Adrian Yeo 02L Venturer recalls...

Name: Adrian Yeo
Date: 10th November 2009

Expedition(s): 02L Sabah

What are you doing now?

Climate Change Youth Activist - based in Copenhagen for COP15 UNFCCC Climate Change Conference

What has Raleigh meant for you?

It never has, had or have been. Raleigh 'is' still very much alive in me. Big part of my formative years as an adult is spent with Raleigh. Expedition is only 3 months, but I'm with the Kuala Lumpur support group for over 7 years. It is family. A family who knows no borders, from Hong Kong to Langkawi to London, you are sure to find a like-minded soul to host you for a cup of tea after an evening of adventure. It is brotherhood. A sibling whom you share underwear. And a pot of tom-yam-kung is for always UKK (untuk kawan-kawan / English=always for friends)

My raleigh life is filled with adventure. Both physically and mentally. My first fundraising project was with Chung Ming, my fellow expedition mate. He really showed me that with the Ra-Ra spirit, anything is do-able. A car wash project can turn into a house cleaning and garden pruning and even PR-ing Raleigh along the way. During my days with 02L gang, it was another roller coaster ride. Stuck with hundreds of young adults from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and learning words like 'minging' and 'bollocks' and actually missing electricity and running tap water. Jumping into the water from 3-stories high, trekking in the heat of the night and priming the battery charger while sharing dark secrets after dinner is quite soothing. Then it was the drama of all drama, when tough decisions have to be made. It really tests your foundation and bring out the best in you. Life in Raleigh is not always rosy, but thorny, muddy, rocky and sometimes a burn on the thigh with a heater lighter (thanks Lisa Kirkpatrick)

You'll get twice as much as you put in, that's Raleigh to me.