Megan reports that the language barrier was challenging, but the rewards were immense.

What did you enjoy most about your Quest in Japan?

The time spent with my host family and the time spent with the children at the school was what I enjoyed most about my Quest.

What was most challenging about your Quest experience?

The language barrier, if anything, was the most challenging.

Describe your volunteer work experience.

I helped at the local kindergarten at first with the small children and towards the end I worked with the 4, 5, and 6 year olds. I read to all the children in both English and Japanese, served lunch, and taught English songs. Everyday I played with the children.

Please provide a testimonial of your experience with as much detail as possible.

I could not have imagined a more perfect first visit to Japan, all thanks to United Planet. It was the most organized, fulfilling organization I have ever been apart of.

The experience surpassed my expectations: from the host family, to the volunteer work, the visits around Japan, to the everyday cultural involvement - the people of United Planet and Japan made me feel like I was a family.

I went to Japan to volunteer and in turn I learned more than I could have dreamed of in such a short quest time period. I will absolutely be using United Planet again and would recommend this amazing organization to anyone that asked with flying colors.

Can you describe your volunteer work experience?

I volunteered at a private hospital pharmacy.

My experience entailed shadowing the pharmacists on hospital rounds, a visit to an international pharmacy industry company,  and a visit to the University of Costa Rica Pharmacy school.

On a typical day at work, I would come in and work alongside pharmacists as they approved medication orders, filled prescriptions, counseled patients, and listened to drug representatives.

Tell us how you feel overall about your experience.

Describe your volunteer work experience.

I played with the children and assisted in feeding, changing, and daily hygiene.

In the outpatient area I was able to triage the patients; taking heights, weight, BP, pulse, temp and giving injections.

Tell us how you feel overall about your experience.

This was one of the best experiences of my life. I was a little unsure whether or not I was making the right decision before going, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat, in fact when it was time to come home I didn’t want to leave.

I lived with a host family for the entire 3 months that I was in Peru. They were so welcoming. They had a daughter the same age as me and we became fast friends. They showed me around the city and were very friendly and were always around to talk to and hang out with. They made the trip what it was for me. My “mom” also cooked 3 meals a day for us of traditional Peruvian food which was delicious. I am still in contact with them and am already trying to figure out when I can go back to visit.

The cultural activities were also amazing. Included in the Peru quest is a trip to Machu Picchu, which is an overnight trip. You take the train to Aguas Calientes and spend the night there and then head up to Machu Picchu in the morning where you have a guided tour and then time to explore on your own.

Also included in this trip was a tour of the Sacred Valley, a Cusco City Tour, and a Quechua (The Incan Language) lesson.

I also received Spanish lessons twice a week for the entire duration of my trip. The teachers were amazing. They really knew what they were doing and were so friendly and around just to chat if you wanted to as well.

The Spanish school also organized an event each week so you could meet other volunteers or travelers and hang out. Sometimes it was a movie night, or learning to make traditional drinks, salsa lessons, cooking lessons, or parties for the different holidays.

I also loved my volunteer work. I am a nurse and worked in a clinic for my entire stay. There is an inpatient part of this clinic which houses about 50 children with mental and/or physical disabilities whose parents couldn’t care for them. In this area I helped with the daily care of the children such as bathing, dressing, brushing their teeth, combing their hair, and feeding as well as played with the children. In the outpatient part of the clinic I was able to do more nursing tasks such as take blood pressure, pulse, temperature, height and weight to triage the patients and give injections. I also helped with preparing supplies and filing.

Overall this was an amazing experience. I am so happy that I did it and would love to go back someday. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

Andrew Bergman ’14 wanted to spend his summer helping people and seeing the world.

Still in his freshman year, he wasn’t shy about inviting others to join him in his quest to visit a developing country; he set up flyers in the cafeteria, posted announcements around the College, and contacted Spanish professors, who he hoped would share information about his intended upcoming service trip.

The only requirements for the trip were to be dedicated to service and to be proficient in Spanish.

Through his efforts, Bergman was able to find seven other students ready for the challenge: Marina Gutierrez-Jones ’14, Alex Gardner ’14, Megan Richman ’14, Veronica Salas ’14, Daniel Price ’14, Angelica Ferreira ’14, and Tracy Kao ’12.

Through United Planet, an international volunteering society, Bergman was able to choose a location, focusing on finding a developing nation, where their time and resources would be best spent.

“We narrowed it down to a selection of places first – Mexico, Ecuador, and others. But Guatemala seemed like a perfect place for us to conduct a meaningful project,” he said.

During their ten-day trip to Finca la Florida, Guatemala – which is a rural mountain village, 7 to 8 hours from Guatemala City – the group of eight students assisted in the construction of the village’s schoolhouse, mentored the children at the school, and worked in the coffee fields.

“There are 300 children in this little village, and their schoolhouse only has one room, so we helped to build a second room for them,” said Bergman.

Aided by funds from the Center for Human Rights Leadership, the Kravis Leadership Institute, and the Dean of Students Office, Bergman and his group of volunteers were able to fund part of their trip. The other part of the funding has come from their own grassroots efforts to raise money – they worked with ASCMC to clean up after school events, they worked closely with businesses in the Claremont Village, and they even canvassed the residential area of Claremont.

The group is still raising funds to cover expenses for the trip, and Bergman can be contacted at (530) 575-5061 or at abergman14@students.claremontmckenna.edu.

Bergman explains the trip as hands-on learning: “It’s largely about self-development. Seeing one culture mix with another culture, especially one that faces extreme hardship on a daily basis, is essential to understanding oneself. It will be a valuable experience for me and the other students. And I’m excited to foster and lead that.”

“The trip was eye-opening,” says Daniel Price, a participant. “It was interesting to personally interact with a society so vastly different from our own.”

Here, he says some words about how and why and when he started the organization.

In August 2010 the University of Idaho informed United Planet of its decision to send a group of 13 students and two professors to build houses in Chile. The decision was a response to Chile’s devastating 8.8 earthquake in February 2010, the fifth strongest in recorded history, which had left thousands of Chileans homeless.

Idaho’s decision was not surprising. The university had been sending students on United Planet-organized group Quests around the world for the past five years, and enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the foundation.

Idaho’s Quest was divided into two separate volunteer experiences during their 18 days in Chile.  Their first worksite was a daycare center operated by United Planet’s partner organization near Viña del Mar, which provides all-day childcare to 63 children between six months and four years of age.

Lots of helping hands at the daycare center

The volunteers’ tasks included landscaping, pruning trees and painting outside gates.  The volunteers also participated in playgroup activities with the children and daycare center personnel.

On their second morning at the worksite, the volunteers discovered some wooden desks out back which had been thrown away.

On their own initiative and with the daycare director’s consent, they took apart the old desks and began constructing a slide, a long table, and refurbishing a swing set which was not being used. They went to a hardware store and bought sandpaper, screws and nails.  They dug holes and trenches to lower everything to the level of a four year old.

Constructing the swingset for the children

The last morning at the daycare, the director arrived at the site and could not believe her eyes.

Just two days before, she had welcomed the volunteers with the expectation that they would clean up the large outdoor area with its overgrown fruit trees and weeds, and make it look nicer. 

Now she was looking at a new outdoor play area for the children with a table, slide, and swings in a setting that might appear on the cover of a gardening magazine.

The volunteers’ only weekend at Viña del Mar was full of excursions and activities.  There were tours to Viña’s lush botanical gardens, a walking tour of Viña del Mar’s colourful boardwalk and arts and crafts shops, and a ride along the 44 steep hills surrounding Valparaiso included a visit to the home of the Nobel-prize poet, Pablo Neruda.

An unexpected added treat was witnessing a spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display at midnight from Playa Amarilla beach along with thousands of cheering and festive Chileans.

The volunteers’ second quest consisted of building houses at a rural worksite seven hours south of Santiago by bus. The agricultural, coastal town of Cobquecura had been at the epicenter of February’s 8.8 earthquake, and many of its adobe structures had collapsed.

Constructing houses in the coastal town of Cobquecura

United Planet’s local partner organization had recently received Chilean government funding to build four homes for displaced families that would use anti-seismic and energy-saving technology and hopefully serve as a prototype for future low-cost housing.

The local families who would receive the houses cooked meals for the volunteers. A few more Chilean university volunteers arrived the second week and joined the group staying at the school.

At the worksite, various tasks were done by groups of four or five volunteers. A lot of time was spent on constructing the walls of the houses which were a mix of straw and mud placed in wooden frames.

Frame of house during construction

The Idaho volunteers enjoyed the multiple challenges at the worksite, and had made significant progress by the time they had to leave.  On their last night they made a large bonfire on the beach and sang songs with their new Chilean university friends.

The group arrived back to Santiago one day before their return flight, tired but happy. They enjoyed a special tour of the Presidential Palace, La Moneda, and shopping at the Pueblito de Los Dominicos, an area of 150 arts and crafts shops.

What was obvious was that they had changed. Now they felt more independent and comfortable in the Chilean culture. For example, they returned to a restaurant they had eaten at on their first day in Chile, but this time they were able to give their orders to the waiter in Spanish without any help.

What they then realized was that an inevitable consequence of their quest and their effort to help others bring about change had been a change in themselves.

When the sunrise over the snow-capped Andes welcomed me to Chile, I knew I was in for a truly humbling and life-changing experience.  I was not disappointed.

As it had rained the night before my arrival, the normally smog-filled skies of Santiago were crystal clear.  I was able to capture photographs showcasing the natural beauty of the sprawling metropolis.  With each picture that I took, I was reminded that I was far from the flat plains of Indiana.

In Santiago during the first week of my quest, I traveled to my English-teaching assignment with my host sister, Elizabeth.  Every morning she would guide me to the “colectivo” station (shared taxi) which we would take to her school.  At her school, I worked with two English teachers who were responsible for teaching English to pre-kindergarten students through seniors in high school.  As a teacher in the United States, I observed that these teachers have a heavy teaching workload.  In addition to preparing for several different classes, these teachers also moved from room to room, carrying their teaching materials with them.  This is very different than the middle/high schools in the United States where the students usually change rooms. Also, my assigned school had only female students, thus giving me a different perspective on classroom dynamics.

The children I worked with were wonderful.  Some were very hesitant to speak English to me while others wanted to practice as much as possible.  I was fortunate to help some high school students with an oral presentation about their future careers.  The drive and motivation of these girls really impressed me.

For the second week of my quest, I traveled to Valparaíso.  I gave CAP presentations to students at a technical college who were studying English.  As I spoke, many students smiled and nodded.  I could tell they were learning something, which as an educator made me feel like I was making a difference.

During my two weeks in Chile, I was fortunate to live with two remarkable families.  Both of my host families opened their homes, hearts, and cultures to me.  They were so patient, really trying to slow down their pace of spoken Spanish so I could understand them.  I will always be grateful to them for their kindness and compassion.

My host families introduced me to Chilean foods and customs.  I grew fond of having “almuerzo” (a large lunch) and then later in the evening having “once” (a small meal).  They introduced me to “completos” (hot dogs topped with avocados, tomatoes, and mayonnaise), “sopaipillas” (fried bread but different from the Mexican version), and eating avocados on toast for breakfast.   Being that it was late fall in Chile, I learned that in order stay warm, wearing layers of clothing, including several pairs of socks, worked the best, as most Chilean homes and schools do not have central heating.

Throughout my quest, the generosity of the Chileans and the pride they have for their country instilled a sense of awe in me.  Whenever I needed help, such as getting the right seat on a bus or finding my way back home, someone was always there to help me.  Whenever I was introduced to someone new, he or she always spoke lovingly about his or her city and welcomed me to it.  I was lucky to be in Chile as they prepared for the World Cup soccer competition.  From commercials on television to merchandise being sold on the street, it was evident that Chileans are proud of their “fútbolistas.”

In short, every day in Chile was an experience I will never forget.  I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to travel there.  I am honored to have learned so much from so many wonderful, loving people.  A sunrise welcomed me to Chile, and a magnificent purple sunset over the Andes bid me farewell as I entered the airport for my journey back to the United States. Even though my quest is over, part of my heart will always remain in Chile.

Is your interest piqued? Visit our website to start planning your Chile Volunteer Quest!

“What’s the biggest animal in the world?” asked Mr. Roly. “The whale or the elephant?”
“The monkey!” shouted a little indigenous student.
“It’s the whale,” smiled Mr. Roly amidst the ingenuous laughter of her classmates. “And where do whales live?”
“In the water!” cried the entire class. “Correct. Whales are the biggest creatures in the water. So what’s the biggest animal on land?”
“The monkey!” shouted the same little girl.
“It’s the elephant,” smiled Mr. Roly between another wave of laughter from the class.
“And where do elephants live?” “In the Yungas!” (a region in Bolivia where elephants definitely don’t exist—not even en zoos.)

This is what classes are like in “Jesús de Machaca,” a small town located in the plateaus near the border between Bolivia and Peru. The villagers here are “aymara,” the same race as the current Bolivian president Evo Morales. It’s a pretty isolated town, with hardly 600 inhabitants under the rule of the local authorities. The daily routines here embody the typical lifestyle of the Bolivian country-dweller, characterized by the lack of internet, transportation, supply of water and electricity, and variety of diet (normally consisting of nothing but potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes). In addition, many students must make a daily trek of two hours in order to arrive at their closest schools. For those of you who don’t know much about the Bolivian education system, the students down here only go to school for four hours per day. This means that many of them spend as much time getting to their classes as learning in them. It doesn’t surprise me that many parents simply choose to utilize their children as additional hands in farming and cattle raising instead of sending them to school.

The Bolivian education system has never been known for its quality, especially in the countryside. I once taught an English class that couldn’t understand “My name is Clarke, what is your name?” after six full years of previous English classes… Thanks to my great Polish friend Alexandra, I had the amazing opportunity to start working in this tiny village yesterday. I’d been volunteering for two and a half months as in La Paz (the capital of Bolivia) and El Alto (the capital’s neighboring city of chaos), and although I’d been working In projects with great people, these projects simply weren’t fulfilling my aspirations. The project coordinators only gave me trivial work that could be completed by anybody who cared to take the time and do it, making me feel like I was completely wasting my time while I could be contributing so much more with my talents. I decided to embark on my gap year because I wanted to widen my knowledge of our vast world and forge a more complete worldview through volunteering in places that desperately needed help… and I didn’t need much time to reach the conclusion that La Paz wasn’t one of those places. The city was already full of foreign volunteers, and while some of them were certainly doing great work with street children, La Paz really didn’t harbor that many homeless people — especially for a city its size.

After nearly three months of working in La Paz, I just couldn’t stand the feeling of uselessness within me. The simple truth was that I wasn’t doing anything to make a positive impact on the societal situation. All that I was doing was losing motivation and becoming a lazy bastard. In short, I wasn’t taking advantage of my amazing gap year opportunity to experience and help out our vast world. This situation simply had to change. So one day an idea suddenly appeared in my head: “Why don’t I start working with Alexandra in her project in Jesús de Machaca? I remember hearing that new volunteers were always welcome.” I didn’t need to think about it much — immediately I knew that it was the solution that would save me from my utter lack of inspiration. I don’t know how I knew; I just remember that I felt the same certainty as I did when the brilliant idea of deferring my college entrance entered my head.

I decided to follow my intuition back then, and as a result I’ve experienced some of the best moments of my life throughout my fascinating travels. Obviously, I had to follow this same intuitive feeling one more time. I’ve only worked in Jesús de Machaca for two days, so it’s still too early to reach conclusions about my change of working environment. However, what’s certain is that I’ll definitely get the chance to live a truly “Bolivian” experience during my stay here in this tiny village, watching videos about whales and elephants alongside little indigenous kids who’ve only seen a world with llamas, cows, and sheep…
 
Intrigued? Read more about Clarke’s experiences on his blog or plan your own gap year in Bolivia!

One of the most recognizable peaks on the Panamerican highway, Cotopaxi, has been calling to me ever since I arrived in Ecuador. Literally meaning “neck of the moon”, it is the world’s highest active volcano and stands at a mighty 19,347 ft above sea level. For a while, I had entertained the thought of trying to summit this beast, but my lack of technical skills involving crampons and ice picks convinced me to scale back on my ambitions. Hence, Sunday found me and a few friends on a guided trip up to the snow line and around the national park.

On a clear day, you can see Cotopaxi’s snow-capped peak from Quito. Unfortunately, Sunday was not a clear day. Oh well. Onward and upward we went in the bus through the entrance to Cotopaxi National Park and to the parking lot, where we would start our ascent to the base camp at 16,400ft. The wind was howling and icy rain was pelting us from all sides as we trudged along the path covered in volcanic ash. With the fog closing us in on all sides, it felt like we were on another planet. Certainly not Ecuador, since it seemed pretty strange to be seeing snowflakes so close to the equator. Even though I’d been hitting the gym pretty frequently, it was still difficult to breathe at that altitude.

We finally reached the Base Camp refuge after an hour of hiking and were treated to lunch and hot tea. Everyone in our group was soaked and freezing, but we sat around the table animatedly swapping stories and sharing travel tips with fellow volunteers and other backpackers from a handful of countries around the world. I think everyone was secretly relieved when our guide told us that the visibility was too poor to continue our hike up to the glacial line. Instead, we scrambled back down to the parking lot to pick up our bikes and zoomed down to Laguna Limpiopungo, about 8 miles away. Freezing hands aside, it was a great ride and once we emerged from the clouds there were some spectacular views.

It’s amazing that a country as small as Ecuador can have such diverse landscapes; the sparse vegetation and craggy mountains were a stark contrast to the lush cloud forest and humid coast that I enjoyed the other weekend. Sometimes I forget that I’m living in the Andes mountains, and this trip served as a reminder of what an amazing part of the world I’m calling home for a few more weeks.

To read more about Olivia’s time in Ecuador, follow her blog. Want to plan your own trip to Ecuador now? Visit our website!