A fantastic volunteer experience

I have traveled three times with the organization Global Volunteers and have never been disappointed. I took the Greece trip with my 16 year old daughter. My husband is of Greek heritage and I wanted her to have a taste of her roots. The family who runs the hotel where our group was housed was incredibly hospitable and would go out of their way for the volunteers. Greek hospitality is among the warmest anywhere. My daughter has Celiac disease and must follow a gluten free diet. Every day, there was gluten free food prepared for her in a special container so that there was no contamination. And the food was delicious!

Our work was teaching English at a community day camp for kids. My daughter and I chose the 11 year old group and after a couple of rough days of figuring out how to manage a group that we didn’t know well, we had an amazing time with those kids. It was hard to say goodbye at the end of our two weeks. We still laugh at all of the antics in class.

The group leader Sam was so helpful and we really felt like we could ask her about anything. In the evenings, she joined us for dinner at the hotel and sometimes I would sit with the owner of the hotel and his family, just listening and trying to learn some Greek. In the evenings, for those that are a bit younger, there’s a lively town within a 5 minute walk from the hotel with lots of restaurants and shops. The beach is also only a 5 minute walk.

My daughter cried when our volunteer time had come to an end. We had made a real connection with our students and with the Cretans. I plan to return to this program. Don’t hesitate and go; you won’t regret it for a second!