[Pedro the Fisherman]

The morning continued with several group sessions and hugging and smiling melees. The main difference with the latter, performed straight after the ‘doctors and nurses' session was that, this time we had to look unashamedly at the whole person, not just the face and eyes as before. It was basically a license to stare at people's naked bodies and offer them a hug, if they agree to it. I was hugged by the very large lady from Norfolk and by Alex, again. It was during this exercise I realised that with a few exceptions, we were now all in the nude.

The young hippy girl (panties) and the Slovenian girl (bra and panties) were the only girls and my roommate Nick, the only guy.
We were then told to sit and the facilitators requested people come up to the microphone to say how they felt about the course and their life in general, to celebrate their new found freedom. First girl up cried her eyes out, before saying how she would always shy away from anything and had tried to hide herself away at events and parties. “Now look at me!” she exclaimed “ I'm holding a microphone, talking to a room full of people in my bloody birthday suit....and no makeup either! Bring it on!”

Others followed with similar stories, Emma (still looking not very much a lesbian to me) walked deliciously naked on stage and thanked a previous HAI course years ago for helping her to ‘come out' and ‘live life to the full, in every way'. She was back to help her friend (a helper) gender balance the weekend, which of course was also a joke!

We were then asked to dress and stand in our own space, this I guessed correctly would be for the ‘finale' and something I'd been excited about since I had read about it. I simply had to get near one of the most spectacular beauties in the room, before the choosing started. By feigning putting my water bottle in a safe space, I placed myself close between Emma and Sian, others were scattered too far away.

We were then told to form groups of four, two male and two female. I took a step towards Emma, she turned away, placing her hand on her helper friend and her partner. As I got within asking distance, another male helper asked if he could complete the group. Shit, I spun around. Sian had picked a man, someone from her small group. I had one chance “still got room for a guy?” I almost shouted. Sian turned and said “sure, we just need another girl now". Looking around and most groups were now completed. The facilitators announced anyone short of a female, raise your hands please?” We put up our hands. Another question was asked for groups needing men. After a few seconds, a facilitator came over leading a female by the hand, to join our group...it was Sue.