Interational Volunteer Day Celebrations

So to celebrate International Volunteer Day VSO were invited to take part in a conference on Volunteering. Our new Country Director of VSO took to the stage and gave a great speech on the importance of volunteers:



 

We also had some poems, singing and drama from some youth volunteers:

 

 

Sadly the day was incredibly bureaucratic and there were way too many speeches and not enough time for interaction between us international volunteers and the national volunteers. One of the things I find frustrating here is the need to continually recognize dignitaries and VIPs and make things very formal, when sometimes just an informal networking event would give greater benefit. But I’m not here to change a country’s culture. After a very expensive but gorgeous club sandwich (was the equivalent of 3 days of my usual food budget) in the Sheraton, we headed to a craft market where I bargained hard for some earrings, before heading back for a afternoon nap in my air conditioned room – you have to take advantage of power when you have it!

The evening was a real treat, all the VSO volunteers got together for dinner which was fantastically cooked by Andi, Robert, David and Joe – we were treated to toasties, curly fries, BBQ chicken, potato salad and baguettes! It was delicious and so lovely to spend time in an informal setting with other VSO volunteers!

 

 

I also finally got to meet the lovely Christine who is based just outside Calabar - and I’m glad that we hit it off straight away and I expect many more nights out together in Calabar!

I had the lovely surprise of seeing my friend Sarah, who was a volunteer in Calabar and was heading back home to Uganda and was in Abuja for a few days! I’m sad we only had a few weeks in Calabar together and will miss her company. I hope to see her again in Uganda or Kenya when I leave here on my travels through Africa!!

 

The final day we bonded with the VSO programme office by playing some team building games - including the good old 'lead a blindfolded person' and then ate a last meal together. 



 

 

 

 

The 13 hour bus trip was definitely worth it, it is so good to meet with and get to know my fellow volunteers. Discussing our challenges and all the fun we have was great and I know I have a great support network here.

The downside??? Well I now have to make even more road trips to visit my friends in Lafia, Lagos and Ilorin! J