Learning the ropes

From day one we were thrown right into the thick of things. Emily, our Project Officer, gave us the lowdown on life at the lodge. At the time I arrived we had no generator, meaning no electricity & no running water. Showering meant using a bucket of rainwater collected from the well a couple of minutes' walk from the lodge - past the armchair & across the basketball court. Flushing the toilet meant using a bucket of water collected from the sea (but only after having done a number 2 & not number 1 - so as to not fill up the septic tank too quickly!).

In order to make things run smoothly (& fairly), everybody at the lodge was assigned to a chores group upon their arrival. I was put into Wahoo - the same group as Katie. The chores weren't all totally pleasant!, but essential to the running of the lodge. They included:

• Collecting rain water for washing both ourselves & our dishes
• Collecting desalinated water for drinking
• Preparing meals & washing up
• Feeding our food leftovers to the local pigs
• Cleaning the communal areas
• Getting the boats kitted out for the day with fuel cells, fire extinguisher, radio & life jackets etc.
• Burning everyone's used toilet roll in a metal drum - the least favourite chore of all :o)

With the exception of Sundays, we had to be up & ready for breakfast by 6am. If you were on boat crew, this meant getting up around 5.30am, as the boats had to be kitted out prior to breakfast.