In just under 3 weeks I fly to Belarus with Operation Children Child and it is going to be very cold there. The kind of cold that I am not used to, well I can remember it clocking -8 in my car one very cold night as I drove back from aerobics about 10pm a few years back but my warm car stopped that being an issue. In Belarus, it might be more like -8 during the day and some websites I visited even suggested it could get as cold as -20. I'll just keep praying that is not so.
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| What is the betting the snow gets a little deeper than this? Hopefully, I'll miss it! |
Anyway, I am sure I'll survive the weather whatever it is like as I am going to Belarus for a very special reason - I am really privileged to be able to take this trip and deliver shoeboxes to needy children. I'll then get to spend some time with them and a translator and I can listen to their life stories and write about them to share with you here and also to share on the OCC website and in their publications/ newsletters etc.
Having only been back from my Ethiopia trip a month I feel like I know a bit more about what to expect in regards to a charity blogger trip but I am also aware this will be worlds apart from Ethiopia. There, I was part of a team of about 20 bloggers and ONE staff, on this trip I am part of a team of 4 and I'm the only blogger, gulp! I am relying heavily on God to not feel overwhelmed by this. It is also helpful that the lady from OCC that I will travel with seems like a great lady and I am sure it will be fun to get to know her better. I will report more on the trip later next week after I meet a couple of the OCC staff for a briefing.
A snowy view from my window at home
This post was actually about how to stay warm when I am in a very cold country, so time to get back to that. Obviously, I won't be doing any sports while I am out there so my requirements might be a little different to those of a skier or such but I really have no idea if I am honest. This is where you come in, do tell me what you think I might need, please.
I'll list here what I have already got to take with me -
- ski gloves
- Fleece hat, scarf and glove liners (Lidl - would you believe? Just £2.50 apiece!)
- 2 pairs of thermal leggings (thank you Sainsbury's and your 25% off clothes)
- 1 thermal vest (need to get at least 1 more)
- Jeans (mine already)
- Long sleeve tops, hoodies, jumpers (my warmest normal clothes)
- A North Face fleece mid-layer jacket
- 1 pair of ski socks (yes I realise I need more - but do they have to be ski socks, or thermal socks or just thick walking socks, or even multiple pairs of socks worn at one time?)
- and a Trespass 100 performance rated ski jacket kindly provided to me by M and M Direct, that I will review very soon.
Thanks, Mich x
