Grapevine

From Gemma Caudrey DAHS 1996 - 2003

I am currently studying for a BSc in Geography and Economics at the University of Wales, Swansea. After completing my degree, I plan to take a PGCE in secondary Geography. Before this, I would like to gain some experience in the classroom, observing lessons and working with pupils in the school environment. I would love the opportunity to come back to Dame Alice and observe the school from a teacher's perspective.

During my gap year, I worked as a member of the waiting and housekeeping staff in Hotel le Mont Corbier in the French Alps. The hotel specialised in school ski trips and I gained experience working with children and often helped to organise evening entertainment for them such as quizzes, bingo and ice-skating.

I have recently joined 'Discovery: Student Volunteering Swansea'. I volunteer with 'Reaching Higher Reaching Wider' on ACE (Aiming for a College Education) days and the school mentoring programme. During ACE days, I work closely with Year 9 pupils on a series of activities aimed at raising their aspirations for going on to study in higher education. I share my experience of student life and give them a tour of the university campus. After completing child protection and mentor training last term, I will begin my school-mentoring placement early next month. I have been placed in Bishop Gore School, Swansea. I will be working with underachieving Year 8 pupils, both in groups and individually.

From Katie Goodall DAHS 1995 - 2005

Katie has sent us a series of emails during her year out in Africa. The following email gives us a taste of her experiences. She was one of a group climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Well we did it and we did it 'pole pole' which means slowly in Swahili. I have the T-shirt, badge, postcards and certificate to prove it! You have to do it slowly, at a pace that we call the African mama pace! If you do not adopt this pace the altitude is more likely to affect you and hinder a possibly successful climb. We set off on Tuesday morning with all our bags packed and warm clothes in tow for a six-day hike. For the first two days we walked in shorts and T-shirts, but at night it got much colder and we had to put on our woolly hats etc. The porters carried our big bags and we walked with a day sack for water, sun tan lotion etc. Not only did they carry our big bags but they had another big bag full of pots, pans, food, etc on their heads! I would not be a porter if someone paid me! We had a guide called Dismas who tried in the beginning to tell us his name was Christmas! He was good fun, but I think he was maybe a little tired of us at the end, four girls!

The most impressive day and the hardest climb was the final climb up to the summit. We started walking at midnight so that we could see the sun rise, which was well worth it! Walking in the dark, we had the advantage of not being able to see where we had to climb so we had no idea of how high or far we had to go. Only on the way back down did we realise what we had just climbed, which made us feel even better! We climbed over 1000 meters in six hours and got to Gilman's Peak at 6.15 am when the sun rose. Emily and I then went on for two hours to Uhuru Peak which is where the summit is 5895m. Jenny didn't make it to Uhuru because she had no energy after having been sick for the whole six hours it took us to get to the top! Alice (Emily's sister) also didn't quite make it as she was having trouble breathing. I didn't suffer too badly with altitude, I just had a headache that was probably due to dehydration more than anything as I wasn't too keen on squatting for the loo on a glaciated hillside!

By the end of six days and no showers, I can easily say that I have NEVER EVER felt so smelly and dirty! Every little pore of my skin seemed to have been filled in with dust or dirt! The shower back at the hotel on Sunday night was like Christmas come early! Our celebratory supper was also very luxurious and we even treated ourselves to pudding!

It was an amazing experience. I'm not sure I would do Kili again but maybe another 'hill'! I told mum a small white lie when I said I had done some training, but we made it to the top so it doesn't matter! We made it to the top of a mountain, not any mountain - the fifth highest in the world, the largest free standing mountain in the world, and one of the highest volcanoes in the world! I think it was worth it and it takes the place of my best achievement! So maybe it was worth the 850 US dollars to do it!

From Judith Green (now Matthews) DAHS 1975 - 1979

It doesn't seem that I was at DAHS for very long as I write down the dates, but they were such important years for how I turned out. I remember with some affection many of my teachers, although I suspect they would not recall me with such fondness! I daren't own up to some of my misdemeanours! I came to Brighton in 1979 to study at Brighton Polytechnic (BA in Expressive Arts) and still haven't left. Two children and a career in social work later, I am now approaching some kind of middle age. I have decided to run my first marathon. The training is a welcome relief to work and putting the children to bed. In addition to the personal goal of running 26 miles, I am running to raise money and draw attention to 'STARS' (Syncope Trust And Reflex Anoxic Seizures). This charity advised and supported us when our first daughter, as a baby and toddler, had a series of unexplained breath-holding episodes and seizures. It was a frightening time and I appreciated so much the warmth and personal support we received.

From Charlie Gunns DAHS 1995 - 2005

Hi everyone. I hope you are all well and that the term is going smoothly.

I met up with Amy (Hickson) today. I go for a couple of weeks without seeing her, and then one day, I'll bump into her on every other street corner. We had our weekly reunion in Durham's most popular student coffee shop this morning as we do every Thursday before the 12.00 lecture that we both have. As usual, we ordered our hot chocolates and then spent the hour alternating between reminiscing about our pasts, and planning our futures. By 12.00, we had decided that we are going to spend half the summer working and the other half in Israel, working on a kibbutz.

I am loving my time at university. There's just so much to do here. I have a list of societies that I have joined as long as my 'suggested reading list' (which, by the way, is long). The list of societies contains abstract ones such as: 'TABS' (Tea and Biscuit Society - which does exactly what it says on the biscuit tin), 'Young Europeans' and sailing. On Monday afternoons I teach French to an over-enthusiastic class of 9-year olds. I play cricket on Saturdays and wake up late on Sundays. My friends and I go to house parties of the Erasmus students and, every time, I feel as though I've walked in on a general meeting of the European Parliament, as there are always people from all over Europe there. I'm busy all day every day and, for me, an early night is one when I go to bed before three in the morning! And yet, all the time I feel a certain nagging feeling in the back of my mind, as though I'm forgetting something vital, something important, such as - say studying for a 4-year BA Hons degree in 'Modern European Languages' - but then when I remember I smile to myself with relief, as what I'm really forgetting is that Disney-themed party the following evening.

My course is fantastic - forget about 'learning something new every day' - I'm learning something new practically every two minutes! Italian is looking more and more familiar by the day, although as soon as I try to speak some, only Spanish comes out! At the moment I'm toying with the idea of doing a couple of Politics modules next year and perhaps not continuing with Spanish.

As far as Durham as a university is concerned, I made the right choice (and so did The Times, when it named it 'University of the Year' in October). The town is small which makes it almost impossible to walk down the high street without seeing a friendly and familiar face. I feel as though I've met hundreds of new people.

From Alex Hancock DAHS 1996 - 2005

Hi, I hope you are all well.

I am currently having the time of my life in Malawi, Africa, with African Venture. I teach at St Anthony's Boys Primary School and love every minute of it! Standard 7 is a class of 88 kids aged between 12 and 17! Teaching PE to 80 plus kids who can't speak English and with only one football was a bit of a challenge but great fun! I teach Maths, PE, Creative Arts and Music and have set up rugby, football, netball and art clubs.

The kids are amazing. My class has a great sense of humour and it's so easy to make them laugh.

Every day after school and clubs we have about 100 kids appearing from nowhere standing outside our house chanting until we come out and play with them. We play football, netball, rounders, chess, cards, draw pictures and chase them around until it's dark and we're shattered! It's sad that we actually miss the children whenever we go away for the weekend. How am I ever going to leave this place?

I live with three other girls, Ally, Jess and Claire and we all get on really well. We live in a house with no running water, minimal electricity, no shower and an outside toilet with a manual flush (pour water into the back!) but it's great. We have a water girl who fills up our four buckets of water every day. We have had our fair share of intruders. We have lots of geckoes, bangalolos (giant centipedes - 20cm long and 2 cm wide), chickens, including the one that came into our kitchen and stood on our tub of Marmite! We've also had a dangerous snake slither its way through our outside drain into our courtyard (a sheet of concrete in between the house and toilets) - it's great for sunbathing.

As well as teaching, we are also getting to see quite a bit of Malawi. We've been to Monkey Bay and Nkhata Bay at Lake Malawi. Paradise without the palm trees. We plan to climb Mount Mulanje (Malawi's highest mountain) next weekend, having already climbed up Zamba Plateau. We've also been discovering the Malawian nightlife.

At Nkhata Bay, I met up with Katie Goodall, who has finished her teaching placement in Tanzania and is travelling around Africa. So weird to see someone from Dame Alice in the middle of nowhere in Africa!

I was quite surprised at how little culture shock I had when I arrived out here. I think I just expected it. None of the kids have shoes, which was the first thing I noticed, and I never knew what a pot belly was until I got here. You'd never know the things the kids go through though - they are always so happy and even a smile could make their day.

After tearing myself away from the school in April we have lots of travelling planned. First stop, Victoria Falls to do a bungee jump! Maybe see a bit of Zambia and Zimbabwe before travelling to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania then Zanzibar and the Kenyan coast. We will all meet up in Nairobi for a 6-day safari, after which some people will go home. However, I'm off to Uganda to white water raft the Nile before going back to the Kenyan coast for more sunbathing.

I've been here since January and I'm having the time of my life. The teaching is great fun and I love all the kids to bits. As if that's not enough, I still have two months of travelling to do afterwards. Hopefully, it will be the best five months of my life and what's even better is, I get back just in time for the World Cup!

I hope you are all well and Dame Alice is its usual lively self. Hope to see some of you when I get back (if I ever leave!)

From Amy Hickson DAHS 1994 - 2005

Yesterday was quite possibly the best (and most painful) day of my life! But I did it! I ran the entire 26.2 miles of the London Marathon! It was such an amazing experience that I shall never forget. I remember the start so clearly, lining up, nervous and excited; the crowd on one side of me, a giant rhino on the other! Then we were off! The exhilaration at the start was incredible, and the reality of running 26.2 miles didn't sink in until about the sixth mile. It was important that I kept a steady pace at the start (but it couldn't be too steady because I had a rhino right behind me and I was in constant fear of being impaled by his horn!)

I have total admiration for the people who run in fancy dress. I saw people running in the tallest marathon costume, a gorilla outfit and as apples. I don't know how they do it!

I got into quite a comfortable pace and managed to finish the course in five hours and 41 minutes. It's no world record, but I'm pleased with it as my first attempt. The atmosphere throughout the entire race was what kept me going. People lined the streets the whole way giving much needed support. It was such a lift to see my parents and Hugo five times throughout the course - I've never heard my Mum shout as loudly as she did yesterday, or jump up and down so high!

As well as my family's constant support, I received support from many friends and they were in my thoughts as I ran and it honestly kept me going through the tough times and throughout my training. More importantly, they helped The PSP Association so much. So far I have raised about £1,100, but funds are still coming in. Not only has a lot of money been raised to help the sufferers and support their families, but I hope I have raised awareness of this devastating brain disease. I have to admit that I did not know much about PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy) before I entered the marathon, but now feel that I know a lot about the condition and why it is important to support charities like The PSP Association.

All that's left to say is that my mind is buzzing on top of a hobbling body but my whole body agrees that it was 100% worth it! It's a day I shall always remember. So what's next, the New York Marathon, in a rhino costume, we'll see!

From Emma Timewell DAHS 1983 - 1994

I was at Dame Alice from 1983 to 1994. It seems strange that so much time has passed since school finished, but yet it seems filled with activities. I graduated from UEA in 1998 with a degree in Molecular Biology and, after a few months' job-hunting (as most new graduates do), I got a job in London working in communications for biotechnology companies.

After five years commuting from Bedford to London every day, I made the decision to make a change to reduce the travel. Through much soul-searching and self-analysis, I made the decision to go to New Zealand on a working holiday visa (before my ability to do so got impeded by age!) and came to Auckland in January 2005.

After another a couple of months' job-hunting, I got a job working at a biotechnology company as Communications Manager. In July 2005 I made the decision to move to New Zealand permanently (for the moment) and in November gained my residency.

Life in New Zealand suits me well - the climate is great, and everything in Auckland is reachable within about 20 minutes. In an effort to meet new people, I have become a Brownie Leader, taken sailing lessons and gained my PADI Scuba Diver qualification. There's always something to be done or learnt, and it's wonderful to have the time to do it.

My brother Philip (ex-BMS) and a Uni friend spent Christmas here, where we did the required going to the beach and having a BBQ. All a bit strange really. We then spent a month travelling around the country! The scenery is amazing - beaches, mountains, glaciers, rainforests, all within a few hours' drive of each other.

I'm glad I took the leap and made my way out here - I'd recommend that everyone does it! I've never been one for regrets, and now I can stop worrying that I didn't give moving away from the UK a chance.