Preparation, preparation, preparation...

Sometimes I feel as though I manage to take one very pleased and contented step forwards towards being prepared for my trip, and then have to take several teeny steps backwards daily, as new needs and responsibilities leap out into the light, shreiking at me to sort them out first before the others ... its hard to keep track of whether i'm coming or going ... i'm like a juggler trying to keep all my balls balancing in the air, and its looking very procarious from where im peeking out here ... but gradually one responsibility after another will be released so there will be less and less to juggle soon ...

... last day of working with Social Services tomorrow, and also my last day employed by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust. Im really very sad to be leaving, because its the start of lots of goodbyes im going to have to make ... I feel it more because I know im leaving something very secure and supportive behind and taking that first step into the unknown again ... something which i've gotten very used to doing - but it's funny how quickly you can settle into routines and groups sometimes ... but that must be a reflection on the services and people.

I had a lovely 'leaving' lunch today with all my new colleagues and friends in the OT department at Social Services - (despite the pouring rain outside - which I'm just not going to complain about as i'm sure very soon i'll be relishing any rain that falls what with the heat the Sri Lankans are used to!!) - and I received a very cheering send off from everyone, so thankyou all again for your messages and gifts.

I'm now going to also have a busy weekend seeing different people i've grown fond of, and who i'll be saying goodbyes to for now, but it's really made me realise how settled i've become in the Wirral the past 2 years ... so i'll definitely be seein you all again sometime!!

I've just handed the first of my global education agreement forms into the YfD program team after much consideration and brainstorming. Jenny Boden (the Wirral Family Friends youth group leader) has fantastically agreed to be one of my global education project supervisors while I am overseas, which means she will be on hand to give guidance and support should I need it, with developments towards achieving the goals in the youth focussed project.

So amongst lots of chatting, giggling, planning and 'wine-ing' this weekend, I'll be making some final preparations to the first of my global education workshops at the Family Friends youth group - the 'World Awareness Celebrations' which now definitely begin next wednesday the 20th - so lots of creative juice will be flowing this weekend to finalise craft, food, games and themed activities for the kids to take part in ... we are still desperately hoping for a few visitors to attend who live within different religions and cultures in our communities ... so if there is anyone out there please find us!!! ... I'm working on ideas for themes around learning about: maps / atlases / flags and countries; world foods; fairtrade foods and goods; work of Oxfam / Save the Children and other charities; Aboriginal / Maori / Chinese / Rangoli art and craft works; music / poems and stories from around the world; and other activites that focus on working together in games or quizzes that help the kids to explore and develop awareness of other people, places and issues globally.

This is the first of my next challenges before I embark on my travels ... the next workshop is to be focussed on Sri Lanka and involving the kids in thinking about how they can contribute to my work and to the people I will be meeting in my work there ... which will also begin to establish possibilities and links for future networking between Sri Lanka and the UK. I will report on this next week as I finalise preparations for this part of the global education work.

So long for now ...

Injection terror strikes unwitting victim!!

Ola!

Well, i've had a bit of an unpredicted shock the last day or so ... I had my second round Rabies and Japanese Encephalitis injections at the Tropic Medicine travel clinic in Liverpool on monday morning. This time the injections were really very painful as the nurse grabbed a handful of the 'fat' on my arms, and jabbed the needles in - one in each upper arm ... one is inter-muscular - the other deep sub-cut ... so she didn't half put some force behind it!! I came out of the clinic a bit dazed with stinging arm, and drove back across the water to work ...

... later that afternoon i noticed i had throbbing pains shooting down my right shin, and began to have achy shoulders and neck ... but being me, thought nothing of it and put it down to tiredness and stress (says something about my quality and style of life at the moment!!) ...

... back at home that evening I started to come over with a cold flush, and no amount of radiator heat/ jumpers/ socks/ clothes, or hot drinks could shake it, as I felt myself shaking and shivering! ... the time became very hazy after this point, though the memories of 'nurse katy' (my sister the trainee nurse), the NHS helpline (useless by the way unless you're dying on the spot!), and other people on the telephone, are coming back to me ... alongside some amount of crawling around the house, lying on the floor, sickness, spasms and achiness all over, throbbing head and then immense overwhelming hotness and sweating ... think it sounds worse now than it seemed at the time ... as I woke up the next morning with a mere dull headache after collapsing on my bed in the early hours of the morning after drinking a gallon of water!!!

... all the time I heard myself thinking ... 'i've got encephalitis - i've got encephalitis - my head's swelling and im going to explode??!!' ... but quite clearly it wasn't the case after all ... so at least i've managed to experience what tropical flu might well be like, and I'm all the wiser if i come across any of those symptoms again during my travels ... but what a test, and my travels haven't even begun yet!!! ... its all character building as Ali would say - whilst not actually believing it!! ... though next time I'd rather pass on the experience thankyou very much!!

Please don't let that put you off coming to visit me though ... they say everyone reacts differently, and I'm already pretty unique, so if anything was bound to happen it more than likely would be to me!!!

For anyone who is possibly going to visit - you may not need the Japanese Encephalitis injection as it is not a risk in Galle or its immediate vicinity. You will need to have the course of 3 Rabies injections though, alongside the main 'A' list for any worldwide travel (includes Typhoid, Hep A, Hep B, PDT, Meningitis, Pneumococcal Pneumonia, Influenza, and BCG). The Rabies/ Japanese Encephilitis injections have cost me £35 each, although this is not necessarily a standard cost. I have also been prescribed the Chloroquine and Paludrine (Proguanil) course of anti-malarials which can be bought over the counter at chemists. The program needs to be started one month before entry into a malarial zone, and you can stop taking one month free of the zone.

Well, thats the gruesome bit out of the way! Thought you'd all like to share that very unpleasant experience with me and really get a feel for the tone of things to come ... but i will try to keep things sensible from now on!!!

ciao
sarah

Fundraising astonishment

Salut!

Fantastic news ... i've just totalled up the fundraising money i've collected so far ... and the grand total is £1,201.20 !!! So i need to say a huge, big, gigantic thankyou to all those who have supported me and therefore VSO over the last few months with their donations. A special thanks to my mum, dad, and Ali's family who have directed their own campaigns and completed events of their own to beg, bully and coerse their acquaintances into sponsoring me and VSO (im only joking guys ... im sure it was all very honest and above board really! hehehee !!). Thanks dad for the little splurge you wrote to your company managers - it really did the cause justice and did the trick!

So i've a few weeks to collect any stray donations in and send the set of cheques to the VSO fundraising department in London, where all contributions are pooled into the charities' resource bank to pay for any costs and needs volunteers have during their work with the organisation.

I will leave the justgiving site open until next march, for anybody who wishes to donate to the work of VSO in the future, but for now my energy needs to be plugged in elsewhere ... it seems my adventure has already truly begun ...

... over and out