This weekend I had my a final fundraising event at my great Aunt's house near Bristol. Way back last year my Auntie Susan gave us the green light to cook for herself and her friends risking her lovely house, kitchen and of course a respected reputation all for my Ghana trip! I'm sure this can't have been easy and huge thanks must go to Auntie Susan for putting such faith in myself and my family's abilities to cook an edible meal and not poison her guests! I am happy to report that the event went off without a hitch, and that everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. From the lunch I managed to make a fantastic £224 from a generous donation from Auntie Susan and her lovely guests. This puts my total at £3213!
All this has got me thinking about all those other people I should thank for their help and support in the months that I have been thinking about my trip. Fundraising is really hard and I have learnt so many things from my attempts! I must thank everyone who supported me, watched me run in a cardboard safari car for 10km, attended my barn dance and everyone who has donated. I have been so overwhelmed by so many lovely donations - my friends, family, the trusts and foundations who gave me support and finally those wonderful random acts of kindless such as the couple I met at Chatsworth who gave me a fiver. Fundraising has been a challenge, but so many people have helped me and thought of me and for that I am extremely greatful!
So here's a big long list of names, I hope I don't miss anyone out!!
Dinesh Subhra, Jennifer Grantham, Smriti Sharma, Sara Petela, Kat Mann, Mrs. Padley, Emma Petela, Liz Birch, Anysa Kadri, Sarah Johnson, Leslie Veit, Fiona and Ian Parsons, Hartington Drama Group, Mr. Higginbotham, Swati Sharma, Sandra and Steve Lovatt, Chris Double, Pip Farren, Sarah Lovatt, Steve's nan, Rebecca Bourne, Poonam Kadri, Hazel's Footprints who gave £600, the Ashbourne Lions club who gave £200, the Buxton Rotary, those fantastic people who came to the barn dance (including Josie Skinner and Clare Morson who were kind enough to come and bring people along), and of course my family: my cousins, aunts and uncles (and boyfriends!) who came to the barn dance, for Phil for making the awesome video, my grandparents and my Auntie Susan who have been so generous, for Steve who has given his time, money and patience, and of course my mum, dad and Hattie who have had to think about this too!
Thanks guys :)
Love, Sal xxxx
(P.S. of course I still have some way to go, not including all the stuff I need in order to fully prepare for my trip and all those anti malaria tablets! (The more time I spend thinking about it the longer the list gets...) If anyone would still like to donate or would like to donate again(!) do not let me put you off - the justgiving address is www.justgiving.com/sallygreenwood)
(P.P.S MASSIVE appreciation to my extremely generous anonomous donatee this evening!!)
Monday, 25 January 2010
Friday, 22 January 2010
Waiting...
Counting today I have 27 days left until I leave for Ghana. And three injections.
(Truthfully, I didn't think I'd be writing one of these blogs so soon - I don't even have any new news! - but truthfully again I don't have much else to think about other than my Ghana trip!)
It seems as thought I am in some sort of limbo - stuck between work that finished 22 days ago and my advancing trip, and nothing is filling the gap! It's far too early to pack, or even really purchase much of anything (although yes, I have been googling impregnanted mosquito nets and over-the-knee dresses with an intensity bordering on obsession!) Instead, I spend my days reading and catching up on TV shows that despite the fact I am leaving the country for six months it seems important to be up-to-date with...
It's not like I want to rush the next 27 days, but I am very ready for something new to happen other than TV catch up! I shouldn't complain - I should enjoy the free time before everything gets very different and scary and hard, but I am ready for Ghana to happen now! I am ready for the new challenge- For new sights, and people, and the culture! I am ready to be overwhelmed and feel something other than this blandness that defines my days!
At the moment I can not think about the first days of fear and panic, or even the later negativity that I am told sets in around the three week mark. Instead I think of children clustered around in matching uniforms, making great friends, and totally loving the place with a determined "it will be amazing" positive attitude that I remember from the weeks leading up to university (and look how well that turned out!). I have endless questions about where-am-I-going-and-what-will-I-be-doing-and-will-everyone-be-nice-and-how-will-I-understand-the-Ghanaian-dialects but right this moment I am positive! I am fed up of speculation and wonderings! I need to know!
This weekend myself and my parents are preparing a meal for my great aunt and some of her friends as a final event. I look forward to it. Next week I only have my yellow fever injection to look forward to. And you know things are bad when you only have a yellow fever injection to look forward to...!!
Patience is a virtue...!
Sal xxxx
(Truthfully, I didn't think I'd be writing one of these blogs so soon - I don't even have any new news! - but truthfully again I don't have much else to think about other than my Ghana trip!)
It seems as thought I am in some sort of limbo - stuck between work that finished 22 days ago and my advancing trip, and nothing is filling the gap! It's far too early to pack, or even really purchase much of anything (although yes, I have been googling impregnanted mosquito nets and over-the-knee dresses with an intensity bordering on obsession!) Instead, I spend my days reading and catching up on TV shows that despite the fact I am leaving the country for six months it seems important to be up-to-date with...
It's not like I want to rush the next 27 days, but I am very ready for something new to happen other than TV catch up! I shouldn't complain - I should enjoy the free time before everything gets very different and scary and hard, but I am ready for Ghana to happen now! I am ready for the new challenge- For new sights, and people, and the culture! I am ready to be overwhelmed and feel something other than this blandness that defines my days!
At the moment I can not think about the first days of fear and panic, or even the later negativity that I am told sets in around the three week mark. Instead I think of children clustered around in matching uniforms, making great friends, and totally loving the place with a determined "it will be amazing" positive attitude that I remember from the weeks leading up to university (and look how well that turned out!). I have endless questions about where-am-I-going-and-what-will-I-be-doing-and-will-everyone-be-nice-and-how-will-I-understand-the-Ghanaian-dialects but right this moment I am positive! I am fed up of speculation and wonderings! I need to know!
This weekend myself and my parents are preparing a meal for my great aunt and some of her friends as a final event. I look forward to it. Next week I only have my yellow fever injection to look forward to. And you know things are bad when you only have a yellow fever injection to look forward to...!!
Patience is a virtue...!
Sal xxxx
Monday, 18 January 2010
COUNTDOWN BEGINS!
So, as today is the 18th January it is only ONE whole month before I leave the Heathrow tarmac and jet off to Accra the capital of Ghana (with one short rest in Frankfurt airport..!) I thought it would be appropriate to start my blog today!
Hopefully, throughout my six months in Ghana I will be able to update this blog as much as possible (internet providing) to fill all you lovely people in about my Ghanaian adventures :)
With the date of departure rapidly advancing I have found myself thinking a lot about my trip. I don't think I can pinpoint how I am feeling exactly because there are so many emotions that all blend together and part of me still can't believe that I am going to be doing this! (I don't think anything will actually seem real until I am alone in Heathrow airport staring at a departures board...) Numerous things keep popping into my head - some of them completely ridiculous (what will my bed be like?!) and some practical (how will I buy summery stuff when the shops are stuffed with winter stuff?). Not only have I purchased a lovely large (and no doubt what will come to be extremely heavy) rucksack but every week I am letting the nurse inject each arm with numerous concoctions that I am assured will prevent me from having to see inside of a Ghana Hospital. My fundraising total is creeping towards the £3000 mark helped along by many, many generous donations from my friends and family and many, many hard earned pennies. In fact, the only thing that kept me going through hours of minimum wage work was the determination that it was "FOR GHANA!!"
So, it's time to head off and spend my final month in a constructive manner!
Love, Sal :) xxxxx
(For those who are interested you can find more information about the charity ICYE or visit my justgiving page!)
Hopefully, throughout my six months in Ghana I will be able to update this blog as much as possible (internet providing) to fill all you lovely people in about my Ghanaian adventures :)
With the date of departure rapidly advancing I have found myself thinking a lot about my trip. I don't think I can pinpoint how I am feeling exactly because there are so many emotions that all blend together and part of me still can't believe that I am going to be doing this! (I don't think anything will actually seem real until I am alone in Heathrow airport staring at a departures board...) Numerous things keep popping into my head - some of them completely ridiculous (what will my bed be like?!) and some practical (how will I buy summery stuff when the shops are stuffed with winter stuff?). Not only have I purchased a lovely large (and no doubt what will come to be extremely heavy) rucksack but every week I am letting the nurse inject each arm with numerous concoctions that I am assured will prevent me from having to see inside of a Ghana Hospital. My fundraising total is creeping towards the £3000 mark helped along by many, many generous donations from my friends and family and many, many hard earned pennies. In fact, the only thing that kept me going through hours of minimum wage work was the determination that it was "FOR GHANA!!"
So, it's time to head off and spend my final month in a constructive manner!
Love, Sal :) xxxxx
(For those who are interested you can find more information about the charity ICYE or visit my justgiving page!)
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