Bottled houses

The below videos are old but I don't want the innovations that they display to become old news too. It seems despite what we are being told about the need to be eco-friendly we aren't really doing enough. These bottle houses are ingenious and I'm hoping there can be some advancement on them to make it a real dignified viability. 

Be Inspired.

The Biggest Challenge

originally written 12 August 2012

I've just ended one of the most fulfilling jobs I think I'll ever have the pleasure of working. I worked as a Senior Mentor for an organisation called The Challenge Network who operate the National Citizens Service and are backed by the government.

It's an awesome job. When I first heard about it last year when I was in Singapore I was just excited by the prospect of getting paid to become G.I. Jane and to be honest that's hows I described it to my mates when they asked what I was doing in my summer of graduation.

My greatest fear going into this job was that me and young people just wouldn't mix. I have so many cousins who are younger than me and they are immensely frustrating. So many personal possessions broken, so many telling offs acquired because of my younger cousins. I know you feel my pain.

Going into this job I just thought, 'Oh Lord, I cannot be arsed for the frustrating pettiness of young people. I do not have time for their over inflated self-confidence and belief that they are God's gift to man.' But now I have come to the end of two sets of 3 weeks, with 2 sets of young people. I have mentored 21 young people in total. I can truly say, as my mother did in church today, that young people truly ARE God's gift to man. They have such bright futures and such brilliant minds. Underestimated minds. Underrated hearts. I have seen 21 young people defy all the descriptions that our media will confer on them. Whipping out banter with adults with the right balance of humour and respect.

There is not much I can say, because it's difficult to articulate the pride I feel having taken part in the The Challenge Network. Just remember next time you see a young person and you feel they've become an annoying waste of space, they are just YOUNG people, seeking direction, trust, and affection. Some of them didn't get any of that before they met us and you'll be surprised the difference those three ingredients can make.

Challenge Yourself, to respect Young People, and see how this world is turn upside down for good!

Ciao, Sardinia, Ciao!

Travelling again! Well, briefly.

My sister and I took a "before it all gets hectic" break to the beautiful island of Sardegna, Italy. It's a nice little big island. Honestly, it is much bigger than I thought it would be. We were based in Olbia and it took an 1 hour and a half to get to Porto Cervo by bus. By the way Porto Cervo by bus will set you back only 5 Euro. It was 4.50 Euro to get back, but I don't know if that was due to the time of day or direction of purchase. I didn't want to ask the driver just in case I alerted him to the fact that he could have pocketed an extra Euro off of us.

Ok so let's start with the beginning and Olbia. We touched down in Olbia Airport, Costa Smerelda in the afternoon and bought a bus ticket for a Euro each to get to our hotel. The Hilton is a bit out of the way and not on any busy streets. It's kinda like in a clearing with the only landmark next to it being a roundabout. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how unhelpful that is. In Italy of course, as you would expect through most of Europe, they speak their own language and have no desire of learning a more "internationally acceptable" one like English, so my sister and I had to work out from pointing hands and basic understanding of similar latin based words where we should go. It did not help that the pavements are practically non-existent and so the correct directions lost credibility very quickly.

Arriving in the Hilton Olbia we were greeted with big smiles and a welcome cookie. That most definitely made our day! Following a little rest trying to understand Italian TV and searching but failing slightly to find BBC World News we headed into town with our trusty Lonely Planet book in search of quirky shops and unique restaurants. If you order the "Sensation" at La Lanterna, you will definitely get what it says on the tin. It was sensationally too much for the both of us. Great with some dishes, awkward with others, but the culinary rollercoaster was worth it to really experience Sardinia in a fun way.

The food helped us put behind us the awkward hostility we experienced from one particular antique  shop-owner lady. She didn't seem to want to let us in and whilst I won't come out and play the race card, the incident did lead to my sister and I having a conversation about how black people are treated when they go places so I guess it had touched a nerve with us along racial lines. The woman  did eventually let us in after our pretty shameful "Inglesi, can we come in?" attempt at communicating with her. She looked at her husband (or some fella who clearly has influence in her life) and he said it was ok. I really do hate the "I'm British so I just say things louder and slower in English and you in your own country can attempt to understand what I'm getting at" behaviour, but sadly we had not yet sat down to practice any phrases and had to make do with what we knew.

The next day we realised that the only black people you see on this island, or at least in Olbia, are Senegalese hustlers - that needs its own blog post though. Perhaps the lady believed us to be one of them and not tourists - that too requiring its own blog post but until that arrives see my First Impressions post. Our second day took us by free shuttle bus supplied by the hotel to Bados Beach which also has a little bar/restaurant called BarBados. You can get your deckchairs and umbrellas there and at a discounted price if you quote Hilton Olbia. ;) (our little secret).  The water is nice, the sun was shining, you really can lie back and convince yourself that you're in Barbados if the budget won't allow you to get to the real thing. There are beach hustlers offering everything you need from sunglasses to sarongs and jewellery. It's up to you to buy. We didn't and I don't feel bad.

The third day we went to Porto Cervo with a little stop off before hand at a beach place I can't remember right now. Four fairly small but extremely popular beaches and we were there in low season! Essentially guys you're looking for sand, sun, sea. So call me ignorant but you can find that anywhere and if you're taking the recommendation from a travel book or hotel staff, be sure that many other people have done the same. We got a recommendation from a friend, but I'm guessing they may have done the above. Not saying it was too crowded, but I much preferred the space and roam that Bados afforded me.

The final day we just got to know Olbia better. There isn't much focus on the cultural and historical gems Olbia has to offer, but it is definitely worth taking a break from the beach to see. So that was Sardinia. Finished with a hotel provided taxi to the airport and then really chaotic airport check-in that you may only really expect in a film about a war-time African country, but altogether a beautiful island, a lovely vibe.

Watch them do their Azonto!

If you have not seen this yet, then I don't know where you've been.

FUSE ODG (you'll know his songs cos they begin with "it's fuse!") has started a competition to find the best Azonto videos this world can make. The first entry was good and being a Londoner I loved that it was shot on the Underground and Southbank. But this second one, filmed on yet another one of my stomping grounds - Manchester - was just taking it to another level. There are a few more, the Americans have done a robot inspired one and the French had a flash mob, but so far this takes the biscuit.

ENJOY

Will this be the demise of Ghana's STC?

How has it come to this? I read nowadays about this crisis around the STC (the bus service serving the country). There are rumours of lack of payment to benefactors and workers alike and as of this morning the government has decided to halt the auction of STC even after think tank IMANI has called for the company's outright sale.

Now I'm not going to claim to be a seasoned businesswoman. I am driven by principles of serving the people, not money or the bottom line, but surely it cannot be so hard to create a working, functioning, profitable transport system and maintain it. The market is there for it, we know that because when we think transport in Ghana we think of the throngs of trotros screaming "KaneshieKaneshieKaneshie!... AmasamanAmasaman!" Many people don't own a car but still need to get to the market, their kids need to get to school. So with that in mind. How have we come to this day, where it looks like the STC system is on the verge of folding.

I can only assume that our MPs and Directors and various 'important' people, chauffeured around in 4x4 have forgotten what life was like when they had to catch a trotro or negotiate with a taxi driver. The success of mass transport does not concern them because it does not affect, as with most things in Ghana. But this year is Ghana's coming of age. This year is a turning point. The presence alone of Ghana Decides to encourage registration and informed voting is a sign that Ghana's elections will really stand for something when it comes to buying all the false promises and myopic visions.

So my dear voters, when you think about who to vote for, do me and yourself a favour and don't vote simply on party lines. Think about who can keep the country moving, metaphorically and physically. Think about who has a plan and the acumen to avoid situations like this. The STC created jobs, and a real growing network would create even more jobs, so when MPs and Presidential candidates come to say they will create jobs ASK THEM HOW? Make them become more specific and clear. Challenge their vagueness and elusiveness. If they don't suggest reversing the ill fate of something as crucial as the STC network, then perhaps they are not the best person for the job. Having more people working in factories or as teachers makes no sense if no one can efficiently get to work.