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Published: February 11th 2014
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Hello there readers, great to know you've come back for another instalment of the adventures of Ms B the Ninja Turtle warrior (the name is a work in progress).
Heading back in time (I am also a time lord it seems) it is now day 2 in the jungle. We are treated to a 'late' breakfast at 7.30am. Everyone has a bowl of porridge except me as it's not gluten free so I have a banana and some mixed dried fruit. 8am (having washed up our bowls and used the correct coloured t-towels....seriously, they colour code the towels -green is drying dishes, yellow is hands and blue/black t-towels (or dish cloths as the American contingent refer to them as) for wiping down the tables).
8am we begin EAP training. EAP is GVI shorthand for Emergency Action Plans. There are EAPs for most emergency situations in the jungle- examples being snake bites, fires, tsunamis, terrorist threats (I kid you not), treating allergic reactions, an incident in the field (not an actual
field but the jungle area outside the fencing that is known as Base and where I now live, eat and sleep). The EAP gives a step by step list of what to do, who to call (helicopter for life emergency situations and snake bites, ambulance and boat for less serious incidents like a second degree burn to the skin but not if the burn is on the face, feet, hands or chest). The EAPs are all printed out and each volunteer has to take it in turns to read them out, and ask if they don't understand anything or have any questions. The EAPs (in case you need to know this for some obscure reason) are located in the kitchen, the office and outside the volunteer dormitories. We are again reminded about the rules of the jungle (see previous blog) and given a few more risks about living and working in the jungle. Suffice to say lots of stuff can hospitalise you in the jungle - probably should have read the small print more than once 😉 This takes all morning until 11.30 when we are released to have a drink and stretch our legs and then eat lunch (rice
and beans).
After lunch we get to go on our first walk into the jungle!! Very excited, long sleeves, trousers and wellies on. We all have 2 litres of water, binoculars and cameras ready as we are split into 3 different groups. Our group is led by Frank and we take what the staff call the North Trail into the Dense Forest. The trail is fairly well worn so although we are amongst trees and large palms is fairly easy walking even if very hot. It's not long until Frank points out a litter frog and then we all hear and see Spider Monkeys. There is even a mum and her baby! ahhhh cute. As we are newbies (as the staff call us all week) we only walk for about an hour and then it's back at Base where we meet up with the other groups and swap "what did you see?" stories....every day there is usually a part in it where people are asking what did you see.
After a short sit down we have dinner and via a staff laptop watch an introduction into EFR.......(roll dramatic music).....Emergency First Responder training. In short before they will properly let us into the jungle to carry out surveys we must all undertake and pass first aid training. For any of you have done St Johns Ambulance or similar courses in the UK it's like that just called EFR as it is an international course used by the PADI diving people. Film watched, I am shattered so off to bed to sleep listening to the sea.....
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