And then a Lama was born

As I said earlier, lots of things have been happening but I'm beyond being able to store everything in my active memory. But one thing I remember happened two days ago - we were in the middle of the "Circulo de la Mañana" when one of the guys' attention was drawn to what looked like a humungous pooh hanging out of one of the lama's behind. Suddenly we realised that it was a baby lama in the process of being born - we all watched this little creature falling to the ground and starting life. It was amazing! What was also incredible was that the mother quietly continued eating grass during the whole thing and it seemed like such an easy thing for her - I really hope that giving birth will be that easy for me one day!

That was an amazing experience, especially since I have never seen anything or anyone being born (and we had to cut the circulo short...)

Generally, energies are dwindling in lots of people and we are all being pushed to our limits with working in the team. I have been having difficulties concentrating as I am feeling like a sponge that is so full of water that any additional water just drains off straight away. But after a night off and a lie in I feel much better and refreshed. Just what I need to spend the next two nights in a bus - we're going to Lago Agrio near the Colombian border to meet some NGOs and to experience what it means to be in an area that is not so safe as "La Merced".

I hope all of you are well and will be in touch again once we get back. Lots of love to you all, xxx

Oops, I did it again.... this is for you Lone

Last sunday was free like every sunday. And of course we ended up drinking and dancing until later than I wanted to in the only bar in the village. So I felt rough again on sunday but I decided to go to Quito anyway just to get out of this village where you always end up with someone from the camp which can be nice but sometimes you need to be on your own.

So I went up to Quito and was really amazed at how they have made it so much nicer. It took me a while to orientate myself but in the end I managed and as Quito is a small place too I bumped into a group from the camp.

We went to the mercado artesanal and of course bought some stuff. And I bought myself another pair of indian pants (this is for you Lone - and gosh, how I missed you!) but I did not buy any rainbow coloured stuff as I know now that these things are nice whilst here but not so much once you get back.

It felt good anyway to be in a place that is vibrant and has more than one bar to choose from. I felt like there was a world out there after all.

Caught by the paramilitaries....

Hola tod@s

Time flies... and so much is going on that I have already forgotten half the things that went on in the last week.
On saturday we had a simulation of an acompaniment which is the main type of work that NP does. I was a pregnant indigenous leader who needed to get to the first indigenous foro in Alsacia, Colombia. Our group consisted of 5 indigenous leaders and we were met at 8 am by two people from NP that would acompany us. We set off on the back of a pick up truck to Buenos Aires, Colombia (Quito). On the return we all dispersed to make the work more difficult for our accompaniers (all part of the role play). Half way to Alsacia (our camp) we were ambushed by a troop of paramilitaries that took us into the woods. Luckily they were not very experienced and left me and the anziana sitting there on our own and so I decided to make a run for it. The anziana fell into a pond and then hid in the bushes for over an hour until she finally stuck her head out and asked whether the role play had finished ;-))

The pick up driver did not really know that we all were part of the role play and got quite a shock when my colleague constantly kept talking about attacks and paramilitaries on the phone. When we got back to the village people started jumping off the back and he wanted to stop but the girl in the front screamed at him to carry on - that was when he had the ultimate shock... but at least he made quite a lot of money and had some good stories to tell to his family.

Whilst we were on our way to Quito the paramilitaries attacked our "Cali" office and stole all the equipment including everyone's shoes. But finally the team in Alsacia managed to negotiate with the paras and they freed the remaining hostage.

It was quite a role play but I would have wished to have a more active role because I effectively spent most of my time sitting around trying not to piss myself laughing. But it was a really good experience - I'm just not sure how realistic it really was and how we would react if this situation ocurred in real life.

half way there

Hi all,

haven't got much time but just thougth I'd let you all know that I'm still alive and kicking although the last few days have been a bit difficult and exhausting. The initial euphoria of being here and comparting life with such an interesting group had worn off a bit and I felt really homesick for a couple of days. But after I had a long conversation with Bastian yesterday I feel much better and much more energized.

Today we are being switched round in the rooms and will get a new room mate - they really are keeping us on our toes so that we don't ever get used to anything - good simulation of life in the field I guess.

Last night we watched a video on Colombia and although it was very hard and horrible it inspired me and I sincerely hope that I will be able to go and support the Colombian people in their struggle for peace.

OK, we're starting back in 15 minutes and I have to get going. I hope you are all well and all is good in your lives. I'm sending you lots of sunshine and positive energy from this amazing place.

Love xxx

Risa, Salsa y Cerveza

Hola mis amigos,

today I am feeling a bit rough as we went out dancing last night until 2 am and then I got up at 5am to go and enjoy a long soak in the hot springs.

We concluded our assessment yesterday and I got some really good feedback from the assessors. It was also my first day where I only had a couple of hours planned out. In the afternoon we all sat and made some cards for the other NP people around the globe and it was just really nice and relaxing to listen to music and let creativity flow.

To conclude the assessment part properly we all went out on the town (which has 900 inhabitants but is surprisingly alive on a saturday night). The bar we went to only opens on request and is on a roof top terrace looking onto the illuminated Jesus figure of the village church. It also has a couple of gym machines, just in case you really want to cycle whilst drinking your beer. On top of that the place offers free internet... well all in all a fantastic bar (a big bottle of beer slightly more than a pint at 45p...). Well the predictable happened, we all drank cerveza pilsener danced salsa (not me!!) and also some more Gringo-friendly rhythms (me) and laughed lots. I have in fact not had such a laughing fit in a very long time and (un)fortunately some people in the group have such an infectious laugh that you just cannot stop anymore. At 2am we slowly made our way home and eventually went to bed. It was an amazing night and I have not had so much fun in a while.

This morning at 5 I woke up and went to the piscinas publicas del Tingo. Although I felt awful it was great to sit in the back of a pick up truck and look at the leaden sky whilst the sun was coming out. To top it all off when we arrived at the baños we had a plain view of the Cotopaxi volcano, completely visible (normally the top is covered in clouds) which was amazing. The baths were lovely although lots of people were there. When we arrived shortly before 6 am there was already a queue - not what I would regularly do on a Sunday morning but hey, other countries, other customs. We soaked for a good hour in the really nice and warm water until my skin literally fell off. Then back to the camp, breakfast and then bed. Now I have the rest of the afternoon free and I think I will wash some of my clothes (by hand)...

Tomorrow we start the actual training about which I am excited as I feel I need more tools to be able to do this job properly. So I'm not sure when I'll get the next chance to communicate, but I wish you all a great week!

Un beso xxx

End of the first week

Hi all,

finally we are getting some time off - so I'm finally able to sit down in peace and write a bit about my experiences here.

It is all very intense but also extremely nice to be with such a large group of people who all share the same ideas, hopes and fears. As mentioned earlier we opened the assessment week with a ceremony lead by an indigenous shaman. The ceremony was nice and very symbolic and a nice way to start our time together. Since then we have had long days that start with a yoga class (or any other way of spending an hour in introspection). It is lovely to get up at 6.30am and to see the sun coming down the slopes of the andes which are just so majestic and impressive.
After breakfast we meet in the group to discuss themes such as non-violence, non partisanship, listening exercises, brainstormings on how to live in a group and solve group conflicts. It is lead by very inspiring and professional people, but I also feel that most of the knowledge is already in us and the facilitators merely lead us onto a topic in such a way that makes it easy for us to bring out all these ideas.

The group consists of about 20 people mainly from Latin America, North America and Europe and we all get on really well. It is a group which together has a richness in experiences that is invigorating and inspiring. I love working with these people because we all share ideas on the importance of self-care, self-respect as well as team care and team respect. I guess for me one of the biggest lessons is to truly work in a team and to learn how to hold back and listen to others, consider their ideas and find common grounds on which we can work.

We also laugh a lot, especially when enacting role plays or presenting things like cultural differences or certain approaches to certain topics. Last night we talked about cultural do's and don'ts and it is amazing what big differences exist even between neighbouring Latin American countries. All in all we are all having lots of fun working hard and developing ourselves and our personalities.

I share a room with Yudelia from Sweden (see photo above) who is lovely and it is great to see that we both have a lot respect for the space the other needs. In general, everyone is very considerate and people support each other when one is feeling sad or stressed. It is also an extremely open environment and we share very personal experiences and I feel that I have already grown so much after being here less than a week. I feel very privileged and happy to be here and to meet all these great personalities and to learn from their experiences. Sometimes I feel like such a greenhorn compared to what other people have already experienced and achieved but I guess part of this experience is also to teach us that each and everyone has something to give and that this is all about sharing experiences and learning from each other.


Well, I hope you are all doing well and are having a good time wherever you are - Lots of love to you all xxx

wow wow wow

Hi All,

sorry, I haven't been in touch - we have such a tight schedule and I can hardly ever get away from the camp.
I have arrived well and the programme started practically immediately. The group consists of about 20 participants and 4 trainers mainly from Latin America and Europe. It´s an amazing experience to be with so many interesting people from such diverse backgrounds. It is also very intense to live with that many people and practically sitting on each others laps all day.

The opening ceremony - for which I had to bring the earth - was lead by an indigenous shaman and was AMAZING. It was spiritual but not over the top and I really liked it. Particularly as we were about to begin and the shaman reminded everyone to switch off their mobiles, then bent down and said "I'd better switch mine off too!"

I am very overwhelmed at the moment and very happy to be experiencing this camp.

Sorry, got to go... we start back in 4 minutes and it´s a 10 minute walk back... hora latina.
un besote a todos xxx