In 2011 I'd been learning Spanish for three years and thought I might be just about able to get by in a Spanish-speaking country and, perhaps, even do something useful. So last February I spent two weeks in Nicaragua teaching a class of four year olds their numbers and letters! I volunteered in a great project set up and funded by Global Vision International (GVI) Phoenix which works with indigenous teachers and community leaders to provide educational and practical support for some of the poorest communities in Latin America. It felt really worthwhile and, since I was there, GVI has raised money to build walls for the school I worked in - it only had a roof while I was there.

In March I'm going to Guatemala to volunteer in a similar GVI project. Before I come home, I'm taking part in a fundraising challenge - 60kms of flat-water kayaking to the Caribbean. I'm not completely unprepared - I got a 1* kayaking skills award 10 years ago. However, I've bitten the bullet and joined a gym for the first time in my life, so I should have some muscles in my currently rather feeble arms by March. And I've used my research skills to find a four week basic kayaking course during January and February (in an indoor pool).

You can read a bit more about the GVI project in Guatemala at http://www.gvi.org/guatemala

You can read more about the kayaking and volcano challenges on this blog from the same challenge last year:

http://gviphoenix.blogspot.com/2011/07/guatemalas-kayak-challenge-round-1.html

http://gviphoenix.blogspot.com/2010/11/phoenix-guatemala-volcano-challenge.html