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I'm taking a bit of time out at the end of 2010. In September I'll be travelling to Costa Rica and Nicaragua for 3 months on a Raleigh expedition.  I'll be there as a volunteer manager, in charge of the lives and wellbeing of a group of 18 - 24 year olds who will be doing environmental and community projects in areas that need it the most. The group will include disadvantaged kids from the UK, who my sponsorship target partially covers. It also covers materials, living expenses and the costs for a couple of local teenagers who will work with us to get some experience working in an international group, as well as making sure we stay on track and our projects will really help the locals in the way they want to be helped. 

Though it sounds nice and is in a hot country, this is no holiday.  I actually get signed parental responsibility for around 120 people and will be on duty 24/7 for 3 months. The experience is about the volunteer students and, as a volunteer manager, I'll just be working unpaid for that time.  Alcohol is banned from the entirety of this trip and I had to sign a form stating that I don't mind being unwashed and away from any kind of bathroom facility for an indiscriminate amount of time. 

The idea is that everyone gets some life experience, turn into better people and do good things for people who don't necessarily have the skills or the manpower to help themselves. Hopefully it will take a little bit of selfishness out of life. 

Raleigh's charitable objectives pretty much sum it up:

1. advancement of education and global citizenship

2. relief of those in need by reason of disadvantage

3. advancement of environmental protection and sustainable community development

 

There's more here for anyone who either wants to find out more or sign up themselves.

http://www.raleighinternational.org/ 

 

How I'm doing it:

You may remember last time I did a triathlon I can't really swim, am scared of water and I have no willpower to train. I did have a little sob in the pool at one point during the only triathlon I've ever done (last year).  

This year I need to raise a minimum of £2,000 to go on a Raleigh International expedition, so I'm making it a lot harder.

The choice is yours.

This year I'm doubling the length of the triathlon. 400m/750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run. I will train this time, otherwise I won't finish the swim, let alone the rest of it.  At the moment, the furthest I have ever swum is 400m and that's using the walls and the floor at the end of every 25m. Plus it's not in a row, it includes lots of stops.  

You may also remember that I have a general loathing of swimming pools so you will not be surprised to hear that I am scared of other bodies of water. Those who have snorkelled with me will testify that I scream when I'm doing it; I've had piggybacks over seaweed and never go out of my depth.

Well, the one thing I have a deep seated actual phobia of is lakes. Dark, deep and full of weeds. Oh god, the weeds. And the eels. Oh god, the eels.

 

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