Better than ever!

It is absolutely crazy to think that we are two weeks away from being done project 2009. It's a concept I don't believe I have fully wrapped my mind around yet and I'm not sure if I will until the end of project when I am forced to do so. I am not feeling sad or reminiscent about project yet (probably because I am refusing to let myself believe it will come to an end soon!), but instead I am feeling very, very content.

During our final day at Athinai, I spent the day going from classroom to classroom filming everyone teaching and what I saw was incredible. I walked into a few funny moments in some classes. The best of these included Dre explaining the various uses of corn (for animals and humans) in Canada, in response to a student's question, and Bryan explaining the differences between "Mr. and Mrs. Condom" as he has cleverly named the male and female condom for teaching purposes. Beyond these great moments I also witnessed the entire group of YESS and QHO peer educators teaching curriculum as if they had done it a million times before with more passion and energy than I have ever seen. There is no longer any nervousness or apprehension in the classroom; all that is evident in the trainer's faces now is pure confidence and a desire to empower the students in their classrooms.

The closing ceremony at Athinai was truly something that I will never forget. As I stood off to the side with the video camera I had the pleasure of seeing Courtney and Shauna (the incoming QHO directors) take the stage and give the closing speech. Amidst the cheers of all 600+ students, both girls delivered words of wisdom and empowerment that was met with much appreciation and acceptance by the entire audience. Behind them stood all of the YESS and QHO trainers together, cheering them on and smiling at the raw excitement and passion beaming from all of the students.

I think I feel so content right now because I know that each trainer has done everything in his or her power to make this project an amazing success. There has never been a time when someone has refused to go the extra mile to improve an aspect of project or help out a fellow trainer. It is indescribable to see a team working so flawlessly together and I feel so lucky to just be a part of it. These last two weeks are going to be the best yet; I just hope they go by slowly!

Nicole