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Working on a water relief project in Kenya Gavin Lester writes..."Like many twenty-somethings, I had reached a point in my life where I had fulfilled most of the generic goals handed down to us through parents and schooling. I had passed through college, completed university, landed a decent job at a reputable company and had managed to keep hold of it. Next up was to buy a house, settle down and live happily ever after... But hold on a minute, wasn’t I forgetting something? For the last few years I hadn’t quite been able to shake the niggling feeling that reminded me of all those personal goals I had yet to achieve and which were slowly slipping away from me. For one, I’d never really fulfilled the goal of independent travel. Sure I’d been abroad to some very interesting places, but never had I ventured off the beaten path to forge adventures of my own and really push the boundaries of my own safety net.  Secondly, I had never pushed for that career in Film/TV that had for so long been a dream of mine. Instead I was stuck behind a desk in a large corporation, merely another number in the huge machine of industry that trundled on regardless. It wasn’t until I fell and broke my arm, that I finally stopped to look at where my life was heading. That was the moment that I decided to change my destiny and start chasing my ambitions.The idea of voluntary work abroad immediately appealed to me. I had considered it a few years before but never acted upon it. Now was the time to do it. If chosen correctly I could realise many ambitions in one go. My wish list was; to work somewhere that I would not normally go, for it to be physically and mentally demanding and to really be of benefit to the people I worked with. As soon as I saw the projects Quest Overseas were supporting in East Africa, I knew that this was going to be the place for me. After careful consideration I chose the Water Relief project in Kenya. It would place me way out of my comfort zone, be demanding in so many ways but most of all it was really was going to provide useful, sustainable benefits for a wide community of people. Upon finishing the project in Kenya I decided not to rush back to the UK and pick up where I left off, but instead I continued to travel down the east African coast into Tanzania and discovering along the way the wonderful island of Zanzibar. Then, on a whim (for I was a free man now), I jumped on a plane to India Upon being accepted as part of the first team to take on the project, two things happened. One, I embarked on a series of fundraising events that saw me, amongst other things, jumping out of an aeroplane and running a marathon; both things I had wanted to do but never done. The second was that I decided to quit my job. This was the start for a whole new beginning for me, and quitting was the surest way of making it happen.  Going out to Kenya was a fantastic experience. I met a bunch of like-minded volunteers from many different backgrounds, learnt a lot about how different cultures live through working closely with the local communities and found out a lot about myself and my ability to adapt and perform in different situations. It was a thoroughly worthwhile experience.where I spent a month travelling along the train lines from Mumbai to the Himalayas. It felt so good to be in control of my own destiny. Since returning home I was free to go in whichever direction I chose, and immediately embarked on realising my dream career. I now work as a Visual Effects Artist for Film and Television. The risk I took in giving everything up to follow my heart has paid off. I have never felt better".  Click here >> for more on the placement Gavin did Click here >> for all placements offered by Quest Overseas Click here >> for more information on Kenya Click here >> for tales from more careergappers |
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