A Camps International Case Study

Hip hip hooray, it is that time of day again, with the third instalment in our series of  7 “Veteran Volunteers” blogs. All the best things in life are in groups of 7 do not you think…?! 7 days in the week, 7 series of The West Wing, the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World, the best line in that classic Christmas song, “7 swans are singing” and the not forgetting the Secret Seven stories from Enid Blyton…..I seem to be getting off topic somewhat. 

I shall now hand you over to……..

Name: Lauren Pullin

Year of Travel: 2010 & 2011

1) Where did you travel with Camps International?

Borneo.

2) How long did you travel for?

A month in 2010 and another month is 2011.

3) Did you take a full gap year?

No.

4) How did you make the decision to take a Gap year?

I decided that I had the opportunity and time to do it now rather than later on in life, or, miss the opportunity all together. It also occurred to me that it would benefit me to do it now before applying for jobs or university etc, so as to stick out on application forms and show I have experience in a variety of things.

5)  Why did you choose to travel with Camps International?

I chose Camps International the first year because they came to my secondary school and did a presentation. I was pretty much mesmerised by the pictures and descriptions they gave, I think I fell in love with the idea straight away.

When I got back from the first trip I managed to resist for four months until I phoned Camps up and asked for more information about a gap year. Within the week I’d paid my deposit.

6) Which was your favourite Camp and why?

Mantanani, without a doubt. It is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. The people are amazing, friendly, strong, funny, kind and so much more.. The island and camp itself was perfect, you did your work for  the day, came back and went for a swim or relaxed in hammocks, all the while chatting and laughing with the other people on your trip. Without realising it, you form this little family.

7) Has your experience with Camps helped in any University/Job interviews? If yes, how?

Definitely, during my job interview I was asked if I had ever worked in a team before, straight away I explained about my Borneo teams and it was only as my employer asked more I realised how much we accomplished as a team and how well we worked. After I mentioned my trip, they asked more questions about it and seemed genuinely interested in what else it had given me.  I got the job!

8) Do you feel that your time volunteering changed you in any way? How?

Definitely. I always had an open mind and a bit of wanderlust, but my trips to Borneo gave me the opportunity to learn more, do more and want less. The work itself gives you a sense of pride, watching it develop while you’re there, and more so when you’re back.  Camps International, really makes you feel like you’re a part of something.

I also did my Padi Open water and Advanced Open water diving qualifications while I was there, that was one of the main reasons I wanted to go back. I now have a passion for diving that I intend to continue with for the rest of my life. I realised that even though I knew there was a world out there, I could access all these different cultures, traditions and places that I never knew about. I now intend to travel as much as I can, within reason.. and around work, of course!

You also realise that the people you meet out there, don’t have a lot, the people on Mantanani don’t have playstations or iphones, and instead of being so focussed on things that don’t matter, they communicate, they learn how to play guitar by themselves, they climb trees and play games and for the first time in a long time, you don’t want to check your facebook or charge your phone. You are grateful for the here and now, and that’s what the trip is all about, enjoying every moment.

9) Please describe your expedition in five words.

Best. Decision. I’ve. Ever. Made.

..if that doesn’t count, Beautiful. Unforgettable. Experiences. Happiness. Different.

10) Would you recommend Camps International to others?

- Yes, even ignoring the trips, the people you meet in country are some of the best people I’ve ever met, people I still keep in touch with and the UK team are very helpful and always there.

11) What do you spend your days doing now?

Working and looking through pictures, saving up and planning future trips. Eating and sleeping between!

Lauren, I think it is safe to say that everyone that reads this will wish they were currently at, or  going soon, to Camp Mantanani. You have really painted a picture of what a trip away with Camps is all about and the team here at the CI HQ are very grateful that you have shared your experience. THE PYGMY ELEPHANTS OF BORNEO SALUTE YOU!

A Camps International Case Study

Hello and welcome to this, the second instalment in our “Veteran Volunteers” blogging series. If you would like to share your experience with us please email me – just click here.

Enjoy!

Name: Oliver Chivers

Year of travel: 2011

1) Where did you travel to with Camps International?

I travelled to Camp Tanga, Tanzania.

2) How long did you travel for?

I stayed for 1 month.

3) Did you take a full Gap year?

I did take a full gap year but continued my travels on my own.

4)  How did you make the decision to take a Gap year?

My decision behind a gap year was purely the fact that I had nothing tying me down, before I started a career etc.

5) Why did you choose to travel with Camps International?

I decided to travel with Camps International because I had seen adverts on Facebook & after watching the DVD you sent me I made the decision to go with Camps.  Camps had a clear structure of what it wanted to achieve and what the goals were across all Camps.

6) Which was your favourite Camp and why?

I only visited one Camp, which was Tanga, Tanzania. It was amazing. Right on the beach front and a short walk from the village. The staff were amazing!

7) Has your experience with Camps helped in any University/Job interviews? If yes how?

My experience with Camps International has more than helped at Uni and job interviews.   By going on my expedition they can see that I can demonstrate and understand team work when undertaking projects, and know what it takes to work hard and show that I am able to work with people of different cultures.

8) Do you feel that your time volunteering changed you in any way? How?

I believe that I changed a lot and helped contribute to the improvement of education in the village of Mwambani.

9) Please describe your expedition in five words.

Challenging, Exciting, Unique, Life Changing

10) Would you recommend Camps International to others?

I would recommend Camps to friends as it is an amazing experience and completely unique as you really do get involved in the community and help improve the lives of the locals.

11) What do you spend your days doing now?

I’m focusing on a career in buying for a retail chain.  The experience with Camps has helped me in this role as I have to talk to people from all over the world.

Oliver, thank you for sharing your experience with us. We really appreciate you taking the time to answer the questions, and we only hope that it goes some way in helping other people take the bold step to travel and volunteer! A BIG HAIRY ORANGUTANY PAT ON THE BACK FOR YOU MY FRIEND!

Hello there and welcome to this blog, Veteran Volunteers – Part 1. I hope you are having a nice day, and if you are not, chances are it will get a bit nicer once you have had a read of this.

Over the last month or so I have been asking some of our gap veteran volunteers to share their Camps International experiences with us. I don’t know about you, but I love hearing all about other people’s trips, what they liked best about it, how it affected them, and the impact it is having on their lives today. I also believe that it helps those considering volunteering in the future to make a more educated decision. It’s kinda like our own version of “Which?” magazine!

Over the next week I will be posting one blog per day with the story of one of our own veteran volunteers in the hope that it will brighten your day, highlight what Camps International’s volunteers are achieving and inspire you to get involved too.

A Camps International Case Study

Name: Hannah Thami

Year of travel: September 2011

 1)    Where did you travel to with Camps International?

I travelled to Kenya, where I stayed in Camp Muhaka, Mwalange and Tsavo

 2)    How long did you travel for?

Unfortunately and regrettably I only travelled for 1 month.

 3)    Did you take a full Gap year?

I have actually ended up taking 2 gap years and in September I will be starting at the University of Derby studying Geography with Third World Development. Over the last 2 years I have spent 1 month in Kenya, 12 months in Australia, 6 weeks in Thailand and a couple of weekends in Dubai and Singapore. It has been the most amazing couple of years, and my only regret is coming home!

 4)    How did you make the decision to take a Gap year?

I have never wanted to go to University straight from college because I always wanted to experience and travel as much of the world before entering full time employment. Travelling has made me much more mature, therefore when I start University in September I believe I will be able to manage my time and prioritise my work load without becoming as stressed as I was at college.

 5)    Why did you choose to travel with Camps International?

This trip would be the first, long-distance and longest time I had ever been away from home for. When I searched for volunteer companies on Google, Camps seemed to be extremely well set up, there was also a great amount of information and resources regarding the Kenya Camp. I also found the Facebook page extremely helpful, as I was able to speak with previous volunteers to get advice and information about Camps. Although the cost of the trip was slightly higher than many other organisations, I found that it was worth every penny. For safety, guidance, food and accommodation, I really was extremely well looked after.

 6)    Which was your favourite Camp and why?

Camp Muhaka would have to be my favourite, because it was so close to Diani Beach, which is still one of the most beautiful beaches I have lain on. Eustace our Camp Leader was an amazing leader, who my group loved dearly; he really did look after us as if we were all his children. Our project leader Yah Yah was also extremely helpful and always sang with us when were were building the further education centre in Muhaka to keep our team morale up.

 7)    Has your experience with Camps helped in any University/Job interviews? If yes, how?

Yes it has definitely helped with job interviews and getting into University. Now it’s all about what extra curricula activities you have done and what experiences you have gained when applying for uni. With the grades I achieved in my A levels, having Camp Kenya on my personal statement made such an impact that I was accepted at the University of my first choice. Volunteering in Kenya really helped me to work as part of a team, and has made me much more confident, in both interviews and actually at work.

 8)    Do you feel that your time volunteering changed you in any way? How?

Of course! I have grown up so much! I am so much more independent. After finishing Camp Kenya I decided to book flights to Australia, to travel and work alone, for a year! Before Kenya I would never have thought I was old enough or wise enough to look after myself for that amount of time. It has also made me realise the important things in life, and has given me some of the best memories and friends I will undoubtedly stay in touch with for the rest of my life.

 9)    Please describe your expedition in five words.

Life changing Unforgettable Unimaginable Powerful

 10) Would you recommend Camps International to others?

Absolutely- because I believe in Camps.

 11) What do you spend your days doing now?

Unfortunately I am currently working in an extremely boring yet fast paced accident management company for the last few months of my double gap year. However, the memories remain in my mind, and get me through each day, as one day I hope to be able to finish University and work for a non-governmental aid organisation such as Camps International! (nudge nudge, wink wink)

I would like to extend a BIG ELEPHANT SIZED HIGH FIVE to Hannah for what she has achieved! All the team here at Camps wishes you the best of luck for the start of your degree in September and we hope that the experiences you had in Kenya stand you in good stead for all your future endeavours. Keep in touch!

We have been leading school teams to Mt Kenya for adventure expeditions since we started Camps 10 years ago. This time round we had our very first school from West Africa and they had a great time during their short trip. Peter is our in country Expedition/Team leader who joined them. This is his story………

Emerald School from Nigeria started their journey from the International School of Kenya (ISK) at 7am. The team, comprising of 11 students and a female teacher, had just attended a three day Global Issues Service Summit which was based at the ISK. Upon arriving at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the group were tired but ready and excited for their adventure which started that very day by staying in Pelican House.

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We drove deep into the interior parts of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy searching for Pelican House which was located in the middle of the sanctuary. It was a great chance for the team to experience the beauty of nature and a nice view of Mt Kenya. We spotted Zebras, Giraffes, Gazelles and Buffaloes  roaming peacefully on the savannah plains. We arrived at Pelican House in time for tea and afterwards went out for a game drive within the conservancy.The drive was awesome, it gave us an opportunity to spot Lions “King of the Jungle” and other critically endangered species such us the Northern White Rhino.

My sleep was disturbed that night by some strange noises adjacent to our house.Very early in the morning I decided to investigate, I had a thought of a Lion in my mind but I was completely wrong. A HUGE Black Rhino was standing around a water hole just few meters from the Pelican House. It was making unnecessary horrific noises continuously. The team were so lucky to see a Rhino for the first time  in their life right there in the wilderness.

The next morning we drove safely to Nanyuki where we spent the next two days full on…

Late that morning we left for a Bicycle game ride.This is  an activity where a bicycle is ridden while viewing wildlife and it only happens in Ol Pejeta. Initially, comments like “what if a Lion jumps over and eats one of us, what will we do?” were exclaimed. I knew that they had never done this before and so I assured them that everything will be fine. The instructors are very experienced and are familiar with the environment. We all blasted with amazement as we rode along the marrum (dirt track) road to the inner part of the sanctuary whilst admiring all the amazing wildlife.

The day ended with a visit to a poor Blind Rhino who was named Baraka (blessing) after his tragedy which led to the loss of his eyes.We also visited Sweet Waters Chimpanzee Sanctuary that evening. It was fun to watch the Apes misbehaving with their own poo, one of the Old Chimpanzee became furious and started throwing its own droppings, unfortunately our guides’ face became the target! As we didn’t want to aggravate the chimpanzees, we left and drove back to camp.

Bush skills and team challenges were our last day’s activities, everyone among the team was excited to know what would happen in the field. Bernard, a bush survival skills instructor led the activities.

The first section was team challenges where the team split into two groups. Each group was to create problems by tying difficult knots with rope onto a post for the other team to solve. Then the groups swap to try to untie them. Group A’s knots were very technically and complex that group B couldn’t solve. Definitely they won against group B by tackling all their knots within the appropriate time given by the instructor.

The bush skills were fabulous,Participants had a chance to meet a real Maasai Moran (warrior) in the fire making and archery activity. He made the fire within three minutes by using two wooden sticks, unlike the team members who took ages, but in vain! It certainly is harder than he made it look!

The final task was rock climbing on a wall, a very interesting activity but tough, we had to wear special equipment for our safety before action, everyone tried up to their  maximum. Only 4 made their way to the top, as well as me, the rest were afraid of heights.Wow! That was a fantastic climax of our adventure at Ol Pejeta!

It was a blazing trip with lots of unique and unforgettable experiences  for the group…Many Thanks for choosing Camp International.

Blog compiled by Peter Kalenga Kai

Tommie is just back in from Camp Tanzania which has been buzzing with students from Dubai…

I have been away in Tanzania for the past two weeks following up on a group of young enthusiastic students  from United Arab Emirates on their school trips. Gems World Academy came to Tanzania on a Week Without Walls program. 51 students aged between 11 and 14 with their 6 Teachers made the GWA team. I went and met them at the airport and immediately all the group members gathered around me, if only to say..here we are, bring it on!

The next two days the group was split into two, one group was engaged in repairing school furniture, desks, benches and Tables while the other group was painting and drawing murals on the walls of the kindergarten classroom.

On day Four the group left camp very early to go on a full day of game viewing at Tarangire National Park. They saw loads of Elephants as Tarangire is known to be the best habitat for the the world’s largest terrestrial mammal. They also saw lion, giraffe, and antelope only to mention a few.

On their fifth day the group was again split into two where group one went hiking at the Kidia falls. Kidia is on the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro the inhabitants are the Chagga people who are small scale farmers. The hike takes you through, banana and coffee plantations, small maize fields and a few homesteads where you will meet with the villagers who are very friendly and welcoming. It’s a steep descent and very challenging, but once one gets down to the falls it’s just stunning! The water is from the thawed glacier on Mt. Kilimanjaro and it is crystal clear and very cold!  On a good day one could see Mt. Kilimanjaro and the scenery and landscape are breathtaking.

On their way back to camp from Kidia falls the students were taken to an orphanage where they donated lots of clothes and toys. Charlie Cracknell later wrote to us to share his experience…

My experience in Tanzania was so different from my normal everyday life. The first thing that struck me was the beauty of the country and people. Everyone seemed so happy despite having so little which made me appreciate how much I have. We spent the first few days at a local school helping to repair desks and benches and also painting the kindergarten. During these days I felt a sense of achievement and that I was really making a difference to the children’s’ lives. It wasn’t until a couple days later when we visited the local orphanage that I met a little boy named Junior. I remember walking through the gates and being hugged by these little kids. It was really heart-warming. When I sat down, Junior came up to me and said hello. He gave me a smile and I remember feeling quite sad at the time because it felt like he did not know he no parents or that he had so little and yet he was still smiling. I knew at that point that I would always remember him.

By Charlie Cracknell
GEMS World Academy, Dubai

Meanwhile, the other group went out to help a local lady with her daily chores. Some students were fetching water from the stream, others were cutting grass for the lady’s domesticated animals, and some learnt how to cook a typical Chagga meal which they later all had for lunch. A great day to spend out of camp and have a hands on experience in the village and be part of some activities that the locals get involved in their daily lives.

Day seven was pretty much wrapping up and putting in final touches on the activities that the groups got stuck in. Some of the students tried their hand at Teaching. We organized for at least two students to be in a classroom to try and teach English. They were given text books and had very little time to prepare for the lesson but our volunteers did very well and got the local pupils learning and the sessions went on well. Thereafter the volunteers distributed a few donations that they had brought with them including, pencils, erasers, rulers, books and sharpeners.

In the afternoon our friends from Dubai played some games with the school kids and it was great fun to watch both sets of players battling it out.

Later that evening we had a nice barbeque dinner for our volunteers to symbolize the end of their stay with us and to thank them for choosing Tanzania as their destination.

Hat tip to all the students and Teachers of Gems World Academy for a job well done!

Asante sana!

On the 6th of February the three of us arrived in Kilimanjaro in one piece with all our luggage intact! We spent a luxurious day and night sleeping and recovering in Moshi before the six hour drive on to Camp Tanga in Mwambani village. The surroundings are stunning and we don’t think we’ll ever get bored of our beach view – we get the ‘wow’ factor every morning! The only downside is the giant red and black ants who have taken to eating us (and invading our tents!) on occasion…

We’ve been in Tanzania for three weeks now and our main project has been working on the local nursery that has been under construction for the past year. Currently, the 4-5 year old children have to walk six kilometres to the nearest nursery and as a result many of them do not attend. We started with levelling the playground, reinforcing the ground around the toilets before the rainy season floods them. We then concreted the ground outside the school and repaired the cracks in the building and most recently have been plastering the walls – probably getting more plaster on ourselves than the walls (or at least to start with!).

In the afternoons we’ve been teaching an English class in the school building – the students range from about 10-45 years old with varying levels of understanding. We started with “hello” and “how are you” but have progressed to heated class discussions on topics such as corruption, disease and the family. Being a small group has given us the opportunity to integrate with the villagers and their daily lives and we’ve got to know some of them really well! The children are always really excited to see us, and Joe is blossoming in his new role as a human climbing frame, they’re really cute and provide a welcome distraction from work!

On a typical weekend, we take a trip into Tanga on a Saturday morning where we visit the markets do some food shopping and learn about the history of the town. We’ve had trousers tailor made for us after picking out patterns from the material store. It was a shock when we first visited the ATM and discovered we are Tanzanian millionaires! – we’re still getting used to the exchange rate. In the evenings we relax, have a few Kilimanjaro beers and get thrashed in card games by Eliphas and Anderson (our camp leaders/buddies). We introduced Eliphas and Anderson to ‘Ring of Fire’ which turned serious fairly quickly – We drunkenly managed to make it to the local club belting lion king songs along the way. Club Casa was relatively deserted bar a few locals drinking – we enjoyed the Tanzanian hits – and are beginning to sing along with some of them now… We lost Eliphas for the whole night and found him enjoying a nap outside with a new friend (a homeless man). Sundays are usually quiet and relaxing – we’ve been to two of the local resorts – TICC and Tanga Yacht Club which we can only describe as James Bond-esque. Last weekend we treated ourselves to pizza and ice cream on Sunday night as a change from our usual Camps food (which is still delicious!).

Our peace has been disturbed by 40 new volunteers from Camp Kenya and things are different in Camp but still really enjoyable and our work rate has increased massively! We had our first day Seaweed farming today – it was very sunny and we came across many starfish and sea urchins – everyone enjoyed themselves and groups got competitive about how many lines of seaweed they could plant!

We’ve just got back from watching Coastal United (Team Tanga!) play a team from the south at the local football stadium – it was very lively and although the score was 0-0 the atmosphere was fantastic- A heady mix! We’re now going to go and cover ourselves in DEET before settling down to an evening of relaxation and cards!!

Pole pole rafikis, hakuna matata, chakula kitamu!

Alice, Maria and Joe
(sponsored by Simba cement (a coca-cola company))

Peter Kalenga just led the Hillcrest Preparatory School for a 4 day outdoor adventure at Camp Tsavo and came back smiling ear to ear…and of course had to share his trip with us….

After driving for 6hrs along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, the Hillcrest Preparatory School bus emerged in the middle of the Tsavo wilderness and drove along the semi arid, thorn bush vegetation composed of acacias and camiphora trees. As usual red clouds were formed as the bus disappeared deeper into Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary. The team looked perpplexed but excited about not knowing what to expect at the next stop after saying goodbye to their usual modern environment. ”That red bumpy road was nice!” One of the kids commented.

The group of 18 students (Age 10&11) and 3 teachers were out for their 4 day school trip to Camp Tsavo. They have hardly had any adventurous trips before and you could tell from their first approach that they were all really excited jumping up and down, screaming and shouting with joy.

That evening the team set off for their bushcraft skills course and a game drive. On our way, I was pleasantly surprised to see how enthusiastic the students were and fascinated by stories about animal behaviour and how the African bush men survived in the bush. It was a real pleasure to watch them fully participate in the footprint and spoor identification with questions flowing like a stream.

We believe Service Learning is crucial for young people to shape principals and create a strong responsible and moral foundation. To the Hillcrest students, it was a really worthy and rewarding trip. The feeling of humanity got in to them after arriving at Sasenyi primary school. They were shocked by the huge number of pupils squeezed in one classroom and the scarcity of learning facilities. They even felt sorrier for the kids who lacked so much compared to themselves and yet they were still happy to be in school. The background of the Sasenyi kids criss-crossed their minds and they started to compare their life back at home which is full of privileges.

This really gave them the moral boost to work tirelessly at classroom plastering and moving rocks ready for a new classroom foundation. That evening they had a great reflection of what they have experienced during the day around the camp fire…

Mt Kasigau hike certainly got everyone’s attention the next day. No one believed these young students would manage to ascend 1640 meters on the daunting paths of Kasigau at that age of 10 and 11. And if you thought they won’t make it then you were wrong. The team left early Friday morning for the hike and by 4pm everyone was back playing football. It took them 3hours up and 2½hrs down!

Congratulations to Hillcrest Prep students for setting a new record of being the first youngest group ever to climb Mt Kasigau! During the hike the team showed determination and accepted the challenge. They held on to one another at their own pace as they slowly maneuvered up the last peak to enjoy great views and celebrate their victory. On their way down the steepest areas turned to a skiing zone “bottoms down”! They all sled using their “bottoms” happily singing songs of motivation. I could not help but feel proud of myself having taken such a young determined group up and down safely.

“The mountain was awesome!” Miss Kartins said.

“Peter, we have now become strong and responsible, we have confidence and proud of ourselves.“said several of the students as they departed across the red soils of Tsavo…

Peter Kalenga

GEMS American Academy just had their first Camps International experience as part of their Week Without Walls Program. They spent a week in Tanzania at our camp in Moshi, working to improve the conditions of a local school nearby, learning lots about local culture and tradition and of course going on an unbelievable safari in [...]

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On the 24th of January, the Aussie Gap team moved from Camp Muhaka to Tsavo. When we arrived we were warmly welcomed by the staff here and presented with lunch. We were then given a brief overview of the camp and its projects. These included making elephant dung paper, the tree nursery, sanctuary maintenance, Sasenyi School, wildlife monitoring, the bush adventure and lastly the safari. While listening to all of these I could tell that everyone was excited and looking forward to our time here.

On our first official day here at Camp Tsavo we made elephant dung paper. Although this may sound bizarre and even a bit gross, it was actually quite interesting and fun. We were showed how to make this by some staff members who also explained to us how important this paper was to the local community. We smashed the poo, mixed it with glue and panned it. We then left it to dry and some of us even added some flowers to it. Overall this was a different, yet interesting and worthwhile experience. We also got to spend the afternoon working in the tree nursery, where we filled some plastic bags with soil ready for planting, cementing the bottle well, removing aloe vera plants and chilli picking. Overall these projects were relaxing, yet eventful.

During our stay here we also had the opportunity of working at Sasenyi Primary School. During this time we did demolished an old school building, in preparation for the building of a new one, cementing the walls of a newly built room, and some of us even had the privilege of being inside the classrooms with the children supervising and teaching. Our time here was precious, as we all felt the work here was helpful and it was also amazing being able to talk to the headmaster about the school and also experience some time with the children.

We also got a chance to visit Imani Womens Group and were surprised to see how women have worked together to improve their living standards as well as tackle their daily challenges. We visited the local community and worked in their farms by helping them harvest green grams and cowpeas. In the afternoon we made bracelets and necklaces from locally purchased beads. It was amazing since everyone came back to the camp with a souvenir of a bracelets and necklaces.

One of the projects we also got to take part in was sanctuary maintenance, which involved filling in the pot holes and ditches in a road on this ranch. Although this work was found a bit hard, it was worthwhile. We also got to take part in wildlife monitoring, whereby we had the exciting task of spotting animals and listening to the staff tell us interesting facts about them.

We also got to experience a bush adventure during our last week here at Tsavo. We got to go on a game drive where we left the buses and looked at the many different footprints. We were also taught how to identify the footprints which was very fascinating. In the afternoon we were divided into three groups and had a competition in building huts. We then got to try and use a bow and arrow and shoot the target, which ended up being harder than it looked. Then we were shown how to light a fire without using a lighter or matches.

On our last full day here at Tsavo, we spent on safari. We got to explore Tsavo’s East National Park where we saw giraffes, baboons, different type of antelopes, zebras, buffalos and many elephants. From living in Australia where you can only see these animals on TV or in a zoo, to seeing these beautiful animals in their natural environment was fantastic and presented us with some amazing photo opportunities.

 Our time here at Camp Tsavo and been a brilliant one. We have been able to experience Africa in a way that normal tourists couldn’t. From being able to see beautiful creatures while just driving into Voi, to the amazing staff, our experience here is unforgettable and unlike any other.

And a big congratulations to our Camp Kenya gap year students at Camp Makongeni for completing a new house in less than two weeks!…

What a week!! Reunited together we finished Mama Maimuna’s house, well structure, and had an amazing opening ceremony with balloons and singing. Other smaller projects included making a bin for the community of Makongeni, we collected rubbish and did another day at the wicked.

So, Harlie and Rory on the ball for this week’s blog. Liking it so far? Well, we worked very hard on mama’s house. We did things from mudding walls, and we dug hole the height of Jackson (and that’s deep), completed the mangroves, all contributing to the income of the community.

However, it wasn’t all work and no play! Good old Gladys organized games night (even better than bingo) we had potato slinging, balloon popping, (some of the guys had to get extra close)and water weeing into a cup! Safe to say the boys lost! To finish our awesome week we had a ‘friendly’ match of netball with the local school kids, leaving the campers a tad bruised!

Rory was manager and wasn’t very good at it! Onto the latest goss… Solveig conquered her Essex accent! Nonie got the award for monster eater! And Stephen was crowned Prince of Holland.

Tune in next week! Laters babe!