Program Reviews

I am so incredibly thrilled that I chose ARCC for the first semester of my gap year. All you need to know is that the ARCC East Africa program is one of the best experiences that any young person can take part in. And it is the BEST way to begin your gap year.

ARCC as an organization offers a well-rounded gap curriculum that combines volunteer work, education, and positive travel. I chose the East Africa program since it is in a region of the world that I had not yet traveled to. ARCC's connections in this region allow for the most unique and holistic experience. We met so many incredible people, and took part in so many incredible once in a lifetime experiences (rafting the Nile river, volunteering at Uganda Rhino Fund, seeing the animals on the Masai Mara, installing solar panel systems in Masai homes in Kenya). Without ARCC and this program, I would never know how incredible East Africa is.

So many times throughout the semester I thought to myself, "Wow, instead of being in a lecture or in any class I'm here." And that could be applied to any of the projects we did because they were so unique.

The bottom line is that if you want an enriching, well rounded, supportive, adventurous, and all-around incredible first semester of your gap year, go on the ARCC East Africa trip. This is where you want to be!

When I first signed up and got accepted into the program, I didn't really want to go because I felt that I was going to miss out on going to college with my friends and having a social life. Taking a gap year and doing this program made me realize that there's so much more in this world than we imagine. To have this opportunity is a once in a life time experience that I will never forget and I'm so happy that I did this trip.
I also took a gap year because I needed a break from school. I was mentally and physically exhausted and school was draining. This helped me just take a breather from the stress and anxiety school was doing to me.
I love my group and they will forever be my family. They are so supportive and loving, we have a special bond and it's so amazing how quickly we connected and got along. They were my rock and support system for three months, I won't find anything like this again.

I had an amazing three months on ARCC Gap in Asia. The itinerary was incredible, ranging from camping on the Great Wall of China to a Thai farming homestay. The group leaders were supportive and knowledgeable, and added so much to the experience. My group was full of friendly, passionate, and interesting people, and together we were able to have run no matter where we were or what we were doing. Our in-country guides were amazing, teaching us some of the native languages and showing us the best spots to eat. The program had a perfect balance of service projects, sight seeing, cultural immersion, and adventuring, with enough down time that we could be energized and well rested. My advice to someone going on ARCC Gap in Asia would be to go in with an open mind and to be very excited for a great three months of adventure and learning.

I learnt so much from service opportunities, but I grew from my reflective moments during bus rides. After a long day of work, I'd look out the window and observe how people interact with each other and their environment. Sometimes I'd laugh or frown, sometimes I'd think deeply about their actions. "How does this mother manage to balance her baby whilst riding her scooter?", I'd ask myself. "Ooh, I wonder what that fried dough tastes like!", I'd say. I thought I was only reacting to what I was seeing; little did I know I was slowly building character. Before, I did either of these three things whilst on a bus: read, listened to music or slept. But why would you want to waste the opportunity to observe? Don't let the world pass you by: pluck out your earphones, put your book away, open your eyes and look outside: now tell me, what do you see?

During the Fall 2018 semester in Asia, I found out that ARCCwas opening a new program in the spring, in Patagonia and Cuba. My original plan had been to go back to China in the Spring, with a different organization. However, that other organization’s program mostly did things that I was already doing in Asia. Patagonia and Cuba – that would be new to me, but at the same time be with ARCC, which I had great confidence in, so I switched plans. I’m so glad that I did!

I came into Spring Patagonia/Cuba semester trying not to judge it against my last semester, because I think that every trip is unique and special. This semester was very different from my last semester in many ways. I set a goal for this semester to have in more confidence in myself. I experienced a lot of ups and downs this semester which in the end were all worth it to me because in life you are expected to have a lot of highs and lows. We started off in Santiago, Chile where we spent a couple of days exploring the city. I had an opportunity to take part in a week-long language school in Vina del Mar. The class was challenging because I had never taken Spanish, but it was helpful since were were going to be in Chile for 2 months. I also got the chance to learn how to surf while helping local kids how to surf.

In Patagonia, we took on several hikes with a range of difficulty; I enjoyed them because they challenged me physically and the views were magnificent. We also did a lot of camping and learning to set up tents. Even though we had some difficult moments, that didn’t stop me from continuing to have another great life experience! On an especially bright side, when I arrived in Cuba I experienced a cultural that was very interesting to me. Not a lot of people get the chance to go to Cuba, and I am beyond happy that I got that opportunity. I was able to have a salsa dancing class which was super fun - something I’d been wanted to learn ever since I took dance in high school. Some other highlights of my trip included working on a pineapple farm and snorkeling in the Bay of Pigs. There are a lot of misconceptions about Cuba from a USA point of view, but when I delivered food on horse and buggy to the people, I learned that the people in Cuba are really nice and welcoming. Although my gap year has come to an end, I will never forget all long-lasting relationships and memories I’ve made and I know it isn’t the end of traveling for me!

Starting the trip off up in Santiago Chile was a great way to start the bonds that I was about to make with 12 people, who started off as strangers to me, for the next three months. Overall the trip was incredible. ARCC did a great job creating a trip which had a cultural exchange, a fun touristy aspect, and service work all included in one. The PACU trip was more relaxed compared to other trips I've been on with ARCC which was nice especially due to where we were in the world. It allowed me to take in the beautiful scenic Patagonia and focus more on my personal growth. Cuba's culture exchange and service work was definitely a highlight from the trip as well. The ARCC office was always available and more than willing to answer any questions I had before and during my trip.

I have a lot of favorite memories from this trip. One that immediately comes to mind is from the earlier days of our Patagonia section. While driving along the Carretera Austral (a rugged highway that took us through the entire Aysen Region) to the Rio Baker to begin our rafting trip, we got a flat tire. This came to be a fairly common occurrence, but at the time, we were all a little stressed and confused. Our guide, Jona, immediately took a turn and pulled over to change the tire. We all got out the van and were truly taken aback at where we had stopped. We were in such a random, little spot just off the main road but the views were unlike anything we had ever seen before. The sun was glistening through these pearly white clouds onto a valley that stretched for miles, and all surrounded by some towering mountains. That's when I realized that we had just began our 6 week adventure in one of the most beautiful places in the world and no matter where we turn and looked, we were going to be nothing short of amazed.

One of the most unique aspects of this specific ARCC trip is how it pushed me both mentally and physically. I really enjoyed ARCC's curriculum alongside the adventure so we, the participants, understood where we were and what we were doing. Our course readers were always very informative and useful in guiding us to further understand the issues Chile and Cuba were facing, as well as giving us some general background. This became especially useful to me in Cuba when we were constantly learning about their health care, education and political systems. We were also provided many resources in Cuba like talks with local professors and doctors to broaden our understanding of how the locals live and interact with their communities. My leaders, JP and Alex, were also very knowledgable about environmental issues and overall history in both Chile and Cuba, so they were great resources too. Finally, our capstone project at the end of the semester helped each of us put all of our newfound knowledge together into one presentation. In terms of being physically challenged, this trip had a lot of hiking. More than I have ever done before, and often, more difficult than I expected. However, being with a group of people that I had gotten so close with, gave me the support and encouragement I needed to push through whatever challenges I faced. I never felt alone while being away from my family and friends and doing things that constantly pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Another really unique aspect of this semester is how it combines two places that have almost no similarities. Patagonia and Cuba share the same native language, but aside from that, they differ in temperature, landscape, dietary norms, traditions, political structure and almost everything in between. Being able to experience and immerse myself in both of these cultures within the same three month period was really interesting and valuable to my broader understanding of latin american culture and the world.

If you're considering taking a gap year, do it. I made the choice halfway thought the summer before and it wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do at the time, but I don't regret it for a second. In fact, every day during my entire gap year and now, I think about how grateful I am to have had these incredible experiences and how different my life would have been if I just went straight to college. I was nervous and anxious to start my gap year... probably more nervous than I was to go to school, but I've ended it a more a appreciative, worldly, confident, and intelligent person with memories and friendships that I don't doubt will last forever. I know that sounds really cheesy, but it's true and it has all changed me for the better.

There's really too many things I could say about why I love this program. We had many diverse experiences through the chaos of central chile, the beauty of Patagonia, and the politics of Cuba.

The structure of the Patagonia section of this trip allowed us to really develop our goals and set out to achieve them. We hiked different peaks each week, eventually leading up to our 5 day trek at the southern tip of Patagonia. Each week we challenged ourselves, gaining mental strength and confidence both individually and as a group. By the time of our final trek, we all felt prepared physically and mentally, and when we reached the final peak (see Torres Del Paine photo) we felt so much pride in all we had accomplished together. It was the perfect way to end our Patagonia section, as we left the region having grown so much.

Because we were in such a beautiful and protected region, I also believe that many of us have developed a newfound appreciation and respect for the natural beauty of the planet. For many of us, we were experiencing the earth in a new way, in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We discussed conservation efforts and spent time in national parks that have been revegetated after years of grazing and invasive species taken over. Through these experiences, I think I've become more appreciative of my surroundings and have been more conscientious about how my actions affect the world around me.

Cuba challenged me a lot to understand the way our world works. I've never particularly intrigued by the political world, but the experiences we had and people we met in Cuba kept me engaged and curious. We learned about differing education systems, health care systems, and careers that forced me to think critically about these same systems at home. Beginning to think more deeply about governments (in general, in Cuba, and in America) while being in a foreign country was truly a unique experience for me.

That being said, I think what made this program so special for me was all the little moments that weren't necessarily on the itinerary. When I look back on this semester I like to remember the nights spent under the southern constellations as we described our day with a single noise, or the ice cream place we found near where we were staying in Cuba that we returned to FOUR times and even walked there in the rain together. It's trying to understand why a souvenir shop in central Patagonia would only be open from 8-12 at night, or having to serve a conference of doctors from several different countries a meal wearing an apron and a hairnet under the towering peaks of cerro Castillo. It's attempting to have a conversation with our local guide about extraterrestrial life in Spanish and somehow understanding each other, or the fact that after a month we were still excited to eat rice and beans and felt disappointed on the rare occasion we didn't have them.

Spending 90 days with such a small group of people is really unique, as we get to know each other on a really personal level. But spending 90 days with a small group of people while simultaneously having one of the most formative experiences of your life is truly incredible and indescribable, as we feel each other's highest of highs, lowest of lows, and everything in between. I'm so grateful for every single second of this Patagonia/Cuba semester and for all it has taught me.

Before I graduated in the spring 2017, I wasn’t really sure if I actually wanted to go to college. I did get accepted into several colleges but was super unsure if I wanted to go. My mom encouraged me to look into a Gap Year. At that time I didn’t know much about gap years, so I investigated a bunch of different programs and came across ARCC on Go Overseas. I submitted my application for the ARCC Asia trip and I am beyond happy that I did. In the 3 months of traveling to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, I learned that the world is much bigger then I ever imagined. I learned to immerse myself in many unique cultures. I experienced once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like camping on the Great Wall of China, watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and scuba diving on Koh Nang Yuan island in Thailand. I also got the chance to experience home stays to see what life was like for local families. It’s experiences like these that not a lot of people get to have in life, let alone at a young age. Aside from all these amazing opportunities I also got the chance to do service work such as teaching English to Chinese students, working with kids affected by agent orange in Vietnam, building water filters for local villages in Cambodia, and working with elephants at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. While I was volunteering at these different places, I realized how fortunate I am and it made me appreciate my life back in the US. It also made me realize that you don’t have to have much money life to be happy life. I learned to make long lasting relationships and memories with the 12 other people in my group. it’s hard to answer the question of “what was my favorite part of the trip?” I would say all of it because every experience and every memory was one of the most extraordinary things that I have ever experienced in my life.

Here is a list of other amazing highlights of my trip:

China
* 4 day hike into Tiger Leaping Gorge
Dancing with the locals in Shangri La
High ropes course
Visiting a small rual village

Vietnam
Sleeping on a boat in Lan Ha Bay
Biking in the old towns
Exploring the city of Saigon

Cambodia
Riding in tuk tuks
Beach days
Visiting rual villages

Thailand
Scuba diving
Thai boxing
Working at a wild life sanctuary

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I am sitting at 35,000 feet on my final flight from Hong Kong back to the States. With only 3 of the 12 hour flight remaining, I know my time with my friends will soon come to an end. But Dr. Seuss said don’t cry because it’s over smile because it happened. I want to use this review of ARCC in asia to talk about all the fond memories and realizations I will take away from this portion of my gap year.

This trip has far exceeded any and all expectations. First I will focus on the experiences themselves. Over the last 3 months I have done so much… below are just a taste of all I have done!

Cambodia:

- Rode a Tuk Tuk
- Built Water filters in Cambodia
- Saw the sunrise on Angkor Wat

Thailand:

- Learned to Scuba Dive and loved Scuba Diving
- Worked at an elephant sanctuary
- Developed a strong relationship with my host mom during a homestay in a rural thai farm village.

China:

-Climbed and slept on the great wall of china!
-Hiked Tiger Leaping Gorge (7 miles a day!)
-Went to a rural village in Fu Gong China and built a toilet for a village with only 1 toilet

Vietnam
-Volunteered at Friendship Village
-Swam and relaxed at Halong Bay
- Said goodbye to 13 amazing people…relationships that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

But frankly the experiences would be nothing if it weren’t for the kids I experienced them with. Every single one of the members in my cohort are so valued. A great way to explain this is the words I shared with my group at our final evening circle closing circle. “ I came into this trip feeling a little insecure socially. I leave today thankful that I have made 11 new friends and more importantly have garnered the confidence to simply trust and be myself. I look forward to staying in touch in the future. Thanks for making these 3 months some of the best 3 months of my life.”

Indeed these last 3 months in Asia have been so much more than simply exploring and learning about Asia. It was about the social connections I made. It is about learning to trust and believe in myself that I can make friends I am liked for who I am. And it was about learning about the reality my life is just one small fraction of this world: indeed there are so many like minded people out there and it is just about giving them a chance to share their story because chances are you have more in common than not.

In sum, my time in Asia is one of the most coveted parts of my life and I am forever grateful for the places I saw, the people I met, and the new relationships that will last with me for a lifetime!