The Countdown Begins…

Hi all!

On Monday it will be exactly 2 weeks until I fly – woohoo! The countdown is definitely on – I am so excited. When it isn’t busy at work I spend a lot of my time trying to learn Spanish – doing the app Duolingo or reading through a phrase book a lovely person left for the shop. It is a way to prepare myself for the year ahead, which part of me still can’t believe is actually going to happen.

As well as organising things for the adventure and packing (exciting!!), I have been getting a list together of ‘Things Before Honduras’ – this includes everything from eating food I won’t have out there (Ben + Jerrys, I’m looking at you..), to spending time with my closest people that I love (yes, this includes my dogs), to even enjoying my bed whilst I still have it.

Part of this has been me trying to have a bit of a summer, so I’ve been having the occasional lie in whilst watching some videos like Ted Talks, obviously more recently I’ve been focusing on the travel orientated ones, so here is one I absolutely love (I strongly recommend you give it a watch):

Talks like this raise my excitement level even more! Now it is just a matter of enjoying my last few weeks whilst working and finishing off some fundraising. Hopefully there are only a couple more posts for me to write whilst situated in the UK and then it will all be Honduras focused 🙂

On this note, we completed another car boot sale today! It went swimmingly at the beginning (ironic, considering the turn of events) but a couple of hours in it began pouring with rain (told you). Apparently my complaining about getting sun burnt last time paid off because this time there was no sun. None. This left us frantically throwing plastic bags over vulnerable items, like books, and wondering if we should just pack it all away. Luckily we stayed strong and continued laughing throughout the rest of the event. Although there were dwindling numbers of people, constant drizzle and stallers were leaving we remained (situations like this are much easier with a buddy). I am so so glad we did because we amazingly raised £133 – so thank you so much to all those that donated items, it is so appreciated!! This also wouldn’t be possible without my mum, who actually sells items for money (I can be known to just give stuff away 😉 ) and on us realising 2 couples were Spanish, used her Spanish to get sales. Go mum! After another early start it is such a good feeling to know it was worth it.

As the fundraising part of this journey slowly comes to an end it reminds me how close the Honduras part is, which I can’t wait for 🙂

I hope you are as eager for the journey as I am!!

Charlotte

 

Amazing Individuals

Hi all,

A much more positive post today after that last one – perhaps it is because I’ve just had my second round of jabs 😉
So, 3 weeks on Monday I fly, which is absolutely crazy! The opportunity of a lifetime is fast approaching and I am so so excited to get out to Honduras and be able to start helping. We still have our last bit to fundraise, which I know we can do, but it means help from you lovely people. I am shocked at how wonderful people have been, whether it is volunteering event ideas, positive encouragement or donations.

A huge thanks goes to all those who have helped just this week, including the Caldecote WI, countless individuals I’ve seen at the shop, friends and even strangers I’ve never met that put money in my collection jars! You all rock!!

We are madly planning a final final event, so I will update everyone by the end of this week of what that will be.

Thank you again to everyone,
Charlotte

Highs and Lows

Hey everyone,

So… fundraising isn’t easy. I knew that when I started this journey. But all of my events thus far have been ace and super enjoyable to put on which probably meant I was due one that wasn’t as great – it certainly happened today.

It just so happens that a combination of the weather and other factors meant that the turn out to the village fete perhaps wasn’t as high today as it normally is. Although the profit was quite small, I’m super proud of what we organised, made and set out today. Basically, we ran a ‘Decorate a Cake’ stall (which some very cute little girls loved) and had some games alongside: a guess the number of sweets in the jar, a game where you had to throw balls into hoops and a very creative game. My mum decided that we could use some of the betting cards from my Race Night (reuse, reduce, recycle right?) which we folded and placed into a bucket with a cover – to win you had to pull a red card from the bucket. The stall looked super cute with bunting (+ my selfish self promo 😉 ) and I thought it made a nice addition to the day.

We had planned to also sell coffee on the side but due to generator problems this couldn’t happen – although I did run back and forth to the coffee shop for a couple of lovely people.

To try and stay as positive as possible and not dwell on the negatives, what was absolutely amazing was that some very generous people game me donations. It reminds me that people do have faith in what I’m doing and think it is important, which is always a lovely pick me up. So thank you so so much to those who decided to donate, it really means so much!!

Also, a huge thanks to the organisers of the event for allowing us to have a stall, it was very kind of you and me and my amazing helpers had a fun day playing catch and even trying to learn how to worm from Ellie!

This little glitch won’t hold us back though and I’m sure I’ll pop up soon with another event planned. Until then,

Charlotte

PS. here are a few snaps from the day:

Cambridge 105

Hi everyone,

The Bake Off completely killed my voice, which left me drinking honey coffee like it was my life and communicating via a notepad and pen. This meant I unfortunately couldn’t have my jabs this week (I’m in the doctors the next 3 Tuesdays, woo), nor my asthma check, but I’m slowly getting better! Thankfully, my voice had returned enough today for me to head down to Cambridge 105 and update everyone of my fundraising journey and what exactly I will be doing next year.

It was super fun to be back in the studio and this time I got to take my bud Ellie, who is taking media, so was interested in looking around the studio. We had a good chat about training, fundraising, the Bake Off and of course what it is exactly that I will be doing next year!! Being able to talk about this all makes me so much more excited for the 7th August where I will get to go out to Honduras and try to help as much as possible.

You  can check out Cambridge 105 at: https://cambridge105.co.uk/ and I would give them a listen if you are in the area!

Thanks so much to Phil and the Cambridge 105 for the unique opportunity to go on the radio, it’s definitely something different to what I’m use to!

On the fundraising update, we will have a stall at the Caldecote Picnic this Saturday! This is going to be a super fun day with stalls, food and live music so you should come on down and enjoy the day. My mum and I will be there with a ‘Decorate A Cupcake’ stall as well as lots of other fun surprises we have planned.. 😉
I’m also trying to desperately improve my Spanish before August, so I can at least get by before I go. One of my good friends recommended the show ‘Extr@’ which is basically a weird Spanish version of ‘Friends’. It is helping with the Spanish (slowly) so I’ll update you on how that goes…

Until then,
Charlotte

Brilliant Baking

Hello everyone!

We definitely went out on a bang on our last big fundraiser!! I cannot thank everyone enough who: baked, helped or even just came down for fun. It was such an amazing day, I spoke to so many people about Project Trust, baking and more and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Here is a little snapshot of the day, courtesy of our official photographer:

 

 

 

 

Very well done to all of those who got 1st, 2nd or 3rd, with the 1st for each category being:

Elaine – Honduran (hopping Honudran quail cake – Ian took extra home + loved it)
Lara – Classic (lemon + elderflower, Ian’s fave combination)
Charlotte – Children (blueberry + lemon, Ian went for seconds!)

Our overall winner was Elaine who won a voucher for free tea/coffee and cake for 4 at the Sidewalk, which was very kindly donated by them.
I had some amazing helpers run our stall (books, name the bear and guess the number of sweets in the jar) so thank you to everyone who entered those:

Ellie in Caxton won the sweets + Olive in Cambourne won the bear (who was called Bertie!) so very well done to both of you 🙂

We had an amazing day in the sunshine (thankfully!) with lots of laughs and of course cake! I have very achey feet and no voice now but it was totally worth it! I had the idea for this event in February and am so thankful all of the planning, waiting and organising has paid off. We are very, very lucky to have had our first £100 match funded by Paul Bibby so a HUGE thank you to him! He runs a very impressive landscaping company, who you can check out at: https://www.facebook.com/CambridgeGrandscapes – he’s loved by customers and honestly has really good reviews so I highly suggest you take some time to look through his work.
That has raised the total to an impressive £404.45 (basically just off cake!) + I can’t thank everyone enough so much. Which leads me on to…

The Thank Yous:

Firstly, a huge one to Ian, this event wouldn’t have been anywhere near the same without you! It was so lovely to have such a friendly judge (with the most polite, cute kids ever!) + I know everyone else loved having you there as much as me 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to come to the Bake Off, for all of the interesting chats about Bake Off and for making the decisions on the cake!!

Next, a huge, huge thank you to all of the stallers who came – I’m sure everyone loved seeing what you were selling!

 

 

 

 

Next, a thanks is in order for the Sidewalk Coffee Co (https://www.sidewalkcoffee.co.uk/) who support me so much and were the venue for this amazing event. They are super friendly (special shout out to the staff Raz + Gemma who kept us hydrated through the day + are just generally awesome) and a lovely place to go for all your beverage/cake needs! The coffee is ace + I can especially recommend the chocolate frappe shakes 🙂

 

 

 

 

This event couldn’t have been possible without the help of so many people, so a big thank you to:
– My amazing mum (who does so much for me, I’m a lucky girl)

-Lara (has helped in so many ways)

-Official Event Photographer: Ellie

-My wonderful helpers

There is more exciting news to come this week (the fun never ends around here!) so stay tuned for that but as I give my feet a rest + munch some watermelon, there isn’t much more to say except: I cannot express the gratitude I feel and how much I appreciate all of the support. Everyone is so incredible and I really can’t wait to start doing posts that show you just how much your contributions are going to help change the lives of others.

Maybe keep an eye on Cambridge 105 this week where I may be discussing a certain event and fundraising 😉

Charlotte

 

Thank you Bidwells!

Hi everyone,

Here is just a little appreciation post as I was sponsored just this morning by Bidwells – which I am so so thankful for! Every single donation matters, every single one is truly appreciated and really every single penny goes towards me being able to help Honduras.

If you want to check out Bidwells, which I really suggest you do for all of your property needs, their website is: http://www.bidwells.co.uk/
They operate all over the country but if you want to find them in Cambridge then their main office is located on Trumpington Road.

I wouldn’t be able to have this amazing opportunity to be able to help provide less fortunate children with an education if it wasn’t for this support that I receive from people so I can’t find the words to be able to thank you enough. Everyone who is helping is so ace!

If you too want to follow in Bidwells’ footsteps (+ hey, why not?) then here is the link to my fundraising page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HelpCharlotteHelpHonduras

I feel so fortunate to be able to have this opportunity and the backing I’m receiving really does make it all feel so worthwhile. Fundraising is tough but it would be much tougher without this support – thank you so much!!

I’m gearing up for the Bake Off and doing final preparations for that so expect a big post after that this Sunday 🙂

Charlotte

1st Experience Teaching

Hi all,

Today was a really exciting day because I popped into a local primary school and did a session on Honduras! This was amazing because although I’ve had some experience teaching lessons on Coll, it feels completely different when you stand up in front of a bunch of actual 5 year olds. It was such good practice for next year, I got a feel for what the job is like and how hard it actually is to stand in front of a large group. However, it was such good fun! The kids were lovely, I spent a little bit of time with them before I spoke which was interesting just to see how they act, they just come up to you and ask random questions – for example, how did I get my hair curly? During and after the talk they always had loads of questions to ask – my favourites were what the word for boat is in Spanish (el barco) + one boy who asked if it was further away from Australia (where he’d recently been). They were so lovely and we had lots of fun picking out where Honduras and the UK were on a map to see just how far away I’d be going 🙂

I had so much fun and I really can’t thank The Vine enough for having me, it was such an ace experience and makes me feel a little more ready for August. What was especially helpful was seeing classroom management techniques in action – often kids think what they are doing is really fun when it’s actually a way to get them to concentrate and listen. I will definitely be trying these out when I’m over there!

Otherwise every day I write more letters, more emails, put up more posters and try and spread the word about Project Trust and events as much as possible! Just to say: there is now a super easy way to sign up to the Bake Off, you can now just follow this link: https://www.sidewalkcoffee.co.uk/collections/tickets-and-events/products/caldecote-bake-off-challenge-9th-july-entry-fee

Look out for wooden crates dotted around Caldecote, with information about events on them! I spent some of last evening painting up boards to put the fun messages on them:

Finally, just wanted to mention I’ve officially begun my jab treatments! I got one in each arm yesterday and will need 2 more sessions then I’m all fit to go away!! My only advice to others who need to do this is yes, jabs can be a little pricey, but honestly it it worth the (very small amount) of pain + the money now to save you from getting any nasty diseases later (which I’m sure will be more painful and costly to deal with).

I can’t thank everyone enough for all of these amazing opportunities,

Charlotte

Car Boot Success

Hi everyone,

I’m absolutely shattered, I’ve only been home one day after the intensive training course + I got up at 5 this morning to do a car boot sale! This was an event I wasn’t expecting to pull in much money from, but we ended up making (just) over £200!! I’m so impressed!

It wasn’t the easiest day with: the really early start, me not realising I was burning my face in the sun and of course constantly trying to get people to buy our items – which were donated by some lovely people. The total is rising and honestly this is such a nice boost as sometimes fundraising can become disheartening. I’m so glad we took the time to load the car (there was so much we could barely fit in), head down to one of our local car boots and get out there. I had posters, my flag and of course my leaflets out and I had some amazing conversations with people about Project Trust and what I am doing next year which is so nice! We are definitely planning on doing a second car boot so if anyone has any items they wish to stop taking up space in their home we will happily take them off your hands!

The rest of the day was spent doing more Project stuff (with an hour nap I felt was well deserved!) and I’ve been busy writing and sending out letters, emails, doing Facebook posts and having so many discussions with people about more ideas. I’m absolutely certain this is all going to pay off when I’m on that plane getting out there!

Also, just to give a huge, huge shoutout to the Sidewalk Coffee Co who have helped me SO much during my fundraising journey + who sell a lovely cup of coffee, amongst food and other things. If you wish to visit them, you can pop into the store in Caldecote (I highly recommend it – the staff are so friendly!) or visit their website: http://www.sidewalkcoffee.co.uk 

Don’t forget about the Bake Off this Sunday!

Charlotte

Training week

You’re standing at the airport worrying that you haven’t packed enough warm clothes, that the weather will be annoyingly wet, that your partner (who you are living with for 12 months) won’t like you. Then you realise: this is it. You are really flying out to Honduras in a month, you’re going to be a primary school teacher and you still don’t feel you know Spanish well enough.
It turns out only one of those predictions was true (and actually, Coll ended up offering some ace weather) and you end up having one of the most amazing weeks of your life.

 

 

That was my training experience in a nutshell. Of course there is so much more to it than this – as there always is! I had to travel completely alone up to Coll which at first really scared me but now as I sit here in my plane back to London staring out at the clouds I realise that this doesn’t worry me anymore. In fact, not even standing in front of a class really worries me anymore (although I’m still slightly nervous). It’s incredible what changes in a week and how teaching two lessons has made me so much more confident in what I will be doing. Lessons on classroom management (something I was really worried about as previously I thought I would probably cry in front of my class if they misbehaved 😉 ) and the basics of teaching have helped me so much, which I really owe to the Project Trust staff. I’ve also learnt so much more about Honduras, and I’m so excited to be able to immerse myself in this new culture – as well as try out some of the food!

It wasn’t just about the learning in Coll though: I met some amazing people I’m really excited to spend the next year with, we did a very daring dip in the (extremely cold) sea and there was obviously the ceilidh to top it all off! I’m so fortunate to have Giselle as my ace project partner and I know we are going to love Yamaranguila (or Yam Yam, as I refer to it) and be prepared for all the challenges we’re going to face and overcome!

I bumped into my amazing host family (who looked after me on selection last year) at the ferry and it was so lovely to see them, hug them and catch up with what had been happening on Coll.

Over the next coming weeks I’m going to be packing my bags (eek!), finishing off my fundraising efforts and trying to prepare myself for a volunteer year overseas! This is definitely not the easiest journey to take but training has reinforced to me just how worthwhile it is going to be. I can’t wait for the next year of my life.

Charlotte

Ps. Special thanks has to go to all of the project staff who helped, of which there are too many names to mention, especially Fra + Rosie, as well as the amazing summer staff who helped to keep us laughing all week (+ ensured I stayed on my feet during the ceilidh): Dan, Jamie, Sophie and more 🙂