Expedition 11E and 11F - field base team have arrived!

Welcome, welcome to the official blog for Raleigh 11E &  11F. There are loads of exciting expeditions going on over the summer and the advanced team are already here at field base working hard to get the place all sparkly for the arrival of the rest of the volunteer project managers and the venturers. We’ve been up to all sorts, Andrew, one of our medics, has been donning fetching pink marigolds to make the medical bathroom a shining beacon of cleanliness. Jen, our deputy project manager has been wading through list after list to ensure the expeditions run like a well oiled auto-rickshaw, our logistics team Julia and Tim are on an ordering frenzy, making sure there is a variety of goodies to eat, the Raleigh equipment is in tip top condition and finally Winston the cow is chewing hard to make sure all the grass is cut before everyone arrives.

Winston our speedy lawn mower 

Before I tell you more about what we’ve all been up to this first week and introduce the field base team, here are a few pointers about how the blog works. The blog is not only for you guys who are coming out here but for your family and friends to keep in touch with you and track the trials and tribulations of expedition life so make sure they know about it before you come out.

The blog will be updated 2-3 times a week with news and photos of what everyone is up to. From the blog you’ll be able to find out who’s in which group, where they are, what they’re working on, along with all the gossip from the expedition sites. We’ll also make sure we get lots of pictures up so you can see how the expeditions are progressing, laugh at the embarrassing tans which develop on expedition and see the luxury accommodation available on project site.

This blog is also how you can send messages to people out here on expedition to let them know you’re thinking about them and reading about what they’re up to. The venturers and volunteer managers have no access to any form of communication whilst out on the expedition sites for a few weeks at a time, so coming back to field base to messages from friends and family really does create some huge smiles and possibly a few tears, but good tears. All messages for individuals are printed, cut out and handed to them when they return back to field base between phases so it’s like getting their own letters through the post from you guys back home, just without having to wait a few weeks for the post! 

While they’re out on project sites, venturers and their volunteer managers will also have a blog book that they can write messages in for friends and family and we’ll post these on the blog so you can see their responses to your comments. So use this blog to keep us posted on all the gossip from wherever you are and we’ll be doing the same in return.

Right back to the field base team and who is here doing what, the permanent field base team here at Raleigh India are Mark (Country Director) and Julia (Country Expedition Manager).

Mark - Country Director

Julia - Country Expedition Manager

Are volunteer managers here at field base are: 

Jen our Deputy Programme Manager 

1. Donks our administrator

Andrew and Clare - Team Medics

Julia and Tim - Team Logistics 

The advanced team was picked up from Bangalore airport by Raleigh’s lovely drivers Prashanth and Little Manju, we also have another driver called Big Manju but if you have a look at the photo below you can see who’s in charge! On arriving at field base the team was welcomed with a curry lunch which went down a treat and we all got up to speed with our roles, while fighting jet lag.

Big Manju hard at work and Little Manju keeping an eye on his work. 

Over the last couple of days we have been to Mysore to stock up, but we also had the chance to do a bit of shopping.  On Saturday morning it was time for the swim test and we made our way to one of the local rivers. A local woman was very amused by the four volunteer managers treading water in the middle of the river while she calmly went about her washing. We all passed though, but I don’t think all the shoes made it back!

First field base team looking good in the water

Getting ready to tread water for the swim test.

The new volunteer managers are arriving tomorrow and Donks and Clare are getting ready to set off to Bangalore. We’ll be posting tomorrow to let you all know they have arrived safe and sound. If you want to leave them a message I’ll make sure they get it tomorrow when they arrive and it made help them get over their jet lag. For now over and out from field base. 

The field base team are ready for expedition action!