It sounds cliche to say this experience changed my life, but that is exactly what you should know about this program. Nothing changes your perspective on life quite like living in the middle nowhere, sleeping in dung huts and living cut off from the world for two weeks. South Africa was everything we could have wanted, and ISV ensured that we got the experience we were looking for, while still making a difference.
In my story, I spent two weeks working on a reserve, assessing vegetation and game along with 10 new friends that very quickly became family. We woke up before dawn and watched the sun rise as we headed out to the reserve. We learned about the native wildlife, including birds, vegetation and game, allowing us to collect data that would be put toward the upkeep and assessment of the reserve. The work that we did was incredibly important to both the reserve management and the communities in the area. The work was extremely rewarding, knowing that this would otherwise be paid work, or not done at all, in an area of South Africa where spare money can be spent much more wisely on bettering the lives of the locals.
Apart from our volunteer work, we were able to experience Africa in a way that few travellers can. Our living arrangements, as I said, were handmade dung huts. We cooked all of our meals in cooking groups and finished our nights sitting around the fire, looking up at the milky way perfectly positioned in the sky. In our spare time, our leaders took us on game drives, to visit the neighbouring community, hiking, games, lectures, lessons, playing with the resident dogs/cats, reading in hammocks, drinking tea, journalling and basically enjoying every single second of our African adventure. It was paradise. And if you ask any of the group, 2 weeks was not enough! We could have lived there happily for much longer!
Our leaders were tremendous and saying goodbye at the end of the two weeks was so difficult! ISV does a fantastic job of selecting their leaders. Kirsty, Edward and Norman were all so easy to get along with, very educated in the area we were working in and loved sharing the experience with us. I miss them all!
The two or three weeks after the volunteer experience are optional, but I can guarantee you that if you opt out of the four or five week package you will forever regret it. It is one thing to experience South Africa from the comfort of our village, but don't pass up the opportunity to see Blyde Canyon, Kruger and the Big5, Swaziland culture, coral reefs, markets, mountains and so much more. The second two weeks allow you to extend the group of international best friends you leave with and see more of the beautiful continent we were lucky enough to visit. Again, our tour leader, Tasch, was amazing and was more of a friend to us than anything. And if four weeks doesn't seem like enough time (which I promise you, it is not!), a fifth week in Zambia and Botswana is also offered. I was lucky enough to spend all five weeks in paradise and highly recommend doing so. We camped out in Chobe National Park, lived in and explored an unreal Zambian city, met many locals, bungee jumped off of Victoria Falls Bridge, was swept away by Zambezi rapids and stood in the monsoon mist of Victoria Falls.
I can't say enough good about this experience and about ISV itself. Yes it was costly, an obvious concern for students paying for school fees as well, but it was worth every penny and has opened so many doors to future travelling, work and opportunities. Explaining my overseas adventure in a short review is no easy task, and most of what we saw and felt in South Africa cannot be explained until you jump on a plane and experience it for yourself. But for students that want to find out more about what it is like with ISV, I kept a blog of my stories and adventures and would love to share it with anyone that is considering this experience :
http://acrossthepondandintothewild.tumblr.com
Please don't turn down the opportunity to make lifelong memories and friends!!
