I had some free time and I decided to use it volunteering for conservation. I did it twice, once in Costa Rica for three months and once in Galapagos for three weeks. I think that working hard in nature helps clear your mind and gives you a different perspective on life. And it worked very well.
Alumni Spotlight: Luisa Cordova
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Luisa is an Italian journalist and blogger. She travelled a lot around the world, writing about her adventures.
Why did you choose this program?
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
As I am not a young person, I did everything by myself: looking for the program, choosing it, organising the flights and some of my traveling accommodations. I managed with Project Abroad about my fist night when I landed in the countries. And, of course, the lifts to my final destinations.
Everything worked very well.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
When you go volunteering, bring always with you patience, smiles, curiosity and flexibility. Be open-minded - there are new cultures, foods, lifestyles that you’ll meet and you have the opportunity to share yours with local people. Don’t be scared to experience, but respect and follow the behaviours of your guests. You might have problems only if you insist to behave as in your country.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
Days with Project Abroad in Galapagos are very well scheduled. You have the opportunity to see many different aspects of local life, nature, animals. You can also organise tours and short trips to other islands of the archipelago. It’s a never-ending adventure.
You work for 5 hours per day (average) and then you can enjoy surroundings, pubs, restaurants.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
After the PA experience, I’m more confident in problem-solving and I know that a different lifestyle can be fun and definitely ‘change your eyes’. Things that seemed so important at home, take the right place in life.
I was scared not to find friends, but I was wrong. I found a lot of friends...
Any last pieces of advice?
The side goal of this experience in Galapagos (but also the one in Costa Rica) is that you really create a net of friends all over the world. You meet different people, different ages, different cultures. And it’s really interesting. I met Australian, Chinese, New Zealand, Canadian, European. When you share life, you learn a lot about other people.