Felicia Royaards

"Raleigh international gives you a great opportunity to do three totally different things in one expedition. Not only do you learn a lot about yourself through adventure, you get to appreciate the community and environment.  Furthermore, you get to know a lot of people from different kind of backgrounds."

Felicia Royaards joined the Costa Rica and Nicaragua 2006 expedition.

I just finished high school and before going to university, I thought it would be the best opportunity to take a gap year and see more of the world. I guess that wisdom cannot only be learnt through books but have to be experienced in life as well (sounds cheesy but true). Furthermore, I wanted to leave Holland and have some time on my own before I begin a new degree.

I had to collect 3800 euros.  I collected this by first writing 70 letters to friends of family where I got a response from 40 people who in total gave me 2500 euros. The second thing I did was selling necklaces I made on a fair where I raised an amount of 800 euros.  My family helped me a little bit as well by donating 500 euros. In the mean time, I was working for 6 weeks, where in total; I got an amount of 800 euros.

The hardest thing I had to do was writing a good and strong letter, which I would send to 70 family friends. In the letter, I had to give a short but powerful view of Raleigh and convince them that donating money to Raleigh would be a good charity.  The highlight of fundraising was the good responses I got from people after I told them about joining Raleigh.

My highlight on Raleigh has been finishing the Kamuk trek. It was a personal challenge and I past it and learnt a lot about myself, others and life. I've learned a lot from working with people from a mix of backgrounds. I appreciate and I am proud of my culture much more than I was before. Working with these people has opened my eyes and I realised that the world is much bigger than just my own. People around the world have their own opinions and beliefs and that should be respected. People with different backgrounds are actually the most interesting ones, because you can learn the most about life from them. 

Raleigh had made a big difference in my life. Raleigh puts you in such a different situation; in a new environment, new people, and new country with an other spoken language. You only have time to think about the important things because you have to adapt yourself so quickly. You are on your own and you learn to rely on yourself. Changing groups every phase made me more confident and more independent, because you are the only one around that you really know. 

Raleigh changed my whole view on life and the way other cultures are living life. I am more open-minded and much more interested in the cultures of others. Since my study is in English and about the world economy, attending Raleigh was a great move for not only my personal development but also that of my career

I have learned so much from Raleigh, things you can only learn from experience. Raleigh is a great opportunity to experience different situations to open up your eyes. Those experiences have made me more flexible and much more independent. Furthermore, I cherish life more and I am thankful for what I have as apposed to being ungrateful for what I do not have. I feel as if I can see life through greater eyes than just my own. 

 

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• Case Studies
• Aged 17-24 Venturer
  • Jaqueline Hemery
  • Alex Jaggard
  • Ayesha Khan
  • Felicia Royaards
  • Beth Rushby
  • Philip Weston
  • William Gidman
  • Charles Loudon
  • Lucie Cavoizy
  • Serena Brown
  • Laihann Mitchell
  • Barry
• Host Country Participants