From time management and pushing your comfort zone, to remembering to bring stop-itch cream and avoiding bulk curry; our December Team Leaders know the drill when it comes to being a trekker! With some of them going into their first month as a Team Leader, and some about to lead over multiple months, the crew gave us the advice they wish they’d known before going into their first month trekking with Project Everest.

Timor Leste

I remember going into country with still not a great idea of what would be going on, so I cannot stress enough to get across crowdicity, read your project summaries, go through the drive and find out all that you can, so you can hit the ground running. Then after doing that on a word document write all the questions that you have (there should be HEAPS!) then go and ask your TL and your trekkers about these questions; that way you will have all the knowledge going into country!

Also, I wish someone had told me to get out of my comfort zone earlier. In country, there are many ways you can do this whether it be putting up you hand to go to a stakeholder meeting on the second day, trying to improve your phone calling skills even though you dread speaking on the phone, or simply trying to speak to all your peers as much as you can over the month, they are good growing opportunities and will all inevitably push projects forward. you’re only in country for a short time so make the most of it!

MALAWI

Before I trekked, I had heard a lot about Project Everest, however, there were still so many things I didn’t know of what was to come. I wish I knew how much mileage was going to come from the gags that came about in country. The amount of laughter we had, and continue to have to this day about the gags, and experiences is unreal. This ties into what I was also didn’t know, how bloody amazing all the people are! The friendships you form with people who are the only ones that can really understand the experiences you’ve been through together are phenomenal.

A Project Related tip I wish I had done, is to do much prep as you can before Project. You want to be utilising the time you have in country, so do as much work you can do back home as you can, and you’ll reap the benefits! For the new trekkers this summer, buckle up because you are in for one hell of a ride that you won’t want to get off of!

In Malawi, avocados are everywhere. They are huge! Almost as big as your head and incredibly cheap and tasty. I wish I got told to bring plenty of Vegemite, because what better to pair with avocado on toast?

Fiji

You really have nothing to lose. At the end of the day, there is no university grade riding on this and nobody is watching you over your shoulder to make sure you are doing tings exactly how they won’t them done. Be yourself and be selfish about the experience because it is a once in a lifetime thing. So embrace the challenge, the sweat, the tears, the hustle and the cheap ice-creams. If you embody your project and work hard, you will reap the rewards tenfold. When you have ideas to contribute, contribute them and where you don’t, take the opportunity to learn from so many other people from different degrees, life experiences, and ages. There will be hardly another time in your life where you will be able to work in an environment like this, in a beautiful country surrounded by friends that will become your family, on projects that are making the world a better place.

Believe me when I say, you’ll miss it when you are sitting on the plane home or going back to uni where you only ever get to practice things in theory. Always stop to remember how lucky you are to have the experience, and what a difference you are making in the world. Oh, and make sure you bring ‘stop itch’ cream for mozzie bites and stings into country because it will save your life.