Welcome to Aruba: One Happy (Sunny, Windy) Island

It's been a few days of new experiences for the team in Aruba, culminating in our first meeting of the project with the board of the APG (Arubaanse Padvinsters Gilde) yesterday evening.

GOLD Team Aruba 2018 with the board of the APG

Having arrived on Monday evening we spent a couple of days orientating ourselves to the island and acclimatising to the time zone and the weather (hint: it's hot!)

One Happy A Team at the beach

This has taken many forms, everything from flamingo racing in the pool to realising just how good an apple tastes when you have to pay a whole $0.91 for it. We've been letting Emily, Emma and Sarah get used to driving our van (Vincent van Gogh - Vince van for short!) on the roads (and sometimes off road dirt tracks) around our accommodation while trying to navigate tiny roundabouts and speed bumps mountains.

Inside Vince Van

Over the edge!

We were guided to a lovely quiet little beach area where we spent several hours in and out of the water and got to work out the fastest way to get Caroline into the sea - tip the wheelchair over backwards is the answer - thankfully the sea was bath temperature so it wasn't too much of a shock!

Where's Caroline?

Yesterday involved a trip to the capital, Oranjestad, which took us past the cruise ship terminal and to a small fort that housed a museum about the history of Aruba. We went in and were enthusiastically guided around by Mario before we climbed to the top of the tower up some very steep steps to get some lovely views over the island. After that, we stopped at the Dutch Pancake House for some amazing pancakes, with gluten free versions too!

Dutch Pancake House

We were looking forward to meeting the APG board, which we got to do yesterday evening. We left plenty of time (an hour for a 30 minute journey) and still managed to barely make it on time due to road closures and a lorry container that was being moved across the road by two very excitable men in tiny forklift trucks.

Road block!

Personalised welcome from APG

It was wonderful to meet the people who have worked to get us a programme of sessions to run and to find out from them directly what they would like to get out of our time here, especially as we are the final year of GOLD in Aruba. We were greeted in their Jean D'Arc clubhouse with a sign made by the guides and the best sausage rolls we have ever tasted.









The meeting was very productive and left us with a much firmer timetable and lots of planning to do for our training sessions which start tomorrow. We are very excited to be running so many sessions, and this morning we went to visit the school that will be the venue for the weekend camp we are running.

Jean D'Arc Clubhouse

Today is dedicated to deciding what we will do during our first few sessions and trying to hold our flipchart paper down on the table with as many items as possible - the wind is almost as impressive as the heat! That's break time over  - time to get this project underway!

#theAteam

Green lights = Flights

The day is here and we are all ready to GO GO GO! The green lights are flashing for departure, so we had dinner at the hotel last night ready to pack up and board the first of our flights to Miami.

We're due to head off very soon - and we can't quite believe it. It seems amazing that it was 10 months ago we started this journey! On the one hand it seems like only yesterday, but on the other hand it seems like our team have been together forever.

No undercover reporter for you today - she's busy trying to make sure everything that is supposed to go on the plane goes on the plane and comes off in one piece. But if she had been taking a sneaky peek at what the A team did in their last few hours together before boarding the plane, she'd find them saying:

A Massive Thank You

To all those who have made this project happen in any way shape or form, and to those who have sent us cards with good luck wishes and tips for #projectperfection, we really appreciate it. So many emotions are going round the team right now, but the overwhelming feeling is support for each other.

The time has come, and we're ready!

Miami is our first stop, with a bit of luck (and free wifi) we'll catch up with you from there!

#theAteam

1 is for... 1st Aid!

The countdown is on, and Rebecca has found a clock that says "Time's nearly up team, one day to gooooooooooooo!"

Our undercover* reporter has discovered that Rebecca can, in fact, tell the time. Which is a good thing, because we don't want to be late for our flight! It also turns out that she is the group 1st aider, and our reporter was very glad that Rebecca's addition to the group kit is the item that completes any 1st aid kit and brings it to a whole new level: the amazing wonder drug that cures all ills...

...CHOCOLATE!!

So with just one day to go we are weighing the bags, carb loading before the flight (mashed potato AND macaroni cheese with your steak and ale pie anyone?!) and trying to work out why there are no black cabs in London (or any other wheelchair accessible taxis apparently, thank goodness for the Hoppa bus!). I guess we'll catch up with you next from the airport!

Early night time, because it's going to be a VERY early morning!

*well actually given that the team are all staying in the same hotel tonight she was hardly undercover...

#theAteam

Two much excitement!

Oh. My. Goodness. TWO SLEEPS and we will be off! Today has been a resourceful day, with most of us at home packing our bags, but Nicki seems to be somewhere on a map of London...

Let's hope she also remembered to pack! Back when we first got our flight confirmations and saw that we had TWO bags each we laughed a bit - I mean, who needs two bags right?! But, with two days to go, we have changed our minds a bit. We have so many resources, some that we've used our budget for but many more that have been kindly donated by people across the country - we've been helped by the new Girlguiding programme release meaning some leaders have donated their old programme books. But what group kit is Nicki squeezing into her two bags? A hot water bottle - even in a hot country there are still moments when you need that little bit of comfort!

Sleepy time now - when I wake up... 

#theAteam

Story time! Three little...

Story time is one of my favourite times of the day, and Emma's beautiful pose below means that we have just 3 days to go, so we should hear an adapted version of the three little pigs...

Our undercover* reporter has discovered that our team is indeed intending to fly to Aruba with pigs. Two, in fact. Well, we've got to play pass the pigs while we're there!

But back to the story - once upon a time three little pigs were trying to build houses to save themselves from the big bad wolf. In this case three groups of "packers" were trying to pack their bags so they would have everything they needed with them in Aruba, but didn't require spinal surgery as a result of taking 30 bottles of water. They wanted to save themselves from the wrath of the team leader.

The first group packed their kit 30 seconds before they left and shoved it into their bags, only stopping to make sure their liquids over 100ml and sharp objects were in their main bag.

The second group packed their kit over a few days during the week before they left. And then left it until the day before to pack their final items.

The third group packed a month in advance. Then repacked. And again. And... so on.

On arrival at the hotel the night before the flight, the big bad wolf team leader inspected their packing... which of the three groups do you think succeeded?

All of them as it happens! Because they had all listened very carefully over the past 8 months since their GOLD journey began and had a copy of the suggested kit list with annotations from the GOLD teams who visited Aruba over the past two years (thanks for the wisdom guys!) so they didn't forget anything.

So the team leader took them all out for ice creams when they got to Aruba (unsubtle hint right there Emily!) What a happy ending! Sleep well children.

*undercover-ness wasn't really needed today - she could have just looked back on previous blog posts and deduced it was likely that the pigs would make an appearance on the group list! But she is being a true Girlguide and trying to improve her (abysmal) sneaky-weaky skills.

#theAteam

Forgetful four?

We had our final pre-project skype call last night, and in 4 days time... well, I don't need to tell you! But sadly, with just FOUR days to go, our undercover* reporter has failed.  So what's gone wrong today? We managed to get this snap of a four-fingered Caroline, but that's the best we could do...

When asked what she was packing for the group, Caroline came over all Dory-like and couldn't remember her own name let alone the names of the items she was trying to pack!

So given that we don't know what Caroline is contributing to the group kit, let's have some suggestions of what you think it should be! What do you think she (or the team!) has forgotten? Any top tips for things you think should be on the list? Anything you definitely wouldn't take? Let us know... we don't want today to be forgetful-four-day!

*undercover reporting didn't go well. When I ask myself questions I forget the question while I'm trying to think of an answer! So I decided I'd have to be sneaky. Turns out it's quite difficult to sneak up on yourself to see what you're packing. I've been trying all day! Which means I haven't been packing. Which means I couldn't see what to report I was packing. Which means I've been trying all day. Which means I haven't been packing. Which... well, you get the picture!

Hope you didn't have too many Dory moments today!

#theAteam

Post us a high five!

Give us a virtual high five to send us on our way! With just 5 days to go Sophie is here to remind us to keep posting updates while we're out in Aruba - and it's a reminder for you to keep up with our blog posts and social media accounts while we are out there!

As for the group kit, Sophie is in charge of washing tablets - a very important addition to the list to make sure we can have clean clothes (including our group tops that our undercover* reporter has discovered she is modelling!) at some point during the trip! She seems to be on a general cleanliness mission too, as she's also bringing a tea towel. We all know who to go to when we need to dry our tea mugs now!

"Post" a high five on one of our social media pages if you can't wait for us to fly (whether you are excited for us to have an adventure or excited because you'll have a bit of peace and quiet once we've gone!)

*our undercover reporter isn't quite as under-the-covers as she would like to be today - as we discovered at second briefing, none of our team are early birds and Caroline is no exception. Thankfully she remembered that the reason for getting up earlier than she would otherwise like was to do some more packing for Aruba, so she cheered up!

#theAteam

Six is served with a smile

We trusted our team leader to use two hands to count yesterday, but today was a dilemma. Who else do we believe can handle such great responsibility? The answer is Sarah, and it looks like we chose well - 6 fingers for 6 days!

Sarah tried to hide at work today, but she didn't manage to escape from our undercover* reporter. We have exclusive news that Sarah's contribution to the group is going to be... sanity and a smile! (Greedy - no one else gets 2!)

Sanity will be coming in the form of a mug. Sarah got very excited by Emily's tea bag post and has decided to make the most of it while we are away - tea is her main source of fuel and sanity. Her smile is also coming because the rest of the group insist on it, and because we think everyone in Aruba will be happy to see it too: #SmileySarah

*undercover actually means very-much-undercover-maybe-a-bit-too-far-today. Our reporter went so far with her "I'm not a reporter" disguise that she had to be without her laptop until she could return to her secret hideout. To anyone who thinks this post is cutting it fine... there's still 5 hours of Aruban Tuesday left!

Catch up tomorrow!

#theAteam

Why is Emily excited that it's Monday?

We never claimed that any of our team members were normal, but being excited on a Monday seems a bit strange even for us! Here's the evidence though - one VERY excited Emily!

So why? Our undercover* reporter Caroline has been investigating.

It turns out today is a very important seven fingers day. Why seven fingers? Because in seven days time... we will be on our way to Aruba! Just seven days! I guess that explains the excitement! (As well as the fact that she's very excited she managed to count to seven).

So what does a team leader get up to seven days before a long flight? Emily is packing apparently - and top of her list for group kit is: tea bags (a very good choice!)

Join us tomorrow to find out who can count to six, and what they are packing for the group!

*although described as "undercover" our reporter is in fact sporting a broken wheelchair wheel, so she's a bit squeaky which makes creeping up behind people more tricky than usual - let's hope she does a better job tomorrow!

Happy Monday everyone!

#theAteam

The Mystery Member...

A little update for you as we get closer to our departure date - two weeks to go! How did that happen?! Find out what we've been up to below and discover the answer to our photo mystery...

Those of you who have been following us on other social media channels (check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!) might have noticed something odd about our more recent team photos (come on, admit it - how many of you went back to work it out?).

Your eyes are not deceiving you, and no random person has photobombed our snaps. We do, in fact, have a seventh person to introduce to you. Say hello to...

  

Sarah!

Sarah is coming with us on our adventure to help support Caroline while we are away. No matter how well you plan things, travelling with a wheelchair user comes with it's own unique challenges, so Sarah is our go-to-girl for helping Caroline sail through whatever happens and keeping her out of trouble. (Ok, the last bit might be a big ask!) She did a wonderful job in Iceland with Caroline during the World Scout Moot last year and we are very excited to have her as part of the team.

Sarah is also a member of Girlguiding, and has experienced GOLD projects in the past; to Bangladesh in 2005 and Honduras in 2008. She runs a ranger unit in Nottingham, and outside of Girlguiding she works as a children's occupational therapist. She has a cat called Teega, and she loves going to the theatre and spending time with her friends.

Caroline and Sarah on the way to Iceland

In other news

We had our 4th briefing, which was kindly hosted by Great Ormond Street Hospital - we are very grateful to them for providing us with such a nice room in a central location so it wasn't too difficult for us all to get to. Sarah joined us for that and we got all of our colourful kit! We went out for dinner afterwards and when we left, it was amazing to think that the next time we would all meet up would be the day before we fly!

Working hard at 4th Briefing

Of course we couldn't wait that long without talking to each other through more than just text, so we had another Skype call at the beginning of August. It's all getting very real now and it's so nice to hear how everyone is getting excited! Behind the scenes we are compiling training plans, lists of activities that we can take out to Aruba, making sure we have enough sun cream and insect repellent and liaising with the Arubaanse Padvinsters Gilde (the Girl Guides of Aruba) to finalise our plans. Alongside that we are trying to gather all the resources and group kit we need to take - everything from post it notes to pens, inflatable globes to flipchart paper, laminating pouches to cool bags!

So that's where we are at today, our adventure is really just around the corner now!

#theAteam