Program Reviews

I had a wonderful time on this trip. Much of this was due to the arrangement we had to live in the homes of people who live in Petersfield. There we ate dinner with our host family, shared stories, opinions, and goals, and really formed a bond with each other. I also enjoyed playing tourist meaning going shopping, going to the beach, and going cliff jumping (I only jumped 10 feet but you can jump 85 feet. Be warned, jumping from 85 feet can hurt as it did some of my fellow volunteers) at one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The actual volunteering was much less underwhelming, though it was fun to have direct contact with local kids who we raced with and talked to. We help to run a local sports competition that everyone from the school participated in and we helped clean up a park for a wedding which we were invited to. We always seemed to have more time then things to do (this is part of being in Jamacia. I recommend always have cards or a Frisbee). Overall the trip was amazing I don't regret for an instant going on it for my spring break.

I can't say enough about the great experience I had with Amizade in Bolivia. The staff did a great job at making sure we were safe and enjoying our work and recreational time as well. It was a great way to start off 2014. There are so many beautiful things about Bolivia. I can't wait to go back and see more of what we didn't have time for! If you have the opportunity, go!

As someone who had never even been on an airplane, much less travelled abroad, I cannot say enough great things about my experience. I wish we would have had more time for service projects at the Auschwitz museum (we were replacing tags on baskets and creating storage bags for umbrellas), but I understand our group had time restraints. Sara from Amizade was very helpful, and I enjoyed my interactions with her. Our site coordinator, Dr. Matthias Hass, was an incredible resource, and I feel the success of my experience is due largely in part to his participation. However, I felt my interactions with our other site coordinator, Ana were not even close to positive. I felt she was completely uninterested in interacting with the group, or helping us to have a great learning opportunity in Poland. I recognize that this was her first time working with Amizade, but I was thoroughly unimpressed by her lack of preparedness and participation. Blowing off our service activity to go peruse the parts of the museum she wanted to see, or telling us to look up information on the historic sites ourselves when she actually had no idea what she was talking about is unacceptable to me, and seriously hampered my enjoyment of the last leg of our trip. I feel if Amizade is to continue employing her as a site coordinator, she should shadow someone like Matthias, and be supervised by someone like Sara. However, even with Ana as a tour guide, I still had a great experience, as Sara was present for our time in Krakow. On a positive note, I loved interacting with the locals, especially during our tours. Our guide at the Auschwitz museum was Aggie, and she was a remarkable guide. I feel my experience at Auschwitz would not have been the same without her. Our other tour guide in Krakow was also very good. All of the staff at the Auschwitz museum were very friendly and helpful, and I was glad to meet them and spend the time we did helping them in the Artifacts department. I liked having the free time we were allowed to explore and visit the Christmas markets, and felt very safe going off in pairs and small groups. The only accommodation I didn't enjoy as much was the Hotel 4 Youth in Berlin, as my room was pretty destroyed, but it was certainly livable for the amount of time we were there. I loved the meals, and was very excited to try all of the new foods we were given. Overall, I loved my trip to Poland, and cannot thank Amizade enough for providing me with this fantastic opportunity.

My service-learning trip to the Navajo Nation was by far the best experience of my life thus far. I went thinking I would learn about the culture; I had no idea it would be such a personally transformative experience. I had the chance to build relationships with genuine people who come from a beautiful, realistic, loving culture. We stayed a few days in Tuba City, Az, then drove to Crownpoint,NM, stayed there for a week, then went back to Tuba City for a week. I didn't want to leave! In Crownpoint, we had presentations about Navajo culture at the tribal college by extremely influential people. One was involved in the American Indian Movement and one helped implement the Uranium Ban law of 2005. I learned what I missed in my public education that has been restricted by leaving out atrocities committed by white people in the past, such as the real situation in Indian Boarding Schools, the Long Walk, and Native American sterilization. I feel more complete and well-rounded knowing the truth. However, it wasn't all seriousness! We went to the Grand Canyon, Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly (a lot of beautiful canyons!), the painted desert where we saw Newspaper Rock and DINOSAUR TRACKS, and a lot more! The main thing I got out of the Navajo culture is the importance of knowing yourself. You must know where you come from and who you are to know where you're going. They also place great importance on listening to your mind and body and taking breaks/alone time when you need to. They see those in mainstream society as "busy ants" who need to take more breaks. The service we did was not extremely hard labor, and we were given plenty chances for break time. In short, I highly recommend Amizade and their trip to the Navajo Nation!

The Navajo trip was a great experience. I saw lots of amazing things. My group went to Coal Mine Canyon, Little Rock Gorge and the Grand Canyon. Those were all amazing sights. Also it was completely safe. There was never a time when I felt unsafe. My group cleared a field for a youth program. That was very fun. Also I got to see dinosaur tracks. That is something you don't see in New York outside of a museum. Being introduced to fried bread was also very interesting, not to mention tasty! Participating in the Sweat Lodge was also very amazing. It is hot in the Sweat Lodge, obviously, but when you come out you are drenched but not from sweat, from steam. Also you could leave the sweat lodge at any time. No one was keeping you in there. The tour guide was also fantastic. I give her credit for the trip being such a great sucess.

This is a great program. However, the AOC staff was disorganized the week our group visited. I think this was uncharacteristic based on other feedback I've heard regarding their past programs. The main concern of our participants was the poor health conditions in the host family homes. Otherwise, it was an amazing trip. We had plenty of opportunities to interact with local people and learn about the culture in Jamaica. There was a good mix of volunteer service and entertainment activities.

Amizade has a great program with great staff members. I really enjoyed the hospitality, food, services, and people. Everybody was incredibly friendly and understanding. I enjoyed the activities that occured and would love to go on another trip someday. I would recommend Amizade and would consider taking another trip with this program. Also, Brazil was an amazing place.

Amizade helped me realize my potential. I never knew what I wanted to do prior to this trip. I know love Africa, Africans, and sustainable development. It shaped my thinking and world view to an extreme degree.

In the Summer of 2009, as final credits for my college career, I went with Amizade to Tanzania. It was my first time out of the country and I was nervous. The program, the group, the experience traveling- was all incredible. I learned so much from the program about sustainable development, women's rights, being a global citizen, and myself. I always felt safe and comfortable but that I wasn't having my hand held the entire time. I would highly recommend this program to anyone. The program perfectly balanced being guided by professors and local leaders and having room for independent study and reflection. We engaged academically with each other and through hands-on programs with the local community. I still feel extremely close with the group I traveled with and I know that's an unforgettable experience we will always share. I can honestly say this experience has influenced my life and the path I chose to take upon returning to the states in such a big way. I'll never forget it.

Not only does Amizade have an amazing program in Bolivia with multiple sites, but you work side by side with people from another culture. Learning things about a culture first hand are always better than a textbook. Even if you don't speak spanish there is no problem communicating with other volunteers, but it's always helpful to know some spanish or know someone who does.

I had a blast working down in Bolivia, but the real treasure of Bolivia is the scenery. The Andes mountains are breathtaking (literally and figuratively). Go to Lake Titicaca or the Salt Flats, they are amazing sights to see.