Since our last group meeting, there has been a lot of discussion about all the different and exciting aspects of our trip. Getting to see each other again was, then, as you would imagine, very exciting! Despite chaotic schedules, we all managed to stay for at least one night of the weekend, and subsequently we got a lot done - including getting to know each other better! Giving an hour by hour description of everything we did would end up being tediously dreary, and so this is merely a review, bearing in mind that the order of events is very much untrue!
Over the weekend, we were visited by Seth, a friendly and incredibly useful volunteer from the Book Bus! We bombarded him with questions, all of which he was able to give us answers to, and he told us a lot more about our trip, through the use of videos, presentations and an example of what he would take with him. His being there made the trip seem all the more real; it was a shock, be it a thrilling one, that we would be going away in just over 6 months!
Our ‘cultural advisor’, Lizzy, also gave us a terribly interesting and informative presentation on Zambia and the areas we would be visiting, including the history, geography, and social and behavioural guidelines. This was reassuring, knowing a little more of what to expect and having a greater understanding of what the refugees that we would be working with had perhaps been though.
In our many discussions over the weekend, we covered some crucial areas, including fundraising, and also team roles and guidelines. This led on to the more exciting area of team identity. We discussed ideas for a badge (of which we now have two final ideas - both looking amazing!), for our group uniform and for a team name. All our suggestions are being kept a secret for now … but watch this space!
Despite the clichéd and overused term, team building is essential for a group who, until a few months ago, didn’t know each other, and who, in another few months, will be sharing everything. Putting up tents can be difficult at the best of times, (yes, even for members of GirlGuiding!), and therefore putting up tents in the cold with one person blindfolded, one person not talking and one person with their hands tied behind their back was always going to be a challenge. I think, however, that our success proved our potential to be an unbelievably close team!
The crate challenge was another activity enjoyed by all members of the group. The preferred pose adopted to achieve success was wonderfully amusing - and you never know, maybe ballroom dancing is the perfect activity for our reunion! A campfire one evening, led by our ‘entertainment advisor’, Kate, was enjoyed by all - despite the significant lack of fire! But member of guiding will always enjoy singing and dancing, despite the what-felt-like arctic temperatures!
We are now beginning to feel like a team - indeed, we can all just about name each other - and are looking forward to our next team meeting!