Dávid from Zambia – XXXVII. Blog Post

Back Home, Back in Europe! High five to everyone!

Although we've been in England since Wednesday afternoon, it wasn't until today that I felt mentally rested enough to write down a few lines and summarize what's going on and what's next.

So… after successfully completing our nearly 40-hour journey (and even stopping by Malawi) – just a quick landing, nothing extraordinary – we've safely arrived back at our school, CICD.

We got a great welcome: there are at least 60 people at the school right now, people from all over the world, such as Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and I could go on for at least 20 minutes with the list.

Basically, as soon as we got back, we got an intravenous dose of CICD, along with questions about Africa: how we feel, what the plans are now, and so on. Of course, this is completely understandable, everyone's curious, everyone's interested in these kinds of experiences… and there are a lot of new students at the school, a few of you included!

So… the truth is, on the first day, we realized as a team that we have absolutely no idea how we feel, if we feel anything, how we feel it, why we feel it, or why we don't feel anything… and we also have no idea what's going on right now. Total chaos in our minds, seriously. Totally!!! It's strange being home. It's strange at CICD. The people, the food, the colors, the air, the sounds, the taste of the water… everything is strange! Of course, it's great to be home, but it's also really strange…

This period is officially called Bringing It to The Public (BITTP). In short, it's about sharing the experiences of the past few years (with a focus on Africa) with the public, essentially bringing our thoughts on the project into the open.

The goal is to start different conversations, spark debates among people, inspire others to join and participate… and everything else is just celebration and fun. My team and I are completing the BITTP period in Portugal, alongside two of our former development trainer friends who are working on an environmental project in the country. So, not only will we be in familiar and great circles, but we'll also be in a beautiful country… and another country's flag will be added to my wall.

So… our everyday life is mostly spent on recovering, preparing presentations and talks, and organizing our trip. We're trying to process everything that has happened and is still happening around us – but we need some time for that.

See you all again soon!

Photo: Six months between the two pictures.