Seb's
Expedition Experience - some reflections
A member of World
at Play's inaugural expedition, Seb
Hayes reflects on what was a unique personal and team
experience:
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I look back on the World
at Play expedition as my greatest
achievement in life.
I love playing. It is something that has stayed with
me from my childhood and I think most people value it
greatly although they do not realise it themselves.
Whether it is the excitement of chasing after a football
or a frisbee, or the thrill of the psychological competitiveness
that arises when
playing cards or board games, the pure enjoyment derived
from playing is something that cannot be substituted.
I got involved with World
at Play because I saw it as
something new and revolutionary, a charity organisation
run by highly motivated peers with whom I share the
belief that playing is essential for everyone. We consider
ourselves lucky to have had the opportunities we have
enjoyed in life, and
feel that we can improve the quality of life of others
by bringing to them our enthusiasm for playing.
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Setting off on World at
Play's maiden voyage into the unknown, following
a vision that we did not know whether we would ever fulfil
was a daunting yet exciting experience. Our work was not always
easy. The children at the Pinocchio centre in Bucharest were
riotous at the best of times during our
first couple of days there, and running sessions for teenagers
at AG Matos in Zagreb with only ONE tennis ball due to a minor
glitch at the border was a serious challenge to our creativity
and improvisational skills. An obvious disadvantage of going
on an expedition from October until December
is that the weather is not always on your side, and it was
difficult to come up with new games to play or challenges
to set when confined to playing indoors due to torrential
downpours. However, as the weeks went by the belief that we
were giving a unique experience to the children and adults
we
worked with, and providing them with something extremely valuable
was crystal clear for us all to see. Departure was always
accompanied with a heart-wrenching feeling of sadness, but
also the hope that you have had a positive effect on the children,
and that they will grow up and lead happy lives.
Living and working
in such close quarters to the other expedition
members for such a long period of time was something
that could take some getting used to. However,
because the whole expedition experience is so
intense you end up making strong bonds with the
other people on the trip, and there is enough
diversity in people and personalities that days
are never dull. Running sessions with different
team members allows you to play different roles
in sessions and find your strength and weaknesses
as an instructor. Whenever we had any free time
there was always somebody who wanted to go for
a wander, or somebody who wanted to go shopping,
or somebody who wanted to relax and have a chat
or play a game of cards.
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There were plenty of chances to have some "me"
time too, to write in your diary or a letter (yes, some
of us still do that!). I found myself in countries such
as Bosnia that I didn't imagine I'd ever visit, and
learning about the country and its culture from the
locals who worked with us was an eye-opening experience.
It breaks my heart that I cannot go again this year,
although I am planning on meeting the expedition team
at one location along the way to lend a hand. There
is always room for extra members in our team, so if
you're interested then please join us now! |
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