Program Reviews

Peru is so beautiful. There are so many historical buildings and ruins, you could spend weeks there just exploring it all. Volunteering at the after school program was a lot of fun. The kids were so sweet and eager to learn. Also, my Spanish classes were very fun and my understanding of the language improved greatly. Machu Picchu is also a must and I recommend taking the train there because the scenery is breath taking. I enjoyed every single minute and would definitely return!

Hello!
well I'll start by saying I would HIGHLY recommend Ghana as a volunteer experience. My first recommendation is 2 weeks isn't nearly enough ( I stayed for two and was heartbroken when I left.) So the first night you are in the capital Accra, and the country coordinator will take you around and show you the city. The first thing I was grateful for was the other volunteer who went with me, if you have a friend or can coordinate with another volunteer I would highly recommend that also, it's nice just to have a companion seeing as it is a completely different continent. I never felt unsafe, or nervous which I feel is a stigma with Africa so don't worry on that. As for the hospital experience I am in the nursing field so unfortunately I can't speak of pre med. However I was in the A&E (accident and emergency) and absolutely LOVED it. If you make it known you want to help and learn everyone from doctors to student nurses will take you under. I even went around and did rounds with the doctors (and pre med students) and I am a nurse so you can see how great they are with including. You will see a lot of injuries and illness you wouldn't see otherwise so be prepared for that. As for living, I stayed with Mercy, and had my own room/bathroom, she is great and very accommodating. Riley (the other volunteer) and I researched and had a list of things we wanted to do before we left, so I would also suggest doing that. On the weekend our country coordinator took us to the waterfall and monkey sanctuary which is a once in a lifetime experience. I'll attach pictures. Everyone there wants to be your friend, and take you out. The people are amazing, and I wish I never left. Oh transportation, you can walk to the hospital, or take a cab either is super cheap, and getting from the capital to Ho the country coordinator will arrange for you. Just be prepared that you are in Africa so, it's not like taking a cab in New York. Let me know if you have any other questions! (oh p.s. 1 us dollar is 4 cedi so you won't spend alot of money) ok like I said let me know! And if you go please tell the employees in Emergency I say Hello!!!

Getting to see the healthcare system in another country and participate in providing care there was life changing. I have brought so many lessons back to Canada with me. I thought we were going to Ecuador to help the people there, but I feel like it was really the other way around. I also feel like my life priorities and future goals changed. I now want to do more, travel further, and try nursing across the globe. I've never thought seriously about adopting a child, but after visiting an orphanage in Quito, I've realized that doing so would fit me as a person more than I ever could have known.

The trip to Havana with United Planet was simply one of the most amazing travel experiences I have had. I didn't really know what to expect--it was my first time to Cuba and my first trip with United Planet.

From end-to-end, it was remarkable. We hit the ground running, with programming our first night, just a few hours after we landed--the history of Cuban dancing. This interactive show (yes, we danced, too) was the perfect start to the trip. It introduced us to Cuban dancing, which is such an important aspect of the society.

From there, we met with artists, teachers, priests, and entrepreneurs. And even with a man who is key in the history of Cuban dance and the literacy movement in the middle of last century. He shared his story, answered our many questions, and generally charmed us.

Each day was different and exciting. One day we met with young entrepreneurs and learned about how they want to have an impact as the country deals with all the changes coming its way. Another day, we met a priest in the Yoruba religion who taught about their beliefs and gods, and how important they are in Cuban culture.

The United Planet team and local Cuban hosts treated us so well. They anticipated practically every need. You expect that with the big things--of course they will have planned transportation and food and meeting spots, etc. But they thought about the little things, too. Including sending a text to the cab driver as we went to the airport to fly home, to make sure I had one important piece of information I might need at the airport.

I took this trip as a solo travel/volunteer trip to Ecuador. United Planet had a really great support system and was very organized throughout the application process. They were all prompt with responding and the in country staff was also prompt with travel accommodations to and from the airport..

I'm a PA, certified and all, so I was hoping for more experience and exposure to the under-served areas of Quito, where healthcare is not readily accessible and where I could be of more help. However, I was placed in a private clinic to observe, which I did appreciate observing how things are done differently vs in the US. The spanish classes were great, b/c I'm not very fluent in Spanish but with my broken/basic spanish, I was able to communicate with most ppl. Most of all, I really enjoyed having the complete independence after the first day, which meant I got to explore the city of beautiful Quito. It was so fun!

Quito is actually really safe, compared to even some cities in the US. Be smart about traveling at night. The most common crime is pocket thefts in crowded spaces like the bus/trains. I would highly recommend the trip to students, but as for professionals, I would inquire about what you'd be able to assist in b/c you might be observing more.

I've participated in China Summer twice, in 2013 and 2014. I can honestly say that those were the best summers of my life.

This program is such a great way to spend the summer, especially if you're in high school. I've learned so much from China Summer, along with forming some of the greatest relationships I've ever formed with the other volunteers, the students, and the local residents. Not only is it an eye-opening experience in a global, economic, and social perspective, but I've also come to embrace my own character with more confidence.

There are three sets of volunteers that participate in this program. The first set would be the American volunteers, who participate through United Planet. Most of us, the American volunteers, were high-schoolers. The second set of volunteers are Chinese college students who apply through the FeiFeng agency, which organizes the program on the Chinese side. The last set of volunteers are a little less visible, in the sense that you wouldn't really recognize their efforts right away. This last set includes the staff from the school where we mostly reside in for the duration of the trip, the parents of the local students who send their children to the program, and any other local residents that support the program. I am so grateful for this last group of volunteers who cooked every meal for us, cleaned and set up the dorms for us, created makeshift toilets for our comfort, and for supporting China Summer!

The United Planet volunteers (who are usually American...my first year, there were two people from the UK) meet in Beijing. We spend a day or two there, and then ride a train to the closest city to the location of the school. It's a small city called Huaihua where we spend the night and meet the Chinese volunteers. The train ride and the days in Beijing are great for bonding between the UP volunteers (: Then, all the volunteers ride a bus up the mountains to finally arrive at the school.

The school is in a rural setting, and the area is less economically fortunate than most of us are used to. The Chinese volunteers are usually from cities as well, and one way my global perspective was changed was realizing how economically diverse China really was. I'd say most of the challenges at first are getting accustomed to the school setting where the bathrooms are in a separate building and are trenches, where there are a wide selection of flying bugs that I've never seen before coming to China Summer, where food selection is also extremely limited and is eaten with chopsticks, where there aren't really showers, and where local residents can only afford to eat twice a day. It sounds bad, but it's really not! Seriously, the close bond between the volunteers made everyone feel at home and helped us get through these challenges with smiles and laughter.

At the school, we accomplish the primary goal of the trip: broadening horizons through interaction and teaching. The students are divided up by grades, and each grade gets a teaching group that consists of both UP and Chinese volunteers. Teaching days require lesson planning, which I would consider personally my biggest challenge. I'm just in high school, and I don't even know proper English myself! Coming up with interesting lessons is hard, but it's fun and I loved my kids (: Although we want the local students to expand their English knowledge, we also want to let them learn about life and the culture outside of their village in the mountains. Most of the people probably will never leave, but hopefully we've opened their eyes to more opportunities and to the lifestyle of different people in America (and sometimes UK or other places where UP volunteers are from) and in other parts of China (from the Chinese volunteers) as well. Additionally, our eyes are opened as well. Sometimes at night, we would go stargazing because the stars in that area were amazingly. I felt extremely small lying in the middle of the basketball court in that school in the mountains in southern, rural China amongst all the stars that were invisible where I lived 7,000 miles away. It makes you think bigger, I suppose.

And about my personal perspective, I've become more confident as myself. I am a very self-conscious person (ask anyone who participated in China Summer 2013 or 2014), but when I'm on the trip, it makes me forget about my insecurities. I was so comfortable with the other volunteers despite being in a foreign setting and in a economic situation that I've never experienced before. Being on this trip made me forget all my concerns at home. I loved forgetting about everything! All I cared about on the trip was anything to do with China Summer. And now, it's all I can think about still.

Kudos to you if you've read up to this point! I could go on and on about this trip, and I'm sorry if this post was lengthy a bit dull. What's important to get out of this is how badly I want to do China Summer again. I love this program to death and it is undeniably the most amazing experience ever! I wasn't expecting anything too mind-blowing my first year because I am Chinese and I've been to Beijing almost every year since second grade. I was completely wrong. I would recommend this to anyone anywhere at anytime, because I have been the happiest I have ever been on this trip. I've made some of the greatest friends, and we share very special memories that can't be truly empathized by anyone else. I love my China Summer family, and I'm so grateful for United Planet for having this program! :)

What a wonderful opportunity it was to teach in Ghana. As a single female, I felt very safe and the in host coordinator was fabulous. He worked so hard to make sure that I felt comfortable. I stayed with a lovely host family and got to know some of the people in the community. Teaching in a primary school was a bit difficult because there was not a lot of English spoken so there were times that I was not engaged but it was a good experience overall for a short term volunteer position.

During my time in Nepal I learned more about myself then I ever though I would. I take medicine for anxiety so going abroad was very nerve racking and culture shock freaked me out a little bit. However being in Nepal and learning to work through all of this helped me so much. I was surrounded by poverty which was hard but I learned to adapt to the best of my abilities. I also got to see one of the biggest Hindu temples and one of the biggest Buddhist temples in the world. Nepal's culture is so rich and there is so much to learn from the people there.
I would very highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in learning about themselves and exploring the boundaries of their comfort zone, and then breaking them.

I volunteered in an orphanage called OCCED in Kathmandu, Nepal, and stayed with a host family for two weeks. I couldn't help falling in love with the cute children and my lovely host family. They gave me a very unforgettable experience and had a great impact on my life and value. Here is a typical day for me in Nepal:

07:00 Get up
08:00 Breakfast with my host family
09:00 Go to nearby supermarkets to buy toys or snacks for children (not required, just I wanted the children to be happier)
10:00 Start work in the orphanage
Work included: teaching, playing with smaller children, chatting with older children, having lunch with the children and the orphanage staff
17:00 Leave the orphanage
After work, normally I went back to my host family, but sometimes I went to Thamel (the main shopping area) to explore some nice restaurants
19:00 Dinner with my host family
After dinner, I would chat with my host family, showing each other photos, or watch TV with them (when there was electricity)
21:00 Go to bed

Apparently two weeks was not long enough for me to spend with the cute and smart children. I wish I could have stayed longer!

I would definitely recommend this program to my friends :)

My experience with United Planet was marvelous. I arrived in Peru with no idea what to expect. Although the pre-departure sessions and all my back and forth with staff had been extensive and gratefully appreciated, nothing can prepare you for landing alone in a third world airport at the un-travelled age of 17. I will admit I was slightly panicky, and wondering what I had gotten myself into. I met my host family and started to feel a little more settled after having a home base at both my Spanish school and my home-stay. Once the shock wore off, my adventure really began. I have always been bothered by people who come back from life changing experiences and simply say "it can not be put into words", but I am beginning to understand where they are coming from. None the less, I am going to do my best and try to paint a picture of my time away from home.

I have made some of the best memories during my quest, and my stay in Peru was and always will be a monumental time in my life. I feel that I made a real difference in the lives of the children in my project, and I can say without a doubt that they had (and are continuing to have)a huge impact in mine. I felt immersed in the culture and lives of the Peruvian families. My excursion to Machupicchu was an amazing and spiritually enhancing experience. I will forever cherish the memories of my day at the monumental Inkan ruins. My overall experience on my United Planet quest to Peru was everything I had hoped for and more. I will have these memories for the rest of my life, and would recommend United Planet to anyone looking for life changing volunteer experience.