Hey guys!!

Greetings from Malé, the capital of the Maldives!! And sorry for being out of the loop. Ever since we arrived her, time has just been FLYING by. Can’t believe we’ve been here for almost a week already!

Everything has gone pretty smoothly since we arrived. It’s super hot here! And sunny. We’re staying at a guesthouse next to one of the local TV stations, DhiTV, which is our first training partner. We’ve met up with most of our Maldivian contacts, as well as Terry Anzur, an American journalist who was just in Maldives doing what we’re doing –>training reporters. Terry was really helpful in getting us in touch with the local media people. So thanks again, Terry!

Overall we’re liking it a lot here! With its 100,000 residents and practically the same number of motorbikes, Malé feels much bigger than its one-square-mile size size would have you think. There are tons of international restaurants here and there’s a beautiful little beach lagoon for swimming (The Maldivians are quick to remind us that it’s an artificial beach and nothing compared to the natural beaches found in the other islands). The only downside is that you have to swim with your clothes on due to the local culture. But we got used to that surprisingly quickly and now it feels totally normal to go in the water with your t-shirt and shorts.

While we’ve been busy with our workshops pretty much since the day we arrived, we’ve also put some time aside for sightseeing in Malé and the nearby man-made island of Hulhumalé. Here’s a video of our first encounter with the beautiful crystal clear waters! Loving it!!

Dipping our feet into green waters from mariana vasconcellos on Vimeo.