Messages from the alpha groups

Hi all,


Here are the messages from people here on expedition. I hope you enjoy them. 

Charlie 1

From: Kat Rosen

To: Mum and Dad

To Mum and Dad, just to let you know I have arrived safely and am having a great time! So far have completed practice trek of 24K, which I really enjoyed. Tomorrow I am leaving field base and I am starting my community work! Hope everything is ok at home?

Lots of love, Kat

From: Catriona Duncan

To: Uncle & Mum

This may be my only blog for sometime but I just wanted to let you know that I’m off to Kotapadi for my community project. I will be helping to build four loos and lay foundations for a house for the local families. I am not leaving till Sunday 3^rd July but we were told that there is 100 people with around 30 children. Aside from manual stuff we may be teaching English over the 18 days I’ll be away. I am looking forward to starting this phase, seeing the community and their faces when the work is done... it is all very exciting but as always I feel nervous starting anything new as you both know. I am gradually adapting to life in India, eating curries, making camp etc.

 The basic way of life is fun but also difficult when you’re sharing with 13 others. Can you imagine 13 using one or two long drops!? We will be living in the heart of the village and visiting the local villages on our days off, yay!

Getting selected for this phase was an experience! All the main project managers were dressed up in feathers and used drums to set the atmosphere for selection of our project and the people we work with, far from the Hogwarts sorting I expected. Needless to say it was great fun. We got our faces painted in different colours to represent the different projects. But it all remained a mystery because we weren’t allowed to have our eyes open. You will probably see some photos on the blog. Can’t wait till I can write more during changeover on the 21^st July. Until then I send you both lots of love and think of you always,

Miss you Catriona x

From: Struan Borase

To: All

Hi Guys,

It’s my last day at field base and we’ve all had a great time trekking and learning what we are going to do and how. Our groups for the first phase were revealed this morning in typical dramatic style. We all sat in a circle and closed our eyes and the PMs came round playing drums and painted our faces with different colours and then we opened our eyes and saw our team mates. I am really happy with my group and my PMs and I got on the project I most wanted to go on which is building a house and toilets in a little village called Kotapadi which is right on the border between Tamil Nasu, Karnataka and Kerala so it’s really good that we have host country venturers that speak Tamil and Kannada. I suppose you guys are still up in Ardern? Hope the building works is going well.

Struan

From: Thomas Leggat

To: Mum and Dad

To Mum and Dad,

Hope you are all ok. Having a well good time, the food is so good! Miss you all, give my love to Fleur and the boys.

Tom

Echo 3

From: Katia Philip

To: Friends, Family and Boyf

Namaskara! All I can say is that I’m well happy to be here! I got the first taste of India as a fly on the wall on the bus to base and it’s nuts! I’m very excited to get involved and experience what India can share with me. Off on a two day hike, waking up at 5am tomorrow so have just finished packing with the bare essentials (which are heavy and large). Learning more about the projects we’ll be working on and I can’t wait to live in whichever tribal community I’ll be allocated to. At base all has been great, today was boiling and tonight I’ll sleep under my mosquito net in what only looks like a military camp with other mad people like me. Had my first shower this morning which consists of a one large bucket and one small bucket of cold water-waheey.

Love you all so much and thinking about you all a lot. Hope the UK is treating you all well. Ali I hope you’re getting on the graff trip and you’re doing good – enjoy your week next week. BAAARE kisses! KGP

From beautiful India xx

Echo 3

From: Katia Philip

To: All those spesh people

Well I’m off on my environmental project tomorrow! Very excited as hope to do a lot of community work at the same time. We sleep in self-made hammocks outside and get to swim after a very long days of digging elephant trenches all day! Just back from a massive trek and now walking like a granny with broken joints BUT had an amazing time walking through villages, meeting the locals  and their adorable children that ran in swarms to warmly greet us, I have never felt so much warmth as I have done from the Indian people. The scenery is breathtaking and very green. Have been eating very well and I get excited for what curry I taste next here at base, however from tomorrow we will be cooking our own food on camping stoves in the wild outdoors! Hot and humid and getting more cloudy and I imagine eventually wet, got a nice tan though. You guys can’t imagine how much I miss you all and I think of y’all whatever I do. Take care, will ring on the 21^st July.

Much love, Katia

Tango 6

From: Emma Williams

To:Andy, Mum, Vicky, Jade & Co..

Hi Andy, Mum, Vicky, Jade & Co...
 
Thank you for your message, I posted you a letter today (mum); Andy I still need your Khon Kaen address and telephone number. I have been selected to go trekking first starting tomorrow (Sunday) - so 19 days of sore feet but amazing scenery to come.
 
Having a great time and will speak/write to you all soon. Love you.
 
Emma

PS. I have an internet day on 21st July so Andy I need your home phone number and you both need to make sure you are home because I will be skyping! I can't wait to tell you about what I have been doing :) 

From: Louise McStravick

To: Ya Peeps

RE – ‘Ya Peeps’

This is very mysterious and vague. Identify yourselves as ‘ya peeps’ could mean any number of people and I am without any other forms of communication.

Ramsey if you are reading this hope all is well, sent you a letter. Missing you. Lalalaaa.

Louise x

Foxtrot 1

From: Isy Foster

To: Jules, Mum & Dad

Hey Jules, Mum and Dad,

Thanks for message- so good to hear from home so keep it up! Glad your internship is going well but I can guarantee you I am sweating more in this heat! Trek went really well: went through small rural villages where everyone would just stop and stare at us with our massive rucksacks. Mum don’t worry I am being good with my hygiene and even did my washing today! No Imodium used yet!  We’re off tomorrow to our project site. I’m doing the community phase so I am building sanitation units. In a rural village called Ponani- great name! Can't wait to get out there and set up camp rather than being continuously on the move. I’ll write again when the vans come round with the blog posts, shop ect. Keep writing though! 

How’s dad? Keep up the good work in London - I hope you’re being 'nice' although I highly doubt it! Stay well all, and pass on my love to Nana, Grandpa and Auntie Kate.

Love you all lots, Isy xx

For Alice B 
So good to hear from you darling. I'll do my best to leave my mark ! How was Spain and when are you off to china ect? Hope it’s amazing- I know who is out there at that time so all I can say is be good. Love you lots Izy xxx

From: Alice Bayfield 
To: Everyone

Hi everyone!!

Its crazy- I’m actually in India. Defiantly has not sunk in yet but it is absolutely beautiful. Our training has been a crazy rush. We have trekked 25 K in the boiling heat. (sweatiest I have every been) yum! 

I have made friends with everyone in my group really well - ten hours walking does that. I'm on community project- Yay! Thanks for your blog messages. I have received them and please please please write as many as you can and tell me what you’re up to! Think about you all the time, it’s amazing and wish you could all see it ! love you so so so much, all of you! Xxxxxx

ps. Mum please don’t worry about me- I’m happy and smiling, oh and our phones are now locked up so I can only blog which will only be occasionally when the loop comes . Please do get everyone to write as it’s so nice to receive messages!