Our local private school has an historic gap year programme that involves Australia sending four or five of her brightest and bravest every January for a year. They work as sport coaches, teaching assistants and insure the boarding house is very jolly. They live in but don't miss an opportunity to get out and travel and enjoy on the modest stipends offered. It is a wonderful opportunity for them and the school, an exchange of gifts that benefits all.
What I'd like to do is to compare that with my sons who have in turn worked hard to save money for the 'round the world' gap year trip of a lifetime. You have to admire them. A-levels behind them, university ahead, they beaver away at jobs that don't necessarily pay much and then suddenly, start packing, getting shots and passports and then they are gone.
I have often wondered at the surprisingly expensive third world projects where earnest souls fund raise for years and then leave to build a school or dig a well in the third world. Of course its worthy, but in the photos we see glistening sun-burnt off-spring of the west working in the heat surrounded by the bewildered poor. Surely, I tell myself, one star could go with all the money and just energise a self help project for the village to do itself.
There has been a classic example running on Radio Four: 'Three Cups of Tea'; which details the travails and successes ofGreg Mortensen, a young climber who was rescued by a village in northern Pakistan after an assault on K2. He vows to return and build a school and ends up building a bridge as well. Its wonderful and inspiring and well worth a listen.
I have difficulty reconciling the tsunami of well fed middle class young people flying off in groups around the world as an adventure. Imagine the catchers waiting at hot, sun-baked, fly blown airports around the world, calmly expecting the amazing apparition of the locust like cloud coming out of the West, pockets full of money and stars in their eyes.
We have been enjoying the hoard of old ciné and photos collected by Alfred Kahn, the French philanthropist; who sent photographers off to capture a vanishing world in the 20s. We can travel from our living rooms and see what travel has cost us in the fascinating portrayal of lost civilisations. One of my favourites was photos and clips of the French cod fisherman off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, where the amazing fish bounty has been gathered since the early 16th century.
It must be like that for the third world. We don't have to send shoe boxes filled with useful things, or buy cows or goats from Oxfam, we can just continue to send 'the Gappies' and their wallets. The only slight problem is directing the monies to useful sources, the same problems that organised third world aid has generally. How do we avoiding the pockets of the unworthy, the grasping and the mendacious. Imagine if we could insure that all the aid avoided the sticky fingers of politicos and apparatchiks.
Couldn't we channel 'gappie aid' by situating hostels, pubs and bungee jumping facilities closer to the really needy. It may take some skill and planning to re-route the gappy trail away from over subscribed sites like Bali and New Zealand.
The answer may be the one provided the engaging Tropic of Capricorn series on t.v. where the earnest, enquiring and amusing Simon Reeve chose a route and destinations that fell on or close to an arbitrary line. It showed up an unseen and unlikely series of fascinating vignettes and required some careful planning.
In the meantime, spare a thought for the 'fishermen' around the world, patiently waiting to harvest the almost continuous rich migration of ' gappies' as they stumble around the world, crowding buses, taking photos, infesting email cafs; discovering and widening their horizons as they enrich.
Somehow, I wonder if my boys wouldn't have been happier working atschool in Oz for twelve months. '
'Bah, humbug!'
Jon
A nun its been more like mick Jaggar!!!!
Alex
speak for your self tom, i´ve been a frickin nun!!!! i wake up at 7 everyday an go to places of cultural interest, come back for a vegtible sandwich and some tomatoe juice then go to bed at 9.30. xx
Tom
i wright on facebook to you mum through emily so i am not going to wright on the blog aswell lol love you though and i have not bought a new camara coz i cant speak to them in enough detail so will get one in new z. we have not seen daylight for the last seven days and our heads are still spinning thus we have nothing to say apart from the women are flowing and alcohol has replaced are blood stream lol xxx
Trudie
I second everything Izzy wrote and TOM it's definitely your turn for a blog entry!! Have you replaced your camera yet? Thinking of you all. XXX
Isabel
Boys - PLEASE can we have more regular updates on your blog reports. All the relatives whose only access to what you are up to is this blog, are very keen to know how things are going and to hear of your adventures. You could each take it in turns to do a brief resume of your trip every few days. It doesn't have to be the responsibility of just one of you. It's great to see the photo's but to be able to have rough idea of where they were taken etc would be very helpful, and you may think you will remember when you come back but you won't. too much will have happened by then!
Nag nag nag I know, but I'm sure I'm not the only one wanting to hear what's happening!!
Hope the chin is recovering,
Love mum xx
Chas
Pocket's been picked?
How to get back all that's lost
Last Updated February 16, 2007
It takes just one unguarded moment for a thief to pick your pocket but it can take weeks to untangle your way out of a mass of government and credit application files in a bid to reclaim everything that's been lost.
Here are some tips on how to successfully navigate the crisis and emerge with your personal information intact and the contents of your wallet restored.
Carry only what you need in your wallet. If you're not likely to use more than one credit card, leave the others at home.
1. File a police report
As soon as you realize your wallet has been stolen, call local police and file a report. Ask the police for an occurrence number or a file number in case you have followup questions. Also, some financial institutions or government agencies may ask for a police report number before they agree to issue a new card or piece of identification.
2. Cancel your bank and credit cards
Telephone your bank and credit-card companies and cancel your cards immediately. When your cards have been stolen, the faster you respond, the better. Think back to the last transaction you made on each card and give this information to the customer service representative. Be sure to check your billing statements at the end of the month for any purchases you did not authorize. Ask for a replacement card to be issued and keep in mind that any automated bill payments will have to be reset with your new credit card number.
3. Retrace your steps
Think back to the last time you had your wallet. Retrace your steps and revisit places where you may have dropped or left your wallet. Scour change rooms and washrooms and other public areas. If you've spent the morning shopping, be sure to ask store clerks if anyone has turned in your wallet. Pay a visit to the nearest lost and found and leave your name and number in case your wallet is turned in later in the day.
4. Make a list
Make a list of all the pieces of identification you carried in your wallet. Ideally, you should only be carrying what you need — some cash, debit cards, credit cards, your driver's licence and your health card. But if you had a fully packed wallet, here's a checklist to get you started:
0.Credit cards.
0.Birth certificate.
0.Health card.
0.Passport.
0.Canadian citizenship card.
0.Immigration record of landing.
0.Status card.
0.Permanent resident card.
0.Social insurance number.
0.Old age security card.
0.Firearms licence.
0.Private health insurance card.
0.Hunting and fishing licence.
5. Organize your applications
As soon as you begin filling out application forms, you'll realize you need to develop a game plan. Almost all government applications require some form of official identification and some will ask for certification from a guarantor. If you've lost your birth certificate, you may want to start with this application, given that other applications may ask for ID showing your date of birth. For supplementary proof of identification, pull out marriage certificates, adoption papers, divorce decrees, or legal change of name documents.
6. Draw up a master contact list
Write up a list with phone numbers of credit card companies, banks and government agencies on a grid with spaces for two check marks — one for when you've submitted your application and another for when you've received the replacement. Keep this list as a reference should you lose your wallet again.
7. Be a prepared jet-setter
Bring a copy of your master list with you when you're travelling so you'll have all the contact numbers at your fingertips should you need them. Update the list with the address and phone number of the nearest consulate. Also, in the event you that you lose your wallet, bring an extra supply of cash and store it in your hotel safe to tide you over until your replacement credit cards are delivered.
If your credit card has been stolen, be sure to check your billing statements at the end of the month for purchases you did not authorize.
8. Photocopy your passport
Before you leave for a trip, take two photocopies of the second page of your passport. Bring one with you and leave one at home with a trusted family member. Should you lose your ID, Passport Canada will be able to trace your passport with the photocopied barcode information. Only carry your passport with you when necessary and store your photocopied documents in a secure place at your hotel. If you do lose your passport, contact local police and Passport Canada immediately. If you are travelling within Canada or the U.S., call 1-800-567-6868. From all other countries, call (819) 997-8338. If you are travelling abroad, you can apply for a replacement passport at the nearest Canadian government office.
Depending on how comfortable you are with sharing your personal information, you may want to consider an ID protection service offered by some credit card companies. When registering for these services, consumers provide their credit card and bank card numbers, passport and birth certificate information, details about insurance policies, licences and more. If your wallet is stolen, the credit card company will block cards from further use and request replacement cards.
10. Don't carry more than you need
Put only what you need in your wallet. If you're not likely to use more than one credit card, leave the others at home. Never carry your SIN card with you and only bring your birth certificate if you're travelling without a passport. Also, don't carry a PIN or password crib sheet in your wallet. Choose a meaningful but cryptic password or PIN and change it often.
Paul
Hi Son
How are you doing? The rugby has been rubbish we lost to Scotland at the weekend...not good! We had a great time in Cambridge with Emily and went punting on the Sunday, I did not drive the thing as it looked quite tricky. Hope to hear from you soon, much love DAD x
Chas
Jonno, use a bottle opener next time!
photo: Mrs. Fluffy enjoys the daffs
Spring Migration on the Forest
Its spring and we are under siege. Mice all across the Forest have begun migrating to Jude's new exotic bird feeder. You can see them, little furry refugees with small battered suitcases and crumpled fedoras, anxiously peering up at Brook Farm and wondering if they will be happy here. Unlike Songat, there is no control, no need for passports, thumbprints or photos.
The Explorer Chicken Centre looks like its under attack as well, small tunnels and new holes in the walls of the old Wendy house and evidence of visitors in the Duck Ark where the laying goes on. We hear the squawking at night as high on their roosts the chickens complain about nocturnal invasions.
Fortunately, the ponies have moved on, now that their usual haunts on the Forest can support life again, but it's a mere respite.
The deer, fleet, and beautiful, have been massing as the roses come into bud. No amount of Labrador barking and patrolling from our one remaining operative seems to deter them from their activities in the garden.
Nature is on the move as the microcosm reflects the macrocosm of the wide world where millions are following the food.
Packs of grey squirrels ( the chavs of the rodent world) have begun gathering. We know that if you can see two, there are twenty hiding. Some days the view from the kitchen window is reminiscent of the famous Canadian Cirque de Soleil. Hundreds of glorious birds flit in and out, fluttering like multi coloured kites, then queuing like planes over Heathrow for space at the feeders while a squirrel leaps and dangles and scurries, an amazing destructive acrobat.
It could be busy. There is already a certain amount of scrabbllng going on in the walls of the old Victorian farm house which probably means that there is a fair colony of something already settled in. The phones went down last week, the wires had been snacked on.
Fortunately, with all three boys elsewhere, there is lots of room.
Isabel
I've never heard of anyone cutting their chin open doing press-ups before. I think there may be some detailed reporting of the incident required please. Was there by any chance a certain amount of alcohol involved by any chance?!!
If you had to pay for your hospital treatment, Jono, don't forget to keep the receipt so that you can claim for it on your insurance.
Hope your beautiful face isn't too scarred!!
Love mum xx
Chas Cochand
Loved the photo of you and Jonno and Tom but I am shocked at how much Tom has aged with the drinking and travel. The only other question is why has he changed his name to Flory.
Mum loves her birthday prezzie, the book about Iceland
Trudie
Hi Tom. Just saying Hello and hope you are all still having a great time. Don't forget to replace your camera as we need to see some more pics! Had great day yesterday - Fordingbridge thrashed Ellingham (Charlie scored 2 trys) then 10 of us back to ours for Mother's Day lunch (none taken!!). Hope to hear from you soon, lol x
