As the title says, it's now just over one week to go until my GOLD project. On Saturday, I was lucky enough to attend the Midlands Region International Debrief, despite having not been on my trip yet! Whilst it was great to see photos and hear stories from all the other region trips that have happened this year, the most exciting bit for me was the chance to catch up with some fellow GOLDies - one who went to Guyana in 2013, and one who arrived back from Malawi and her onward travel last week!! It was really useful and important for me to chat with them and to see how excited they are for me, because right now, I'm at the stage of feeling a little overwhelmed and a lot underprepared!! They did assure me that this is totally normal (which I did know deep down but still appreciated the assurance) and that despite all apprehensions and nerves, I am going to have an amazing time - another thing I do actually know, but just need to keep reminding myself of!!
Three weeks in one country; sleeping, cooking, planning, working in hostels with 5 teammates; and leading and training people who may not necessarily understand the language being used is a daunting prospect, and while overall, I relish the challenge and am eager to get going, there's still that child in me that used to hide behind my mum's skirts whenever I met anyone new.
But. Time to put the nerves away and to crack on with the packing... Now, where DID I put my passport?!
