GBV会議

Busy busy week, I am organizing a big workshop tomorrow with the government counterpart on gender based violence issues. Fingers crossed.. So much work has gone into this, and we have some high level participation as well as two colleagues from other countries. I have a few days in the office and then off to London (first time in my life!) to attend my friend's wedding.

明日は政府と合同で女性への暴力関係の会議を開きます。どうか上手くいきますように．．．。水曜日の夜から友達の結婚式に出る為に、ロンドンへの３泊の弾丸旅行。初めてのイギリスなので楽しみ！でもその前に終わらせないといけない仕事が山積み。

Aerial View

From a seaplane

The shades of blue

Abstract painting on a huge canvas

Brighter than topaz

Deeper than sapphire

24 color crayons or a whole jewelry store are still not enough to describe it

水上飛行機なるものに初めて乗った。着陸はもちろん海の上で、シューッと水の上で止まるのが、気持ち良い。バスクリンでも入れているのか？と思う程の青い海。

Morning Ritual

1 carrot, 1 green apple, ginger and lime juice, my morning is made up of these ingredients.

最近ジューサーを初めて買って、毎朝これを飲んでいます。この組み合わせが美味しい！

資格取得！

  

So happy to get the PADI diver certification! My legs and arms are getting so tanned and I don't even recognize them myself.... I am religiously putting sunscreen but against the strong sun in this country there is a limit to what it can do. I should find a wetsuit that fully covers legs and arms. I am also getting scratched by corals. I realized this is the first ever certification that I receive other than my academic degrees. I am going to go for the advanced diver certification next!

I have become such an advocate for diving these days, and I catch myself talking to people how great and calming it is and that everyone should try at least once. It's so funny considering how scared I was before trying it out. I remember when going to Cuba six years ago, almost everyone else from my group went diving for the first time. It didn't even occur to me that this is something that I should consider. I am becoming more adventurous as I get older. I guess it is a good thing in a way to overcome a fear, which is often just in your mind. When you do try it, it is actually not as bad.       

Mask Face

スノーケリングやダイビングの後は、マスクの跡が悲しいかな、なかなか消えない。お肌の弾力がなくなってきてるけど、兎に角マスクはピタッと吸い付いているからね。

Under-Water Wonderland

Just been to a wonderful small island resort, 15 minutes away from the capital by a seaplane. You must be thinking that I hardly ever work, but I am also beginning to believe that I live and work for holidays now, and not the other way around. Anyhow, I took a few days off to go to one of the affordable resorts (if such a thing exists in this country..)

It is funny how this resort was selected. When my boyfriend and I were in the forest resort in Madagascar last year, we met a swiss couple who told us about this place. It is a simple bare-foot island mostly for diving and snorkeling in the house reef. It turned out to be a beautiful, unpretentious and calm island with an amazing beach. The best place in the country so far. What was also nice was that we did not have to count every penny that we spend and all inclusive buffet food was great. I sound like writing for Trip Advisor, don't I?

We have rented a underwater camera from their diving centre. These photos were taken during snorkeling around the island. It was so much difficult than I imagined. You are floating and obviously fish is swimming. These are some of decent ones from my attempts. They don't really do justice to show how beautiful these under water creatures are. It is really a wonderland with an explosion of colors and all kinds of shapes.

With watching countless hermit crabs, diving, playing chess, never missing the two-for-one cocktail-of-the-day "happy hour" and occasional dramatic storms, time passes rather too quickly. I hardly finished one third of my "destructive emotion" book I have brought.