Why did you decide to volunteer with UBELONG in South Africa?
Andy: A good friend of mine previously volunteered in Peru through UBELONG and told me many great things about the program – so UBELONG was always in the back of my mind. But actually applying to UBELONG itself was kind of a spontaneous, motivated decision. I spoke with a very accomplished, humble mentor and was inspired. I told myself “Wow, if I want to be the type of person I envision myself to be 10, 20, 30 years from now, I have to do something NOW.”
And I thought volunteering in South Africa was clearly the best choice because it was something BOLD and DIFFERENT. What surprised a lot of people was that I applied to the program alone. I wanted to learn more about the world and about myself. It was all worth it because I ended up having the best time of my life.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Andy: Weekdays from 8am to 2pm, I would volunteer at a local school in Cape Town. I helped a teacher teach a class of 40 second-grade students (ages 8-9) in subjects such as Math and English. Occasionally we would have physical education activities outside in the playground too. The kids were great and grew attached to me very quickly. They fed off my energy and I fed off their happiness. It was a great experience.
After volunteer work, it would always be something different. I lived in a volunteer house with about 15 other volunteers from various volunteer organizations around the world. We would go exploring the city together, hang out at the beach, eat in different restaurants, go out at night – there was always something to do! It was summer time in Cape Town so it was easy to occupy ourselves.
I only spent 2 weeks in Cape Town and ended up going on a tour every weekend. I went on road trips with the other volunteers and we traveled to many Eastern & Southwestern parts of South Africa. I have an amazing arsenal of stories including hugging ostriches, riding elephants and bungee jumping off the world’s highest bungee bridge.
What made this experience unique and special?
Andy: The other volunteers made it very special. I was only one of two Americans (the others were all from Europe, mainly Germany but also a few from Ireland, England, Turkey). It was different because I’ve never been surrounded by so many European friends before. I was afraid of language barriers and cultural differences but I became comfortable with everyone after the first/second day.
I learned that you tend to care for and trust each other pretty quickly once you start doing things like climb mountains together. I spent every day doing unbelievable activities and discovering out of this world types of scenery with amazing people. I am very fortunate that everything came perfectly together to make it such a special experience.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Andy: One of my friends asked me if I could describe my trip in one world, what would it be? It would definitely have to be the word “dream.” I only spent 2 weeks volunteering abroad but those 2 weeks felt like 2 years (in a good way). I grew so close with the other volunteers in such a short amount of time and I couldn’t believe it was all over when the time came.
The children in my class each hugged me individually before I left and that is a memory I’ll treasure forever too. It was such a good feeling to know that I left such a positive impact on so many people. From this experience, I learned to always make the most of what I have. This mature approach on life will benefit me both personally and professionally.