Formalities and fun

Yesterday evening Carmen and I arrived late back in Colonia, or at least what we thought to be late. However we were pleasantly surprised to find our new collegues and friends still up waiting. We exchanged hellos and introductions and immediately headed out for food...in Colonia you can always find food regardless of the time!

Today we started the Oceans Divide Youth Unites Seminar. This involved an initial speach from the mayor of Colonia. He welcomed us to Colonia and spoke about current government initiatives being run for the rural areas of the community. He reiterated what I had learnt last week about the mobile health services. He also informed us that each child in both the rural and local schools had been given a laptop. This allowed young people and their families immediate access to the internet which was particulary beneficial to those living in the rural areas of Colonia. It meant that they could access education and training courses online without having to travel to the centre. As a result they could save both time and money and remove the issue of travel as a barrier to education.

The mayor wished us well in our work during our time here in Colonia. He spoke of his belief in the work that we are doing and the benefits that this work can bring to young people and social action. He also encouraged us to share best practice amongst ourselves and others.

After the mayors speech we sat in a circle and introduced ourselves and our organisations. We went through the agenda and discussed the ways in which we would present our job shadowing experiences to the group tomorrow.

This afternoon we went on a tour of Colonia allowing the newbies to get their bearings in this beautiful place...Carmen and I are like locals in comparison!

We also attended the WIT talk (Welcome Information to Tourists talk) which consisted of a fun cartoon timeline, music and a panoramic video room and film.

This made me realise just how much Andrea had packed into our first weeks work...I have literally seen and experienced about 75 percent of what Colonia has to offer...and that's a lot!! For that I thank Andrea for her hard work and continous engagement. Gracias!