Fundraising...

Not often do we get the opportunity to see where the money  we donate really goes to. Here is your chance:) Since I'm down here and have a general idea of how things are and where the money could be spent and who needs it most there is no time like the present.Here are some projects that I came up with in the past few months...

Sport Box

Being here for 3 months now and working with the creches made me realize that these kids don't get enough physical exercise. The idea is to compile at least one Sport Box in the same fashion as the Hygiene Promotion Box (see picture) that will contain everything needed for the fun sport activities. The first box would be donated to SAEP (organization I worked for) and its 10 creches. At  the beginning the Box could just be exchanged between the creches according to their needs. If we ever get any more funds than we could compile and donate more. The box would contain scones, tennis balls,  2 large balls, 2 hoops and some sort of tennis rackets. (can be used in soooo many ways)... All the exercises and fun relay races would be presented in a  booklet as to make it easy to use... Provisional costs of the box are: scones (100R), tennis balls (40R), hoops (?), tennis racquets (80R), booklet (printing costs for no more that 20-30 pages)...

Santa Cause

Well, this one is more of a Guerrilla Style one again. The idea is to buy some toys and distribute them at random among the township kids.... Man, you should see how their little faces light up even if you just give them 5 minutes of your time, let alone a toy:)

Pimp My Creche:)
I've been working for an NGO that helps the creches for the past 3 months now... our organization cooperates with 10 creches in the township of Philippi...what about all the other creches that get no help, no funds but take care of the children just the same? There is much more creches out there that are in desperate need of our help. The problem in SA is that the government has forgotten about the preschool education all together.  The future of this country and its youth stands in the hands  of hard working, empowered women, ready to take on this huge amount of work and responsibility in order to educate the little ones...

Our maid, Naza, drew our attention to a creche in her neighborhood that took on some more kids after a creche near buy got burned to the ground. Now there are some 40 kids aged from 0-5 in this one room shack, with the roof leaking and with almost no educational aid. So we decided to come3 to the rescue:) We pinched in some money bought some food, made some home made building blocks and drove out to this creche. You should have seen the principal...she was so happy.. that is why we would like to do a bit more that is why we need your help:) You can help by donating some funds for toys, books and reparation of the roof..

See some pics of our mission No1:)

Adopt-A-Team

Since we are still under the influence of the world cup there is no time like the present to give something back to the country that hosted this  spectacle:) Just driving through the townships you can see soccer everywhere...on the streets, on every green patch there are kids and youngsters running after the round thing. They have no equipment, nothing. My idea is to give this random teams some scones and balls along with some exercises and HIV exercises..

The team in the picture comes from Guguletu. They were more than happy to pose for our camera, you should have seen how fast they put on their jerseys:)

If you would like to donate something towards this projects please contact Gabi, since I'm discovering real Africa at the moment... at: gabihum@gmail.com, +38640365671 :)

Guittar wizard and the blues festival

This was one of the best festival I've ever been to. If I would have to describe the festival in one word I would have to say that it was intimate. People of all ages sharing the love for music were having a lot of fun in a relaxing atmosphere just outside Cape Town. During the day everything was covered with picnic blankets full of people enjoying their home made treats... But when the night fell, away went the blankets and it was time for some dancing moves...Out of all the artist and bands there was one guy that just blew our minds. For a few minutes I was just standing there with my mouth wide open, trying to comprehend what was happening on stage.:) I never knew guitar was capable of those sounds. Things, the guy was doing to his guitar, I don't think  he does to his girlfriend:)

The night ended by fran pulling some hard core mechanics stuff  in order to start some peoples car. Man, he just put his battery  into their car, started it and took it out again, while the car was still going. Hmmm, I always thought you're not supposed to touch that thing.. eish:)

Sela Amanzi

Today I made my first graffiti, well I helped to make one:) The true artists were Sonja and Daniela, I was just the one with the idea and who was filling the letters with colour (the easy stuff:) We did it in order to raise awareness about the water issues. Sela Amanzi (Drink Water) or drink tap water....especialy in the townships at waters sands where water is for free this makes sense. 

People were passing us by, asking questions, discussing the graffiti and we could see the effect of our work righ there and then:) Even a local newspaper journalist came and interviewed us:) Man did he ask us a lot of questions:) Well ,everything for the cause:)....Water is life. Treat it as if it was your life...don't waste it:)

One of those moments...

Look what I did today:) I smashed SAEP car. well, technicaly no one was driving it...but there was someone chasing it down the hill:) Man, I'm ussualy one of those people who use the hand break even when its not nessesary...but I guess we all have our moments. What mad it that much more interesting was the fact that my supervisor was with me:) She was the one that saw the car going for a stroll on its own... you should have heard the scream..."Car!" I guess I set my new personal record when running after that runnaway thing....well, I was too late... BOOM:) So, I guess there is a lot of paper work in store for me in the folowing days::) I must say that the funniest moment was at the police station when the policeman asked "who was driving?" and I replied " No one:)"

Bafana Bafana

My first big soccer game... and in SA just after the world cup:) The fact that Bafana Bafana hasn't played a game in Cape Town for the past few years made the match so much more special. Tickets were sold out immediately... SA played against the yanks. The game was part of Mandela challenge, charity event  created in order to raise money towards Nelson Mandela children's  fund...

Even though we (SA) lost, the experience was one of a kind. Africans really take their soccer seriously:) Streets were full of people in yellow jersey days before the match. The actual night of the match was all about the vuvuzelas, dancing and loud disagreements with the umpire. In general people were not bummed about the lost, but  it was obvious that the bafana bafana boys could do much more. It was as if they were afraid to take chances, no one was really ready to take on full responsibility...so it never came to an actual shot at the goal. eish, did they drive me crazy...

Check out a short video capturing the atmosphere:)

Surfin' SA...

Finally....surfing! I wanted to do that ever since my plane landed here in this surfing Mecca. My enthusiasm subsided once I realized that the temperatures were not quite yet in that comfortable range...but that was back in september... Now it really is almost summer here.... and....I got my first wetsuit as a birthday present from Fran:) Thank you Frannie:) So, no more excuses....

I even put aside the "shark factor"  and dove into the water .. The waves were perfect:) And even just being there in the ocean, paddling, catching waves, soaking up the sun was great....that is life:) It is a shame that not every day is like that, sometimes you check the situation on the webcam and the ocean couldn't be more flat...can't wait for the next session...soon. Of course there are other surfing spots but Muizenberg has its advantages: great for beginners, less shark attacks and the water is a bit warmer since a little incy bincy tiny part of indian current somehow finds its way into this bay:)

Now let me explain their "shark alarm system" in a few words. Apparently there is a man, called Rasta (!?), sitting on top of the mountain range surrounding False bay, surveilling the bay with binoculars:) In case he spots a shark (a big shadow in the sea) the flags go up on every beach... There are different flags, one indicating that there is a visible shark, other that there is a shark but they lost a visual...and so on:) Even though it doesn't sound very convincing the system obviously works:) Of course there are some general precautions you should take into consideration...
 

Taking pictures....lesson No 1:)

If you're a keen photographer you'll probably burn your whole memory card in one short visit.  But let me tell you one thing...if you don't have a big zoom or if you are considerate enough to ask permission before taking the picture you can forget about taking spontaneous pictures:) You know, those spontaneous pictures you see in exhibitions and national geographic:)

Eish...it starts out like this "Molo,...bla bla bla...can I take a picture of you?" Usually they are more than happy to pose.....only now and then you get some that refuse the opportunity of a photo shoot:) As you take the first few shots...

 

they start gathering all the immediate family, extended family, children, neighbours... everyone.... This is a funny sight... yelling, laughing, gathering of the children. They are all just so excited that you get sucked into the feeling in no time... and pretty soon, if you're not careful you end up on the other side of the camera:)

before you leave be sure to take some time and show them the pics you've taken...you won't hear the end of it...the gratitude and enthusiasm... Offer to bring them a copy or two and than of course be the man/woman of your words. My list is getting bigger and bigger, I will need one full day to do the deliveries...but I cant' wait for those smiles to light up again:)

Hygiene Promotion Box

I came up with an idea of putting together a so called HPbox that would contain everything needed to teach the kids about hygiene and importance of hand washing through a series of fun activities. Today I had my second workshop and the kids, as well as teachers, loved it. Since I would like to make this a sustainable thing I put everything needed (equipment, booklet...) in a box that could be used by the creches at any given time.

The box contains: HP booklet with all the activities, book Germs! written by Judy Oetting, posters, glue, scissors, pom poms, zip seal bags, textile colour,coloured paper, soap, pepper, liquid soap, glitter... everything:)

More pictures...

Kleinmond

Another Sunday getaway... Who would of thought that I'll be doing so much climbing in SA:) But I can't sit on my ass all day long and since there are sharks in this freaking sea here I'm not that keen to go surfing...so climbing is the right kind of adventure sport for me:) although this week surfing...for sure!

Kleinmond....can be described with one word only...beautiful!  The view is outstanding. Green hills on one side, Mars like landscape on the other side . That area was most probably burnt to the ground not so long ago. Since we are talking about fires.... apparently Protea (SA national plant) has to burn in order to release it seeds...that is interesting... so those bastards throwing cigarette buds out of their car windows are doing at least someone (something) a favor:)

Climbing was phenomenal... the fact that we were alone on that "mountain" made it even better. I have a feeling that we'll return some day because they are some more craius to climb and we only just scraped the surface of all the possibilities that Kleinmond has to offer...

More info on climbing in Kleinmond can be found here:)

Fe(e)d the Street Project

 

The first Guerrilla project on African soil was a success:) Eeveryone pinched in and we made a delicious meal for the street people of Cape Town. Frans car was perfect for the job, I just hope that people don't stop the poor guy every time he drives through town, asking for more food:) We cooked pap (traditional south African meal made out of maze) and some vegetable sauce to go with it. Additionally we also had some boiled eggs, bananas and oranges. 

Equipped with food and determined to make a difference (at least in some peoples lives:) we hit the road on the back of a backy and offered "free food", "mahalo" to the homeless souls along the way.   One could just see how this suffering faces just started lighting up, smiling faces everywhere, "God bless you" or "you'll be in our hearts tonight" were some of the expressions of gratitude and-sings coming from everywhere. These are the people that everyone forgot about, living on the streets for years now, having nowhere to go and unable to find a job. I like the because they weren't begging, although some of them did run back to the car for seconds...sorry there are more hungry mouths out there that we need to feed:)

This is what real humanitarian work is all about. We are not just a bunch of dreamers, we know that we can't feed the world that way, or even heal it of all its ills but at least we made a little difference in the lives of the people we fed....if only for one day.

Home sweet home...

Today I walked into a book store in search of some children books and dictionaries for the creches and what do i find? At firsts I was like...hm i must be going out of my mind...so used to english language already that i started to read it as if it were my mother tongue:) Well after a few seconds i realized that indeed on the shelve there was a Slovenian book...all proud and shiny on display where almost no one can understand what the heck does the title say:)

HIV workshop - high schools

After the tough crowd of principals and the teachers of the creches I took on high school kids:) This experience was even better than I imagined:) It was more of a mutual learning experience since they were more than willing to answer all of my "stupid" questions

Of course I started of with an easy one: "Raise your hands if you think that people in South Africa are not very faithful when it comes to relationships!" Man you should have seen how fast those hands went up in  the air:) eish.... They more than confirmed the thing I heard before, that cheating and promiscuity are not at all  unusual here in SA. Of course some "blame" it on their tribal heritage...since they still have polygamy. Xhosa people have given it up by now but the Zulu still practice it. It is no secret that  president Zuma (Zulu) has 5 wives, 20 children and some more fiancees:)

Imagine my surprise when after asking, "can a person get HIV if he/she has unprotected sex with an HIV infected individual?", I realized that there were still some youngsters that believed that you cannot get infected in this manner. Well, we live in 21st century and we all know the facts, and  lets leave the conspiracy theory alone for now, but still....   All becomes clear once they explain that apparently president Zuma publicly announced that he slept with an HIV infected person, took a shower afterwords and he was/is fine. Some shower that must have been:)

Here I gave just a couple of examples... as you can imagine, I was all ears and more than ready to put all my theories to the test:)

Check out a short movie here:)

Finding Nemo... in Two Oceans Aquarium

Two thumbs up for the Cape Town Aquarium. They've got some crazy stuff in there. Me and Fran were just like two little kids running around fascinated by everything.  The aquarium has the best of the two oceans, Indian and Atlantic. My favourite tanks were: Finding Nemo and the HUGE tank where they are keeping one of the two forrests in the wolrd.

Real Africa at last

My head is so full of impressions that I don't even know where to begin:) Today was just about the most beautiful day so far:) Aftera braii deja vu I decided that this European lifestyle of Cape Town is not what I came to see and experience. So in the morning we took Frans legendary car  and drove into the townships.

Our first stop was Langa or "Sun", the oldest Township in Cape Town. Nowadays Langa is full of government build houses so there are not many shacks left. Life seems to run at is own pace here especially on weekend when all the people are in the streets. The main mini bus station is packed with people buying freshly chopped up chicken and. Once you get out off the car your senses pick up this intense smell of chicken , flesh  and death all mixed with nicely spiced chicken on the braii. What a contrast:)

 

By coincidence we ended up adopting a football team from Guguletu. The boys were more than happy to pose for the camera. The team consists of football enthusiasts and a team  manager who is basically a guy volunteering his time to set up games and sometimes his own money to get the boys to the tournament sites. Maybe I can help them get a sponsor or something at least for some essential equipment. We'll see.

Further down we drove through my all time favourite, Philipi.I might be a little bias since I work there but the township really has the most character of all. Shacks everywhere, laundry hanging and drying in the African sun, streets full of colours and different scents. On the weekends everyone seems to be out in the streets, than again what can you do inside of a 2x2m shack? We caught quite some attention with or car and Julian in the back. Usually you don't see many "whites" driving like that:)

The kids were running around, chasing the car or just posing in front off the camera and than grabing it to see how they look. One can just jump of the car and play with the little rascals which is exactly what we did. Man, did we have difficulties getting rid of them:) They just wouldn't let go of the car. Little limbs were hanging from all sides and just waiting to fall under a wheel:) crazy little things...

After Philipi we paid a visit to Kanghelani in Delft. Delft is a new settlement full of houses build by the government. People are lining up on waiting lists for this brick boxes . The place looks like a desert but the amazing people light up the place.

'

We met a family of five just on a way to church. Like the majority of the inhabitants of these informal/formal settlements they too originate from Transkai. Thembas family waited 15 long years to get this little home of theirs and now they are on to bigger things and brighter future.

More pics:)

Krom River Hike

Being here made me realize how spoiled we Slovenians are. Coming from such a small and diverse country, where everything is within 2h reach:) Mountains, vineyards, the whole 46km of our sea.. That is the reason why I'm not so easily impressed by Cape Town, but I can understand why other people fall in love with this Mother city almost instantly. Beautiful beaches, magnificent mountain rising from the sandy coastline, botanical gardens, natural parks and on the other side rich cultural and especially night life:)

Last weekend we hiked up this river gorge full of pools. It reminded me of Iski Vintgar. W went all the way up, to the waterfalls which were beautiful. In order to get there quit a bit of easy climbing had to be done and some of the people I went with were more equipped for the beach than climbing.. But we all made it to the top and dipped in ice cold water. It turned out that all that beach stuff won't come in handy after all:)

The river has this orange colour that makes you think twice before you jump in:)  On the way we had a chance to enjoy cactuses, fynboss, termites, bugs...something totally different to what I'm used to back in Europe.

Silvermine - Heaven Over Cape Flats

Silvermine truly is one of the best climbing spots I've ever been to. The view is just breathtaking. Cape Flats, the part where most of the townships are, is in the palm of your hands. Up here all the troubles of its dwellers seem so far away. A sad thought penetrates my mind...most of those people never get the chance to leave their township let alone hike up the mountain to see the beauty that surrounds them. Once again i realize how lucky I am...

West Coast

I decided spontaneously to take a day off and do yet another one day road trip. This time we went to the west coast peninsula.You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get a sea-kayak without having to take a guided tour. But here, in Langebaan we finally got the thing and we set out into the unknown African waters...alone. We paddled through Shark bay, swam in some other bay and had seals escort us on the way back. 

Life here seems very laid back and local fishermen confirmed our observations:) I guess the lifestyle reflects the Lagoon...life in the calm waters, sheltered from harsh environment of the outside world.

More pictures....

Birthday on Table mountain...done that:)

I really am a lucky bastard. I got the chance to join some truly amazing youngsters on an overnight hike to table mountain. What a birthday present:) The fact that the hike was guided bothered me at first but after a while it turned out to be the best thing ever. Errol the guide explained us everything about the mountain, its flora, rock formations, history. Did you know that there was a railway on top of the mountain that was used to transport materials for the constructions of the dams. Apparently some 200 people lived the top of this mountain in early 19 hundreds. 

Table mountain revealed it self in all its glory. The first day we had an amazing weather, not  even a smallest  breeze, amazing sunshine all day long. But over the night things changed dramatically. In the emprning we woke up to the sounds of wind blowing like mad and hauling around our hut. The look out of the window didn't reveal much since th.. we were in the clouds, the ones i usuallz admire from the bottom. hiking in these conditions waseven more fun. th egood trhing was we had a guide. otherwise it wouldn't be half as fun I reckon.

It was a special day and not only because it was my birthday:) The youngsters from bridging year program are great people, full of life, ideas and ambitions...and man, can some of them cook. Those who know me know that with me love goes through my stomach:)The fiest that we had up on that mountain was just ridiculous. When I close my eyes and reflect on my first birthday in Africa I forget all about the fact that I'm a year older:) A year older but richer for one truly uniqe experience. Thanks guys. Enkosi!

TV man

I laughed so hard when I heard this story that I decided to share it with you. Apparently there was an article in a well known newspaper about a man that went out and got himself a TV. After a week or so he returned to the store and complained about his TV not working properly. The manager tells him to bring the TV back so they can check it. So he brought the device and the mechanics didn't find anything wrong with it. the man went back home and... a week later there hi was again. Same problem and the same procedure. Again there was nothing wrong with the TV as they were conducting a check up. Finally the manager decided to make a home visit in order to get to the bottom of this thing. One day they payed a the man a visit and to their amazement discovered the the TV had been connected to a traffic light and every time the light went from green to red the TV shut down. Amazing:)

Ivy House connecting people:)

Ivy house is just like a home away from home. A place where crazy people from all over the world seek refugee in this world of ours. At the moment some 8 people live at this address and you won't believe it but we don't need to queue for the bathroom or...imagine that:) Thank God:)

Cape Point

Today is the day when I can cross out another thing on my must see list. Oh no, there were two. One was Cape point and the other Chapmans Peak drive.

Although the weather wasn't a t its best we still went ahead with our trip since we had a chance to enter the park for free:) It was well worth it but I will definitely be back. That 2 day hiking trail sounds too appealing... I can already imagine walking on the edge of those cliffs listening to the sound of waves tumbling down on the sandy beaches beneath...

Some people still mistakenly believe that Cape Point is the southernmost tip of Africa and is therefore the point where the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean and the warm Agulhas Current of the Indian ocean collide. Wrong!

Want more pictures? Klick here:)

Sand in my shoes...or beaches so far:)

Milnerton was the first sandy beach my European feet got the chance to step on. Couldn't ask for anything more... sunset, sandy beach, beautiful Table mountain view and surfers riding the last waves of that day.

Miuzenberg is by far the most popular beach for surfing, especially for beginners. Long beach with picturesque rainbow beach huts. Locals and Tourist seem to enjoy this beach. As you walk along the beach and collect the shells wind seems to be playing with your hair. Found some huge sea weed here. I must admit that I never saw anything like it.

Camps Bay is a posh area. Sandy beach with boulders. The view on 12 apostles is just amazing, especially as the sun sets.

Llundando is just plain beautiful. Since I was there on Sunday it was a little bit crowdy but not too much. This beach was a final destination of my bike ride. What a beautiful day that was. 

Montagu getaway

Finally I managed to get away for the weekend:) We met sa couple of guys on monday and on friday we were already off to our  first climbing adventure. It was about time I got to see outskirts of Cape Town and experienced some wilderness.

I couldn't wait to pitch up a tent and spend a night camping....in Africa. How cool is that. Before dozing off Tom was kind enough  to giving us last minute African camping tips., "When camping in Africa never ever leave your tent open, always check your shoes before putting them on and..." eish, I forgot the third one...hope it wasn't something very important:)

Obviously I had to go all the way to Africa to start climbing again. Couldn't have picked a better place to get back into this beautiful sport:) Luckily I'm still fit enough to do the thing and surprisingly even remember some belaying techniques not even this SA climbing dudes know. Thanks Jaka and Misko:)

As far as climbing is concerned Montagu is the real deal. Hundreds of kloofs with hundreds of crags and hundreds of routes. From a well known Legoland to.

Once again it turned out that the best things in life are for free... after a loong day climbing we decided to try our luck in the near by hot springs. All sweaty, with sand in our shoes and smiles on our face we kind of walked in pass the guard and there we were...in the middle of pool paradise surrounded with magnificent rocks that were barely seen in the vague moonshine. As if we weren't lucky enough....we managed to find a private pool with a private jacuzzi. It doesn't get any better than that:)

The whole week was like that. I kind of felt as if my birthday celebrations were never going to end:) First the Table mountain hike and spending the night there. I never imagined I would celebrate my birthday on this magnificent mountain. Than there was this spontaneous dinner for my flatmates and I got a massage for my birthday. Man, was that awesome:) Then then next morning Fran surprised me with a wet suit....I have my very own wet suit now, who would have thought. Thanks Frannie:) And as if all of this wasn't enough I went away for the weekend to this amazing  trip on top of all got a free spa entrance aplace and on... From now on you can all call me Lucky Bastard:)

Whale coast roadtrip

Roaaaaaad triiiiiiiip:) Short but sweet. John, Julian and me went on a whale hunt down the coastline towards the southernmost tip of Africa (Cape L'Aghulas). On the way we saw a pack of baboons, a lot of penguins doing nothing but standing and catching sun rays, whales doing pretty much the same:)

The coastal ride was amazing. Mountains raising directly from the sea, rocks just lying around all over the place.. Once we got a bit inland the landscape changed every few minutes. Amazing! From vineyards to fields, from mountains to vast grass plains and in the middle of that beauty is this strip of gray concrete, connecting everything and giving us such freedom and joy...the open road.

You can find more pictures here:)

Legendary wheels...

Legend.... that is the right word to use when describing Frans car:) Man, if I ever move down here I'm buying this machine. He could take better care of it though but that would certainly take some personality out of it.

There's no use locking the care since the window is broken. The thing has a secret switch so not everyone can start it. Its full of rubbish and rust. The sound of the engine is music to your ears...

Once the car didn't start.We tried to jump start it...nothing. Fran got a rope, stoped a car and we got a push and we're off to the city. There we just had to park on a slope:) On our way back we pushed off and jumped in a car like a bunch of sleigh drivers....cool runnings in cape town:) 

Early christmas:)

Delivering donations feels like Christmas... and guess who's Santa:) Nothing in the world can beat this feeling...almost:) The kids are just so happy...even if it is just a little thing like some crayons or pencils. Today we gave out some jumping balls that were donated and the kids went nuts:) Just check out the clip and no comment needs to be added:)

Table mountain

Only two weeks into our stay in Cape Town and we've already climbed this magnificent mountain. On a hike we enjoyed a company of a true hiking enthusiast and the best tour guide we could have asked for. Steven knew everything there is to know about the mountain, its trails and interesting African flora.

Must admit that we took the best way up and down. The trail took us all the way around the mountain so we had the chance to really enjoy the view. Lions head, twelve apostles .. you name it we saw it.

SAEP and Early Childhood Education

Once in Cape Town I'll be working with SAEP in Early Childhood Education. According to their website the ECD Programme provides support for on average 15 independently-run township educare centres (known localy as creches) in the informal comunnity of Filippi. SAEP has helped to significantly improve the capacity of these centres which serve approximately 1300 children between the ages of zero and six in one of Cape Town's poorest areas.

Click here and learn more about SAEP.
Check out some photos of Early Childhood Development Programme.

Me, myself and my alter ego:)

I must admit, I’m not good at these sorts of things, because I never know what to write, especially since I think you have to be in a little bit of a self absorbed mode to write a good CV. I rather let my appearance, deeds, energy or what ever you call it do the job. Here we go...

I had a lovely childhood, despite living only with my mother. Since she was working a lot and because I had no siblings I was forced to find my friends on the street, playground and that is where I think I got my social skills everybody I know is talking about. Being blessed with a healthy body (thank God) and thanks to my parents with a sane mind I could do pretty much anything I sat my mind to. In my whole school history I’ve been among better students, and one of the few that participated in pretty much any sport activity and competition you can imagine. One could say that sport has played a large role in my existence. The biggest passions so far have been tennis and softball. But nowadays I’m more and more drawn to outdoor, extreme activities like surfing, climbing and hiking.

I believe that most likely this is the only life I’m going to get, so a better make the most of it. That is why I try to notice the little things, try everything, experience as much as I can…that’s what is all about, isn’t it. It’s not about how much money I earn, or how many material possession I’ll pass on to my children or how many graduate degrees I have pined on the wall. Life is for living and not collecting. Well I do collect some things though, mostly knowledge that helps me on the way. Languages are essential, that is why I speak English, German, Croatian and a little bit of Spanish and French. So far I have been a tennis and baseball/softball coach, lifeguard; I’ve worked with underprivileged children from toughest parts of New York and children with spina bifida and juvenal rheumatoid arthritis. Just recently a started volunteering at a local youth centre where I work with underprivileged youngsters. More and more I try to get in touch with my artistic side by playing a flute and guitar, mostly at friendly gatherings. I love photography and painting. One for capturing the beauty around me and other for expressing my self and my vivid imagination. I believe imagination is essential. Where would we be, as a civilization if it weren’t for people that saw more that met the eye?

Computer skills are also something I try to improve all the time. Nowadays it is essential to be up to date with the technology and all the benefits it offers. Basic computer knowledge is hardly enough these days that is why I’m also learning the ropes of graphic design and movie editing. For now these skills can only be seen on my blog but maybe some day they just may come in handy.

Otherwise I’ am a very outgoing, easygoing, active person. I love life, nature, people and all the little things. I love working with kids, passing on my knowledge and passion for life, especially because of their simple, noncritical and pure view on life and the world around them. Imagine where would the world be if the grown ups wouldn’t tend to lose touch with the innocent and pure child within. Just a few weeks ago a read this line written by an anonymous writer: growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional:) I couldn’t agree more.

As for the future I wish to work with people, children through humanitarian organizations or NGOs. Change the world (don’t laugh:) Change the world for one person, that’s enough.

This is just a little bit about me. Can’t put everything down on a piece of paper. After all I am a person not a number, or a list of accomplishments. I’m Savina.

a 60 second movie about me (made for the best job in the world application)