…The Old Bridge…

 

The Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia & Hercegovina

The river Neretva

In front of the Koski Mehmed Pasa Mosque

A fig tree growing out of the roof of an old building in Old Town

The streets of Old Town

 

Every year people gather around the bridge…

…and under the bridge…

…to watch the annual jumping competitions.

 

They say a man from Mostar is not a real “Mostarac” until he’s jumped from the bridge.

The head-first jumping style called “lasta” (named after the swallow) is the most prestigious, and no need to say, the most dangerous jump.

For those who make it two things are for sure – they will be met with respect, and their children & grand children will repeatedly listen to the story of “when your old pa’ jumped from the bridge” for years to come.  

 

 

 

…Underwater Nostalgia…

I usually never go this long without diving, so lately I’m feeling an enormous urge to breathe some compressed air again! There’s something truly magical about being underwater, about entering a world so different from ours. About exchanging the noise of crowded cities & rush hour traffic for the calm and serenity of the big blue. The very second I break the surface I feel this wave of well-being taking me over. As I balance myself, hovering in the middle of the blue without neither sinking nor floating I hear the rhythm of my own breathing coming from the regulator hose. Even though I’m well aware of the fact that I’m breaking every rule of nature  by being where I am, nothing could possibly feel more natural to me. I have never been a particularly religious person, but being down there, seeing all those amazing creatures and watching how they’re all bound together by a fragile balance of nature fascinates me and makes me wonder If I might be disregarding something much bigger than everything I know of as I know of it.

 Unfortunately, this very fragile balance is highly threatened by us humans.

One of my favourite creatures is the Humphead wrasse in the photograph above. It is also called Napoleon fish and can grow up to 2m and live up to 30 years. This curious reef fish is a protogynous hermaphrodite meaning that it can change gender from female to male.  Some females do this around the age of 9. The reason for this is still a mystery. The Humphead wrasse is threatened by the live food reef fish trade and aquarium fish trade.  Because of it’s slow breeding and low number of new borns the species is severely threatened.

Sharks have lived in on this planet for longer than dinosaurs. Above you can see an Oceanic white tip. Although sharks are considered extremely dangerous statistics show that the chances are 10 times bigger you’ll get killed by a falling coconut than a hungry shark. In the United States,  3,306 persons drown each year, during the same period of time 1 person gets killed by a shark. Even though sharks are one of the few animal species that have successfully adapted to extreme and changing conditions on this planet and managed to survive for more than 420 million years, they are now in danger  – because of humans. 2010 the International Shark Attack File recorded a total of 2,320 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide since 1580. Only 447 attacks were fatal during this period of 430 years. In contrast to this it is estimated that up to 100 million sharks are being killed by humans each year, mainly for their fins.

Dolphins are the except for humans the only known spices to involve in sexual activity for pleasure and not only for reproduction, as you can see on the photograph above. They can hear frequencies ten times above the upper limit of  human hearing and use sounds (echolocation)  in order to estimate what their surroundings look like. They can not only estimate distance but also size and shape. Dolphins are threatened both by other animals and humans. Besides from being popular and captured to be kept in captivity dolphins are considered food in some parts of the world and huge numbers are killed to be sold on the fish markets.

I hope that everyone who is aware of this tries to do something about it, at least sign a petition! Two well-known documentaries where you can learn more about this subject are Sharkwater (www.sharkwater.com) and The Cove (www.thecovemovie.com). There you can also learn what you can do to help those who fight to keep our oceans alive. It would be tragical if we were to be the cause of the extinction of something as amazing as these creatures.

…My Blue, Our Blue…

Whether you love the ocean or not you have to check this video out. It’s a fun and innovative effort to raise awareness about the beauty of our oceans as well as the threats that they’re facing today.

The record is being sold and the money will be used for projects that protect the oceans.

…Dolphin Boy…

Dolphin Boy is an inspiring story about a teenage boy Murad suffering extreme post traumatic stress disorder after being brutally beated and tortured by four classmates. The experience was so traumatic that Murad lost contact with the surrounding world, his eyes became empty and he no longer spoke. In desperation, while trying and constantly failing to bring his son back, Murads father agreed on testing a controversial therapy method – Dolphin Therapy – as a last effort to avoid the institutionalization of his son which at the time being seemed so inevitable. Could’t find the whole documentary to link, but here’s the trailer:

As a proffesional diver and psychology student I find this documentary very interesting since it is combining my two big passions. I have still to learn a whole lot more about the terapeutic ascpects of the method and the evidence for it, but having felt the terapeutic effect that I myself  feel when diving I can’t help finding this method very appealing, supposing that the dolphins are treated right and not removed from their natural habitat as is the case in Eilat.

 

… Successful Salsa night for Phyllis Memorial…

The 26:th of November we organised a fundraising salsa night for Phyllis Memorial Children’s Home and Academy in Kenya. With enormous help and generosity from the instructors Viktorija and Manuel from SalsaSocial Dance we were able to create a very successful event! Here are some photos from the fundraising! Click on the photos to see them bigger!

I would like to thank everyone who helped making this night a success! Special thanks to Manuel Juan Bernal & Viktorija Zabarovska without whom none of this would have been possible! Huge thanks to the wonderful people who came to dance & stopped by the Phyllis-table and showed interest in the children, bought calendars and kept  buying cookies despite the fact that most of you were already way too full!  I also want to send out a very special thank you to the people who helped me out “behind the scenes”; Denis, Malak, Jorge, Pegita & Josefine, by baking, being my private drivers, spreading flyers and for spending not only your money but your time and energy to come up with ideas in order to help the orphanage out! I couldn’t have done this without you!  

The money has been transferred to Phyllis Memorial via their swedish “90-account” held by their support organization called “Kampi Ya Moto’s barn” (translation: The children of Kampi Ya Moto). The fact that the account is called a “90-account” means that it is controlled by a swedish governmental organisation which assures that the money serves it’s purpose. The staff of Kampi Ya Moto’s barn all work on a volunteer basis meaning that except for the mandatory banking fees, all money transferred via the account goes straight to the children.

…Pieces of Italy…

 

… Seafood risotto, Pisco sour & Salsa dancing – raising money for Phyllis Memorial…

Having heard the story about Jacina and her children in Kenya, a friend of mine decided he wished to help me out and came up with a very simple, very good and most important of all: very delicious idea. “Let’s organize a charity dinner for some of our friends at my place, I’ll bring the food, they’ll bring the money and we’ll all socialize and have a good time!”  That was the basic idea and it turned out to be a great idea!

Jorge made a yummy seafood risotto and made us try some delicious Pisco sour (a drink from Peru). I made a chocolate cake for dessert and informed people about the orphanage.

After dinner came salsa!

Each guest brought 150 SEK to give to Phyllis Memorial children’s Home & Academy. 

In addition to that, for each additional glass of wine or beer the guests donated another 25 SEK.

 

Josefine found a very interesting book: “How to be an irresistible woman”

 

 In total we raised 1750 SEK during this night, simply by having a great time while eating, drinking, dancing and socializing with friends!  

Thank you so much Jorge for organizing this event!

 

 

The money has been transferred to Phyllis Memorial via their swedish “90-account” held by their support organization called “Kampi Ya Moto’s barn” (translation: The children of Kampi Ya Moto). The fact that the account is called a “90-account” means that it is controlled by a swedish governmental organisation which assures that the money serves it’s purpose. The staff of Kampi Ya Moto’s barn all work on a volunteer basis meaning that except for the mandatory banking fees, all money transferred via the account goes straight to the children.

… My Seven Of The Best…

Seven Links Award is something that I had never heard of until Rory, the blogger of Rory in China nominated me a few weeks back. After having done my research I found out that this is something that has circulated among bloggers for quite a while. The idea is that once nominated, you choose one post from seven different categories from your own blog and then you nominate seven of your favourite bloggers to do the same. Since I am  quite new to this blogging-world and don’t quite yet identify myself as a blogger I got taken by surprise when nominated.  My first thought was “Do I even have 7 real posts and from 7 different categories?”  Well, after a quick check it turns out I do have 7 posts, but I can’t quite cover all the categories so I’ll just fill in the gaps with my personal favourites. Hope that works almost just as well!

  1.  My most beautiful post I personally think is Flabellina.

The photos are taken by a good friend of mine, Alex Doru, and show one kind of a sea snail.  This Flabellina is  a tiny nudibranch, smaller than the tip of my thumb, and this time she gets to represent the magnificent beauty of the underwater world. Still after hundreds of dives I always find something down there in the blue that takes my breath away!

2. My most popular post is without doubt Oceans.

 

Oceans is a word that seems to be very popular to google, explaining the popularity! However it’s also an amazing documentary worth watching, over.. and over.. and over again! 

3. My most controversial post: I don’t think I have covered this category quite yet, so I will just link a post of my favourite place to be: a Dalmatian island and its’ whispering cypresses

 

4. My most helpful post: I’m hoping that The story of a woman who became the change that she wanted to see will inspire people to take a few minutes of their time and act on something that they believe in. 

Hopefully that way this post might not only help the children of the orphanage Phyllis Memorial in Kenya, but many others who might need it. Because it doesn’t matter which cause you help, the important thing is that you believe in it, and that you act on your beliefs.  

5. My most successful post turned out to be “Playing with the most handsome male in the country”. For some unknown reason it seems like everyone who finds my blog reacts to the title of this post and just “has to take a look!” Wonder what that’s all about? Any ideas?

6. A post that did not get enough attention would according to my opinion have to be the travel photos and story about Bolivia called “If I could go back” that I wrote in the very beginning of the creation of this blog before I had any readers. The posts were actually supposed to be one single post, only it was way too late at night and my eye lids had become way to heavy by the time I had managed to upload the photos so I had to leave it at that and continue the next day (at the time I didn’t know that posts could be saved as drafts).

 7. The post I’m most proud of would have to be 10 smiles because of the drawing. When I was a little girl I used to paint and draw all the time but growing up I got too busy doing other things and forgot what I had once loved. I hadn’t drew for more than 10 years when I found a photography of this girl in a book. Her genuine laugh coming straight from her heart inspired me to find a paper and a pen and try to draw her face. I started in the afternoon and continued until dawn, getting lost in the moment leaving everything else behind except for her smile. Once finished I realised that I was in pain, my back had hurt me all along because of the way I had laid on the floor while drawing, I was hungry until the point that my stomach ached, I needed the loo immediately, my hands were all black from the pencil and I had forgotten to do my university assignment for the next day! I would only be able to sleep for two hours before class but I was satisfied. I liked my first drawing in what felt like a life time and I slept like a baby before leaving happy and in time for class. I had just been reminded of how good it feels to simply let myself go and get lost in the moment, how rewarding it is to be creative without the need of being productive of effective. It’s a wonderful feeling that we all should take the time to enjoy more often!  

And finally…here are…. wait for it…my Seven nominations!

Delrioadventures is a blog written by Barry, a guy with the most wonderful view of life who writes about his travels in Japan, his memories from South Africa, shares his wise thoughts and every day adventures with us, not only through words and photos but since we can’t go to Japan, he brings Japan to us through his many videos. 

Steve Mccurry’s Blog is possibly the most beautiful blog I have stumbled upon. Amazing photography, wonderful quotes and inspiring stories!

Project Aquatic is a blog filled with underwater photography and short stories about the wonders of the underwater world! A visit there always makes me long for the next dive!

Atoms Of Thought shares so many wonderful thoughts and pictures with us. Definitely worth many visits!

Michael J Photography is a trip around the world through the computer screen. Interesting photos from all around the globe.

Under The Apricot Tree is a blog that I’ve just recently found and am eager to read more of. The name “Under the apricot tree” itself is worth a nomination!

onemansdarkroom is actually my beloved cousin, the very best of the best, who has created a photo blog but is very slow in getting started (argggh!). Since I have seen his work and know how amazing his photos are I also know what a shame it is that they’re hidden in hundreds of folders on his desktop! So now, in order to participate in Seven Links he will be forced to actually post some more! Can’t wait to see it!

Thanks for the nomination Rory!

…Thank You…

I am speechless. And I am so, very, deeply moved by the generosity and warmth of some of the people around me.

I had a dream for a long time, a dream about Africa and it’s children. Recently I decided it was time for me to fulfill that dream. I applied for a volunteer placement at an orphanage called Phyllis Memorial in Kenya. Deeply inspired by the story &  the struggle of the two women who spend every single day of their lives making sure to give over 220 children a brighter future I figured “why wait to get to Kenya before starting to help out? Why not start at once?”

So I started making plans about what I could do in order to gather money for the orphanage; what I could sell, how I could earn money, how I could save up and how much I could donate. I figured there would for sure be people who were willing to help me out, such as my friends and family.  But I could never hope for the response that I got not only from friends and family, but from colleagues, class mates, acquaintances and even from strangers! They have asked to help, some have expressed wishes of donating money, some have come up with ideas of how they can gather money themselves, others have donated their belongings, some have offered practical help and some wish to sign up for becoming monthly sponsors. It’s truly an amazing feeling to see the involvement and dedication of these people who are willing to give not only their money, but their time and their energy in order to help me out. In todays stressful, self centered and greedy world it’s extremely easy to forget how much goodness is in fact hiding inside each and every one of us, and just how powerful we can be when we choose to act on that benevolence.

So today I want to thank you all so much for inspiring me and reminding me once again of how incredibly beautiful mankind can be.

THANK YOU

…The story about a woman who became the change that she wanted to see…

Today I want to tell you a story about one remarkable woman who made a journey that came to change not only her life but the lives of more than 200 children and their families. So come with me to Kenya, gather a little bit closer around the bonfire & hear the story about Jacinta & the children of a small village called Kampi Ya Moto, or in Swahili “The place where the sun rises.”

Jacinta Njoroge was born and grew up in Kampi Ya Moto, a small village in the south of Kenya, but has lived in Sweden for over 20 years now together with her family. In 1999 she travelled back to her birth place together with her daughter Lotta. During their stay a close friend to Jacinta was ill and had to go to the hospital in a near by town called Nakuru. When Jacinta and Lotta went to visit their friend they noticed something strange at the hospital. There were small children running around in the corridors at any given hour of the day, children who seemed to be completely healthy, yet they didn’t seem to leave the hospital. Confused and curious Jacinta asked a nurse if these children were really ill. “They are healthy” the nurse said. ” But this is the last place where these kids have seen their parents before they have died, so they have stayed here since then. They have nowhere else to go.”

Devastated to hear about those small children’s faiths Jacinta burst into tears and couldn’t stop thinking about what she had just learned. While walking down the streets of Nakuru she couldn’t help but notice the extreme conditions on the streets in which so many children spent their generally very short lives. Jacinta’s daughter Lotta had noticed the sadness that had become a burden to her mom and asked her what was wrong.

When Jacinta explained what was making her so sad Lotta said “But mom, you can’t sit here and cry about it! You have to do something!”

Surprised by her daughters reaction Jacinta said “But there’s nothing I can do, I can’t bring them all home to Sweden with us!”

“No,” her daughter answered, “but you can do something to help them, you can build them a home HERE!”

And so she did.

Jacinta went back to Sweden to work double jobs, gather money, find sponsors and people who are willing to help her. 6 months and 20 000 SEK later she went back to Kenya to build those children a home which she named Phyllis Memorial, after her mother Phyllis. At the time there had been no rain for a long period of time and the people of Kampi Ya Moto were starving. So Jacinta decided to hire them to help her out with the orphanage. The locals considered her an unexpected angel.

When the first building was finished in the year 2000 there were eight homeless children staying there, today there are 57 plus 40 boarders. When Jacinta served the children their first meal at the orphanage they ate as if they would never see food again. And no matter how many times Jacinta repeated that they would get food every day from now on it took them a long, long time before they dared to trust those words. When the children wanted to start school the principle said no, they weren’t allowed to go to school because they had no parents. Jacinta responded to that by saying “Yes they do! I am their mother!” and she kept fighting the system until she managed to convince the principle to accept the children. Whenever there was a problem at the orphanage, for example that year when the rain flooded the building and destroyed the mattresses that the kids slept on, or when the kids started school and needed school material and clothes, Jacinta travelled back to Sweden and gathered more money by arranging different charity events.

In 2003 another woman, Sabine Gartner was visiting the orphanage and decided to help Jacinta out. Sabine and Jacinta became partners and they came to share the responsibility for Phyllis Memorial. Because the kids had to walk for hours each day in order to get to school and back home, in 2006 Sabine and Jacinta built their own school, Phyllis Memorial Academy which today educates more than 200 children from the orphanage and the surrounding villages and is considered  to be one of the best schools in the district.

Today the children of Phyllis Memorial Orphanage are safe, each of them has a bright future to await and it’s all because of a truly inspiring woman who saw something horrible and decided to become the change that she wanted to see.

But in order for these kids to stay safe long enough to reach that future, the orphanage relies on donations, mainly from private persons and helping organizations, since the Kenyan government does not give any help. For those willing to support Phyllis Memorial by donating money instructions can be found on the webpage of a Swedish support organization called ”The children of Kampi Ya Moto” which was created with the purpose of raising money for Phyllis Memorial and Phyllis Memorial Academy. There you can also read more about the orphanage and see photos of the children. Those who wish to, can also choose to sponsor either a child or the whole orphanage by donating a monthly sum and by spreading the word to others! Any amount is appreciated by the kids and keep in mind that even low amounts for us are worth a whole lot more in Kenya!  Press here to go straight to the english version of the webpage!

As for me, I will be travelling to Phyllis Memorial and staying with these children for 6 weeks during the summer of 2012 while working there as a volunteer. Until then I will be arranging charity events and doing my best to gather as much money as possible to help Jacinta and her children out and you will be able to read all about it here. If you feel like helping out, for instance by arranging a charity dinner for your friends and family or anything else that might cross your mind, just let me know! Any kind of help will be very much appreciated!

Thankfully,

Marijana

 

The photos in this post are borrowed from www.kampiyamotosbarn.se