1 day to go...

Hello!

The Guyana journey has begun as we all made our way to the travelodge at Gatwick Airport, arriving in dribs and drabs throughout the afternoon. Poor Laura had been there all day by the time we all arrived - there is only one flight from Glasgow per day! Eventually though we were all together and ready to begin in our adventure. 

Sadly we are now a five, as one of our beloved team members is unable to join us :( We all miss you Zoe and totally support your decision! 

After Trinidad tomorrow, watch this space for new posts!

love 

Team Guyana 2012

One week to go!

Hello!

Everything is getting very exciting, as it is only one week till our South American adventure begins. Packing has begun in earnest for some of the team (super organised!) and all remains is for the last few bits to be purchased, the session plans printed and bound (thanks Heather and Zoe) and printing essential items! I know I have dragged my parents around every camping and outdoors-y shop in about a 50 mile radius looking for stuff like walking sandals and travel wash. I’ve also spent a lot of time searching for shorts, because apparently no shops sell shorts that go below the knee, or even reach the knee region! (For future reference, go to Dorothy Perkins, and don’t try to buy shorts in March).

Quick update, our badge selling is going well but if you would still like one please buy one soon so we can put our fundraising to good use in Guyana! Please email goldguyana2012@gmail.com for a copy of the challenge badge pack or to order badges – they are very beautiful, and would make an excellent addition to any camp blanket.

As to our plans for our trip, our session plans are completed on our two main themes – advocacy and the environment. We have also some prepared for leadership and event planning which we are hoping will be really useful for the GGGA! As well as running trainings, we are hoping to help start a recycling project and begin a garden! I have been getting lots of practice at growing things at work, in preparation – not sure the same rules apply in Guyana as England though!  After we’ve finished our project, 4 of us get to go travelling (sorry Laura and Zoe) to the interior, and to the AMAZON RAINFOREST which is almost a lifetime dream for me so that is certainly fuelling the excitement.

The first stage of the trip is to Gatwick Travelodge, where we will all meet to have team photos, get very excited, and have a chilled evening before flight #1 to Trinidad! Therefore, we are going to have a very busy blog starting next Saturday – so keep your eyes peeled and some free time for reading and being jealous of our adventures J

Good luck to all the GOLD teams setting off shortly, and we look forward to hearing about it all when we get back!

Lots of GOLD love and excitement

Jess

And the GOLD Guyana 2012 Team! xxxx

3rd Briefing - Luton!

With only 5 weeks to go until G-day, we were all very excited to meet up for 3^rd briefing, which was just this weekend at Nikki’s sister’s house in Luton (thank you very much Carrie and Nino!). Sadly one of the team, our beloved Laura, was unable to make it because of her silly back, but we all wish her to get well with all of our hearts! Due to amazing advances in technology we were happily able to skype and so we could all talk together, and we dressed up a bear in Laura’s t-shirt so she was there in spirit!

Team photo in our beautiful hoodies!

Friday evening was very relaxed, Nikki, Hannah, Heather and Zoe went shopping and made tea whilst I struggled with trains being late and being stranded in Derby and Leicester for longer than anticipated (I have never been so delighted to arrive somewhere)! Finally though, we were all together, and catching up on all the chat we have missed since 2^nd briefing. Despite everyone’s tiredness we had a long chat as there was so much to catch up on, as well as skyping Laura (which occasioned some tears!). There was also the very exciting moment when we all got our kit!! They are very pretty, all lovely colours and beautifully embroidered. Needless to say we all wore our hoodies all weekend J. We all dropped off quite quickly once we had assigned beds – training for Guyana!

Saturday dawned bright and early, with our lovely leader bringing tea in bed! We spent the morning researching and writing session plans and resource lists, Hannah and Heather focussing on the environment, Jess and Zoe on advocacy, and Laura on leadership and energisers. Nikki has the unenviable task of writing up the Handbook they worked on last year to take to Guyana with us.  We had great excitement when we received the parcel Laura had sent, containing not only our beautiful badges, but also some amazing Guyana biscuits with the Guyana flag and our badge iced on them. Nikki cried again when she read her letter!

We had lunch, and afterwards continued marking things off our ‘to do’ list, which was quite long and creatively presented as post-its on a Guyana flag which when we had finished them could be moved to the UK flag! When we had come to the end of our tether for the day we skyped Laura to keep her updated, then got ready and went out for dinner at a local restaurant. We all had a lovely time and lovely food! We did feel a little sorry for the couple next to us who had clearly come out for an intimate, quiet dinner, when we sat down right (and I mean RIGHT) next to them. It didn’t improve when a huge party came and sat on the other side, by which time we’d had a few glasses of wine! We were of course very sensible and fairly quiet for GOLD team standards but they weren’t very happy judging by the looks they gave us! There was also a visit to some very strange toilets, but that’s another story...

In the evening we skyped with Laura and chatted until the wee hours, whilst looking up hotels in Trinidad (how exciting!) and confirming that Nikki is ‘a serious leader!’ There was an incident before we got to sleep with inflatable beds deflating but eventually it was time for another sleep. It seemed to come round really quickly, and it was not long at all before it was Sunday, the last day we would be together before Guyana!!

Sunday morning began a bit later, but still quite early for a weekend, and after breakfast and showers we started our day with looking at the kitlist with Laura on skype which was a long but very useful process, involving dividing out group stuff and reminding us of stuff we still need to get!  We also went through forms, of which there are a lot, and the risk assessment (a little scary!). Then we got very excited making gingerbread Lauras, showcasing the various guises we have seen her in! After we ate them with a cup of tea, we did some more things on our to do list, then had lunch. In the afternoon we went for a walk to clear our heads and took some pictures in a local park, possibly scaring/confusing local people on the way. We were glad of our decision not to take the giant bear though!

All too soon we had finished all our stuff and divided out the remaining things to do, and it was time to leave. We made a thank you card for our hosts, packed and hoovered, and then it was time to go! Train trek number 2 was about to begin for me (apologies for the train complaints!) and for Zoe and Hannah too. We skyped Laura one last time to wish her farewell and send her our love (We love you Laura, we do, we love you Laura, we do, we love you Laura, we do! Oh Laura we love you!) and headed to the train station to go our separate ways!

We all had an amazing weekend, as always, and it was nice to really get down to some Guyana business. It’s unbelievably close now, only 5 weeks away, and so everything is sorted or being sorted, and getting very very exciting! There is a lot to do in these 5 weeks and I know they are going to go so quickly but it still feels like a long time till we will be reunited as GOLD Guyana 2012 again! This time it will be for real though, and all our planning will come to fruition!

Well that’s all from us, for now anyway, our next blog may be coming to you from Trinidad!! (Or, less excitingly but still quite exciting, at least for us... Gatwick Travelodge!)

Lots of GOLD love

Jess xxx

P.S More photos to come! If anyone wants a copy of the challenge badge pack or a badge, email us at goldguyana2012@gmail.com :)

Badges have arrived!

Hello everyone!

It's about time for an update on what we've been up to!
Great excitement has been running through the GOLD Guyana 2012 team recently as badge designs have been floating around, back and forth to the badge company and being approved and all sorts!

We have finally recieved the coveted items and are ready to sell them to you all :) As you can see, they are beautiful and by buying one you will be supporting both us, and the Girlguiding Association in Guyana! You can also get a free (and amazing) challenge pack that you can use with your units if you have one. Email goldguyana2012@gmail.com if you would like a copy.
They can also be seen on our fantastic kit, kindly organised by Nikki, including 3 tops and a hoodie (very excited to get these)!
In other news, third briefing is just around the corner so we're all busy packing! We'll be having a very busy weekend judging by the list we have prepared, but it will be great to get things sorted and feel prepared for our trip! So you can expect a new blog post shortly, probably much longer than this, but we were just so excited we had to share our badge availability news! Many thanks from the whole team to Laura, who has been the driving force behind the badge making - what a star!
That's all for now, but keep an eye out for a new post soon :)

lots of GOLD love,
The GOLD Guyana Team 2012
xxxx

Brushing up on Guyana.... two months to go!!

Hello everyone!

With just under 2 months to go till we will be heading out to Guyana on our project, we thought it was about time we brushed up on our Guyana knowledge, and we thought you might to know a little bit about what we've learned!

A map of Guyana

Guyana is in South America and is bordered by Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela as well as the Atlantic Ocean. The country covers an area of over 82,000 miles, 90% of which is covered by the Amazon Rainforest. Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America, This is because, up until 1966, Guyana was a British colony. However, the Guyanese also use a type of slang language known as Guyanese Creole. The Guyanese culture has taken its influence from Europe, particularly Britain, and also West Africa, South Asia and especially the Caribbean. The Carribbean influence is reflected in the laid back approach and the cuisine, rice and beans and fried chicken being paticular favourites! The climate in Guyana is tropical, hot and humid, being placed so close to the equator, with at least one rain shower per day - perfect for cooling off!!
The Guyanse Girl Guides Association (GGGA) was formed in 1922, when the country was still a British colony, and the association has grown and develped since then, becoming full members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1975. The GGGA is a also member of the Carribbean Link, a link created between Carribean countries to support each others Assocations and provide a framework for resources and programmes. There are approximately 1100 members of GGGA who meet in schools and churches but often don't have a set meeting time or length! The association is divided into different sections just like in the UK;

• Brownies aged 7-11
• Guides aged 11-15
• Rangers aged 15+
• Young Leaders aged 18+ who are training to be full leaders
• Leaders

Thanks to Hannah for researching this blog post - you can tell she's a geographer!

Guyana Flag

Hope you enjoyed reading about Guyana, and as you can imagine we're all very excited for our project there to begin. Flights are booked, badges ordered and third briefing approaching fast so it's all getting very real and exciting!
Love,
The Guyana GOLD Team 2012 xxx
P.S. If anyone would like a badge and/or a copy of the badge resource please email us!  

Time for a swim!

Zoe has been very dedicated in her fundraising efforts and has been putting her fitness to the test in an effort to raise as much money as possible! Here's how she did it...

When I found out that I would be going to Guyana in the summer to work with Guides and Guide leaders, I thought very hard about how I was going to raise my £1700 in order to pay for the project costs. I had been meaning to start swimming for a while and so the idea of a sponsored swim seemed like a good one. When I was younger I used to be quite a good swimmer and gained my 5 km swimming badge when I was 10, something that most swimmers never manage. Since 5 km seems to be the standard swimathon length I thought I would try to do this again, both as a personal challenge and to raise some money.

This time, however, I was at a disadvantage. Unlike when I was younger and spent about 2 hours a week swimming, I hadn't been swimming for about 5 years when I completed my Duke of Edinburgh's award physical recreation. I went for my first training swim on 2^nd March at Tiverton Pool in Selly Oak. The pool is an old Victorian baths with very basic facilities but it was pleasant and fairly quiet. On my first visit I managed a total distance of 1.5 km, but I had to keep stopping for a rest after every 500 m. I was pretty shocked at how unfit I was and wondered whether I had set the bar too high with a 5 km distance.

I am lucky to live in Birmingham as the council are running a 'Be Active' scheme which gives everyone with a leisure card free swimming at certain times. At Tiverton pool that meant free swimming on a Monday so I was able to swim each Monday and not spend any money, a bonus when I am trying to raise as much as possible. I would try to swim between 12:00 and 1:00 as that was the time when the pool was split into lanes and I was able to swim whole lengths without anyone cutting across and so it was easier to work out how far I had swum each session. By the start of April I could manage 2 km at a time without stopping, a nice improvement in a month and then began to build up my strength by swimming with floats and swimming some lengths faster. By the start of May I was able to swim 1.75 km in an hour and it was getting to the right time to try the challenge.

On Sunday 13^th May I had planned to get the first train from Northfield to Selly Oak which would mean I had just under 4 hours to get my swimming done before the pool closed. However, things were not to go to plan. I arrived in plenty of time for the train but due to overrunning engineering works the trains were not running and instead there was a rail replacement bus at 9.38. There was no sign of a bus but there were plenty of other people waiting so I waited. And waited. At 10:00 there was still no bus and I was beginning to wonder whether I should give up and reschedule the swim for another week since the bus would take much longer than the train. At 10:05 I gave up and started to walk home, only to have the bus pass me on its way to the station. So I ran back to the station and just made it! I was still a little worried about time but for some reason the bus driver missed out the next two stations and drove straight to Selly Oak, arriving at 10:20. I made it to the swimming pool and got changed in record time and was in the pool by 10:30. I was still worried about not finishing in time so I tried to swim faster and managed to swim the first kilometre in about 30 minutes! After that I settled down so I didn't tire myself out and managed to keep going. After three kilometres I felt pretty tired and although I was swimming in the slow lane I was still being overtaken by some people but I just kept swimming! After 2 hours, 57 minutes and 42 seconds I finished 5 km and happily grabbed the side of the pool. I managed to drag myself out of the pool and onto the train (which were now working fortunately). When I got home my husband made a massive plate of macaroni cheese and a nice cup of tea and then I had a nice long soak in the bath.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me in this challenge and to everyone who has supported my swimming it means a lot :)

Well done to Zoe from all the team! 

Remember if you want a copy of the Guyana Challenge send us an email!

x 

Heather holds out in the hope of hot weather and other alliterative stories!

Hello everyone!
We have all been extra busy since 2nd briefing, from fundraising to booking flights (BIG smiley face!!) and sadly revision too... However Heather has been up to some EGGstra special things so read on to find out more! :)

The GOLDen Easter Egg Hunt

Always prepared!

   On Wednesday 5^th April, the day the hosepipe ban was implemented, I was all set to go with my eggsciting GOLDen Easter Egg Hunt. After a lot of preparation: applying for council permissions; designing posters and advertising; making certificates, stickers, bookmarks and puzzles for the kids to take away; and cutting out, laminating, stringing up, and hiding almost 1000 paper eggs in St. Neots Riverside Park, I was well-organised and super ready for anything…. Except the weather!

   It was fine at 10am when I spent two hours in the park with my Mum getting set up (and hiding the eggs!) but as the start time approached, so did the clouds and by 1 o’clock I was huddled under a tree (my gazebo poles were faulty and didn’t fit together – Grrr Argos!) hoping that either: a) British children would prove to be as stalwart as ever and turn up anyway dressed in their wellies and waterproofs; or b) that nobody would show up so I could just go home and get warm and dry!

Prize winning egg hunters!

   In the end I had 10 brave children (and their poor soggy parents) traipsing around the park in the rain and then lo and behold, 20 minutes into the event, the sun appeared in all it’s blazing glory and it was like a different day. Now don’t get me wrong, I was pleased to see - and feel - the sun, but I was fairly miffed that it hadn’t come out half an hour before to encourage the earlier park full of children to participate!

   So, not the huge fundraiser I had hoped for, but I actually had a lot of fun in the rain and the kids that took part really enjoyed themselves. Not so sure about all the parents though! :)

The May Fayre Deluge

Guiders showing off their
circus skills!

   Now I was lucky enough to visit Canada in 2011 and my friend (whom, incidentally, I met through Guiding 10 years before) took me on a wonderful day trip top Niagara Falls. They have a great attraction there where you can walk through tunnels in the rock face behind the falls and see, hear and feel the roar and power of the water. Now it just so happens that I visited in February at a time when the falls were mostly frozen and the tunnels ended in icicles rather than gushing water. However, following the recent Bank Holiday I don’t feel I’ve missed out at all because right here in my own home town, at our village May Day fete I feel I got to enjoy(?!) a similar experience whilst sitting under my gazebo trying to sell craft and run a teddy tombola!

    Once again, the day started off bright and I was thrilled to see the sun when I opened my curtains in the morning. I got ready and went to set up my stall in plenty of time. By 10 am – 2 hours before the fete was due to start – the Heavens opened! I was so glad to have the gazebo; last year I was just sat at my table open to the elements (which thankfully were kind to me on that occasion!)

Robyn and Judy (a fellow guider)
at the stall!

     I have to say, unlike my Easter venture, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who turned out despite the bad weather to enjoy the day’s festivities. It became so soggy that even the maypole dancers had to relocate onto the church driveway as the green was just too boggy underfoot!

    However, it’s not about the surroundings, but the company you keep and thanks to my niece, Robyn, and my fellow Guiders and local Trefoil Guild (who had the stalls either side of mine) I had a very enjoyable – if somewhat chilly – May Day, and raised nearly £60 for my GOLD funds. 

 

Well done Heather!  On behalf the team good luck to Zoe, who will be shortly taking part in a swimathon!
Not long now till 3rd briefing...

GOLD love

Jess xxx