Day 7

I’ve only ever felt homesick once before, during a 5 week stint working in India, so feeling like that 2 days into a mere week away caught me by surprise. It’s not even that I’ve left my baby behind for so long, since I’ve had to go away for several days with work recently.
I suppose it’s just the remoteness of the location that can play with your mind, combined with the sheer exhaustion of both body and mind. Maybe if I was a better sleeper with “company” and used to camping out, I’d have felt more rested and therefore up to the physical rigours, but I’m a Tempur mattress fan and that’s my quality standard for a decent kip.
It’s also the first time I’ve ever had a panic attack (1st night), when i was really convinced I might be dying. That doesn’t put your head in the right place to enjoy such a trip.
I have to give much credit to everyone else on the team for helping me through it, even if they didn’t realise they were. It takes a special combination of events to have made all of us feel comfortable showing our emotions in front of others, and we all feel privileged to have met each other on this trip.
I also don’t think we would have gelled so well without Alex as our “surrogate mum” team leader. He has done a fantastic job of organising us, prodding us into eating enough, keeping a subtle eye on every one of us, being a shoulder to cry on etc. He could have offered shoulder massages more regularly, but that’s a minor quibble.
Milos has been a fun navigator, great sense of humour, and, it has to be said, not unpleasing on the eye to the single ladies
From what I’ve noticed, it has been the three mums with toddlers who have had the biggest wrench emotionally, as well as Rebecca being thrown in at the deep end at such a young age. It has been a fantastic, once in a lifetime experience overall though and I’m so glad I’ve done it.
Nearly time to set off for the airport now, have been into Kiruna again for a wander and hot chocolate. Will be in touch again when we’re back in Blighty!

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