The Blog of a Team Leader

JANINE’S BLOG

Team Leader at the Amber Foundation

16 – 30.05.2014 Berkovitsa, BULGARIA

17 May

Well here I am in Bulgaria. Going to the orphanage in a minute to meet the kids and decide how we will spend the money we raised. Mixed emotions about this but all the guys who came with me are raring to go so all is well so far. We are staying in the mountains with spectacular scenery - pine forests! Oh yes and cigs are really cheap too lol x

OMG! I cannot tell you what a humbling experience that was! You could have heard a pin drop. We all can`t understand why the kids are so cheerful as the living conditions are appalling. We have decided to do the 121 room, the hallway and half of a stairwell, time permitting. Me and my mucker Jo, Bobby and Galia all get sooo well and have had such a laugh! More tomorrow x

18 May

So. Day 2 work is done for the day. All walls stripped in 2 rooms and shopping list for tools, paint, plaster etc done ready for when the shops open tomorrow. We`ve all been interacting with the kids today and some of them have been helping us strip the wallpaper! How cool is that eh? Dinner at 7pm tonight and then bed! I`m getting too old for this lol. More tomorrow x

19 May

Day 3. Most of the shopping has been done. The floor in the 121 room has been ripped up ready for new laminate flooring. Holes in the walls have been filled in and a coat of primer applied. Jo, Bobby, Galia and I have had a meeting with the director at the orphanage and it looks like we will have enough money to furnish this room as well as decorate. We will also be able to purchase some badly needed things for the 2 psychologists to help the kids as they have no budget for this. The lobby is also coming along really well and our guys are going to paint the word `welcome` in both English and Bulgarian. In the 121 room they are going to paint a Lion King sunrise, the one where father and son are looking out from the high rocks. It`s just amazing to watch vulnerable adults helping vulnerable kids. Lots of interaction with the kids again today. Gonna go and eat now. I`m dreading fat club when I get back home lol. More tomorrow x

20 May

Day 4. What a day! Loads done - plastering, painting, filling in, more painting. There is as much paint on our guys as there is on the wall lol. Thank god for nice hot showers! We have a birthday in the camp today and we have plans for him but no more info until tomorrow night as who knows who is spying on FB. Gotta go now - fun times ahead! More tomorrow ha ha ha!

21 May

Day 5. The guys have work books to fill in after work has finished for the day and us team leaders add our comments at the bottom of each page. Well here`s the dilemma we had today. Do we sit on the grass in the sun and do them or do we sit in the team room? I`ll leave you to guess which one we chose. The birthday party for Steve went really well last night. We got him a huge cake made of sponge with cream and chocolate and blew up loads of balloons. I can easily blackmail him with the photos and videos I have (oh the power! ). Afterwards they all went out and Jo and I retired to our rooms. Really? YES REALLY! ! Loads done today despite the hangovers. Prep done and now the colours are starting to go on the walls. It`s all going to time scale. Everyone is working hard but getting such a buzz out of it! So far so good. More tomorrow x

22 May

Day 6. Things are really starting to take shape now. Me and Jo have had such a laugh doing the guys work books! What an eye opener! Me, Jo and Bobby went after work to pick and order the laminate flooring for the 121 room and we`ve sourced all the psychological stuff we are going to purchase. The Lion King cartoon is going to be started tomorrow and everyone is really excited about it. Josh from Surrey is an artist (not that sort of an artist Steve James Upton lol) so guess who will be doing the most creative stuff tomorrow? We are all getting along really well and I have to say I couldn`t wish for a better group of people to do this with. There is only one weak link but maybe that`s because he is over weight and finds it difficult to move in the heat lol. He is the teams food vacuum cleaner! More tomorrow. .....bring it on. ...xxx

23 May

Day 7. The laminate flooring has been delivered yay! The guys have started outlining the shape of the 2 lions on the wall and Galia is in Sofia purchasing some of the things that will be going into that room. I brought some hair clips out here with me for the kids and sat with 2 of the girls placing them in their hair. Anyone would think I`d handed over gold bullion! Now every time they see me I get bear hugs - how lovely is that! It sure does tug on the old heart strings though. The guys have decided to paint a huge clock on the wall in the entrance hall and the numbers 1 to 11 will have the names of the 11 amberteers, the number 12 will have the word Amber and the 2 hands I think will be mine and Jos name. See I told you lot I am timeless lol. We`re all going hiking up into the forest tomorrow for a bbq, weather permitting so I`m gonna have to leave my stilettos back at the hotel! More tomorrow if I`m not too knackered x

24 May

Okay - Day 8. We have just climbed up mount everest, well that`s what it felt like! Approx 5 miles up a rocky winding track to what I can only describe as the most stunningly beautiful place I have ever seen! There were waterfalls with ice cold water which a couple of the guys decided to get into. The screaming could be heard from miles around as the water lashed around their bits and pieces. Ha ha ha - that`ll teach them! What a laugh we all had! The guys collected sticks and we had a bbq in what felt like a tree house. Then 5 miles back down the mountain to a cappuccino and a nice cool shower. Everyone loved the day out - now for some food and an early night. Apparently we`re going caving tomorrow! OMG! Lol. More tomorrow if I`m still alive ha ha! X

25 May

Day 9. We all piled on the minibus and travelled for about an hour and a half to some cave formations that have been carved out of the mountains over a period of 3 million years. We went down over a hundred metres - this place makes Wookey Hole look like a small hole in the ground! Stunning! We then had lunch and continued on to a massive rock formation which we all climbed up to be greeted by the most amazing views - it felt like we were on top of the world! My legs ache and my feet hurt but I kept up with the guys - in fact for an oldie I am fitter than some of them and my pride is still intact yay! What a fabulous weekend and what a beautiful country. Back to the orphanage tomorrow to continue the work. Me, Bobby and Galia are going furniture shopping tomorrow - I can`t begin to describe how excited I am about that! More tomorrow x

26 May

Day 10. Galia and I went shopping for furniture today. What an experience THAT was! Galia made it clear that anything we purchase must be able to be delivered by Thursday afternoon. So we sit trawling through catalogues and choose something. The assistant makes a phone call. We wait. The phone rings and the assistant tells us its not possible. So we go back to the catalogue and choose something else. The assistant makes a phone call. We wait. The phone rings and the assistant tells us its not possible. This goes on for about an hour. Then we find some furniture that CAN be delivered by Thursday afternoon - we only have to pick the colour. The assistant makes a phone call. We wait. The phone rings and she says we can`t have that colour by Thursday afternoon. LMAO! Anyway, guess what? We eventually managed to purchase some furniture. HALLELUJAH! It`s being delivered on Thursday afternoon at 6pm. I gave our guys the option on whether they wanted to stay later that evening to see the room fully finished, bearing in mind it`s our last night here and everyone said they want to give up their free time and stay at the orphanage til the bitter end. This team is awesome! More tomorrow - I`m busy looking at catalogues lol x

27 May

Day 11. Galia spent the morning running a seminar with the team which gave Jo and I some free time which I have to say was much needed. Bobby arranged for us to go and visit a monastery about a 20 minute drive away. It felt really strange going somewhere without the team and the peace and quiet was palpable. Just what we needed. The monastery is absolutely stunning! It owns approx 300 acres and the land is used to grow grape vines for wine making and many varieties of fruit to make jams, all of which are unique and a very popular export for them. We both loved it. Anyway, the guys have now finished projecting the cartoon characters on the wall and have started painting them. Also they have started to lay the laminate flooring. It`s a bit like DIY SOS painting one side of the room and floor laying on the other side. They kept going until past 6 o`clock to get as much done as possible. We are all aware now of how little time we have left to complete this. Those who can`t help are doing some weeding in the grounds and playing with the children so everyone is busy. Galia has ordered lots of things on the Internet that will assist the psychologist in her efforts to help the kids so most of it should be delivered tomorrow. It`s a race against time so fingers crossed - bring it on - we can do this! More tomorrow x

28 May

Day 12. Who would have thought that grown men would get emotional about laying laminate flooring but they did! The 121 room now has a proper floor completed AND WE ALL GOT EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT! What an achievement! The Lion King cartoon has been painted and looks awesome on the wall. I cannot begin to explain what a roller coaster of a day this has been. All the equipment and furnishings are being delivered tomorrow throughout the day and everyone will complete their work books. But the most difficult thing we have to do tomorrow is say goodbye to the kids. We are all dreading it. We`ve not long got back to the hotel so quick shower and eat then more work. More tomorrow x

29 May

Day 13. Just completed our final day and said goodbye to the kids. I don`t have the words right now to speak about it but I will do the blog either later on or tomorrow x

2 June

Okay - Day 13. The edging to the laminate flooring was completed and the cartoon characters` final paint touch up was done. A convoy of delivery vans arrived throughout the day and everyone was really excited - our guys and the kids all working together to unload the furniture and accessories for the 121 room. There was still some money left over and Clare, my lovely daughter had donated £30 so me and Galia and Emily went back into town to buy lots of toys and we bought all the SOCKS in the shop (the lads at the orphanage were wearing girls socks as that was all they had). When everything was finished we had a farewell get together and presented the gifts to the kids. Lots of hugs and tears. Then we (our lot) went and sat quietly in the 121 room and Galia thanked everyone for this amazing achievement. More tears and hugs and rounds of applause. Our last evening meal together was really special. Day 14 - home. It was a life changing experience for us all and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. The end.

THE END