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Update 41
Shipping Out
Hello friends,
Matt spent some time living out of a suitcase in Europe recently, soon both of us
will be living out of a suitcase right here in Hong Kong! We'd like to tell you more
about both suitcase experiences.
MATT'S GLOBAL HAND EUROPE TRIP - FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH
(ie, Matt wrote this):
Wow! The conferences in Europe were another blast forward for Global Hand. How many
people know how to get a container full of food and shelter into a war zone? How
many trucking companies push their profit into aid and development projects? Who
bothers becoming an expert in getting goods into countries with shattered economies?
Well, there are a few organisations who specialise in this way and some of them
gathered in Amsterdam to discuss Global Hand!
Well-meaning charities are sometimes disappointed because their goods don't make it
to the destination. Corruption at borders, outbreaks of fighting, contantly changing
regulations and all kinds of complications make humanitarian cargo very challenging
to move. Specialist experience and a deep committment to humanitarian goals are
needed if a transport company is going to get the job done regardless. By the end of
the meetings in Amsterdam, a body of Transport Affilliates was formed within Global
Hand. It is made up of true experts in the movement of humanitarian aid. These companies
don't actually transport goods for free, but they will move them with expert care and
commitment. They will also help to regulate other offers of transport that come
through Global Hand. This is a key component in the overal vision of Global Hand...
to see available goods meet those who desperately need them.
The schedule in Europe was exhausting. In the evenings I was drafting web pages
to illustrate how things discussed in the meetings could be represented on the
Global Hand website. Then were discussions to have with delegates, errands to run,
team meetings to hold and just the sheer nervous energy to contain. Miraculously,
however, the time in Europe was also a fantastic time of catching up with friends
overseas, meeting new people and seeing some sights.
In England there was time for a curry on Brick Lane with Ngaire and her lovely
flatmates. A good pub lunch and a chat with Joe McKay. A snack and a chillout with
Caz Frewer. A beautiful day out and about in London with my big sister Julia!
Pub dinner with Adelaide's sister Isobel and her fiance Nathan followed by many
laughs and a good night's sleep in their East End flat.
Then, in Amsterdam, Lorien and her family and friends showed just how spectacular
Dutch hospitality can be. A home cooked dutch meal, a night out to a 5000 strong
party complete with international DJs, a pancake brunch, a canal tour in perfect
weather and a beautiful dinner with the whole family are just some of the
highlights... souvenirs, coffee in the park... the list goes on and on. She even
sent Matt off with more Dutch candy than he had baggage allowance for! A huge thank
you to everyone who made Amsterdam such a great experience for Matt, both
professionally and personally.
This description of Matt's time in Europe could become endless. Telling you about
the time in Romania will have to wait until our next update. Look out for the photos
on our website. Coming soon!
MOVING OUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW!
NB - We'll be giving your more details and photos of our moving house soon, as well as our new address, but please note that we're moving from next Thursday, so our current address won't be valid any more (although mail will be redirected for a short time).
So why will we be living out of a suitcase in Hong Kong? Well... we are leaving our
beloved Lantau next week and heading off to set up Crossroads from scratch in the
former Ghurka military barracks near Hong Kong's "Gold Coast" (it's really called that!).
The old barracks are a little like a university campus, with residential and office-style buildings
spread around a couple of acres. The fulltime Crossroads team will live in
apartments at the site. The place has been left abandoned for 7 or so years, so many of the buildings are....a "renovator's dream" - so huge work
is already going into them to make them useable. Next week, all Crossroaders living
on Lantau will move over to temporary accommodation at the new site (i.e. living out
of suitcases in empty, unpainted apartment blocks). As we paint and furnish our
apartments we'll start to move into them permanently. We are SUPER busy at the moment, getting ready for all of this!!!!
Other buildings are being converted into warehousing and processing areas so there
are mammoth amounts of work to be done. Also, Matt is charged with networking the
site and connecting phones where they are needed. If anyone was thinking of visiting
Hong Kong to help out at Crossroads, now is a good time!
With love to you all.
Matt & Ad
Matt spent some time living out of a suitcase in Europe recently, soon both of us
will be living out of a suitcase right here in Hong Kong! We'd like to tell you more
about both suitcase experiences.
MATT'S GLOBAL HAND EUROPE TRIP - FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH
(ie, Matt wrote this):
Wow! The conferences in Europe were another blast forward for Global Hand. How many
people know how to get a container full of food and shelter into a war zone? How
many trucking companies push their profit into aid and development projects? Who
bothers becoming an expert in getting goods into countries with shattered economies?
Well, there are a few organisations who specialise in this way and some of them
gathered in Amsterdam to discuss Global Hand!
Well-meaning charities are sometimes disappointed because their goods don't make it
to the destination. Corruption at borders, outbreaks of fighting, contantly changing
regulations and all kinds of complications make humanitarian cargo very challenging
to move. Specialist experience and a deep committment to humanitarian goals are
needed if a transport company is going to get the job done regardless. By the end of
the meetings in Amsterdam, a body of Transport Affilliates was formed within Global
Hand. It is made up of true experts in the movement of humanitarian aid. These companies
don't actually transport goods for free, but they will move them with expert care and
commitment. They will also help to regulate other offers of transport that come
through Global Hand. This is a key component in the overal vision of Global Hand...
to see available goods meet those who desperately need them.
The schedule in Europe was exhausting. In the evenings I was drafting web pages
to illustrate how things discussed in the meetings could be represented on the
Global Hand website. Then were discussions to have with delegates, errands to run,
team meetings to hold and just the sheer nervous energy to contain. Miraculously,
however, the time in Europe was also a fantastic time of catching up with friends
overseas, meeting new people and seeing some sights.
In England there was time for a curry on Brick Lane with Ngaire and her lovely
flatmates. A good pub lunch and a chat with Joe McKay. A snack and a chillout with
Caz Frewer. A beautiful day out and about in London with my big sister Julia!
Pub dinner with Adelaide's sister Isobel and her fiance Nathan followed by many
laughs and a good night's sleep in their East End flat.
Then, in Amsterdam, Lorien and her family and friends showed just how spectacular
Dutch hospitality can be. A home cooked dutch meal, a night out to a 5000 strong
party complete with international DJs, a pancake brunch, a canal tour in perfect
weather and a beautiful dinner with the whole family are just some of the
highlights... souvenirs, coffee in the park... the list goes on and on. She even
sent Matt off with more Dutch candy than he had baggage allowance for! A huge thank
you to everyone who made Amsterdam such a great experience for Matt, both
professionally and personally.
This description of Matt's time in Europe could become endless. Telling you about
the time in Romania will have to wait until our next update. Look out for the photos
on our website. Coming soon!
MOVING OUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW!
NB - We'll be giving your more details and photos of our moving house soon, as well as our new address, but please note that we're moving from next Thursday, so our current address won't be valid any more (although mail will be redirected for a short time).
So why will we be living out of a suitcase in Hong Kong? Well... we are leaving our
beloved Lantau next week and heading off to set up Crossroads from scratch in the
former Ghurka military barracks near Hong Kong's "Gold Coast" (it's really called that!).
The old barracks are a little like a university campus, with residential and office-style buildings
spread around a couple of acres. The fulltime Crossroads team will live in
apartments at the site. The place has been left abandoned for 7 or so years, so many of the buildings are....a "renovator's dream" - so huge work
is already going into them to make them useable. Next week, all Crossroaders living
on Lantau will move over to temporary accommodation at the new site (i.e. living out
of suitcases in empty, unpainted apartment blocks). As we paint and furnish our
apartments we'll start to move into them permanently. We are SUPER busy at the moment, getting ready for all of this!!!!
Other buildings are being converted into warehousing and processing areas so there
are mammoth amounts of work to be done. Also, Matt is charged with networking the
site and connecting phones where they are needed. If anyone was thinking of visiting
Hong Kong to help out at Crossroads, now is a good time!
With love to you all.
Matt & Ad