Horrible Staff

The day to day experiences were great. I had numerous spanish lessons where I learned a bunch. I also volunteered at a project where the kids were amazing and inspirational. My host family was very welcoming as well.

However, the organization itself is a mess. The volunteer coordinator parked his truck in the space where we held the kids, so every day we had to rearrange the tables to make room for his vehicle. In addition, the truck left oil leaks on the tile which the volunteers were expected to clean up. Numerous times we were locked out of the project and were unable to let the kids or ourselves into the actually classroom.

The organization also made numerous last minute changes and cancellations. My host family was changed just two days before I left my house in the US and we were only notified by email. Had I already bought gifts for the family, this would have been a problem, as the ages and genders of the children were very different. On multiple occasions the scheduled cultural activities were cancelled, usually only after the scheduled (and paid) teacher or mentor didn't show up.

Then there's the intern. Not only is she rude and rather snobby, but she is also extremely unprofessional. On numerous occasions she failed to keep confidentiality when other volunteers made mistakes or broke their contract. In addition, she showed underage volunteers the local clubs and bars, giving her personal opinion on which ones to go to. She failed to act as an authority figure unless her internship was on the line. Only when a higher authority figure stepped in would she properly assume her position.