The answer is very simple. The more I thought about participating in a volunteering program, the more I wanted to give it a shot. One day in class, I was talking to a friend about our summer plans. She told me that she had just booked a volunteering experience in Tanzania. I asked her to send me the link, and the next day I simply said, “Anna, I'm going with you.” It didn't take much convincing!
Alumni Spotlight: Ewa Ostapczuk
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Ewa is a final year student in Human Nutrition and Dietetics. She tends to do things in the wrong order, or the opposite to everyone else. After her Leaving Certificate exams, instead of joining her friends on a party holiday, she flew to volunteer in Tanzania.
Why did you choose this program?
What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
Camps International is the agency that organized the trip. They took care of a lot of things – transport, accommodation, food, activities, and projects for us to get involved in. They also provided us with very useful information about what to expect, culture differences, what to bring, recommended vaccines, etc.
What was not included in the price – flights, insurance, vaccines, malaria tablets, visa (which you can simply get at the airport).
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Use your weekends wisely. Do something every single weekend. Save up as much money as possible so you can spend your weekends doing extra activities like climbing Kilimanjaro, scuba diving, snorkeling, going on a safari etc.
I made a list of things I wish I had brought with me:
- Football
- Pictures of my house, town, family and friends (to show the locals)
- Speakers
- Sport's bra (this one applies to all the girls)
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
AVERAGE WEEKDAY:
On an average weekday, we would have breakfast at 8AM. At around 9AM, everybody was ready to leave. We walked to the local school where all of the projects we were doing were – building the mama's house, making toilets for the school, refurbishing classrooms and the walls of the school. We got to work at 9:30-10AM.
We worked away (stress free and in no rush, chatting to each other and the locals who loved talking to us weird looking white foreigners) until about 1PM. Lunch was provided on site.
At 4PM, we walked back to camp. There was always a competition for who got to use the showers first, so a few of us crazy people sometimes jogged back in the blazing heat to beat the shower queues!
We then chilled in the village where you can get your hair braided, get a henna tattoo, play with the children, and dance around with the locals. Alternatively, we would relax in our camp, write in our travel journals, and play cards (for way too long). Most importantly, we would give each other back massages. Everybody was so tensed from wheeling wheelbarrows, mixing mud, digging holes...
It would always get dark at about 7PM, and dinner was served at 7 or 8. After dinner, we would chat, give massages, and play cards. Alcohol was strictly forbidden on weekdays.
WEEKENDS:
This was up to you. Some people went to Zanzibar, some on an extra safari, some people stayed on camp. There would usually be alcohol involved during the weekends – there was always a birthday to celebrate!
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
Honestly, I was more excited than scared. I have a lot of trust in people so I don't usually get scared, other than the fear of getting scammed as a new fresh-off-the-plane tourist.
I think my biggest shock was the first day. We got into our truck at the airport, and the driver kept saying “one dollar, one dollar” so we would tip him for helping us with our bags. Important to note: tipping is expected.
When we drove to the hotel where we would be spending the first night, we drove through villages and saw extreme poverty all around us. The culture and scenery was VERY different to Western Europe. On top of that, we (the volunteers) didn't know each other yet, and everybody was a little scared. That was the only time I had any doubts about the trip.
You just have to embrace the different culture, and adapt to change. Also, everything happens for a reason!
Do you have any last tips for future volunteers going to Tanzania?
Why of course I do.
- Bring enough sunscreen. It is quite expensive there as tourists are the only ones who buy and use it. (As a nutrition student, I feel that it is my duty to tell you to wait 10-20 minutes in the sun before applying sunscreen. Your skin cannot make vitamin D if you're covered in sunscreen!)
- If you like to travel, stay for more than a month – your time will fly by. I have to say, I was not at all home sick. I just occasionally missed my friends and family.
- Book return flights for a later date so you have time to travel a little more after the end of the program.
- Get used to Tanzanian time – 6 AM can mean 6:05 or 9 AM.
- When entering someone's property, it is considered rude if you don't greet every single person there.
- Write a travel journal – write down the funny stories, the little details that you want to keep with you forever, and people's names and contact information!! You'd be surprised how easy it is to forget someone's name after just a few years.
- For more details about housing, food, extra activities and my thoughts on how we really impacted the community...check out my review. So good I would go back! https://www.gooverseas.com/organization/camps-international-reviews