United Planet

My experience volunteering with United Planet was top-notch and life-changing! I felt extremely prepared prior to arriving, thanks to the excellent pre-departure assistance UP provided. I volunteered for 2 weeks at a K-8 school in Santiago. The experiences I shared with the teachers and students are unforgettable. Although it was only a two-week Quest, I feel recharged, energized and extremely grateful now that I am back home. In addition to volunteering, I especially cherish the time I spent with my host family. They went out of their way to take me to the most beautiful locales. They were able to share with me the REAL Santiago. My Chilean family made me feel safe and supported, and encouraged to venture outside of my comfort zone. They will remain life-long friends! I also really appreciate my program's director, Paul Fischer. He checked in on me often, which I appreciated!

I spent 2 weeks living in Cuzco, Peru and volunteering at a nearby dental clinic. Overall, it was an amazing time, I especially loved the city and all of the cool places to visit. My experience at the clinic was great as well, the dentists and staff were all very welcoming and kind, and I never felt uncomfortable. The staff at the Spanish school did a very good job at introducing us to the project, and giving us a thorough orientation about everything we needed to know about living in Cuzco and getting to our workplace. Also, if you go to Cuzco in the winter, just be aware that it is very cold, especially at night it gets absolutely freezing, so be sure to bring lots of warm clothes. As far as safety goes, I would say that you don't have much to be worried about, as it is very touristy in most places. However, at night on the weekends, I maybe wouldn't stray to far from the main areas without other people, just to be sure.

I had a great time in Changsha, China! Living with the local people was very enriching, because it was different from where I live. I've learned lots of things in those three weeks. Not only how to teach or stand in front of a class of minimum fifty children. I also learned about the Chinese culture, the local (spicy) food and of course the beautiful (but oh so difficult) language. The Chinese education system is different from the one in Belgium. I think experiencing those differences was very interesting. In other words, I got the chance and opportunity to see life from another perspective. An unforgettable experience!

Prior to my departure, the United Planet (UP) staff helped me tremendously to make sure my time in Ghana would go smoothly. While in Ghana, I worked at Volta Regional Hospital where I met ( and still keep in contact with) the incredible staff. Everyone there was so welcoming, it truly felt like home. After spending 8 weeks in the Emergency Ward, it pained me so much to leave. I learned how to dress wounds, take vitals, set IV lines and so much more. As I left the hospital, saying goodbye to Auntie Mercy (my host family) was extremely tough. I experienced so much while during my stay at her house. I was fortunate enough to witness a traditional wedding and engagement. Our excursions included going to the waterfalls and monkey sanctuary. I truly can't wait to go back to Ghana! Even though I have my family in the USA, I also have a family in Ghana.

I completed my TEFL course at Samui TEFL in March 2014. It was one of the most interesting courses I have done as Katherine keeps you engaged at all times and makes sure you really understand your work. The hands on experience with Thai children is really beneficial as you would not get that experience with an online course and it gives you a taste of what being an ESL teacher is all about. I was 18-years-old when I did the course and I did not struggle to find a great job as Katherine and Rosanne helped me through the entire process and they are great support. I wish I could go back and redo the course as I enjoyed it way more than any college courses I've ever completed.