I was lucky enough to have been born in a country of bounty.  Everything I desire is at my fingertips, available whenever I want it.  I well  understand that I am one of the fortunate ones and that I needed to find a way to give back.  And so, I began to look around for an opportunity to say thank you for all the blessings I have.  The GVI South Africa Orphanage appealed to me immediately.   My two weeks at Ikhaylethemba Village  was an experience I will never forget.  I thought I was going to be teaching English, but I learned much more than I taught.  Yofesa taught me that everyone needs someone who has his back.  Masithembe taught me that silliness is an important part of life.  Aseza showed me that hunger is a failure we all share.  Nombulelo confirmed that a child’s smile is sometimes all we need to get through the day.  These children have become a part of me and I hope they will never forget the English words to “Who Let the Dogs Out”.  Education is the most  incredible opportunity we can give these kids.  Volunteer experiences are an incredible opportunity we can give ourselves.  We all win!

I am a science teacher and have done various Earthwatch projects and have been a TREC teacher and a Teacher at Sea. I was looking for something a little different as a volunteer experience and was surfing the net and found the GVI Laos trip, which looked very interesting.

Personally, I feel that I am giving back and making a huge difference in some young peoples lives and hopefully helping them break out of a cycle of poverty. Professionally, I think whenever you teach in areas outside your comfort zone it makes you a better teacher and some of the skills learned in Laos I am bringing back to the classroom in the US. I also bring back to my classroom stories of experiences from other countries to give them a perspective of what it is like in other places.

I have so many amazing memories from the trip - nearly standing on a Fer-de-lance, a Boa Constrictor in the shower block, watching hummingbirds feed in the flowers around base, the gruelling 15-mile Jag walk along the beach, sitting on the beach watching the incredible sunrise and much more.

A particularly interesting memory was when myself and two volunteers found a lost Green Turtle one morning that had somehow gone the wrong way and ended up some distance from the beach. They are big, heavy animals and there was no way the three of us could physically move it. It was still moving and we managed to turn it in the right direction and try and direct it back towards the beach. Unfortunately, we then disturbed a wasp nest and had to retreat back to base.

Later that day one of the afternoon survey teams found what we can only presume was the same turtle, some half a mile or so away, and still some way from the beach. It was now severely exhausted and de-hydrated. Runners came back to base and me and a few others came out to help. We bought a couple of hammocks and using them as makeshift slings managed to actually lift the turtle. It took four of us to do it and it was quite the effort, particularly with me still having a sore head from an earlier wasp sting! Nevertheless, we pushed on and managed to get the turtle down into the surf and the taste and feel of the cool salt water seemed to revive her one last time and she managed to haul herself into the sea and disappeared under the waves. We did tag and measure her whilst we had the opportunity, partly for the biometric information, and partly because there was a chance that we might find her again one night coming ashore to nest again. The more sentimental of the group named her Suerte (Luck in Spanish), but we never saw her again to be able to confirm that she survived her ordeal. Still, there is always the chance that in coming years, a survey team may come across her, coming to nest again. I hope so.

Santa Maria is a little village in the hills that surround cobble stoned Antigua, Guatemala. The people are friendly, the dogs stray and the chickens free. I went to Santa Maria for 2 weeks to build stoves. Little did I know I would leave having found new friends, learnt new skills and rediscovered my compassion. With the help of a local masonry man I built four stoves for four families. We would set off from the GVI school in the morning to mix cement, cut steel wire and lay bricks. It was hard work, but the smiles of the mothers and giggles from the children were all the fuel I needed. A stove takes two days, the first day is tougher. The design is simple, two hot plates, more fuel efficient, complete with a chimney. When we first arrive at a house we are shown the room where the stove is to be built, often black charred walls with little light. The World Health Organisation states that 1.5 million women and children die a year due to respiratory problems induced by cooking smoke. With this in mind I would set off to work to the backdrop of chickens chucking, following instructions in a foreign language. At the end of the day I would return to dine with my host family in Antigua and exchange stories. The bond I formed with the villagers, with my host family and with Guatemala will stay with me forever.

My 8 weeks in Peru, was one of the most amazing 8 weeks of my life, and I would not have missed it for the world I enjoyed it so much I wanted to stay for an extra 2 weeks. The staff there are amazing and help you throughout your stay in Peru. The community you work in really brings it home as to how lucky we are and how much we take for granted.  One thing that shall stick in my mind for the rest of my life will be the kids, who would often sprint down the stairs to greet us (even if I was called Profe Mal for a little while) although this soon stopped as they realised they had to walk or be carried back up the 98 steps leading  to the school. In hindsight my first impression of the project and the school was that I would never cope, teaching in a new language would be classed impossible by many of my old school teachers but with the help of the staff and the amazing Spanish teachers it was made possible. My overall impression of the project is that the work they undergo is really beneficial for the community and the children and really shows how hard the project managers, the volunteers and the interns work in bringing an education to the children within the community.