From one extreme to the other
Hello!
The last couple of weeks have taken me to extremes... from a survival camp in snow-capped mountains to the heat of the desert. As a result I now have dirt ingrained in my fingers that I can´t seem to wash out!! The camp, Niko, was intense but lots of fun. When I got to the end I exprencienced the same sensation as when I crossed the finish line of the London marathon a couple of years ago... I was just glad that I had survived and was still alive. I can´t say much about it because the way it runs depends upon people who´ve been on it keeping it a secret so the next lot have the same experience.
Suffice it to say that it involved lots of walking, not too much sleeping, and freezing cold conditions. I had no choice but to toughen up quite a lot and found myself doing things I never imagined I would or could! The whole thing was run in Spanish, which was fine except for the odd moment when urgent instructions were yelled out at top speed shortly after I´d woken up, and my brain was not quite alert enough to figure out why people were running around frantically in all directions!
We got back in the evening on Easter Sunday, I had a day of serving at the base on Monday, and then at 10 minutes notice the following day packed my bags (of mainly dirty clothes) to head off to the desert. We went round visiting families and talking to people, encouraging them, and drinking plentiful amounts of the obligatory mate in every house. It was a fantastic experience, seeing how people live there. They are very isolated, and live very simply... eating the animals they breed and drinking water which they haul from the ground... it made me realise how much we complicate life!
Nevertheless I must admit I´m glad to be back in the city today. Next week I´m off to Peru for the first-ever Alpha conference in Latin America. I´m extremely excited about it and will be working there as a volunteer.
Please keep in touch... will post again as soon as I can!
The last couple of weeks have taken me to extremes... from a survival camp in snow-capped mountains to the heat of the desert. As a result I now have dirt ingrained in my fingers that I can´t seem to wash out!! The camp, Niko, was intense but lots of fun. When I got to the end I exprencienced the same sensation as when I crossed the finish line of the London marathon a couple of years ago... I was just glad that I had survived and was still alive. I can´t say much about it because the way it runs depends upon people who´ve been on it keeping it a secret so the next lot have the same experience.
Suffice it to say that it involved lots of walking, not too much sleeping, and freezing cold conditions. I had no choice but to toughen up quite a lot and found myself doing things I never imagined I would or could! The whole thing was run in Spanish, which was fine except for the odd moment when urgent instructions were yelled out at top speed shortly after I´d woken up, and my brain was not quite alert enough to figure out why people were running around frantically in all directions!
We got back in the evening on Easter Sunday, I had a day of serving at the base on Monday, and then at 10 minutes notice the following day packed my bags (of mainly dirty clothes) to head off to the desert. We went round visiting families and talking to people, encouraging them, and drinking plentiful amounts of the obligatory mate in every house. It was a fantastic experience, seeing how people live there. They are very isolated, and live very simply... eating the animals they breed and drinking water which they haul from the ground... it made me realise how much we complicate life!
Nevertheless I must admit I´m glad to be back in the city today. Next week I´m off to Peru for the first-ever Alpha conference in Latin America. I´m extremely excited about it and will be working there as a volunteer.
Please keep in touch... will post again as soon as I can!
posted by Karen Tigar @ 5:20 PM
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