The Beginning!

So yeah this is my blog for the year! I'll try and update it about every 2 weeks although I get the feeling it will more likely be when I get bored ie. not very often! For now I'll go back to how I got involved:

Selection 
I heard about Project Trust in a school assembly. One of the teachers in the school had been on a gap year with PT and it had changed their whole career plan!! I waited a few weeks before applying just to check I could apply for deferred entry to uni. I got onto a 5 day selection course at the start of December, which just our luck was during "Hurricane Bawbag" therefore we had no hot water or electricity for 3 days, a taste of what could be to come overseas!!
On selection we stayed with host families as many volunteers do when they are overseas, and then went to the Hebridean Centre during the day for sessions on life overseas, how to teach, actually teaching lessons, possible scenarios overseas, climbing Ben Hough (not as bad as it sounds, only 104m!), digging lazy beds and helping in the local community. All of these activities are watched  by PT staff so they can judge whether you are suitable to go overseas, then there is a session on all the countries PT goes to and the project types: teaching, social care and outward bound! Finally you discuss your preferences about countries and project type with a senior staff member, go home and wait for the decision letter a week later!
I got my letter on the last of school before Christmas!! Mum opened it when I was on the phone to her "I think you got in, it says stuff about Malaysia, Uganda and Guyana"  "seriously?!?!"  "says something about Outward Bound too!" OMG you have no idea how excited I got, pretty sure I had tears in my eyes telling my friends when I got off the phone!!!

Now that I was selected I would have to raise £5100 :O lots I know but that's for a whole year!! 7 months to raise more money than I've ever had. In hindsight it wasn't too bad, just a lot of writing letters and getting sponsorship and hours spent packing bags in supermarkets! Also gave Esther, Jordan and me an excuse to do a bungee jump!!

Up until the start of May I didn't know for sure where I was going or whether I would be doing my first choice Outward Bound or teaching. Then on muck-up day which was an amazing day already I found out I had been chosen to do Outward Bound in Malaysia!!! I feel so lucky, of the 300 places overseas this year there are only 11 places on OB, in Malaysia, South Africa and Hong Kong and I got one of them!!!

This meant I would be going back to Coll for a training course with all the vols from Malaysia, South Africa and Hong Kong. I get the feeling that our training was a bit more exciting than those doing teaching or social care; we camped each night, one night on a beach, morning runs and a swim in the ocean, orienteering, climbing and abseiling as well as spending time playing frisbee when the others were in sessions!!! I came away from training a lot more confident about my year away now that I know a lot more about the country and my project as well as meeting my partners; Alistair and Libby!

I think that's all I've got to say in this post, it's pretty long already! I'll put up a separate post about my project in a bit. To those thinking about doing a gap year: DO IT!!! I hope this has helped if you're considering going on selection, I couldn't find much info out before I went!

Jumpa lagi!!