My subsequent blogs will talk about my experiences in all of these countries not only as a tourist but also as a volunteer. I've traveled to 16 countries so far in my life and this next year's travels will add 5 more countries to that list (I have been to Bulgaria several times as I have family there so that's the only country I'm visiting during this one year abroad that I've already been to). See below for a list of the dates and countries I will be traveling to.
IF YOU LOVE TO TRAVEL .....
or
YOU'D LIKE TO TRAVEL TO ANY OF THESE DESTINATIONS .....
or
YOU'D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER ABROAD .......
PLEASE "FOLLOW" MY BLOG TO LEARN MORE.
AFTER I RETURN ABROAD, I HOPE TO ADD ADDITIONAL BLOGS ABOUT MY PRIOR TRAVELS TO: Egypt, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, UK, Hawaii, and more.... but for now, let's embark on a journey together that begins tomorrow on my way to Peru.
As a little heads up on when and where I will be for the next year, here's a quick list:
Dec. 2013 - Peru (vacay in Cusco and Machu Picchu and volunteering in Lima)
Jan. 2014 - S. Africa (volunteer in Cape Town and safari vacay thereafter)
Feb. 2014 - China (vacay in Beijing and Great Wall and volunteering in Xi'an - including a panda bear project)
Mar. 2014 - Sri Lanka (volunteer in Colombo and vacay thereafter)
April. 2014 - Bulgaria (vacay with family and friends)
May - Oct. 2014 - Thailand (internship - city TBD - orientation will be in Bangkok if protesting has not escalated by then)
PLEASE READ BELOW FOR DETAILS ABOUT ME AND MY MISSION!
Have you ever wanted to volunteer to help other people, or in particular children, but you didn’t know how or where to start????
There are so many organizations out there it’s hard to know where your money is going.
I am about to embark on several hands on volunteering projects abroad for an entire year. Most everything I do while I’m abroad will have a direct impact on helping children in need of education and loving care. I will volunteer in Peru, S. Africa, Sri Lanka, China and, will intern in Thailand (and I will also be involved with two other volunteer projects that are not related to teaching English. One will be teaching children in S. Africa to surf. That should be interesting as I've never surfed myself but have paddle boarded quite a bit. The organization assured me they can teach me the basics that I will then teach the children. Also, in China, I will be working on a Panda Bear Project where I will observe the Panda Bears and assist them in their natural hábitat along with several other wild animals).
Here's my story…..
In Dec. 2005 I was fortunate enough to go on a mission to Nicaragua with my friend's foundation, All for One! Our mission was to raise enough funds to help rebuild the health center for the city of La Dalia. I personally helped fund 3/4 of the project and was able to go on the mission to see firsthand where the funds went. It was an amazing journey! CARE and the Peace Corps were there to assist as well. This mission taught me that it takes many people to make a difference in a community. In less than a year after we helped start the project it was completed. We personally helped change the lives of over 60,000 people who live in La Dalia and seek healthcare at this facility. Our resources and initiative helped bring running water, reliable electricity, extra maternity beds and sanitized testing abilities to the health center. Below is a picture of us with the Vice-Mayor of the City (in the green shirt) at the health center in La Dalia.
In addition to helping revamp the health center, we were also able to visit two different schools and see firsthand how the education system in Nicaragua worked. Below is a picture of me with the children from one of the schools we went to. The school had ONE room only. The teachers (2 of them) had the children grouped by "grade level" in each of the four corners of the room (ex. K-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8). The children were so excited to learn and the parents were very happy to see an opportunity that would help their children advance in their futures.
As a quick side note: Around age 30 (over 10 yrs. ago) I found out that I had uterine fibroids and could not have children. I have had 3 surgeries since then. I got to a point where I was also severely Anemic and had to have 2 massive blood transfusions. My health journey only made me realize that much more how much I love children and whether or not I could have my own, I definitely want to help as many children as I can on this planet.
For the past 8 years (since I went to Nicaragua) I have been contemplating when my next mission would be and I finally decided that my time to start another mission was now! I have worked in the same field for 21 years and felt very dissatisfied and disheartened. I sat at a desk typing in silence all day long. I made a very decent salary for a woman, but I did not feel like I was personally helping to change the lives of others, as I know I was put on this planet to do.
So I decided to embark on a year long journey to help TEFL (teach English as a foreign language) to children around the world. I will be volunteering in: Lima, Peru; Cape Town, South Africa; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Xi'an, China; and Bangkok, Thailand. I will be using 2 different companies to piece together my mission (International Volunteer HQ and i-to-i).
A big part of my efforts will be to TEFL (teach English), but I will also assist with cleaning, cooking, daycare and other projects as needed. I am also doing a 2 week panda bear project in China (in addition to TEFL in China). Along my journey I will be exposed to many wild animals including elephants (I hope to bathe with them in Thailand), monkeys, lions, tigers, etc. I may be able to work on projects along the way that also help these animals, so my impact will not only be on humans but also on animals.
I left the U.S.A. in Dec. 2013 and return in Oct. 2014. I know this will change who I am at the core of my being and I am very excited, nervous and scared to do so.
I will spend about 3-4 weeks in each country until I reach Thailand, where I will be for a 5.5 month internship program. I know that the little hand's-on impact I make will be a ripple effect for many people's futures.
BASIC EDUCATION IS A RIGHT THAT ALL PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE, GENDER OR COUNTRY THEY WERE BORN IN, SHOULD BE AFFORDED.
HERE ARE SOME STATISTICS I PULLED OFF OF UNICEF's WEBSITE:
-Among children not attending school there are twice as many girls as boys, and among illiterate adults there are twice as many women as men.
-Cross-country studies show that an extra year of schooling for girls reduces fertility rates by 5 to 10 percent.
-And the children of an educated mother are more likely to survive childbirth
-In India the infant mortality rate of babies whose mothers have received primary education is half that of children whose mothers are illiterate
-Studies from a number of countries suggest that an extra year of schooling will increase a woman's future earnings by about 15 percent, compared with 11 percent for a man
-Between 1970 and 1992, combined primary and secondary enrollment for girls in developing countries rose from 38 percent to 68 percent -- with particularly high rates in East Asia (83 percent) and Latin America (87 percent)
-But there is still some way to go. In the least developed countries enrollment rates are only 47 percent at the primary level and 12 percent at the secondary level
AND HERE ARE LINKS TO THE PROGRAMS I WILL BE INVOLVED IN:
PERU: Teaching English and/or daycare (3 weeks)
(I will be there over x-mas so there will be days where the teaching project is suspended for holiday but childcare will be needed)http://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-peru.html
S. AFRICA: Teaching kids to surf and teaching English (4 wks)
(since 2 weeks of the time I will be there in Jan. is "holiday" break for the students, I will spend 2 weeks teaching kids how to surf, while learning as well, and the other 2 weeks will be spent teaching English in a classroom)
http://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-south-africa
SRI LANKA: Teaching English (3 weeks)http://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-sri-lanka
Xi'an, China: Panda bear project (2 weeks)http://www.i-to-i.com/volunteer-projects/volunteer-panda-conservation-in-china.html
Xi'an, China: Teaching English (2 weeks)http://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-china
Bangkok, Thailand: Teaching English (5.5 month internship)http://www.i-to-i.com/teaching-internships/thailand/
NOTE: I have done extensive research for over a month on various programs out there. Both "International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ)" and "i-to-i" have extensive reviews online, which for the most part are quite positive. I also found that there are many organizations that are asking very high fees for their volunteer programs. If you are considering volunteering abroad, do some research on the companies you are considering and read the reviews before you make your final decision. It's important to work with an organization that will support you along your journey. When you travel abroad, mishaps are bound to happen. While volunteering, I am sure there will be times when there are issues with the accomodations or the organization of the program, etc and that is why it's important to work with an organization that will be there for you and will have somone on site from their organization to immediately help you with any of your concerns.
Btw, before I moved to Chicago in 2006, and was still living in Los Angeles, I was very actively involved with Padres Contra El Cancer (parents against cancer), an organization founded in Los Angeles which spread from the Los Angeles Children's Hospital to hospitals all over California and eventually all over the world. I was on the Hospital Relations Committee (from 2001-2006) volunteering my time to directly assist the Director and other members of the not-for-profit organization (which Eva Longoria became a spokesperson for). I learned so many things about what it takes to run a not-for-profit when volunteering on that committee. I was blessed to be able to also participate in many of their events where the out-patient children and their families would be present. Below is a picture taken around 2001 at a Halloween event that Padres had put together for the out-patient kids with cancer. I'm the one sitting down in the middle.
