Super G

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This phase I have been enjoying a new incarnation as Super G (Relatively Useful, Deceptively Strong ..... and DEFINITELY the Friendliest). It has been a pretty wicked three months, the volunteers were all great, and most important of all they were HEALTHY, which meant no trips to town for me! We have been having a great time joywalking all over the mountain doing mapping, caving, climbing, vine swinging and tarp sliding along the way (as Health and Safety officer, and from personal experience, I would not recommend flip flops as suitable footwear for climbing. Particularly on tsingy). We also spent a stinky 2 weeks on a sat camp, where as we are now in the dry season there was a slight water shortage, so absolutely NO washing. Pongy whiff! Danger nightwalks were born and the underwear fairy started distributing everyone's pants around the forest.
An early highlight was the fashion show, held on the first Saturday night on camp. We were treated to a strip show, fire dancing and pole dancing, and that was just from the lads, photos available at a later date!
Later in the phase there was a shift to more active events, with a football match against the village that we won (with a little help from the local guys that work with us, one of whom was on speed at the time and played like a fiend). The game began with me as ref, which is hilarious, I have no idea about anything involving balls, so started abusing the whistle as a tool to encourage my team, it was promptly confiscated and I was relegated to the role of cheerleader. Best place for me. We then had a volunteer vs staff sports day, where the staff thrashed the opposition (go us!). My personal input to the day was a magnificant triumph in the egg and spoon (despite a whole heap of cheating, and quite frankly physical abuse from my opposition) and victory in the dizzy race, which gave our local staff quite a laugh as I staggered sideways out of camp! Not sure I made such an impact in the tug of war though, despite being Deceptively Strong.
I am now moving onto a new role as Expedition Scientist. I will be teaching expedition management skills to a group for 4 weeks (which for those of you I went to school with is probably quite a surprise!) and teaching them the basics of biodiversity assessment. As yet we are unsure where exactly this will all be happening, we went on a reccie earlier in the week, quite an epic. 400k in a day on scooters on bad roads, after my experiences with motorbikes 3 months ago I rode pillion, and as a result had the grt big bag on the whole way. 15 hours on the back of a bike on bumpy roads with bad suspension is NOT good for your bum! (sorry again by the way Ma!)
In the last few days I have booked my ticket home, I am due back in the UK on the 16th Aug and would love to see all my loved ones (and those of you that aren't loved so much, hahaha! you know I don't mean it!) when I can! Am thinking of having a big party for my 25th as seems to be the trend at the moment, any ideas of fun things to do in (hopefully) a large group? Answers on a postcard please.
So basically I am having an amazing time and though I will be thrilled to see everyone, I don't really want to come home! I can't believe I'll be back so soon, but all good things come to an end. Like this entry. Love to you all x

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Comments

[Ribbsie]

wow
Oh wow Georgie. It all sounds so exciting. I'm well jealous. Have you seen plenty of strepsirhines? Glad you're getting on well and enjoying it, I wasn beginning to worry you may have become a jungle animal as it has been so long since you blogged. I'll come to your 25th party. woowoo x x x x x

[Gemma]

I've quit
Hey! Glad you are having such a good time Supa G, thought you would like to hear the news first....I've just quit my job! 21 working days left due to my notice period and then i am a free woman! Feeling a little awkward in the office at the mo as my manager is pulling each manager out of the office one by one to tell them the news! Ahhhhh. But it means i'll be on holiday for the whole of August :0) Shame (for you) that you can't stay in Mad until September, i'll get cracking on arranging a get togehter one weekend. I'll see if Katie needs a lift to yours and try to book a weekend when Oni doesn't have to work poor thing. Hopefully Abi won't be too bogged down with marking! Glad you are having a great time, it will be lovely to see you when you are back! Oh and a girl here is getting married in Feb and would like a harpist possibly. Is Al still doing gigs? It would be in the London area i think. Let me know. Gem x

[Abi]

Marking?? Whats that?
Seriously - when given the choice between marking and partying you think Ill be marking?????