Sunrise, Souls and Soil.

you were created

from every cuticle, pore, hair follicle

each pattern of nerve cells arranged in your brain

knowing right from wrong

humble from vain

even the evil that quietly lurks within you

and the conscience which keeps your soul alive

 you were created through your makers eyes

you were created for a reason, to give purpose

just as the plants which keep your lungs abundant

my love there may be days where you see nothing but darkness

but even after nightfall you are promised sunrise

you were planted in the depths of soil to maximize your growth 

after all our planet was given the name earth

embrace the next sunrise 

pay attention to your soul 

and listen to the soil

Rima.

a while ago I was reading/watching documentaries about the journeys' of refugees. i ended up spending most of the night just listening to interviews and reading a number of articles, it just seemed so unreal. hundreds of people packed onto boats made of rubber, suited for at most 15 - 20 people, paying up to over £1000 and still not even guaranteed a life jacket. so many risked everything on the hopes of freedom, just to spend their nights at gated borders. anyway, i was in the mood to write something and it only seemed right.

the sounds of cutlery being placed on a table in the room below tells her it's time to wake up.

she pulls the duvet over her head,

they won't mind if she sleeps a little longer.

however no matter how tight she tries to close her eyes,

her mother's voice echoes in her ears.

"are you planning to sleep all day Rima? Am I the only one who sees that the sun has risen?"

she sits herself up, 

kicking the duvet to the end of her bed in protest.

"yes. yes. I see it" she mutters to herself. 

it's almost as though the sun is purposely forcing itself through her window to prove a point.

it won't be too long until she's called down for breakfast. 

in an attempt to get herself ready,

Rima runs her fingers through her hair but she's paying the price for not brushing it the night before and is met by knots.

so she grabs her hairbrush out of the drawer and walks towards the window.

"look" she whispers.

beyond the cars filling the streets and above tiled rooftops,

staring out at the distant blue water,
she feels the sun's warmth on her cheeks.
the door opens behind her.

"isn't it strange?" she asks."they say this one has a different name but it looks exactly the same to me. both beautiful only from afar. delicate waves that smothered us during the day and kept us in fear at night, that taunted us for hours on end, whilst we clung onto each other with the little life in us we had left. fingernails dug into damp clothes, stomachs stirring from hunger and uncertainty, how dare it glisten like so?"
"The world is made up of pain and beauty my dear" she hears her mother say. "it is your choice on what you see"
" but it's taken so much from us." she responds through clenched teeth. "all we once had has now either amounted to nothing but rubble or is in the hands of those who gave us an estimate on our freedom. we escaped with nothing but the clothes only our backs, nothing but the cries left for only our ears, nothing but our prayers we recited only to God. how could it be that many had to declare those waters graves before their unborn had a chance to call somewhere home!"
"what about all it's given you? there is so much to be thankful for Rima, you must never forget that"

hands now rested on her warm cheeks, she nods reluctantly.
"good morning Rima". says the voice behind her.

eyes still fixated on waves.
"sabaaH alkhayr". 

"pardon?"

"sabaaH alkhayr" she repeats. "i'm saying good morning to my mother".

NICARAGUA 2015: PROGRESSIO ICS

Still to this day my volunteer trip out to Nicaragua crosses my mind. I think it's important for young people to see the world for what it really is, to experience the world beyond their television screens.





In July 2015 I had the opportunity to go out and volunteer with Progressio ICS in Central America. During the 10 weeks I met a number of outstanding people who I still stay in contact with. Although it may seem a bit intimidating going out to another country on your own, both the British and in country volunteers were very supportive. You quickly realize that you're not just a team but friends. From day 1 my host family treated us like one of their own, which made it easier for the days I felt homesick.

Within my volunteer group we focused on building 20 vegetable patches, running educational workshops for the community and building a playground for a local school. Before I went out to Nicaragua I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up with everyone else, in theory it seemed almost impossible for me to do such a thing. But that was the case for a lot of us, including the Nicaraguan volunteers. The work days were long and at times it felt like we were constantly digging and getting nowhere. But by the end of the day when you look at everything you've done the feeling of accomplishment is definitely worth it. If it wasn't for this volunteer trip I don't think I would've ever thought I could achieve so much.

Nicaragua in itself is a beautiful country and we definitely took advantage of our free time when possible. As soon as we'd get back from a long working day, there was usually a rush between us girls seeing who could get to the shower first and out of our muddy clothes. I think when you're out working under the sun throughout the day it's important to find the time to relax, whether it's simply going for a walk or going out for a meal. Some days it was just nice to stay in and watch a movie with all the other volunteers.

One thing I didn't except to be so thankful for, was our Spanish lessons. Before leaving for Nicaragua I knew a bit of Spanish to get me by but it wasn't enough to hold a conversation. So having a Spanish tutor made the time out there so much easier. After every lesson many of us would try to use our new vocabulary with the Nicaraguan volunteers. Although in my case, I generally relied on using various hand gestures. It's funny because now I'm back home in London I seem to remember more and more Spanish than I did then.

The trip affected us all in many ways. For some, the trip taught them how to become independent and for others, the trip taught them why it is so important to have NGOs and other organisations working to better the world. For me this trip taught me a lot about myself, what my limits are, how confident I really am etc. There is nothing I would change about the whole experience however if given the chance to go back and visit Nicaragua there's so much more I wish to do.