Thursday was a great day.
We went to the KidsRights offices to meet the people there. Everyone that works at the foundation is incredible and you can feel the love. It's really nice to go into an environment like that. I loved it.
The majority of the day was taken up by being tourists - I think it was right that our last day in the Netherlands was done in this way. We went to Zaanse Schans. It's a kind of farm place. It's got a clog-making place, a cheese farm, lots of mills making different things and a whole bunch of things that we didn't get to see.
I had a lot of fun looking at traditional Dutch things - it was a rad experience.
We then had to take Thandiwe to the airport for her to go back to Zambia. It was really sad saying goodbye, but also not sad because I know that we will be meeting again soon.
Our last supper in Holland was incredible. We went to a place called 'Bazar Amsterdam'. It's kind of Moroccan place mixed with many different things. The vibe there was contagious - you just had to move to the music that was playing, your body made that decision for your brain. It was awesome.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Money, Peace & Parliament
Yesterday was yet another crazy-busy day. It started really early because I was asked to open the stock exchange, then we went for an interview at the peace palace and finally we went to the parliament to meet Jetta Klijnsma. It was a ridiculously busy day, but it was awesome!
Opening the stock exchange was so exciting. It was the New York Stock Exchange/Euronext. We got there and met the men who kind of run the opening and closing of the stock exchange. They were amazing - so helpful and warm. The whole event was actually very fast and efficient. What happens is ten seconds before 9:00, they start a countdown; three seconds before 9:00, the people start applauding; and then at 9:00 we hit the really big gong. Then it's over.
When we had finished, we went back to the boardroom and they gave me presents. I was excited! I got a coin (a collector's item) that they only give to people who open the exchange and they gave me a 'tombstone' with a photo of the opening and a certificate for the opening.
The second thing on the agenda for the day was the peace palace. Generally, people are not allowed to go in, but we were. How amazing?
The interview was with a woman, who also has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. It was incredible to speak to a person who understands exactly what I'm talking about. It's part of the EU's campaign called 'End Exclusion'. It's awesome to be a part of an initiative like this one. It was very interesting.
In a very busy day, the last stop was parliament. We went to meet a woman, Yetta Klijnsma, another person with cerebral palsy. You would think it would be more rare, but it turns out otherwise. Anyway, Yetta is a member of parliament and an ambassador for the Liliane Foundation - they support children with disabilities. The point of the meeting was to start a relationship with her because there may be an opportunity in the future to travel together.
As you can probably deduce, I was exhausted. But it was an incredible day and I loved every minute of it.
:)
Opening the stock exchange was so exciting. It was the New York Stock Exchange/Euronext. We got there and met the men who kind of run the opening and closing of the stock exchange. They were amazing - so helpful and warm. The whole event was actually very fast and efficient. What happens is ten seconds before 9:00, they start a countdown; three seconds before 9:00, the people start applauding; and then at 9:00 we hit the really big gong. Then it's over.
When we had finished, we went back to the boardroom and they gave me presents. I was excited! I got a coin (a collector's item) that they only give to people who open the exchange and they gave me a 'tombstone' with a photo of the opening and a certificate for the opening.
The second thing on the agenda for the day was the peace palace. Generally, people are not allowed to go in, but we were. How amazing?
The interview was with a woman, who also has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. It was incredible to speak to a person who understands exactly what I'm talking about. It's part of the EU's campaign called 'End Exclusion'. It's awesome to be a part of an initiative like this one. It was very interesting.
In a very busy day, the last stop was parliament. We went to meet a woman, Yetta Klijnsma, another person with cerebral palsy. You would think it would be more rare, but it turns out otherwise. Anyway, Yetta is a member of parliament and an ambassador for the Liliane Foundation - they support children with disabilities. The point of the meeting was to start a relationship with her because there may be an opportunity in the future to travel together.
As you can probably deduce, I was exhausted. But it was an incredible day and I loved every minute of it.
:)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
And the winner is...
ME!!
Yesterday was an incredible and amazing day.
It started very early, but it was totally worth it. The ceremony was held in The Hall of Knights in The Hague. It's the oldest building in Holland and it's only used about twice a year - when the Queen does the state of the union address and the international children's peace prize awards ceremony. Epic.
We had a couple of run-through's for the actual ceremony and the morning was largely taken up with interviews for TV, newspapers and websites. It was so much fun.
Then the ceremony started.
We (Thandiwe - 2007 winner, and myself) came in down the aisle. And the other guests of honour entered down the big stairs - clearly that wouldn't have worked for us. We made a plan. Every year the prize is handed over by a Nobel Peace Prize loureate. So this year the loureate was Mairead Maguire. She won in 1976 - she worked really hard to negotiate for peace in Northern Ireland. Mairead is an incredible woman.
There were awesome people who spoke. Someone who really made me think was Susan Bissell, from Unicef. She really spoke to me. Some interesting things are going to happen with Unicef and disability. So, wait and see.
When I had to get up and do my speech, it was a huge moment and my emotions got the better of me a little bit. I started crying (which made me stress because generally when I cry nobody can understand what I'm saying), but I controlled myself enough to be able to do my speech. I was very proud of myself for actually carrying on and doing my speech.
After I spoke, the Maastrichter Staar (it's a 100-strong male choir) sang the South African National Anthem. Once again, my emotions decided to leave me. It was an incredible moment that was quite overwhelming but it was very important that it happened the way it did.
The gala dinner afterwards was so much fun. I had my homies and it was all good. The food, the music, the people, everything was perfect!
Yesterday was an incredible and amazing day.
It started very early, but it was totally worth it. The ceremony was held in The Hall of Knights in The Hague. It's the oldest building in Holland and it's only used about twice a year - when the Queen does the state of the union address and the international children's peace prize awards ceremony. Epic.
We had a couple of run-through's for the actual ceremony and the morning was largely taken up with interviews for TV, newspapers and websites. It was so much fun.
Then the ceremony started.
We (Thandiwe - 2007 winner, and myself) came in down the aisle. And the other guests of honour entered down the big stairs - clearly that wouldn't have worked for us. We made a plan. Every year the prize is handed over by a Nobel Peace Prize loureate. So this year the loureate was Mairead Maguire. She won in 1976 - she worked really hard to negotiate for peace in Northern Ireland. Mairead is an incredible woman.
There were awesome people who spoke. Someone who really made me think was Susan Bissell, from Unicef. She really spoke to me. Some interesting things are going to happen with Unicef and disability. So, wait and see.
When I had to get up and do my speech, it was a huge moment and my emotions got the better of me a little bit. I started crying (which made me stress because generally when I cry nobody can understand what I'm saying), but I controlled myself enough to be able to do my speech. I was very proud of myself for actually carrying on and doing my speech.
After I spoke, the Maastrichter Staar (it's a 100-strong male choir) sang the South African National Anthem. Once again, my emotions decided to leave me. It was an incredible moment that was quite overwhelming but it was very important that it happened the way it did.
The gala dinner afterwards was so much fun. I had my homies and it was all good. The food, the music, the people, everything was perfect!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Busy busy busy
We did some very interesting, cool things yesterday.
The first couple of things weren't incredible but still exciting. For me, anyway. The first thing we did was going to the airport to fetch the other four founders of The Chaeli Campaign. I was excited.
Then we went back to their hotel. They asked in the car on the way there "Can Chaeli get into our hotel?". This is what we found:
So, the answer was clearly a no.
We went to lunch. It was nice and we could charge my chair, which was a bonus.
The really awesome thing of yesterday was that we went to the market. It was awesome! I have never walked for that long in my entire life. It's the longest market I've ever seen. Still amazing. They had clothes and food (fresh fruit and veggies) and a whole lot of other stuff.
After the amazing market, we went for supper at Cindy's house. It was really nice that we could be in a real home in Holland. We had to take the Tram to get there though. It was very cool that I was able to use the public transport with very minimal effort. So cool.
Cindy and her family were amazing. They invited us into their home and we immediately felt like family. We had the most incredible food. Thanks George!! Luka, their eldest son had planned an awesome game of BINGO! It's the best game ever invented. Here's how we were rolling:
More later.
:)
The first couple of things weren't incredible but still exciting. For me, anyway. The first thing we did was going to the airport to fetch the other four founders of The Chaeli Campaign. I was excited.
Then we went back to their hotel. They asked in the car on the way there "Can Chaeli get into our hotel?". This is what we found:
So, the answer was clearly a no.
We went to lunch. It was nice and we could charge my chair, which was a bonus.
The really awesome thing of yesterday was that we went to the market. It was awesome! I have never walked for that long in my entire life. It's the longest market I've ever seen. Still amazing. They had clothes and food (fresh fruit and veggies) and a whole lot of other stuff.
After the amazing market, we went for supper at Cindy's house. It was really nice that we could be in a real home in Holland. We had to take the Tram to get there though. It was very cool that I was able to use the public transport with very minimal effort. So cool.
Cindy and her family were amazing. They invited us into their home and we immediately felt like family. We had the most incredible food. Thanks George!! Luka, their eldest son had planned an awesome game of BINGO! It's the best game ever invented. Here's how we were rolling:
More later.
:)
The antics continue...
I know I said I would tell you guys more about my wheelchair saga, so here goes.
We got to Schipol airport, eventually got my wheelchair - we had to walk through basically the whole airport to get to where our luggage was but more importantly, where my wheelchair was. As you know, we were having a bit of battery power struggles. My wheelchair had a single very persistent bar of power (as oppose to the normally very happy 10 green bars).
When we arrived at our hotel, and tried to charge my chair, we quickly realised that our plugs and the plugs we brought were not going to work. Our universal travel adapter wasn't very universal. Still, we weren't really stressing because we figured we could just buy one anywhere. Oh, how wrong one can be.
In the whole of Amsterdam there was not a single South Africa to Europe plug. But, we had Ellen and Sjierly, from KidsRights running around trying to find a solution. They're very resourceful, and even they could not find a plug.
Keep in mind the persistent flashing red light.
I told the people around me that I was going to keep my wheelchair going by willpower. Willpower kept it going for nearly two whole days. Amazing!
Eventually we had to take the entire charger to an electrical shop place and change the plug from a South African plug to a Dutch plug. Interesting times.
After we changed it, we found restaurants that had a place where we could plug in and charge my wheelchair. The people looked at us funny when they heard our request. But generally people look at us funny anyway, so it was nothing new.
Everything went relatively normally after our little wheelchair drama, but what's life without drama?
:)
We got to Schipol airport, eventually got my wheelchair - we had to walk through basically the whole airport to get to where our luggage was but more importantly, where my wheelchair was. As you know, we were having a bit of battery power struggles. My wheelchair had a single very persistent bar of power (as oppose to the normally very happy 10 green bars).
When we arrived at our hotel, and tried to charge my chair, we quickly realised that our plugs and the plugs we brought were not going to work. Our universal travel adapter wasn't very universal. Still, we weren't really stressing because we figured we could just buy one anywhere. Oh, how wrong one can be.
In the whole of Amsterdam there was not a single South Africa to Europe plug. But, we had Ellen and Sjierly, from KidsRights running around trying to find a solution. They're very resourceful, and even they could not find a plug.
Keep in mind the persistent flashing red light.
I told the people around me that I was going to keep my wheelchair going by willpower. Willpower kept it going for nearly two whole days. Amazing!
Eventually we had to take the entire charger to an electrical shop place and change the plug from a South African plug to a Dutch plug. Interesting times.
After we changed it, we found restaurants that had a place where we could plug in and charge my wheelchair. The people looked at us funny when they heard our request. But generally people look at us funny anyway, so it was nothing new.
Everything went relatively normally after our little wheelchair drama, but what's life without drama?
:)
Airport antics
Our flight was at 12:20, as you know, and we had to do something at the airport for about 3 hours. What to do?
We found ourselves in the Bidvest Premier Lounge - it was pretty epic and quite snazzy. It was nice. It had food and drinks for the people flying. It was really weird though because there are no people to help you, so you kind of feel like you're stealing everything. It's weird.
At 11:07 my mom started stressing that we were going to be late for the PAU (Passenger Assist Unit, for those of you who don't know), so we went then to the bathroom to change into 'Holland clothing'.
The funniest thing was that in the disabled bathroom, there is a hand-dryer. It's really badly placed, in terms of what we needed at the time. We had a LOT of stuff and being disabled adds more stuff to a lot of stuff. It keeps life interesting. But we put all our stuff (keep in mind you have to take ALL your belongings with you wherever you go at the airport) in the bathroom with us. So, we put everything underneath the hand-dryer. Probably not the best idea but there was nowhere else to put it. They work on motion sensors, which meant everytime mom did something with our bags, it went off. It was funny because mom got a fright everytime it happened, which was often. Funny.
Once we had reached the boarding gates, we realised that my wheelchair battery was basically dead. This is not good. When it's your form of moving it CANNOT die. But we're very good at finding solutions - we figured that we could just charge it when we got to Holland as we have international plugs. It didn't really work out that way.
We arrived in Holland yesterday at somewhere around 11. The guy in the plane who organises assisted passengers came to us and said "You have a big wheelchair, right?". We were like "No!" and he looked at us and very concerned he said "OK, we'll look again". Eventually, after riding through the whole of Schipol airport, we got my wheelchair AND it turned on and worked. We got excited.
I'll tell you guys more about it in my next entry. I'm going to bed now. Sleep well, world.
:)
We found ourselves in the Bidvest Premier Lounge - it was pretty epic and quite snazzy. It was nice. It had food and drinks for the people flying. It was really weird though because there are no people to help you, so you kind of feel like you're stealing everything. It's weird.
At 11:07 my mom started stressing that we were going to be late for the PAU (Passenger Assist Unit, for those of you who don't know), so we went then to the bathroom to change into 'Holland clothing'.
The funniest thing was that in the disabled bathroom, there is a hand-dryer. It's really badly placed, in terms of what we needed at the time. We had a LOT of stuff and being disabled adds more stuff to a lot of stuff. It keeps life interesting. But we put all our stuff (keep in mind you have to take ALL your belongings with you wherever you go at the airport) in the bathroom with us. So, we put everything underneath the hand-dryer. Probably not the best idea but there was nowhere else to put it. They work on motion sensors, which meant everytime mom did something with our bags, it went off. It was funny because mom got a fright everytime it happened, which was often. Funny.
Once we had reached the boarding gates, we realised that my wheelchair battery was basically dead. This is not good. When it's your form of moving it CANNOT die. But we're very good at finding solutions - we figured that we could just charge it when we got to Holland as we have international plugs. It didn't really work out that way.
We arrived in Holland yesterday at somewhere around 11. The guy in the plane who organises assisted passengers came to us and said "You have a big wheelchair, right?". We were like "No!" and he looked at us and very concerned he said "OK, we'll look again". Eventually, after riding through the whole of Schipol airport, we got my wheelchair AND it turned on and worked. We got excited.
I'll tell you guys more about it in my next entry. I'm going to bed now. Sleep well, world.
:)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hup Hup Holland
So, today started off very average - with a Maths exam. Fun times, I know. Then I had to go to the dentist for an emergency fixing of my retainer. It was attacking me from inside my mouth - we sorted it out though, so it's all good.
After my very average day, things got a lot more interesting and exciting. We had to start preparing to go to Holland. Holland, because the ceremony for the International Children's Peace Prize happens there and we have to go and see who the winner is...
Hold thumbs, people.
We going to have a really rad time - we are going to do all the touristy things as well as some other cool things that I'm not really sure about. Excited!
We've been getting ready for hours - I even had my suitcase ready yesterday, which is very unlike us. We're more 'pack five minutes before you have to leave' people. But, we'll roll with it.
Our flight is at 12:20 tonight/tomorrow morning. Whichever way you choose to say it. I don't know if I'm still going to be awake at that time, since I woke up at 6 to study for my maths paper, but we'll see. We're having a small partytjie at the airport. Because we can. And then we have to try and kill some time. Hmmmm....
There will be things to follow, many many posts, with many many photos. So, keep an eye or two on me.
:)
After my very average day, things got a lot more interesting and exciting. We had to start preparing to go to Holland. Holland, because the ceremony for the International Children's Peace Prize happens there and we have to go and see who the winner is...
Hold thumbs, people.
We going to have a really rad time - we are going to do all the touristy things as well as some other cool things that I'm not really sure about. Excited!
We've been getting ready for hours - I even had my suitcase ready yesterday, which is very unlike us. We're more 'pack five minutes before you have to leave' people. But, we'll roll with it.
Our flight is at 12:20 tonight/tomorrow morning. Whichever way you choose to say it. I don't know if I'm still going to be awake at that time, since I woke up at 6 to study for my maths paper, but we'll see. We're having a small partytjie at the airport. Because we can. And then we have to try and kill some time. Hmmmm....
There will be things to follow, many many posts, with many many photos. So, keep an eye or two on me.
:)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Exciting times
It has been a very interesting couple of weeks. Firstly, I have been trying to prepare for end of year exams (not so exciting, I know, and also not the most successful). But the most interesting news of my LIFE is that about two weeks ago, we found out that I'm one of 5 finalists for the International Children's Peace Prize. How cool?
It's amazing. Being the researcher I am, onto the Internet I went. I found out who the other finalists are:
Liza in Palestine tries to promote peace through sport (woman's football) between Israeli and Palistinian young people. She fights for the rights and empowerment of Palestinian girls in a male-dominated society.
Malala in Pakistan fights for education of girls. This was banned under extreme Taliban rule. She went anyway.
Nicolay in Armenia organises workshops and discussions on human rights. He also writes a regular blog that addresses these issues.
Winfred stands up for abused children in her community. She documents cases of child abuse in schools and around the communities. She also set up a child's court, where kids can sort out their problems without adult interference.
How amazing are all of these fellow young people? We can all do something wherever we find ourselves. That's the message that all of the finalists (myself included) share with the world.
I hope to one day meet all of these people, and many more that are doing incredible work.
:)
It's amazing. Being the researcher I am, onto the Internet I went. I found out who the other finalists are:
Liza in Palestine tries to promote peace through sport (woman's football) between Israeli and Palistinian young people. She fights for the rights and empowerment of Palestinian girls in a male-dominated society.
Malala in Pakistan fights for education of girls. This was banned under extreme Taliban rule. She went anyway.
Nicolay in Armenia organises workshops and discussions on human rights. He also writes a regular blog that addresses these issues.
Winfred stands up for abused children in her community. She documents cases of child abuse in schools and around the communities. She also set up a child's court, where kids can sort out their problems without adult interference.
How amazing are all of these fellow young people? We can all do something wherever we find ourselves. That's the message that all of the finalists (myself included) share with the world.
I hope to one day meet all of these people, and many more that are doing incredible work.
:)
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