Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with GVI in Vanuatu?
Jaimie: My time spent with GVI in Vanuatu was the beginning of a six month journey for me. I knew that I wanted to do some volunteering on my trip, so I did a ton of research before I left. Initially I discovered GVI in a book about volunteer vacations. I also loved their website, clean, clear and really easy to navigate. The main aspect that inspired me was this actual project. It was something that I had always wanted to do and it was also in the region of the world that I was heading to. Plus there was availability on the project.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Jaimie: The daily activities related to the volunteer project included hiking to the beach at night with local guides trained in the turtle research and looking for turtles laying eggs. Once you come upon the turtles, we took measurements, tagged them, marked the nest locations and identified the species. If you happen to be lucky enough to be there when a nest hatches, you get to watch the babies make the make dash to the sea. When not working on the project, you have free time which can include activities such as: local cooking lessons, traditional weaving lessons, snorkeling, island tour, kayaking or any other creative thing you come up with.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Jaimie: In order to meet the extraordinary challenges, mentally, physically and emotionally, on this trip, I had to utilize all of my strength and perseverance. It was amazing to see what kind of obstacles, I was actually able to accept and deal with. All of these perceived hardships become displaced by the realization that you are in the middle of a unique opportunity of living with a completely different culture, while simultaneously contributing to their cultural change of learning to protect the turtles instead of eating them. The knowledge I gained both of myself and the people of Vanuatu will stay with me always.
I have yet to see how this experience will impact my life professionally. As I am now back in the United States and attempting to find what the next chapter of my life will be, I’m hoping to be able to incorporate this experience in some way. Regardless of what the future impact will be, the experience was priceless and I hope that I can have many more adventurous that are equally amazing.
