Pre Departure Build Up!

February 09, 2013

Social Development International, Cameroon
Antonia Morzenti

After all the motivating, working hard, budgeting and planning that has taken place since September 2012, it was time for me to pack up and head out to begin writing the blank pages in the next chapter of the book called "My Life".Last year's study abroad program and overland travels [13 countries, 12 credits, 9 months] required an immense deal of planning. From HSU campus bureaucracy and approval to scholarship and visa applications to obtaining a 'temporary secondary passport', I could have joined the circus after all the flaming hoops I had to jump through. Which is why I highly recommend taking the ease and stress off by starting the planning early.This time around, I had less time, less things to do and fewer destinations. I began...

Social Development International

Storage Unit - See ya next year!

Documents Needed for Cameroonian Visa

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DO IT: Just travel!

February 09, 2013

Pre-departure planning of an overseas trip can be many things: fulfilling or draining, easy or difficult, thrilling or frustrating, encouraging or daunting. Sometimes you will feel all of these emotions and many more.Globalization has put the Internet in nearly all corners of the world and unlimited information at our fingertips. Just like spending your life watching other peoples’ lives on reality television, you can virtually travel the world while sitting on your couch. But why would you want to do either of those things? On average a couch is 2 meters long where as the Earth’s land masses total 149 million kilometers. If you stay on your couch, you are only exploring .000000000013% of what this world has to offer! That fraction of a number doesn’t include the endless possibilities...

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Shanti Bhavan- a place that makes me smile.

February 08, 2013

Shanti Bhavan, India
Gavin Mair

 My alarm seems louder here than it does back home. At 6am it chimes throughout my room in the teachers quarters, bouncing between the tiled floor and the simple, whitewashed walls. The nights are still and silent, and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep leaves me feeling rested and refreshed. Slowly I rise, wash my face in the attached bathroom and prepare for morning physical exercise. It's still not light at this time and I grope vaguely in the dark for my running shoes and sports shorts. To save energy, public power is timetabled inTamil Nadu and cuts off at a convenient time during the night when demand is low.The sun is rising as I walk out of the guesthouse and along the dusty path towards the playing fields behind the main...

Morning PT at SB

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Volunteering with Changes for New Hope

February 08, 2013

Changes for New Hope, Peru
Gunvor Platou

This is my story of my 12 days of volunteering with Changes for New Hope.I arrived in Huaraz not really knowing what to expect from the following two weeks. I did have a lot of information about the organisation and had been in contact with Jim, so I had an idea of what I was getting into, but the internet can never really prepare you for the real life experience. I knew that I would be getting to know some of the poorest people in Peru and that I would see a completely different side of the country than the one I had experienced in Lima and at the major touristic sites. And I was truly looking forward to the experience.Arriving in HuarazI arrived in Huaraz on the 8th of...

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Volunteering experience

February 08, 2013

Escuela de la Calle, Guatemala
Clara Canac-Marquis

Amazing place to volunteer! I feel that I help for real, the direction and the teacher are always listening to your ideas/comments, the childs are lovely... only pros! Im mostly working with the students in elementary, there is a loooot to do. Staying in Quetzaltenango, I suggest you to stay in a typical family. Youll taste the real typical food, meet wonderfull people and help them in monetary terms. 

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VOLUNTEERING EXPERIENCE WITH UTSAH- a sucess story.

February 07, 2013

 I really enjoyed working with UTSAH. IT was my 1st working experience as a volunteer. Working at UTSAH i got the first hand experience to work with one of the slum community of guwahati with which UTSAH is partnered and also to teach the slum children in the open informal school of the community. Initially ,i felt a bit turn off not knowing what to do and from where to with with and managing children in school between the ages of 4-12 was not my cup of tea. But i did manage to overcome all my difficulties. It was really inspiring for me when my works are noticed and appreciated by my field supervision and espicially by the chairman of UTSAH ,Miguel sir.               ...

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My Volunteer experience with GOET

February 07, 2013

 I wanted to give it a try, volunteering wasn't something i had ever thought of, i this particular holiday, i looked around for a volunteering opportunity, to share my skills and expertise. There you Go! In a sunny village of kameke is where they directed me, it had never crossed my mind i would go to that village, but i wanted to fulfil what i had on my heart. The welcome was very good, with these expectant kids, seeing someone who has come from the capital was news to them, i mean you can see it in their eyes, they keep looking at as though saying "i wish i was like him", i enjoyed my volunteering week there, and i can't wait to go back!...

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First impressions

February 07, 2013 | 1 comment

Lumana, Ghana
Stephanie Kreuter

 Africa is a long way away from the west coast of the US. I can’t imagine having to go south of the equator. I arrived in Accra on Monday night, spent about an hour waiting in customs picked up the rest of my things and was met by the 3 others who are currently working with Lumana. We walked a few blocks to catch the bus to the Lumana house in Greater Accra. When we arrived the power was out, a rolling brown out, because most of the electricity is powered by a hydroelectric dam. It’s not the rainy season here, so there isn’t a lot of water, thus the rolling brown outs.After traveling through Accra at night, the following day, it was great to see it during the day....

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Sunday, Sunday

February 06, 2013

Parijat Academy, India
Shaffer Spaeth

 Two weeks ago Sunday. I first contacted Hannah Dobie one morning right after I got here when Uttam gave me her phone number and told me to call now. Now? Yes NOW! It was great to hear an American voice. She volunteers at Operation Smile and makes rice and dal every Sunday with her roommates for kids in the slum. Her life is quite different than mine, living in the city an hour’s drive from Pamohi in a modern apartment with an Aussie and an American, working long hours and volunteering more time on the weekends with the poorest kids in the city. I went with Tat and had a great time. We went to Hannah’s apartment and chopped vegetables and chatted while the food cooked, then drove over to...

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Aimoni's birthday

February 06, 2013

Parijat Academy, India
Shaffer Spaeth

 The last few days have been fun. Friday was Aimoni’s birthday.Thursday. Tat, Rayboti, Dulumoni, baby Bibha and I walked to Garchuk to see make purchases from the tailor, the vegetable market, the momo shop, then the sweets shop to order a one kilo chocolate cake for Lipi and a two kilo milk cake for Aimoni. I carried Bibha to town on my shoulders and she slept on my shoulder later on but when Tat and I got impatient with the other two women shopping for nose rings we returned the baby and walked home.Friday. I taught two computer classes before the current went out and another after lunch, after the current came back on. The students are always excited to go to computer class, sometimes too much so. A boy...

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