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From: Michelle Hawkins
Sent: 16 November 2001 06:29
Subject: Back From Lake Volta
Wow! I can't believe this is going through! Amazing
news! Don't send me photos as it will probably crash the whole
of Ghana's system! I'll wait with eager anticipation to see the
pix and/or the real thing when I get back to the Yookay.
I got back last night from a week of living with
the group 'Alpha 8' on Lake Volta. It was an incredible week.
Firstly because it really makes you feel part of the Raleigh experience,
as you are camping, cooking, eating, talking, sleeping with the
Venturers all the time. These young people are so inspiring ...
they seem so sorted and focused at such a young age.
The Lake itself was amazing. Biggest man made lake
in the world, and so you are canoeing amongst all these dead trees
from when it was flooded! We all were trained up to 'one-star'
level with the British Canoe Union, and have all passed our tests,
and now are eligible to have certificates! I missed your steady
hand at the tiller to start with, Damian, but by the end of the
week - I knew I'd be able to steer you up the Zambezi again with
confidence! (I thought it was speed that was the problem!
- Ed)
Abseiling was terrifying, mainly becasue i suffer
from vertigo and go dizzy with heights. But that is exactly why
I volunteered to be with this group - as I wanted to make it my
personal 'Raleigh Challenge'. I cried and screamed all the way
down - but I did it !!
Juts got back last night and have now met the chief
exec of Raleigh. He is a fascinating person. The visit with the
President of Ghana is off because there has been an emergency
food situation with the farmers in the north of Ghana that the
President has had to attend to. Never mind.
I'm off again today for three days to a town called
Aburi to do an assessment weekend with 100 young Ghanaians who
want to come on expedition next year. We will be setting them
lots of tests over the weekend and physical challenges. if they
pass, then they will join the first of three expeditions next
Spring.
Can't beleive the end of phase two is looming. I'll
be putting together another magazine for the Venturers called
The Ghana Gossip. Then I'll be working on a full colour end of
expedition magazine for them - "The Rupert" - and I
will be going out in phase three to see all the completed buildings,
and I will organise opening ceremonies with the village chiefs
and will get the press to come along. After that, I'll be orgainsing
an end of expedition slide show for the Venturers. It certainly
is a lot of work, but a lot of fun :-)
I have also found out I will definitley be going
to Costa Rica & Nicaragua with Raleigh as a Project Manager.
I'm really thrilled. I'll be leaving on 21 January and back again
in April. Not quite sure about finances, but as I haven't been
overdrawn for six years, then I think it's time to be so!
Michelle xxx
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