

Good bye grandmother!

For your child

A friend to her little daughter. A beautiful poem.

Jag önskar dig inte guld, mitt barn, ej heller pengar och makt.
Jag önskar dig modet att vara dig själv och stå för det du har sagt!
Jag önskar dig inte en stenfri väg, men kraften att vägen gå.
Jag önskar dig kärlek i rikligt mått och vänner att lita på!

Okunskap

by Svenska akademien. The world is full of knowledge but sometimes it feels like the amount of ignorance is even bigger. Some is more or less chosen, some isn't. Even though I am a person who feels passionate about adding some knowledge to people, I have also realized that sometimes the time and effort just isn't worth spending since it is pretty much useless. I can't decide what people should think, I can only give them facts and another perspective.


okunskap, när man inte riktigt vet är det så skönt att ta till lite
okunskap, kan förvandlas till fakta om man bara vill ja
okunskap, en iskall fasad när man är ensam och rädd

okunskap, oj
okunskapen styr i våra institutioner
försvaras med kraft, befäster positioner
okunskap har aldrig några nya visioner
okunskap tar plats i alla texter och skrifter
rädsla och hat som våra starkaste drifter
bland alla droger och gifter

okunskapen styr och sprider kvacksalvarkurer
skeva perspektiv bygger skeva strukturer
okunskap tar liv och hindrar kärlekskulturer
att fortsätta med sånt vore dumt och förryckt

Don Quijote!

"I read it for the articles" - yeah right...

"Jävla lesbiska surfittslödder! De där fanatiska veganerna och anarkafeministerna har ju knullat in sig i hela medieröven! Och nu skiter de på en fembarnsfar som sliter ut sig för att göra en oskyldig tidning för vanliga normala hetersexuella grabbar!"

This is what the creator and owner to a Swedish magazine called Slitz has said (which guys say that they buy to "read the articles"...everybody says it and everybody knows that it's just a lie) . What he says is very offensive things about lesbians, vegans and feminists and that the magazine is for "ordinary, normal, heterosexual guys" (nothing about the articles as you notice). How do I know this? I quote what his oldest son wrote in a section of his mother's book about her life. The book is good and it's called "Boven i mitt drama kallas kärlek" by Unni Drougge.

More women, and men for that matter, should read it...

Höganäs

From a visit at my parents place. I took some photos and some are taken by M.