Why did you decide to volunteer with IHF in Indonesia?
Julia: Over the past few years I had developed a love of travelling and experiencing new places but I'd never had the opportunity to venture outside of Europe. I decided that I would like to travel somewhere in South-East Asia but I didn't just want to visit the country as a tourist, I wanted to help local people and experience the culture of a country first hand. After hours of researching via the internet I found the volunteering opportunities offered through IHF, they caught my eye because unlike many of the other organisations they don't have excessive volunteering fees. I really enjoy working with children and IHF gave me the opportunity to help less fortunate children to develop their English language skills. As I would be travelling alone I contacted IHF enquiring about the volunteering opportunities, they were very helpful in answering my mass of questions and made me feel comfortable about volunteering for them. After consulting with IHF, friends and family I decided to apply to volunteer for the IHF centre in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer in Indonesia.
Julia: As a volunteer for IHF your daily routine consists of teaching classes and completing a certain amount of administrative work. Every volunteer gets assigned to specific teams to undertake different administrative duties such as advertising; as a volunteer you must work on these tasks for a certain amount of time each week. Even though on the outset this may not sound very inviting I think it's important to know that through getting volunteers to undertake a certain amount of administrative work they are reducing their expenditure. Obviously the primary role of a volunteer is teaching the children English (or other classes such as maths if the volunteer can speak the native language), therefore everyday (except Sunday which the volunteer will have off) the volunteer will teach a certain amount of classes. The morning classes are usually for the younger children and the later classes for the high school children.
There are no classes on a Sunday which makes it the perfect day for a volunteer to go exploring and you won't be alone. The centre children are more than willing to show you the best parts of the city/area, as locals they can show and inform you about things that you wouldn't see or hear about as a tourist. You can make the most out of your visit, through travelling to the most interesting spots and using the local public transportation. It's fantastic.
What made this experience unique and special?
Julia: The IHF centres also operate as orphanages with children living in; as a volunteer you are essentially entering a home and you are greeted with open arms by everyone. You are instantly made to feel comfortable and by the end of your time you will feel like you are part of the family, which does make the goodbyes difficult but the experience fantastic. In my eyes this is different from most volunteering opportunities because instead of just socialising and making friends with the other volunteers, you build friendships with the children and staff. They will show you their world and introduce you to the local traditions and cultures, you think you are going to be the one doing all the teaching (through the classes) but in fact you end up coming home having learnt a lot. Making friends with the children both at the centre and those that attend the classes is the best part of the experience, they are truly lovely young persons and you feel lucky to have had the opportunity to teach them.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Julia: The experience changed my outlook and what I wanted out of life, now I want a career which will allow me to help others. I am hoping that after completing my degree I will be able to work for an NGO specialising in human rights and hopefully I will be able to return to Asia soon and possibility even work there one day. Working with the children made me appreciate everything in life, these children are not as fortune as some but they are extremely grateful for everything they do have and they're are happy. I have tried to take a leaf out of their book and make the most out of life and smile as much as possible.