And now it's the end...or just the begining

09I has come to an end.

A few tears were shed and sad farewells were bid. The expedition came to an end in Kerala up in the clouds.

All our venturers reined victorious after completing the grueling adventure challenge. Echo 5 deserve a special mention: Gareth, Miriam, Remya, Atul, Gloria, Will, Kris, Akim, Richard, Russell, Chinedu, Tarlan, Rebecca, Laura, Ciara and Birute were the winning team for the adventure challenge managing to keep their eggs intact for the entire journey, complete the fastest time in many of the tasks and win the poetry competition.

Above: Echo 5 celebrate!

Below is the beautiful winning poem by Ciara Hennessy:

Ramaranai Village
We left a piece of our heart in Ramaranai village
Remember the daily trek to the top of the hill
All day spent working with no time to kill
Remember the villagers as they worked without rest
The trumpet of the elephants deep in the forest
Remember the children as a family we would play
Watching the beautiful sunset after a tiring day
Remember the joy on their faces as we gave them water as a gift
The splash as the children played made our hearts lift
Remember the tears on their faces and ours when we had to go
Such beauty we’ll always know
We left a piece of our hearts in Ramaranai village

The last night in Kerala saw a huge celebration of friendship, achievement and endurance. We ended the expedition with a skit (like a short play) from each Charlie and Echo group. Charlie 1 put on an outstanding performance for their skit, the talent in Charlie 1 is phenomenal. Everyone was in hoards of laughter when Charlie 1, the winners of the skit competition, performed.

Only having one last night all together was tough for goodbyes, the night was long and sprinkled with tears and celebrations. Now the staff team have made it back to Mysore and the venturers have all gone their separate ways, some back home (or on their way!) and some to continue their onward adventures. All of the venturers on 09I made a huge impact, on the villagers they became friends with and gave wonderful gifts to, to the entire staff team, and most of all to each other, building friendships that will last a lifetime. The work that 09I have completed on all the projects will, without a doubt, impact the lives of many people.

A huge WELL DONE to all the venturers in 09I, may you wear your t shirts with pride and always remember this experience, all the staff and villagers are certain to remember you. Thank you for making the expedition such a success. Don’t forget to join Raleigh Alumni to keep in touch with everyone and definatly come along to the reunion!

Thanks also to everyone who followed and posted comments on the blog, I hope you have enjoyed it!

Lastly thank you and well done to a fantastic staff team both permanent and volunteer: Nicky, Kath, Miriam, Cat, Sarah, Anne, Ali, Margaret, Joss, Katharine, Leti, Lewis, Camilla, Charlie, Ruks, Eddie, M-J, Kate, Miriam, Gareth, Lotte, Rich, Neil, Mark, Amanda, Deepak, Vijay, 60/60, Manju and Girsh...what a team!