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A Day in the Life of a CARE4CALAIS Voluneer

27/4/2020

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I've been in France for nearly a week now volunteering with Care4Calais. Volunteers are always needed so I thought I'd give you an idea of what my days are like, and what yours would be like if you came to help out. Plus, I had the added bonus of an exciting ferry journey. Read on for the ferry report as well as a day in the life...
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When I decided to come back to Calais during the coronavirus lockdown, volunteers had been travelling back and forth as usual via the Dover to Calais ferry, or via the Eurotunnel from Folkstone. However, as my departure day drew closer, the admin team at the charity got in touch to tell me about problems on those routes. Despite having documentation proving the essential nature of Care4Calais's work from both French and Belgian authorities and having all the correct paperwork to allow travel, people were denied entry to France. I spoke to various different people about other travel options and the likelihood of problems on those routes and, after a delay of a few days, I headed off. Me and my enormous pile of paperwork, which included a letter from the Mayor's office in Calais and the city authority of Brussels, first headed for Cambridge. A church there was a collection point for donations for the charity and it wasn't too far out of my way. Fr Simon and his Labrador sent me on my way with a car full of clothing and shoes along with a diet coke - carefully placed on the roof of my car using BBQ tongs to avoid risk of virus transmission - and next stop was Hull.

I arrived in Hull too early - there had been no traffic. I enjoyed my diet coke while nervously awaiting check-in and immigration. I was questioned by the ferry staff but didn't need to disturb most of my pile of documents. After a quick car search (it was clear I wasn't just going for the weekend, what with the piano in my car), there was more waiting around but no further checks. There were 5 or 6 other cars boarding the ferry to Zeebrugge in Belgium along with a lot of lorries. I picked up my sanitized cabin key from the staff member in mask and gloves and breathed half a sigh of relief in my little cabin. I was on the ferry but I still had to face Belgian immigration and then the French border.

I do love a good ferry. I was reminded of the slightly dodgy ferry I'd taken from Jordan to Egypt last year, as I watched the sunset from the deck. I explored the ship, smiling at the truckers from at least 2 metres away. Falling asleep in my little cabin being rocked by the sea was actually very calming. Disembarking 13 hours later, I was ready with my pile of documents again. But, to my relief, the Belgian authorities were only interested in my passport. It's only an hour and half to Calais from Zeebrugge - driving to another country is still really strange to an islander. I stopped to figure out which documents I needed for the French border, but to my amazement, I wasn't stopped! Arriving to the charity's warehouse in Calais was a relief and it was comforting to be in a familiar place again.

A Day in the Life of a Volunteer

I've volunteered three times now over more than 2 years, the situation in northern France changes all the time, especially now, but the structure of Care4Calais's working day remains roughly the same. Here's what I did yesterday as an example of how the charity functions.

Yesterday I arrived at the warehouse at about 9:20am. I washed my hands at the handwash station outside the warehouse, signed in and put on a volunteer vest. My first task of the day was creating food packs. Since the beginning of the French lockdown, the other organisations providing hot food have had to pull out. Care4Calais is supplying refugees with packs of things to cook with for a few days in a small groups. I counted out 70 cans of tomatoes, 105 tins of fish and 35 bags of teabags. Also in the packs were rice, lentils, oil, onions, carrots, garlic, milk, sugar, salt, chickpeas and oranges. Once the bags were made up and loaded in to the vans, I helped sorting trousers. When donations arrive at the warehouse they get sorted several times depending on what we need now and what we need to store for later.

After lunch, prepared by Isy and Stef - fellow volunteers - we had a briefing for the afternoon. We were going to Dunkirk with the food packs. The refugees have tents in some abandoned warehouses, as well as hidden in some woods on the other side of the motorway. We were each given a role, told where we would park, who would drive and any other considerations for this site. Then we prepared out PPE. We've got scrubs to wear over our clothes (they're actually British Airways pjs), hats, two sorts of mask, and gloves. We headed off for the 30 minutes drive to Dunkirk. My role was to go with a couple of others into the warehouses to give out tickets for the food packs. This was to make sure every group got a pack. People with tickets then lined up. There are spots painted on the floor to make sure everyone is two metres apart. Once the line was ready then my job was to hand out the packs from the back of the van. Again, for social distancing this was done over a table so we didn't have any direct contact. Once the big packs for groups were finished, we had some snack packs for anyone that had missed out. During this distribution we'd also set up the generator and charging boards for everyone to charge their phones and hand washing station. We had time to chat and to carry out surveys. We're trying to find out how coronavirus is affecting displaced people to ensure we're meeting their needs as best we can. I had a good chat with one guy who told me that he would be more concerned of catching the virus in a government centre as there would be more mixing of people - locals running the place, plus refugees from different areas - so he felt safer staying where he was.

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After packing up and driving back, it was time to wash everything! We are very conscious of spreading the virus between groups that are quite isolated so we take hygiene to extreme levels. Car interiors, clipboards, water container, generator, everything is washed or wiped with disinfectant wipes and we safely disposed of our PPE. While the stuff was drying, we had a debrief. People shared how they felt the distribution went, if any changes should be made, any stories they heard or problems to report. We were then given a taster of what would happen the next day and did a final tidy up.

The differences in volunteering at the moment are the extra work created by PPE and washing things and the extra paperwork (every time you are moving around you require a form). Otherwise we continue to respond to the needs of the displaced people as best we can with the resources that we have. It is an intense situation, but once you accept the hardship and injustice as a given, then it's fun socialising with the other volunteers and with refugees, it's good to feel useful and productive and the lunch is always good! If you are considering joining us to volunteer then feel free to get in touch with any questions. I can help direct you to where you'll find the newest information about travel as well as any queries about the practicalities of life here. Just comment below, or email me directly using the Contact Form.
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The Norfolk Garden Half: write up.

19/4/2020

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Four days on and I still can’t quite walk properly! I’m delighted to have written about my Garden Half Marathon for Intrepid which you can read here. And there’s still time to donate to Care4Calais via my sponsorship page here.
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GoPro: becoming a divemaster

16/4/2020

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There are plenty of options available for those scuba addicts among us that want to join the ranks of scuba professionals. Training to become a Divemaster is a challenging and rewarding experience. The length of time that you take to complete all the elements isn't fixed, so you can do it over a year with your local dive shop - perhaps combining e-learning with weekend pool or open water sessions. Or you can technically complete all the tasks in a couple of weeks of intense study and activity. How to decide? I did a lot of research before deciding what to do. Read on for my research criteria as well as my experience as a DiveMasterTrainee!

When I was picking where to do my training I had the following criteria:

  1. Amazing diving - I wanted to experience a famous dive destination with amazing marine life.
  2. Live in a real place - I didn’t want to be stuck in a resort place, but somewhere that felt like real a community. I wanted to use it as an authentic travel experience.
  3. Work experience - the ability to gain experience with real clients is very important if you want to work in this industry
  4. A reputable operation - obviously I wanted to read reviews and communicate with the dive centre before committing large amounts of money!

All these things, and a desire to visit Mexico as a backpacker, led me to XTC dive center which is located in the village of Xcalak on the Yucatan Peninsular. Their website had lots of helpful information. The diving in that part of Mexico is world famous and they are based in a little village with no other dive centres. Their programme allowed me to pick how long to do the course (1, 2, or 3 months) for the same cost meaning, I’d get plenty of diving and plenty of experience for my money. The location in a remote village wouldn’t have suited everyone - a few tiny stores and a visiting veggie truck were the only shopping opportunities, but I was too busy diving, running through the mangrove forests and sleeping to do much else.

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Tarpon - giant silver fish - the celebrities of La Poza dive site
The divemaster training is demanding. Within hours of arriving I was learning to fill tanks and prepare kit, with in-between moments spent studying the divemaster textbook. Before I arrived, I was nervous about the five swim tests. I was soon distracted from worrying by the incredible marine life I saw on my first few dives, turtles and manatees were my favourite, without even mentioning the bright corals and sponges teaming with colour fish that we saw on every single dive. And fish whose names I was starting to learn through my studying. Within a week I was assisting instructors with clients, precisely the experience I had come to get. The swim tests, when they came, were demanding. I did cry at one point. But with patient instructors I managed to get through all the requirements before being forced home by some pandemic or other.

The remote location of Xcalak, amidst the mangroves of the Mexico-Belize border, isn’t the only thing that makes XTC so special. An added bonus for me was the number of divemaster trainees. I wasn’t aware there would be others training at the same time (I didn’t think to ask!), but it was great to share experiences with my fellow students. It meant we could help each other, pair-up for skills practice and pretend to be unresponsive divers for each other. Not to mention the social aspect of hanging out together when the work was done. I’ve made forever friends in Xcalak.

If you’re thinking about becoming a divemaster then I would suggest researching all the different options. Do you have 6 months to spare? Then you can find full internships where you work until you've paid off your training. If you are doing it alongside your regular work, then your local dive shop will be able to organise online theory sessions with open water training sessions as and when they can happen. ​For me, I wouldn't have picked anywhere else. XTC has great facilities, fantastic diving and excellent instructors and course director. I loved living in a remote village and immersing myself in the world of being a dive professional. Now, when can I go diving next....

Have you decided to take on divemaster training? Did you complete your training somewhere special? Do you want advice on how to pick somewhere? Comment below.
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Divemaster life
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The Norfolk Garden Half: 528 laps for Calais

13/4/2020

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The garden in question. (I might move the chairs before I start...)
What does any sane runner do when all the running events are cancelled? Create their own of course!

I've decided to enter into the lockdown spirit by running a half marathon in the confines of my Mum's back garden. It will take a mere 528 laps to complete the 13.1 miles required. There won't be any cheering crowds, no stylish medal or bragging t-shirt. The scenery is going to be pretty samey and my Mum's already said she's not going to watch for too long as she'll get bored. So why would I put myself through such an ordeal? Why would I risk injury for an event I haven't trained for? For sponsorship of course! I'm raising money for Care4Calais. 

I was last in Calais in January where the situation was largely the same as two years ago. Displaced people are living in smaller and smaller areas, crowded together, with regular police clearances. Now, some of the other charities have had to scale back or shut down due to various reasons connected to Coronavirus. Care4Calais have had to take on the responsibility of providing food for people to cook with, as this is the most hygienic way for everyone involved. This is costing the charity substantially more than their usual costs, and it means their usual services have been suspended. 

****PLEASE SPONSOR ME BY CLICKING HERE!****

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I never thought I would be a swimwear model: Deakin and Blue swimwear review

5/4/2020

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When I reached out to Deakin and Blue I thought it would be a long shot. I knew of the sustainable swimwear company from social media and had been eyeing up their diverse range of full suits and bikinis for my next trip. I’m training to be a dive professional and told them about my plans to volunteer for good causes using my newly acquired dive skills once I've got my qualification. The ocean needs all the help it can get right now and I can't wait to get involved with marine conservation projects and humanitarian causes. They liked the sound of my plans and very generously let me pick a swimsuit from their extensive range. Read on for a full product review, with some snippets about my Mexican travels thrown in for good measure. And scroll on for my swimsuit modelling debut.


I primarily wanted a new swimsuit to wear under a wet suit while scuba diving. I have tried different combinations of undergarments over the years and
I found two halves easier than a full swimsuit, so due to not wanting to buy more plastic, had settled on wearing an old sports bra and swim shorts I found in a charity shop. Not the most glamorous! So it was a treat to pick something designed more appropriately for the job. The model I chose was the Hepburn. It's designed with activity in mind and is more substantial than almost all bikinis I’ve ever seen. The tops are sized like bras so you can get a really good fit and decent boob support, with the arms of the top being cut low enough that there's no chaffing when swimming lengths in a pool. I chose high-waisted bottoms for comfort under neoprene, and you can pick the size of the bottoms independently from the top which makes a lot of sense. The range also includes full suits and more skimpy numbers in a huge range of size options so they have something for everyone.


All Deakin and Blue have high sustainability credentials. Their website explains that the material used is "
ECONYL® - a 100% regenerated nylon fibre made from post-consumer waste such as old fishing nets and industrial plastic." They are also built to last and are made tougher than most other products. The material feels nice against my skin, dries well and holds up to saltwater, swimming pools and waterfalls. A solid month of 3 dives a day in sea water and being dried in direct sunlight and I've seen no change in colour or stretchiness. The first time I wore it was at the stunning Roberto Barrios waterfalls near Palenque in Mexico, where it dried quickly enough that I didn’t need to perform an awkward towel dance to change my underwear in public! However, awkward towel dances are made easier with the front zip on the top. As demonstrated after swimming at the mossy green cavern that is the cenote in the heart of the city of Valladolid.
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My life as a divemaster trainee involves being wet for large part of the day. I love that I can take half my wet suit off and go to the loo (not an easy feat wearing a full swimming costume). And I don’t feel too naked, so I’m happy to wander around during our surface intervals without anything more on.


I’m so pleased to have found a product that suits my needs so well. I’m not at all comfortable wearing triangles held on with stringy bits and I need something that can offer support when lifting tanks and equipment on and off dive boats. The fact that Deakin and Blue have these design features covered is only made more brilliant by their eco friendly credentials - all happily delivered in beautiful, non-plastic packaging. I’m sure my new swimsuit will last ages but I know where I’m getting my next one. 



So now for the swimwear model moment. Here is a picture of a real person, on a windy day, about to do her 800m snorkelling swimming test in the choppy ocean. Thank you so much Deakin and Blue for the swimsuit and for the confidence you’ve shown in me in providing me with a product.
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    Hannah the traveller

    is a travel and lifestyle blog with focus on running, vegan eating and of course global travel.

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