I was absolutely terrified before selection started. I hadn't managed to get a place in the dorm rooms with everyone else - I was in a private room up the street. Although I could use the communal room, I didn't know who was Project Trust and who wasn't so I decided to stay in my room. Eurgh.
I was also really worried about getting to the ferry on time. I think the ferry left at about 8 o'clock in the morning and I was scared that it was going to sail off without me.
Anyway the next day I got up at 6:30 to leave at 7:25. Thankfully as I was walking there were a bunch of Project Trust people waiting outside the hostel who called me over and we all walked to the ferry together. The ferry ride over was quite choppy and quite a few people felt sick but we all managed to pass the time by playing a few card games.
When we got to Coll a PT representative was waiting for us, and we all got onto two minibuses to drive us to the Hebridean Centre - which is where PT is based.
After the introduction we were split off into groups to complete an ice breaker activity. We got given straws and pins which we had to use to create an oil rig strong enough to hold a large dictionary. All groups failed.
We then went off to out host families. I'm vegetarian and was put in a host family group with two girls called Hebe and Rhiannon who are also vegi. Our host's name was Lisa and she also had an adorable little girl. On the first night we had dinner which was absolutely delicious, Lisa also had friends round, so there were 11 people to feed! Of course, we offered to do the washing up and by the end we were so tired we all went straight to bed!
The day after was my birthday - I was 17!
That day we had to plan a 15 minute lesson to teach our group - I chose to do mine on how to introduce yourself in Russian, which was very difficult as I hadn't done any Russian since I was 15 and could barley remember the alphabet. Thankfully, I ploughed through and nobody else knew Russian so they couldn't tell me that I was wrong.
After this we practiced Scottish ceilidh dancing as there is a ceilidh on the final night.
Following lunch the we were all split in half. The group I was with went to dig up the lazy beds - where they plant vegetables. At this time we also got a talk with our team director about why we want to go away with Project Trust, a bit about ourselves and why we think we should be chosen.
After that, we swapped with the other group which meant we walked up a relatively easy hill to the highest point on the island. Here some of us, including me, climbed under a large rock balanced on top of 3 smaller rocks. This is some sort of fertility ritual (aahhh). After a short game the group sang 'Happy Birthday' to me and the staff member we were with gave me a picture of all of us which he had printed out from his polaroid camera (awww).
On the 20th we had a fundraising workshop where we had to come up with fundraising ideas including seasonal ones such as candy canes at Christmas or a Halloween party. After this, we went through overseas scenarios such as "what should I do if my partner isn't eating?" which was quite scary but also really helpful both for us and for PT. We also participated in some voluntary activities. Some helped paint people's house, some helped repair a fence and some other and I were tasked with a beach clean-up. There was so much rubbish and rope on the beach due to the tides in the ocean. It felt great to be clearing it all up.
The next day we had to do our presentations. We had been told on the first day that we all had to prepare a presentation on some aspect of Coll life. Of course, we had no internet so we had to rely on books and word of mouth. My presentation was about Coll and the environment. I talked about the litter on the beaches, RecyColl and the marine protected areas around the island. I remember being so scared about the presentation. Talking in front of people had never been my strong point and this presentation felt especially important as I really wanted to be selected.
That night was also the night of out ceilidh which was so much fun! Ceilidh dances are amazing and its a fantastic social environment as well. We got pictures and promised to keep in touch over the next year!
Leaving everyone the next day was so upsetting. We'd become pretty close as a group - which is inevitable as everyone is in the same boat. Loads of people went straight to the train station - but I had to stay one more night in Oban.
Our group has managed to stay in touch through Facebook where we have a group together and we often post updates about the projects that we're going to be staring and how well our fundraising was going.
Selection was amazing. I felt safe in the hands of Project Trust and confident that they would pair me with a project that would suit my strengths and personality. I couldn't wait to find out if I had been selected, to see where I would go and I was thoroughly looking forward to training next year.
The next part is all about my fundraising over the year, boy was that difficult. See you there xx
No comments:
Post a Comment