My news article from The Oldham Chronicle 24th January 2012

I was really happy to hear that my local newspaper was interested in my up and coming volunteering...

They published the article with the heading 'Hayley heading for a Far East adventure'..

I was so delighted with what they had written and I am going to collate some resources now and get them packed into my rucksack!

Here is the link: http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/65825/hayley-heading-for-a-far-east-adventure#comments

Rough Guide to the trips and volunteering I will strive to undertake in my life.... (starting with number 1 on the 2nd February 2012!)

Top 10 Travel Trips/Volunteer places to do in my life:

1.       Sri Lanka and SE Asia: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Volunteering in Sri Lanka and Cambodia will commence the 6th February with SL Volunteers and AboutAsiaSchools.

2.       India, I would like to volunteer for I-India in Jaipur and Somit Yoga's Education and Yoga Training in Varanasi. I would like to volunteer in India for 5-6 months then move on to see the sights, and stay in an Ashram. I would further like to explore the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nepal (Volunteer in Kathmandu for 1-2 months), Bhutan, Bangladesh, the further 3 states of India, to the East of Bangladesh and also Burma.

3.      Tibet, South China, Hong Kong, Hainan Island, Taiwan, Japan, North and South Korea- Beijing-Mongolia and Trans Siberian rail to Moscow (see Russia and Kazakhstan.) I would like to work in Russia for a few months. 

4.       Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines (Volunteer for 3 months), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Oz, Tasmania, Fiji, New Zealand.

5.       South America (I would like to voluteer in Peru with 'Traveler not Tourist', and at a school in Bolivia. Central America-West Indies (I would like to volunteer with wildlife in Costa Rica)-North America, Hawaii, Canada, and Alaska

6.       Continent of Africa- Volunteer with my TeachFirst organisation. 

7.       Middle East: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, (Far Eastern Europe: Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan)

8.       Eastern Europe (bottom-top): Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia (top-bottom) Poland, Slovakia, Hungry, Solvenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would like to volunteer a substantial amount of time in Eastern Europe.

9.     Western Europe: Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, San Marino, Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia Islands, Greece, Crete, Switzerland, Lichtenstein (small country situated in the Alps), Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Monaco, Spain, Portugal

10.   Scandinavia: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Greenland.

The only other possible area I have missed out is between the further eastern part of the Middle East, such as Iraq, which neighbors the area classed as Central Asia: the five republics of the former Soviet Union- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran are also former areas of the soviet union included in this region of travel that I may leave until I am more worldly and a professional traveler! Although, I would love to volunteer in Afghanistan in the foreseeable future. 

AND really northern Russia- such as Vorkuta (scary!) etc, and Svalbard (part of Norway, separate Island, although I'm guessing it would be an amazing location for the Northern Lights!)

The most obscure place I would like to visit for travel is the British Territory smack bang in the South Pacific Ocean- known as the Pitcairn Island. There are roughly 48 inhabitants!

Introduction to Words and the World

People have their own addictions, their own little obsessions...

In the narcissistic world of blogging, you have to express what YOU enjoy, your thoughts and feelings. I am infatuated by words, (quotes to be more specific) and the world (countries, cultures, cities, for example). I will try to eliminate any pretentiousness (as my brother has warned me about blogging).

Words and the World are my two things. Broad topics, I know. But I find decision making difficult, and I was finding it difficult to really categorise exactly what I am interested in... and I realised I am pretty much interested in everything related to these two topics.

I am moved by amazing words that flow off the page and resonate around the 'Brocas' area of my brain, reverberating off the walls and into my conscience.. deep I know! The process in which my brain recognises these amazing quotes are as follows: the space between the page (or any stimuli) and my understanding, the second phase is processing the words, and the final outcome is that it can have an impact on me for the rest of the day, week or even for life. These words can come from any form of media; prose, poetry, films, music, articles, film etc and they will make their way and righteous place to a post- it note that will be on the walls of my bedroom, in my diary or even in a book of personal favorite quotes I have been creating over the past years!

The second part of my self-absorbed interest is the World. I am a fantasist. I have often sat in my room on google maps and planned routes that would be awesome, if I had the time and money. I have always been under the impression that only middle class young people get the opportunity to really travel for months on end, to really go out there and literally not come back for a year. I am young and working class, and I am trying to prove it can be done without a pretentious stereotype (although unfortunately it is frequently the former!) I have, however, worked in China for 4 months after I finished University two years ago, and I am lucky enough to have had such an experience that taught me more than any of my government-led education!

Furthermore, I am about to embark on a voluntary expedition to Sri Lanka and Cambodia, with a couple of weeks spare to maybe see another country in SE Asia. I will be staying in the cheapest accommodation I can find and pretty much the cheapest food (which I am sure will be good quality compared to what you would get in the West on a budget!) I have saved £1000 spends for 4 months. I have dreamed of this trip since I came back from China 2 years ago. But because I do not have the resources or income to just get up and go, I have been patient and planned the right moment to take this trip. This is where my fantasist mind is struck by reality, it isn't like a film, it has been planned, organised and perfectly timed.

While I'm away I will live a modest and simple life and read and learn as much as I can. I will blog about Words and the World along my way. And seen as though I do not leave for another month, I have time to blog some of my thoughts, which previously developed and influenced me writing an introduction to my thoughts. Hence, I will share some of my favorite quotes and worldly interests from this day onward, sprung from honesty, modesty and my down-to-earth roots.