Working for the man every night and day....

Ok, so i wrote this like a week ago and haven't had time to post...enjoy!

I am in my 3rd week of internship with SVADES (Society for Village Development in Petrochemicals Area) and it has been a whirlwind of activities. SVADES works in several different fields and my colleagues wasted no time getting me oriented with each field (women empowerment, HIV/AIDS, school support, and rural infrastructure development) in my first weeks.
A taste of the activities I’ve done so far:
Assisted in health check-ups for rural women
Assessed locations for new roads
Created presentation on HIV/AIDs awareness
Visited rural schools to talk about health and sanitation
Represented SVADES to UNICEF and State government meeting
(the list could go on, but I run the risk of sounding like a resume).

I spend about half my time in office and the other half doing field work. The NGO works in a lot of different areas and is very flexible in allowing me to create my own work plan. My supervisor has given me the option to specialize in one program or to keep a general focus, and I have chosen the latter to allow for a greater base of knowledge and experience.
There are many (like at least 20) students from the local universities and colleges who are doing practical placements here, so in addition to having colleagues close to my age, I have made some very exceptional friends.

Transportation has been the hardest to adapt to. The first few days I though I’d have a panic attack from all the cars driving literally wherever and however they want and the incessant honking, however now I rarely get startled by it all. Motorcycles have been the funnest adjustment, at first I was terrified to ride on the back (especially since no one wears helmets and “holding on” to the driver would be culturally inappropriate. I can proudly say that I no longer clench my teeth or close my eyes while riding a bike (I’m so much cooler now), I am relaxed enough to take pictures or talk on the phone (I’m soo cool now).