You must be the change...

... you want to see in the world. One of the famous things Mahatma Gandhi once said. And I kind of agree with him.

Well, so far everything is going pretty smoothly because most of the stuff has already been taken care of. Right now it's arranging for a few small administrative things like letters from school and MCH for visa and stuff like that.

Like a few of u know I have been trying to arrange for a nice party with some famous dj's to raise some money for the hospital. Despite all the dj's and others willing to coörporate, it didn't work out because I couldn't find a club on such short notice which was also willing to help out. So I left that idea behind and went on looking for other possibilities. Most of my classmates also going abroad have opened a bank account and asked their friends, family and local paper-readers, sports club and so on to deposit a small amount. Although I think there is absolutely no harm in this way of raising funds I refuse to just go and ask for money. I want to do at least something for it, even if it is the smallest thing.

And so I have been writing to several magazines and organisations. So far I haven't heard anything back but everything is still possible. It is still seven weeks before I leave, which is about enough time to get a picture taken and share my story with the world. Hopefully, this will work out in some way. If not, I will arrive in Cape Town without a 'gift'. This is not a complete disaster of course. I am not expected to set foot into the hospital with a million dollar in my hands :).
If I am left empty handed untill my departure, I will look further into the possibilities of raising funds once I am back in Holland. This will leave me much more time and probably energy and motivation as well to put into this. It might also add up to my possibilities because I will be able to tell everybody about what I have seen, done and experienced. So that's all for now about the fund raising.

Then of course our departing date is approaching quickly. I say 'our' because I am not the only one who is leaving. One of my best friends, Joni, is leaving for Paramaribo, Suriname, for a similar purpose. I will leave a link to her site on here as soon as she has made one. Of course we want to see as many people as possible before leaving, because although it's not for a really long time, it does feel like it. This is why I want to arrange for a 'goodbye drink' in 'our' bar (Bruine Pij) in Breda. I am still arranging to set the date with the manager but if I get my way it will be on Sunday the 20th of January. So if everybody would be so kind to keep that date open untill further notice... thank you!

Any idea about raising money is very welcome, so please don't be shy and send me a message or an email!