Training, training and more training. Extravagant Yak has been in a season of saw sharpening this month. We all passed our AHA First Aid and CPR certification. We are also now qualified to facilitate the Duke of Edinburgh award for the British family of schools. And we also hosted our own tour guide training for our growing network of Tibet tour guides. 

On the 26^th of February, we had the privilege of having two instructors from the American Heart Association (AHA) join us in the office for the day to certify our staff and guides in their Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED course. The office was a hive of activity between the human bodies and the dummies spread around the room as we practiced our skills of what we could do if faced with a life-threatening emergency.

Covering a variety of situations from sprained ankles, choking dinner guests, or a heart attack on the sidewalk, we watched demonstrations, practiced hands-on skills, and discussed some of the best responses in some very unpredictable situations.

The room was alive with voices brainstorming, directing mock emergency situations, and asking a lot of what-if questions to be better prepared for contingencies. After ten hours of training and exerting more physical effort than we bargained for, we were exhausted and thankful. We left the day feeling like we had a better grasp on how to handle the unexpected. Better equipped to potentially save lives, including our own.

Since the training, Abu (our Director of Operations) has been busy researching and organizing additional updates to our First Aid kits as recommended by our AHA instructors. Beyond the obvious training we received, it was also great to see the guides and office staff interacting with one another as communication and comradeship grew among everyone. Last week, someone spilled their water and another yelled, “Is the scene safe?” The repetition built into the training really has a way of sinking in. 

On March 10th and 11th, our staff went to Shanghai WISS International School to attend a Supervisor and Assessor Training Workshop organized by The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation. It was a compact weekend with excellent trainers. As an external activity provider, we learned how to assist our students the best while they are work to earn their Duke of Edinburgh award.

On March 23^rd, we organized a Tour Guide Training for our Tibet tour guides. Ten Tibetan guides and two Western guides participated in our training. The training focused on improving customer service by becoming more familiar with our company values, culture, expectations, and policies.

In the morning, we touched on these important topics: client orientation, handling client complaints, expectations of EY guides, emergency procedures and accident report forms. These brought out some great stories and discussions among the participants. The more experienced guides had a lot of personal experience to share with those newer to the industry. All found these discussions very practical and helpful.

In the afternoon, we talked about risk assessment, child protection policy, student expectations, anti-bullying policy, and trekking safety information. We have a growing number of schools that are sending student trips with us, so we spent a lot of time focusing on guiding student trips. Overall, it was a great training and learning day for both EY staff and guides. All of the guides gave great feedback and shared how helpful the training was. They also all expressed great interest in working even more closely with us in the future.

On March 24^th, our guides had a workshop with a Buddhist Master on Tibetan culture, history, and Buddhism. Educating clients is one of the biggest challenges that guides face. Therefore, guides asked a lot of questions about Tibetan culture and history and how best to introduce it to others. It was a very fulfilling day. With the training and workshop, our guides feel well-equipped to start a new season of tour guiding in 2018.