I’m completely knackered after having way too many 15-19 hour + days. But still, it beats ‘real’ work. The blog updates haven’t been happening recently as all the participants arrive from last Monday. I accompanied the host country participants on the bus to the jungle training camp, then came back to the airport to meet the mainly UK participants arriving. It’s been a manic (but magic) several days at training camp, with us doing the training of setting up hammocks and tarps, etc. I was mainly rushing around taking pictures of everyone in different circumstances, and my biggest picture to date of around 120 participants and staff in scorching heat….
After that I walked out the jungle at 6am to rush back to Kota Kinabalu to help the logistics guys. In a mad weekend we got equipment ready for 7 groups with 10-15 folk each, for three weeks. My tasks ranged from chatting to participants, handing out the expedition tshirts, taking pics, attending the opening ceremony with a minister and all the other volunteers, selling stuff at the temporary shop, drinking about 20 cans of 100Plus, and probably loosing around 70 litres in sweat lugging stuff around….
It was a bit bizarre getting up at 5am this morning and watching all my new mates depart on buses full of participants, food, and equipment ranging from circular saws to wheelbarrows, taking them around Sabah to their project sites.
I had a few achievements this week though….
I spoke on a microphone on a bus while driving from the airport 🙂
I had my newsletter distributed to the 80+ perticipants.
I took a shedload of pictures.
I had my first real venture into youth development, and had a very strenuous day in jungle camp…but this isn’t the place to discuss that!!
Some of my pictures were sent to local press today, but not sure if they’ll be used.
More soon…