Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with ISV in New Zealand?
Alissa: I choose to volunteer with ISV because they truly care about providing an educational and fun experience. Safety is their first priority and they have a great reputation. I really wanted to gain experience by volunteering and I also love to travel. I have to say that with New Zealand, the first thing that attracted me to the program was the adrenaline-packed adventure tour and it is definitely worth it! My volunteer experience greatly enriched my whole trip to New Zealand and gave me a better appreciation of conservation efforts made in the country, as well as educating me about sustainability and ways to continue to apply what I had learned when returning back home. I also felt like I was part of the community, especially with our encounter with the Maori, which was very special. I decided to volunteer to try a new experience, meet new people and do amazing activities, while learning about a new country. Finally I would just like to add, that I ended up enjoying my volunteer experience much more than I had anticipated, it's a very meaningful thing to do and you feel good about it.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Alissa: We stayed our first two first at Aongatete Lodge, which was where we did our volunteer work. The lodge serves as a summer camp for kids during the summer, and we used it during the winter. A typical day of volunteering would include getting up early to help out in the kitchen, either preparing breakfast or setting out everything so that everyone could pack a good lunch (usually sandwiches) for the day. We were divided into three subgroups and alternated doing different tasks on different days; very organized. After breakfast our Kuaka coordinator would arrive and would instruct us on what we would be doing for that day.
Most of the time we would have a short bus ride to get us on site. Most of our work involved tree planting and weeding, which I really liked and we also did track building and monitoring (tracking efforts to get rid of pests in specific areas). We would usually work until noon, have lunch and then work a few hours more. At night, we prepared supper and spent time in our groups doing educational activities and having discussions. When we were not doing that, we spent time in the common room/cafeteria and played games (i learned about 5 new card games) and listened to music and movies. That was for our first two weeks, then we travelled all over the place and stayed in the best hostels!
How has this experience impacted your future?
Alissa: This experience has opened my eyes to different ways in which I can be involved in volunteering and also what concrete things I can do to play my part in helping the environment. Making us aware and helping us plan and apply sustainable development and responsible tourism was included in my ISV program. It has also opened my eyes and made me realize that I love to travel and would like to live abroad someday--and surely return to New Zealand. I met people from all over, made friends and I realized the importance of finding work that is meaningful to me. Academically, I would love to be able to find other opportunities to volunteer, maybe with people as well, like teaching for example. Personally, this was a very new experience for me, as I tend to be somewhat reserved, but this trip is all about teamwork so I loved meeting people and I also loved the idea of doing something new and exciting everyday.