Unearth the World

My time volunteering with LLI through Unearth The World was nothing short of an unbelievable and eye opening experience! Unearth The World did a great job preparing me as best as they could with what I was going to expect from the program in Peru. When I arrived, the Volunteer Coordinator picked me up in a taxi and took me to the program, while explaining more about the program and the other people living in the house. I felt adjusted right away even though I was completely out of my ordinary, daily life. I have never worked with children that were more appreciative or had a stronger desire to learn than the children at LLI. I volunteered there for a month and taught English to two classes. I had never taught English before but they did a great job training me on how to write lesson plans and the other volunteers were a lot of help. I am still very close with most of the people that I lived with in the volunteer house and talk to them often! I highly recommend volunteering at LLI because Lara has created an amazing organization that will change you for the better :)

My time with Unearth The World volunteering in Nicaragua was nothing short of amazing! Kathryn strongly recommended this program as I was flexible for where I wanted to volunteer and she was right. I volunteered with La Mariposa for the first month of my three month adventure. The one-on-one Spanish lessons built me a solid foundation for the rest of my trip that was VERY helpful while traveling. The teachers were so kind and patient. I spent two weeks at the eco-hotel which was very lovely followed by two weeks with a family. My family was so caring and it was great Spanish practice in the evening! They are very flexible with selecting a volunteer project and you can switch if you would like to try something else during your time there. Also, they had so many fun activities planned in the evenings that were a great way to explore other areas of Nicaragua. Overall, I would highly recommend volunteering with Unearth The World at La Mariposa!

La Mariposa in Nicaragua was the perfect trip for me in my first time traveling abroad. The experience was better than I could have ever imagined and I hope to return in the future. The staff were more than helpful and hospitable, my homestay family wonderful and sweet, the community very welcoming, and the Spanish lessons fun and extremely helpful! Furthermore I was able to serve the community that the eco-hotel and school is in through one of their volunteer projects (I personally worked in their reserve and organic farm), while meeting and getting to know residents of the community in which I was serving during the process. The travel and accommodations La Mariposa provides are more than comfortable, and the people make leaving the hardest part of the entire experience. It is perfect for any sort of traveler as well, from families to solo of any age and from fluent in Spanish to having now background in the language at all. I would not have wanted to experience Nicaragua any other way.

Estefany and Michelle were my two students in one of my teen classes. They were both less than a year younger than me, so really we were best friends. Three weeks into me teaching them, they begged me not to forget them and to promise to come back. I was so confused, as I was going to be there for two more months. When the time came for me to go, we had created a relationship like no other I've ever shared. They had to take a test our last class together, and Michelle kept working on "homework". I kept telling her that she couldn't do that while taking her test. By the end of class I realized that her "homework" was actually poster for me giving their thanks and love. On Christmas Day, after being home for about 2 weeks, I got two audio messages from them, saying how much they loved and missed me. That was the only present I really needed. Those girls are so special and so beautiful, they will give you their heart, as long as you promise to do the same.

We had a wonderful trip and stayed at La Mariposa. The most rewarding part of the trip was working with children through Los Pipitos. The children have developmental issues that impact their lives and our work through equine therapy, game therapy, art therapy, and other group work was wonderful. It gave these children a structured, social network while they worked on improving both physical and intellectual skills. The Spanish tutoring at La Mariposa was effective and directed to each individuals level. I had never taken Spanish previously, but made significant improvement while others with advanced skills focused on improving even further. We also enjoyed working on the Eco-farm and the reserve. La Mariposa's investment in the local community is profound. We are looking for an opportunity to return for a longer period of time and also do a home stay.