I am taking part in the World Challenge Borneo trip 2020 . World Challenge is an organisation which helps young people such as myself to step out of their comfort zone, these expeditions encourage (force) teenagers to adapt to their surroundings and to embrace the culture and climate of the country. Although at times the three week trip will be tremendously exhausting I hope/know that I will be pushed out of my comfort zone.

Activities such as climbing the over 4,000m Mount Kinabalu will be incredibly tiring due to the altitude and my hateful relationship with hiking, however it will be an experience I am very fortunate to have available to me. Another aspect of the expedition are long walks through the jungle, to eventually arrive at an orung-utang rehabilitation centre, I will be volunteering and doing what I can to help these animals who are suffering due to deforestation.

Occasionally at night I will be staying with the locals to get a sense of the culture. On the other nights I will be sleeping in hammock getting eaten by mosquitos and leeches. The group will also be partaking in a project in a local village, such as building houses and installing pipes. To top the previous, I will be eating foreign foods which will be completely alien to me, I shall be budgeting my food money as well, deciding how much to spend or how much to save. Over 7,000 miles from the UK, it is certainly a long way from the familiar and I expect culture shock and homesickness to set in.

As if the challenge isn't enough, we also have to raise the funds to get there. I intend to fund the money via other devices such as odd jobs, washing cars and saving any pocket/ birthday money. However I still have an immense target to reach, particularly as this coincides with the period I am revising for my IGCSE examinations towards the end of may 2020. I will be very grateful for any donations towards my cause. I am also available to do odd jobs in the York area over summer 2019 holidays.

Thank you very much for supporting me on this memorable challenge.