Training

Having just returned from an intensive four day training course on Coll, I now truly know what I'm letting myself into...  In this post I will attempt to include all the interesting information we were given during training. Hopefully that will then give you a better idea as to what I'm doing next year regarding work, day to day life and travel.

Starting in August I will be living in a dorm attached to the secondary school of Mitchell House, Polokwane. Myself and my three partners (I emphasise three because I originally thought I only had one partner) will be on a rotational work plan, divided between working with disabled children in the Enrichment Centre and teaching in the Primary school. Our desk officer, Peter, also warned us that we will occasionally have night shifts when we watch over the younger children from 7.30pm - 7.30am. The night shifts are on weekly rounds so by the end of the week 'The Night Shifter' will probably be more zombie than human.

I know that next year is going to be tough. Especially after having multiple sessions on how to handle  being mugged and various diseases. But that fear can't outweigh the total excitement I have for this experience. I'm also so lucky to have such great partners who will no doubt become some of my closest friends by the end of the year. The four of us (Zoe, Michelle, Kathryn and I) can't wait to get involved with the children at Mitchell House and hopefully make a positive difference in their lives. During training we also couldn't help talking about travelling. We get 14 weeks holiday, which is a huge amount compared to some of the other projects! During this time we hope to travel to Swaziland, Namibia and Cape Town for Christmas. It is tradition that all 34 of the South Africa volunteers meet in Cape Town over the Christmas holidays. It is here that I also plan to cage dive with sharks... Sorry mum but it's at the top of my bucket list!

So as you can probably all tell, the week on Coll has really opened my eyes as to what's ahead. Every day we had nine hours of sessions teaching us how to look after ourselves. At some points this was absolutely terrifying but at others it was hilarious. Especially when the Project Trust staff shared some of their own experiences. One of the funniest stories was related to the session on 'how to handle being mugged' when Peter was telling us of a time he went to Cape Town to check up on the volunteers. While he was walking along the beach a man came up to him and demanded for him to hand over his wallet. (Project Trust staff tell us to carry a fake wallet around with us with very little money it so that if someone asks for your wallet, you can hand over the fake one and not lose very much money.) Peter used this technique and willingly handed the man his wallet. The man then took it, looked inside and said: "Take it back mate, you're poorer than I am."

With all this new information I feel like I am prepared for the year ahead. I'm still terrified but who wouldn't be? If you'd asked me this time last year what I'd be doing, I never would have guessed I'd be living in South Africa for a year. I really am stepping into the unknown, but I'm excited to do so.

From the left: Michelle. Zoe, Myself and Kathryn.

The beautiful beach just along the road from the Training Centre.