Drake's Aussie Visit: By Pei Ting, Tham

Name: Tham Pei Ting Expedition: 06A as Host Country Venturer (Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia)

What are you doing now:

Internship program at Outward Bound Australia, with a Cert IV in Outdoor Recreation. Based in Tharwa, Canberra, Australia.

What has Raleigh meant for you:

The 3 months on Raleigh expedition was definitely one of the highlights of my gap year. It was not only a good test of myself being out of my comfort zones in every aspect, it was also a challenging experience being the "middle-man", adapting to the ways of the "foreigner" in my team, as well as getting to know fellow countrymen in a faraway corner of the country whom most i knew nothing about in the comforts of my city living in Kuala Lumpur. It opened my eyes to the diversity and beauty of people and nature of my own country, and got to visit places that I will never be able to venture myself, and make acquantainces with one of the most sincerely happy and contented people in this world.The combination of the experiences in that 3 months is a wild mix of physical challenge and emotions happy and sad, and nothing else can be comparable to it.

Meeting fellow venturers during the expedition inspired me to fulfill my childhood dream of travelling to Everest Base Camp. Hearing all their experiences and their travelling plans gave me confidence that I can achieve it if I set my mind to it, and indeed at the end of 2006 I set off for a 1 month backpacking trip to Nepal and reached Everest Base Camp. That in itself is the first of my many backpacking sojourns around the world, including Europe, Thailand and Vietnam.

Aside from the direct impact of the Raleigh expedition, I eventually got involved with the Raleigh KL support group and was a committee member for 2 terms. That experience is valuable in itself as I garnered much learning opportunities while managing the support group. Most importantly, I have made many lifelong friends in that support group that share the same passion for the outdoors and great life experiences, and we are all passionate in sharing the Raleigh experience to the rest of Malaysian youth.

Raleigh has also indirectly influence my chosen career path. Through expedition I witnessed the powerful value of the outdoors in personal development, and from then on developed a keen interest in outdoor education and development. Through this internship program in Outward Bound Australia, I am learning technical skills in outdoor sports, as well as soft skills such as outdoors facilitation. I hope to harness the powerful experiences one gets being in the outdoors to help bring out and discover one's personal potential. Similarly with many Raleigh experiences that have changed the lives of many young people, I hope to do the same thing, and of course one day hope to do it for Raleigh!


photo 1: Frolicking around Australia upon my arrival for my internship, with Drake the teddy strapped to my backpack.

photo 2 : Me n Teddy with Sydney Opera House.