Primary Navigation
- Full Episodes & Videos
- TV Shows
Loading TV Shows…
- TV Guide
- Competitions
Loading Competitions…
- Community
Pip Russell - First overseas adventure... alone!
Date:04/09/2009
Ahh my wild friends, it's been months so I thought it was about time I shed some light on what I've been up to… Brace yourself!
Ahh my wild friends, it's been months so I thought it was about time I shed some light on what I've been up to… Brace yourself!
A month ago I got back from my first overseas adventure... alone!
I was so nervous about leaving I felt sick, but before I knew it, I was off to spend 6 weeks in Kenya, Africa with World Youth International.
I didn't think I was really ready for whatever lay ahead, but without a doubt it ended up being the most amazing 6 weeks of my life.
There were 9 other girls, all ready to lend a helping hand. We did some volunteer work in Mutumbu and Odede, two remote villages in the Western part of the country.
Our goal was to build 5 houses in 5 weeks for struggling families, and we started with a bang building our first house in 1 day! Go girl power (although we did have some local builders putting up the main framework for us!). Keep in mind these are nothing like our houses- we were nailing different sized bits of wood and tree branches together and filling the gaps with mud to create a wall… messy work!!
We also installed a water tank for an Early Childhood Development Centre in Odede. Even though the village hadn't had rain in over a month it was worth it, because as soon as we finished the clouds opened!
To finish my amazing journey I went on a safari to the Masai Mara Game Park where we had luck on our side and saw elephants, buffalo, lions, and a leopard all in the first 2 hours! Being on TW means I've been pretty close to these guys before, but there's something about seeing them in their natural environment (and about 5 meters away from you) that made the animals much more intriguing.
It's still a little weird being back home, but I'm definitely much more appreciative of the lifestyle I have here!
I know I'll never forget the things I learnt and the amazing and inspirational people I met while on my African Adventure.
