I have been in Armenia for more than 5 months, and as the months have gone by, I have entered a kind of routine. I have become such a bureaucrat, like the ones I used to watch when I was a child wondering if one day I'd have to do the same. Every day I go to work at 9, I take my lunch break between 1 and 2, and I finish at a hard fought for 6 o'clock. Not that I chose to spend my days locked in an office, that's how life has to be sometimes. I enjoy it, but at times I feel like I am loosing my freedom, my inspiration, my willingness to think differently and take initiatives. It's scary how your circumstances condition the way you think and I feel compassion for all the people who cannot choose to live a different life.
Now, spring is coming, and I have never been so happy to see flowers on the trees and to bask in the sunchine (20 minutes a day on my way to and from work). I have also met great people, as this man called Mahmad, who is travelling the world on a bicycle, while planting trees and teaching in schools about protecting nature. He doesn't think more than a day in advance and forbids himself to make plans so that he can seize every opportunity that comes his way. He speaks to people, he helps them, and he learns from them. He is dark as chocolate as he spends his days outside. It made me realise how wide the gap between average bureaucrats like me and cool travellers is. When I meet travellers, I get a breath of fresh air, I almost feel like I could teleport myself by just touching them.They respire the world outside Armenia, diversity, experiences. I wish we could all be as free, but as Mahmad said, it's just a choice. Bah.
Anyways, in 2 and a half weeks (I am counting...) I am leaving my office. Not my job, but my office. I'd like to work (=writing grant proposals and advertising for our ecotourism company) from home, caffe, parks, when I want and how I want, and be able to travel the rest of the time, do more with my church, join some other projects, and learn how to drive (a car, not a mountain goat). That's the plan for now, and it's so uplifting to know that I will soon be free again, back to the world of free spirited travellers and following God's plans for my time here in Armenia :D And I want to ride bicycles too.
My original purpose for this post was to share with you a concept that I discovered by browsing the internet in search for new grants. This NGO called Seacology has taken up the mission to protect the endangered island ecosystems, as those are often overlooked by foundations and yet very important for the global terrestrial and marine biodiversity. Their approach is to ask the residents of the islands what their needs are (e.g. new water pipes, school restoration), complete the requested changes and reparations and ask for the community to protect their local environment in exchange. The requests for conservation are always clear and determined in time. This is a win-win situation, and must therefore work very efficiently. By now, 'Seacology has launched 171 island-based projects, saving 1,808,452 acres of marine ecosystems and 157,181 acres of incredibly precious terrestrial habitat. In return for establishing island marine and forest reserves, Seacology has helped islanders build 76 facilities such as schools, community centers, solar energy systems, and other critically-needed structures, and funded 26 programs providing scholarships, vital medical services and supplies for island communities' (www.nandoperettifound.org). I really liked the concept and I hope to see this happening in many places!
Stay cool, fresh, hype, fun, relaxed, happy, and positive!