Decadent week

Last week was crazy week... So crazy that I didn’t really have any time to write anything on this blog. And now all the sensations, jokes and funny things I wanted to write have disappeared from my mind. So bear with me...

Last Wednesday I went to the Chine Collection runway. I am fortunate enough to count journalists among my friends and therefore I was able to attend the fashion highlight of the month. It was very interesting to see how a fashion show works and to see how the ‘high society’ lives in Belgium. I spent the first few hours backstage amongst the models. First: they are gorgeous, thin but not anorexic and worst: they eat! They live on tiny sandwiches and diet coke. Didn’t see any (real) coke or champagne. Their faces all look the same (but then they were chosen for those particular features), their figure is extremely boyish but not frightenly thin. Simple reason for that: they were 14 to 16-year-old. After the show (price ticket: about twice the price of my apartment just for 45 minutes and that’s only for a ‘small’ Belgian fashion designer so imagine the Chanel shows ), there was a huge buffet or walking dinner has they call it. Kilo’s of foie gras, tuffels, salmon, red tuna, asparagus, champagne etc to ease the appetite of the rich.

Thursday I went to the UNFPA launch of the “end the fistula campaign’. Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal caused by prolonged labour without prompt medical intervention, usually a Caesarean section. The woman is left with chronic incontinence and, in most cases, a stillborn baby. For more info check the website: www.endfistula.org.

The spokesperson for this campaign is Natalie Imbruglia. She was very moving and spoke really well about this very difficult and stigmatising issue. Their campaign is really good and normally you should have seen some posters in the metro, tram, busses and Eurostar. And for those interested, Natalie Imbruglia is as stunning in real life as on picture. Not good for us common mortals.

My London flatmate Mike came over this weekend so it was so good to see him after nearly two years! Obviously he had to taste all the Belgian beers (don’t think he managed them all) and taste our great food I missed so much when I lived with him in London.

Work is the same as usual except my boss is leaving for another position and that means that I will probably have to do his job as well as mine during the summer....

The good news is that I am leaving for Liberia and Sierra Leone on Sunday. Well hopefully cos I will only believe it went my plane leaves on Sunday morning. We have problems with visas and stuff so keeping my fingers crossed. So normally next time I’ll write from Liberia if the internet connection is working :-) If not you’ll hear from me after the 21th!
Wish me luck!