Well, I have surpassed countdown mode and now entered freak-out mode!  With only 3 days until we leave Auckland Airport for Paris, I thought it would be appropriate to do a quick blog post to thank all the people who have helped me get to this point.  There are many people who have donated generously to my fund for the Young Ambassadors’ tour, and I am more than grateful to each and everyone of them. 

Firstly, a huge thank you to the St Hilda’s Star Fund, who gave me a donation far beyond what I had ever expected!  It’s so nice to know that my school community is supporting me throughout this incredible experience.  Secondly, another huge thank you to the West Otago Lions Club, who also gave me a very generous donation.  Thank you also to the Heriot Collie Club for their generosity.  I was overwhelmed by the support and kindness of my home community, so I hope to give back to them after my inquiry process is finished by showing them what I have learnt about our district’s history.  So far, I have found it extremely interesting to learn about what has shaped the West Otago community of today; it has really opened my eyes to view my home with a much more educated perspective.  Hopefully I will be able to help others share this perspective after I have finished my inquiry.  I would also like to thank my grandparents for an incredibly generous donation to my ‘France Fund’, I can’t wait to share my photos and stories with you when I return!  (Also, a quick shout out to Granddad for being my #1 blog follower!!).

At the beginning of the year, I was very lucky to be gifted a book from Dunedin author, Sandy McKay (who is also the mum of a friend of mine!).  The book, ‘When Our Jack Went to War’, is a story of a young Dunedin boy whose older brother has been called up to join the army.  It is told through the letters between the two boys, very cleverly depicting what life was like both in Dunedin during the war period and at the Western Front.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know a bit more about WWI; it is a very interesting and poignant read.

I am beyond excited for our trip to France and Belgium at the end of this week.  It seems like just yesterday that I got the email saying I would be going on this tour, so I can’t believe that we are here already!  I am looking forward to sharing the experience with the other Young Ambassadors.