Volunteering Solutions

I wish I stayed longer. I was there for 2 weeks, but it was really short. You just get to know everyone and then you already leave. Most of the other volunteers there stayed at least 3 weeks. You can't really pick up that much trash in 2 weeks because you have to get certified first. Also, you will be very tired coming back from scuba diving and you just want to relax a little bit so for really seeing Lisbon you have just the weekends.

The ones from the marine conservation program had to leave the hostel at first. We got up at like 07:30, put our swimsuits on under the clothes and quickly ate something. We left at like 08:10 and walked down the hill to the train station. There we took the train to Cascais and walked to the dive center.

First, we always put the scuba equipment together and tested if it worked. Then we put our wetsuits and shoes on and went on the boat. If the conditions were good, we did a dive. Then we headed back, had a shower and went back to Lisbon. We were back at the hostel at like 3 pm.

They always saved us something from lunch.

My biggest fear was to not find any friends there. I wasn't afraid of taking a 35h train ride through 3 countries on my own, just of not finding any new friends. Now I can say that my fear was completely "needless" because I was welcomed since the first minute I arrived and I found a lot of new friends. I was always included in every action and was always asked if I wanted to join them on a trip.

This experience changed my view on how people could see me. I'm not stressed about such an issue anymore because if so many people from different cultures liked me since the first day, then there will be some more all around the world.

My 3 favourite stories:

1. We went out with the dive center and I really had too much. I fell asleep on the pier for 10 minutes. I'm glad it happened in such a safe country. We arrived back in the hostel around midday the next day. There, I realised that I lost my ID... I went to the Swiss embassy on Monday (we didn't dive on Mondays) and got some documents for getting back. On Tuesday at the dive center, they had a surprise for me: Someone has found my ID! I know you might think that this sounds like pure horror, but I got everything back and had a lot of fun. I wouldn't change anything.
2. We went dolphin watching! I would highly recommend that - it was amazing. They had dolphin babies!
3. This adventure was on my trip back to Switzerland. If you're from Europe, I would recommend traveling by train with a global pass from Interrail. You will meet so many people and it's a huge adventure. So a day, before I took the train in Hendaye to Paris, the SNCF company went on protest. Everyone who was affected the day before was now getting on the train I was and we had some huge delay. I missed my second train to Geneva, and because there were so many people in the train station and the staff was so busy, I couldn't get a ticket for the next day. Luckily, I met another girl from Switzerland, so we were able to split the hotel bill. The next day we went again to a train station, but every train was fully booked. We could book one the next day at like 5 pm. So again, we had to take a cheap hotel together. But it was cool: I saw the Eiffel Tower! And I arrived home safely the next night. I know that not everyone will think that this is amazing, but if you're looking for an adventure like I did, that's how you can get one.

Being here for the last 10 months, I believe my skills of writing and communication have improved manifold. I've learned how to come up with quick innovative ideas, how to convince people on the other side of the screen to accept my articles, and how to use social media as a tool for growth and enhanced outreach.

I'm a more confident at my work now, and I look forward to continue polishing my skills under the guidance of the seniors.

Every company has certain unique qualities that make it different from others. I believe that the work VolSol does is in itself a great work for humanity. There's transparency, honesty, strength and a combination of soulful ideas that make it special.

On one occasion, I got a chance to visit a dozen Dutch volunteers who were working at a slum school in New Delhi, India.

After interacting with them, I got to know that not only had they traveled all the way from the Netherlands to India for volunteering, but they had also raised enough funds to provide water purifier, air cooler, mats and paints to that slum school, which was in dire need of those things.

Not only did I feel proud to be a part of the team that day, but I also started believing in the fact that there are still nice people in the world.

I guess it's the media that has made this entire fuss about India being unsafe for women travelers, but the reality isn't anything close to that.

I won't disagree with the fact that late night outings and too much interaction with a stranger can at times turn a bit messy, but personally, I've never experienced anything of that sort. I've always come across warm people, smiling cab drivers, helpful autowallahs, humorous co-passengers and above all, truck drivers who shared their life tales with me.

And I don't think that I'm the only lucky one -- there are hundreds of other women who are traveling solo in different parts of the country and they do get a safe sleep at night. You just have to be a little cautious about your steps, and everything will fall into place.