voluntary program in Guatemala

Just like promised, here are coming more information about my voluntary work! ;)
It wasn’t easy to get up such early in the morning on Monday …
After meeting my workmate at 8am in Antigua, we started our way to the construction site.
There doesn’t really exist a chief for this project … everybody is just working something and treading each other the same way and status.
My workmate, who takes care about me, was Spanish teacher in the past, but changed to this job, as teaching Spanish to tourists got with the time to boring for him. Anyway I was surprised, how motivated he is. He started talking Spanish at 8am on Monday and haven’t stopped so far! =P
He told me on Tuesday, that I’ve woken up again the Spanish teacher in him. Now he thinks about changing back to his old job and teaching more people Spanish.
He is often so busy with talking and teaching me Spanish, that we don’t make any process by moving forward!
It usually takes us 1 1/2 hours to get from Antigua to the construction site, for a way, which should take us maximal half an hour. We just walk very slowly and talk very much! =P
The house construction is still at the very first build up level. I would say 50% of the walls are already standing and we work on the rest …
There are two more local helper, which are used to build houses and do the main work at the walls. My workmate and I are usually just looking around, to help those two guys. We bring bricks to the place, they are going to build the next wall, so that they don’t have to walk far for each brick. And we also prepare the steel construction, they put into the walls.
The house will not be all too big, but hopefully least for a long time.
It’s located in the middle of a very big construction field. There are houses shooting out the ground each couple of 100 meters. The big field (of about 10 streets) is surrounded by fences and walls. There is only one big entry with a modern administration. This makes the location very safe, as they got extra security and some very nice things I will maybe check out later this week. (swimming pool, soccer field and some beautiful gardens)
All streets inside this big “club area” are equipped with street lights and water support.
The work is hard, but at the same time, they know how to relax. We usually work from 9:30am to 10:30 and then have a “snack”-break for 20 or 30 minutes. Then we keep on working until 1pm, before we go for lunch.
After lunch, we usually play soccer until 2:30 or 3pm and then work another hour, before we hide back to Antigua. The other two guys are staying more time there and keep working, if possible. At the moment we have the problem, that it usually rains very hard in the afternoon.
On Monday I’ve been intelligent enough, to forget my sun cream and so got now a very nice red colour in my face. The following day I’ve been more smart and protected myself with my special sun cream factor 70 – water proofed and already successfully tested on Isla Mujeres in Mexico! =P
As I worn my special headband on Monday, I now have a straight line on my forehead, where the colour turns from white to red – which looks quite funny =P
Even everybody knows my inexistent soccer ability, I’m doing quite good over here! ^^ =P
Yesterday we were playing two vs. two and our team was winning 10 : 4 (thanks of 6 goals shot by me =)
When we walked yesterday back from the soccer field, it started to rain very badly and didn’t stopped until we had to hide back home. So on, my new personal Spanish teacher & workmate and I had to run through the rain for about 15 minutes to the chicken-bus. Actually I got less wet, that I expected to get.
The combination of getting up early in the morning (each day at 7am), doing hard work, doing sport (by playing soccer) and learning Spanish is the perfect mix for me, to raise up my motivation.
When I return home in the afternoon, I’m tired on each level of my body and mind! =P
I then take a shower and see my sweet girlfriend around 5:30pm.
Last night my girlfriend and I drove to Guatemala City, where she also bought a new computer. =)
For today I took free from work as I will have guitar lessons later this afternoon!
I want to say again a big THANK YOU to all the people, who wished me HAPPY BIRTHDAY during the past two days !!! =)
I just unlocked my Hyvinkää-Day movie on YouTube – for that, check out the post below! ;)
I will try to keep again up to date with my website! =)

staying a little bit longer in Antigua, Guatemala

I actually planned to go back on the route quite a few weeks ago …
Latest when I got sick, it was clear, that I will stay longer over here, where my sweet girlfriend takes so good care about me. ;)
I planned, to leave this week, but even my illness is over, I got a lack of motivation.
So I decided, I will start to work next week. After searching for two days, I found out of the pool of one million different volunteer programs, going on here in Guatemala, the right one.
I searched for some physical work, as this will hopefully bring back my motivation.
Quite interesting is, that some projects actually even ask you for money. That was not what I had in my mind and so the search took me a bit longer. Usually one organisation is building 3 to 4 houses in Antigua per week, but because of a money and volunteer lack, they stopped working here until October.
To say it short, I’ve seen during the past two days a very lot of different organisations, there projects and got a picture of there ideas.
One organisation got up with the idea to charge each volunteer helper USD 45,- which is still cheap, compared to one project which would have asked me to pay USD 200,- !
To be honest, I really don’t like the idea, that if I work for free, I should even pay extra money for that.
One project had a far better idea, as they ask you to take pictures and later give a presentation back at your home. Fund raising in this way some money and send it back to over here, where they need it.
Finally I’ve found today the project, which was working exactly in my mind.
I will help them building a house, about 10 minutes outside of Antigua. From Monday to Friday – 8am to 4pm …
They are not asking me for money and I will get free lunch. We are a total of 5 persons and will build a house for poor children.
To join the program was very simple and only took 10 minutes …
I called a phone number and met a project staff 10 minutes later. She explained me the project, I said “yes” and that’s it – a handshake is enough for them, while other projects ask you for a copy of your passport, two photos and you might have to run through a complicated registration process.
My second option would have been to make each day much sport and go running. But I hope, that this physical work will raise up my motivation again, I might find some cool friend and by side of all that, it’s something good and will also help poor people.
So I will stay the next week as well here and plan to celebrate my birthday together with my girlfriend! ;)
PS: The Hyvinkää-Day movie is finish and should be online very soon! ;)

SEBI got sick – but no “Malaria” !!!

I’m once more sorry, that there weren’t much updates on my website since quite a while …
Last Thursday I got sick and been so far most of the time in bed.
During the last week, I spent much time at the computer, working on my YouTube Clip about Helsinki Day from the KONE global youth camp 2009.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able the export the first version of the movie so far. Looks like the software has a big problem, but I’m working on that! ;)
As one of the few rules, I set up for my website, is “never publish health information”, everybody, who is interested in exact information about my health status is welcome to ask me via my e-mail address sebisoft.eu@gmail.com !
I been up to very high fever for couple of days. At one point a very good doctor already expected, that I would have malaria.
Out of everything I have read about malaria, I was quite sure, that I haven’t got it. Since I got the mosquito burning tool from my mum as gift, mosquito bites don’t hurt me any more. As I know, that I have used this tool the last time in Finland, I can be pretty sure, I haven’t gotten any mosquito’s biting me over here or Mexico. Latest, as I thrown up right after taking medicine against malaria, I known, that my body don’t like it, because he probably don’t need it!
Now the doctors already found out, what I have and I got the right medicine.
It’s noting too critically and I hope I will be up and on the route again soon!
Gladfully, my sweet girlfriend took much care about me, when I’ve been up to high fever and is always here for me! =)
She takes very good care of me! Without her, this all would be much more harder!
I love her!
More information will be hopefully online soon!
… the YouTube clip hopefully as well! =P

missing my girlfriend!

I want to publish here a song, which connects me and my love!

Tito El Bambino – El Amor

SHE MAKES ME SOOOOO SOOOOO SOOOOO SOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY IN MY LIFE !!! <3<3<3 <3<3<3 <3<3<3

big THANK YOU !

I want to send a bit THANK YOU to Milla from Finland!
Quite a time ago, I was searching for a certain youtube clip, I’ve seen last summer in Finland.
After I’ve send out a help message, Milla already has found the link for me on the 12th of November 2008 – but it has taken me until now, to check the Finish Facebook wall =P
Here comes the real story about Santa Clause:

the countdown has started =)

It’s the final countdown … – ta-ta,ta,ta,taaa ^^

Just have booked my first flight for my world tour 2009 ! =)
Well, actually have planned to leave on Tuesday … – but as there will be a couch surfing event on Monday evening, I decided, that I will start one day later, so that I can share my last evening together with my family =)
… but then have found out, that the flights are still available, but you actually unable to  book them any more online, because of the new ESTA-system (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) of the USA. Since the 12th of January 2009, you have to fill out an online form, which you should do at least 72 hours before your flight … – because of this new law, many of the airline websites changed there systems, so that you can’t book a flight within at least 4 days from today’s date =P
Well, you usually still can do at some airlines, but not at the one I want to go with, as they got the definitely best deal ;)

But after all, finally have booked my flights – I will take off on Thursday the 12th of February 2009 at 12:20 =)

The deal I was looking for at first, would have included me to stay about a day in Madrid, Spain – but with this deal, I only got 1 hour and 40 minutes stay over there, until I will take off again to New York =)

At the moment I’m just about to reinstall my pocket PC, so that it will give me best GPS support on my way ;)

- watch out for more information – the countdown has started ^^