Instructor Benefits

As you may, or may not know, I am currently support instructing on YAC28 or the Youth Adventure Course, under Izzat with watch Yong Yap. There are twelve participants - four girls and eight guys.

My favourite part?

Orienteering lessons led us to Adam's Bluff, where I followed my children (14-16 year olds with little common sense) to ensure they escaped during the time limit. Since it was two and a half hours, with only 16 check points, I had little fear that they would have problems.

And fortunately, they didn't. That did not stop them from asking me if they were going in the right direction however, or if there was a shortcut, or if they needed to backtrack. As it was, my smiles are now considered portents of doom. The average conversation, went as thus:

'Emily, is this right? We're going downhill but it's going really far...'

*Smile* 'I don't know, is it? I mean, the path could be back, or it could be forwards, or it could be sideways...hey, do you like Disney? I love the Lion King! Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phraaaaaaase.'

If anything, the happiness confused them further, leading them to thinking I was giving them clues. It was a glorious time.

The actual hike was leech city, screams of horror (the high pitch meaning you couldn't tell whether it was a girl or guy) filling the air. Our parang man showed courage and great disdain for his fellow comrades, picking them up with his fingers, and flinging them away. Despite continuous stops, they arrived first, and so I set up my hammock and lounged. Plus, you get to go back to base and shower. Being an instructor holds so many more benefits.

Ciao for now!
Emily

Sleeping: commencing NOW.

I am exhausted. The past two weeks, or however long it has so far been, have been rather intense. Training has in fact commenced, something I am eternally grateful for, because it has been far more interesting since we started - speed boat practise, kayaking (eskimo roll attempts!), noting routes for trekking, getting practise at briefings and set-ups (with Geordam hassling all the way, apparent practise for unruly children).

First aid was also the name of the game, something our Project Trust Desk Officer Chris i.e. Bossman or Safety Chris, got to enjoy. The amount of injuries I had to bandage was ridiculous. According to Karl, he fractured his skull, cut his hands up, broke his scapula, forearm, upper arm and elbow. In one day. Pretty impressive really. Geordam spent a great deal of the time tying each other up. That's really all I have to say for that.

The weekends have been especially busy. We headed over to Kuala Lumpur last weekend, as we had a public holiday on the Monday, and met up with the Seremban and DAJ lot, which was lovely as we haven't seen them in two months. Rather shocking really, considering how little time seemed to have passed. A lot of time was spent drinking, but I managed to see some of the temples - cathedrals, mosques, Chinese temples, everywhere you look, diversity on a grand level. It was stunning.

This weekend has been an exercise in dealing without sleep. A basic marketing opportunity, an unusual one-day course was set up to give teachers from school's in the area, a chance to see what a course is all about. In one day there was an opening ceremony/admin, games, rock climbing, rafting, a boat ride to Sekadeh and a barbecue (with two 'goats' - or lambs as we know them).

My first time support instructing, and it worked well. We did basic set up for the activities, as well as making sure no one died due to inefficient belaying, and rowed the pram around as rafts fell apart. The participants were hilarious - the sponsors of the event were the mining company Vale, and disbelieving in my ability to climb the wall, forced me up there, ending in them constantly claiming that I 'crawl like a cat', with actions alongside. Apparently I broke their spirit with my moves. Ah well.

Today was a four o'clock start - and yes, I mean in the morning. The Powerman race, being a 11km run, 64km bike ride and 10km run again, started at 7.30, but we were Crew members, and thus were required for set up. I got a bit of a nap as we waiting for the sprinters, who do half the Powerman race, as my job was handing out certificates and 1 coupon for dessert. And not chocolate dessert unfortunately, but cendol which I leave you to reserve judgement on, it containing 'green worm-like jelly' (wikipedia's words, not mine).

As it is, after packing up, we waiting around for about an hour to get paid (yes, money and free stuff was involved in our decision to attend), during which I promptly fell asleep on the grass, to wake up to random Malay people staring at me. Vaguely creepy. It might have to do with the watermelon I was looking after as well, I'm not sure. Moving on, I intend to sleep for a week now - or I would, if training was not starting up tomorrow. Woo, morning runs. Whatever did I do without them.

Emily