So a week to go, and things are finally taking shape. The past few months have been a bit hectic to say the least. I suppose the stories begins back in September, when Mick and Darragh and I (Mark) arrived home from Mexico, when it was decided that we were all going travelling next year for a year. I think that few days in bandit country really showed us how much fun is to be had in the weirdest places!
From there, the war room was created, where along with stories from the returning Senior team and the departing girls, a plan was brough together bit by bit. Start off in Bangkok, a few months around South East Asia, onto Australia, from north to south, onto Fiji, New Zealand before landing in Santiago. Across to Buenos Aires, then north as far as Venezuela, and finally making our way south through (or over) Brazil, flying home from Rio.
Ed was put in charge of finances, and before we knew it tickets had been purchased from the UK thanks to an ever-falling Sterling exchange rate and some hefty loans (the lotto winning idea failed). Having done the sums, it became pretty clear that travelling for a full year simly wasn't going to be viable, so we looked into working in Australia or New Zealand. Having got word back from some friends about what the job hunting was like in Australia, we decided against that and decided to save the world instead, starting with the people of Cusco, Peru. So we got in touch with a volunteering organisation called Hampy, who set up mini business' for locals and will be working with them for 3 months this Winter (their summertime).
Once the dates were set, the next step was to inform our respective employers about our detarture. With the way the jobs market was going in Ireland, this raised a few eyebrows, but we aren't getting any younger, so decided to go for it. And I'm pretty sure the guinea pig farm in Peru is recession-proof anyway!
Next up was a trip to the doctor, where we got more injections that I ever wanted. Everything from the common cold to rabies was taken care of and after 5 visits, we are now pretty much invincible, and have a very friendly local doctor who at one point looked like he was going to ask to tag along for the trip.
The last step on the road was definately the most fun; the long goodbyes. Well okay, I'll get soppy for a moments and yes, there were tears shed, but my god, Great Friday was probably the best send off since Italia 90. T'was a great night and I haven't heard many complaints yet (aside from the neighbours obviously). Cheers to everybody who came along. Hope ye had a great night.
So Monday, 27th April, at 3.55pm, join Ireland in a minute silence as 5 of it's best leave these shores to bring the fun that was Weston Avenue to the rest of the world. For the next year, you'll be able to keep up to date with our ongoings here, on Smugmug, and on our facebook pages. There'll be 5 of us contributing to the blog, along with a few special guest writers, so hopefully it'll keep you entertained. And if anybody fancies a holiday, well, you know where we'll be.
