"Even after months of cake sales, paper rounds and sponsored runs to raise money for our World Challenge expedition, it was not until we were looking at the interactive map on the back of the aeroplane seats and watching the little electronic plane flying over South America that the reality of our adventure finally hit. While we had all signed up to World Challenge with largely similar intentions-“to find out more about another culture”; “to develop as individuals”-I think that most of us had been enticed more by the World part of the scheme and had tried not to allow ourselves to be too intimidated by the Challenge. Of course both words carry equal weight and the prospect of a month away from home, from loved ones, from comfort and from luxuries promised to be a challenge indeed.
Landing in Buenos Aires, I was immediately struck by the cold as we stepped out of the airport. Of course we all knew that it was winter in Argentina, but rather deceived by the traditional depiction of South America as hot and exotic, I think that most of us had failed to picture anything but blazing sunshine before our arrival. I was suddenly hit by a wave of regret: I should have bought that ridiculously overpriced, oversized, state-of-the-arts winter coat that I had flat out refused to purchase after emerging from the Blacks changing room looking like the Abominable Snowman. However, despite the cold and the jet lag, we were all buoyed on an increasing sense of excitement and expectancy as we drove deeper into the capital city, all feeling energetic and positive. The first task of the month was the allocation of different roles to the various members of our group. From budget manager, accommodation manager and catering manager to security manager, transport manager and health and safety manager, we had a leader for every aspect of the trip. We also had a team member in charge of each phase of the expedition and a day leader who changed every day so that each of us had the opportunity to manage the group at least twice and to coordinate various activities over the course of the month.
World Challenge divides its expeditions into four phases: acclimatisation, the trek, the project and rest and relaxation. Each group has a great deal of input into how each of these will take shape and so it was exciting to be following an itinerary that we ourselves had collectively created. We had decided that our month would involve a nine day trek, a week doing construction work in a school in Humahuaca, the opportunity to explore more populated and industrialised cities like Buenos Aires and Salta and a few days of canoeing in the Andes. While this meant that we could claim the credit for having organised some of the most incredible days of our lives, in the case of some of the more painful experiences (canoeing being the one that strikes my memory with the most persistent force), we had only ourselves to blame!
Four weeks was plenty of time for each of us to experience the excitement, but also the difficulties of living with a group of people for a long period of time, being immersed in a culture thus far alien to us and pushing ourselves to our physical and emotional limits. The trek was a real test of our fitness, endurance and determination and pushed many of us to and beyond the boundaries of what we had thought that we were capable of achieving. Completing this phase of the expedition was, for many people, the most significant milestone as it symbolised a great personal victory for all of us, both in terms of physical fitness and our own persistence and self-determination. My greatest personal challenge was the canoeing phase. It involved three days of canoeing for up to 9 hours a day. The lowest point of the whole expedition for me was the second day of canoeing. The wind had picked up and seemed to be pushing the boats back, making paddling an unbelievable chore, which frustrated us all the more when we were told that we were quite significantly behind schedule. When it started to rain and I didn’t have the prospect of dry clothes or a warm bed to motivate me and the following day bore only the promise of canoeing even harder to make up for lost time, I had to pull determination from a reserve that I hadn’t even known existed before that point. We all continued paddling ferociously because there was no option but to carry on. Looking back on that day, I don’t know how we all managed. However, we did and despite the difficulty of the challenge, I don’t regret having decided to do the canoeing. It provided me with some of the most incredible memories of the trip: I was so excited the first time I saw a toucan, I spotted a howler monkey in the trees on the riverbank and the sensation of being in Argentina and canoeing along the river Paraguay, gliding along the stretch of water barely 500m wide that divides these two countries, was awe-inspiring.
Everyone in the group will have a different memory that they consider to be the highlight of the trip. Some of my favourite moments were visiting the incredible Iguazu Falls, exploring the beautiful city of Salta, spending a week in the school in Humahuaca and looking down on the cloud forest from the top of a mountain, from which it looked liked a veritable Neverland. We all really enjoyed working in the school because, although the construction of the library was tiring, it was very special to be able to get to know the children and the teachers and to engage in their way of life. It was wonderful to realise that the language barrier could be overcome through the sharing of common interests in ways as simple as a game of football or arts and crafts activities. The combination of appreciating Argentina’s stunning nature and also interacting with people from all over the country, as well as the contrast between rural and urban areas, made the expedition a wonderfully all-encompassing experience and allowed each of us to get a true feel for the culture of Argentina.
I think that each member of the group achieved their goal of learning something about themselves and developing key qualities and skills. Our budget manager’s promotion from the nickname Budget Boy to Money Man was the perfect symbol for how each of us had matured throughout the expedition, embracing our roles and growing in confidence as the month progressed. The parting scene at Heathrow Airport was a strange experience. We had practically been each other’s family for a month and had gone through so much together and yet as soon as we passed through the gate at Arrivals, we would all disperse and break the unit that had sustained us for a whole month. However, the impact of the expedition will last a lot longer than the mosquito bites and the bumps and bruises did. It was a truly incredible adventure and we are each lucky enough to have been blessed with unforgettable memories, some wonderful friendships and several hundred photographs!"
Victoria Ferguson
The London Oratory School |
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