I Am a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. Part Two.

When I was a young child, my best friend, lived next door, her name was Wendy Boston. We were best friends from the age of four, when they moved next to us. Wendy is deaf and communicates by British Sign Language or BSL. At first, I was unable to understand her, but with her deaf parents help slowly I learnt. It was the best time for me to learn, for at that age, I was like a sponge, and open to everything. As I am dyslexic, so it was perfect for me, as it is visual, nothing was written down. Little Wendy taught me the ABC or the A to Z and as we played together, and was often in her house, I picked up her language, quite easy. In fact, learning BSL was one of the easiest, thing I ever learnt. It became second nature to me. She didn’t use her voice, and nor did I, I would copy what she did, if she pointed to her doll, she would sign doll, if she pointed to her hair and sign hair, I copied. When she went to the local deaf clubs, I went too, so I grew up, as a secret bilingual. I say secret, because we went to different schools, at my infants and junior schools, no one knew I could sign. To the teachers, I was just a quiet, shy child, who was rubbish as Maths, English and P.E.

When I was about to go to secondary school my parents moved eighty miles away. I never saw Wendy again. There was no social media back then, and so we lost touch. I have since looked for her on Facebook and other media platforms, she might have changed her surname.

A mentioned I am here on the pilot of IACGMOOH, we are the guinea pigs and they would use us to iron out, problems that could arise.

To make it more authentic, at night the lights all went off, so it was pitch dark! What I didn’t know was, that although it was pitch dark to us, we could all be seen clear on the many night cameras, like it was day time.

When I awoke, the following morning, it was still very dark, no one could see me, nor could I see them. I decided to pray like I usually do each morning. I have learnt to adapt, my Quite Time, in whatever situation I am in. So, I prayer in my head, in my thoughts, I then felt ready for the day ahead.

I realized, having personal care as I know it was out of the question, but I would do my best. I went to the shower place first; I am glad that I can survive on not much sleep, but I would not be able to keep that up for three months here.

Everything had to be earned when it came to food, tasks had to be done, points gained either as an individual or as team.

The first week, we were all finding our feet, getting to know each other, all seemed nice to me. We would be living together, against the game show hosts.

After a month two would be leaving, I hoped it wouldn’t be me. The hosts asked us, “Choose one of you to come and do a task, this will be for breakfast an hour later, whoever that majority person is, they will do the task.” I chose Lydia. When the counts were it, it was Lydia. I was glad it wasn’t me, but I know my time would come.

Sporty Lydia soon returned, having won her trial.

For our treat, we all had an Ostridge egg for our breakfast. I had never in my life seen one before, it was huge. I was nervous to cook but I knew one day in the months ahead, I might have to. Today, Josie cooked our breakfast. I was SO hungry, it was very delicious, very filling.

There were tasks to do and by now there were individual tasks for us all. I was pleased for now; my job was to fill up the water for the shower and all our water for the camp. I was wishing I had my watch on so I could make every step count but I was now in another world.     

As time went by, two left and it was a reality check. I had forgotten the cameras were on us in the day time, and still did not know they were on us in the night time too.

I had been having problems with Lydia, for some reason unknown to me why, she just did not like me. It worried and disturbed me at the same time. I had no qualms with her, but once again in my life, I was her least favourite person. It makes things difficult between us, because unlike unpleasant, people I have had the misfortune of working with people in the past, here we were stuck with them for twenty-four hours. The people of Austrillia were now voting, who they would like to do the daily trials.

We had now all done trials, so far, I didn’t have to eat anything that was bad, that was what I was dreading the most.

Lydia’s dislike for me, soon started to be noticeable to others too, and strangely the public was voting for Lydia and myself to the trials all I could think of was, they have a weird sense of humour, as we were SO opposites.

One day things came to a nasty end, and that caused a nasty rift between us. That night I went to bed, I was feeling very low, I just wanted to go home and cry. I did not want to be there. Even the money at that time did not seem worth it, and I went to bed and didn’t want to wake up! I didn’t care what the loan sharks did to me or my family. I suppose this is what lack of sleep and food can do. There was no home comforts or close family. I was missing my husband, who always when it matters, when I am low, he always has wise words of wisdom, to comfort me.

I knew at any time, I could say those words, “I am a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here,” And there would be no questions asked, I would be taken out of the camp, and be on my way home.

Then that night, I did something, I had not done since I had been there, I prayed in my other language, in sign language.

Silently in the darkness, I signed, “God, I DON’T want to be here! I hate this place; I want to go HOME! I know you love me, and see me here in the darkness, I feel weak and vulnerable, I hurt. PLEASE do not let me be with Lydia anymore. Please make tomorrow a brighter day. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.” As I prayed, silent tears came down my face.

I had lost a lot of weight, while I was there, for I am used to having a certain number of daily calories, and I wasn’t getting it. They bought in a doctor who weighed me, I had lost three stone, that was my pre baby weight. The doctor told me, “If you lose another 5lb you will have to leave the camp.” I had felt, strengthened, and renewed after my prayer in the night, and I did not want to go home now, I felt that I had come back to my senses and reminded myself of why I was there. And after I had had mini chats with some of the other lovely contestants, they too were in dire need.

Hal had won us all a dinner, and we had a feast that night. Usually, I don’t like a lot of meat, I usually save most of it that Paul cooks, for the cats and dogs the next day. But on this occasion, it was one of the best meals I had eaten since I had been there.

Lydia didn’t seem to be so intense after that prayer, she wasn’t very nice. She now seemed to be picking on, Claire instead, and I didn’t like that. She I found out, was in even more debt that I was, I wanted the best for this nice lady, I wanted to protect her. That night in the darkness I prayed for lovely Claire, in BSL.

I decided, after that, to pray every night in sign language. I still wrote my diary in the day time, seven lines, and by the second month I did not bother with my perfume.

At the end of two months and two weeks there was just me, Hal Claire and Lydia left in the camp. Why she was still there, God only knows. I thought, I hope she don’t win. In fact, it was in my nightly prayers that I signed.

In the camp, I had surprised myself, and drank disgusting things, I never thought I would and ate bugs, three times I sick it all up and so they didn’t count. But at other times I just had to pretend it was a chocolate milkshake, and drink it all. I thought of all the nasty things that was inside me and just had to promise myself, of all the nice things I would eat on the outside, when I was back home.