And so it begins...

Hello one and all

Welcome to, what I intend to be, my diary of a trip of a life time. As you can see above, I've decided to make a break from my every day life and travel to Borneo next summer as a Project Manager on a Raleigh expedition. As a quick introduction to my trip, should I not already have gone into great detail talking about it, these are the vital statistics....

Who are Raleigh? Don't they make bikes?

Raleigh is a charity organisation who take young people from a variety of backgrounds to one of three countries, where they are involved in projects which make a positive impact on their surrounding community. In fact, their website says it best:

"They wanted to give young people a chance to explore the world and by doing so discover their potential as leaders and members of a team working together to make a difference. We still hold true these values today with our two commitments.

We're committed to inspiring people from all walks of life, ages and nationalities, involving them more deeply with people, places, communities and challenges and empowering them to be all they can be. Our second commitment is working in partnership with local communities to make a much needed difference to their lives."

Raleigh currently operate a number of projects in India, Costa Rica and Borneo which you can read more about on their site.

Where are you going?
I'm off to Sabah, which is a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo. It is in fact here:

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What will you be doing?

I will be a Project Manager on one of the projects! I won't know exactly until I get there, but it could be abything from building a dam to a eco tourist conservation project. I will be working with another PM will be in charge pf a group of 17-24 year olds and make sure the work gets done and everyone has a great time doing it! At the end of a project, I will also be taking part in a trek, hence the need to get physically fit and buy a lot of outdoors equipment!

Why are you leaving the UK behind to build schools in the jungle?

What attracted me to Raleigh in the first place was its emphasis on challenge and fulfilling your potential. I've been feeling the need to get out there and do something to push myself for some time. I've also been very keen to be involved in charity work on some level so Raleigh seems the ideal choice for me to grow individually as well as doing somewthing worthwhile. The project Manager role will also mean I'm responsible for making the experience as positive as possible for the young people in my group. As someone who hasn't travelled an extensive amount, I also feel that if I'm going to do something like this, I may as well do it properly, hence the trip to Malaysia... with its hot weather & bugs - far from my comfort zone!

When are you off then?

July 9th 2009. I can't wait.

I have months of fundraising (which you can find out about at my justgiving page), fitness building and vaccinations ahead of me, and I want this blog to be not only a place for family friends and supporters to find out how I'm getting on, but also a record of the work put into going on the expedition.

If I've asked you to come and have a look at this page, it's because I want you, in some way, to be part of my trip and the lead up to it. If you have any questions, suggestions for fund raising events or well wishes, please email me or comment here. If you feel like digging into your pockets and sponsoring me then the widget on the right will tell you how, alternatively,
click here.