Program Reviews

I had the opportunity to shadow/volunteer at a hospital here in Kathmandu and I had an great experience! Although there was a language barrier present the nurses and doctors worked with me to be able to understand what all was going on. I learned so much not only about their healthcare process but also about the culture in general. Nepal has been a great place and I'm very glad I chose to come here for my placement! The staff here for the program was also very helpful in organizing and assisting in getting everything together for the placements!

The living conditions in Gorsyang was an eye opener as compared to the life in Singapore. After a few days, we were able to adapt to the different living conditions. It was enjoyable to be able to interact with the children. The hosts at both Kathmandu and Gorsyang were very welcoming and treated us very well, by providing us with more than the daily 3 meals a day. New volunteers to Gorsyang should be mentally prepared and be able to adapt to the different conditions as well.

I shadowed a dentist at the Samaj Dental Hospital in New Banashwor. I got to observe many different dental procedures and get to know the staff that worked there. Everyone was very welcoming and provided me with an educational experience that was interesting. The living accommodations were better than I had expected. The breakfast and dinner that was provided was great and there are many options for lunch. I would recommend to bring a towel and a roll of toilet paper to people considering joining the program. The staff gave great advice and made sure you felt comfortable and safe. After the program I feel like I am more confident in travelling abroad.

Great experience..... friendly and knowledgeable staff.... based on your needs and abilities. I have anxiety and claustrophobia and my fiancé had a weak stomach and the bumps and turns were too much for him anish recognized that we needed a different form of transportation for our journey and that made all the difference in our experience. We also wanted to experience Nepal not as just tourists and we were given opportunities to live in villages and help schools that were outside Kathmandu. I did have a lot of culture shock and would recommend people that are coming to travel with a partner to help with this but I would also come back to help with the plans that I am recommending be put in place.

I felt very satisfied with the service SE Vietnam provided for my Nursing Internship in Vietnam at Ho Chi Minh Hospital of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. During the internship in Vietnam, I was glad I was able to learn technical skills from the nurses from the hospital, which were very different from how it was done back home. Above all, everyone from the program coordinator to my local buddy was extremely supportive, open and patient! The experience would not have been as great without them all.

After getting my degree, I decided to go out and travel, but I didn't want to do a typical adventure, I wanted to go out, help people and learn about different cultures, so I met the ELI Aboard and I decided, 100% sure, to go on this adventure to Cape Town, SA. I can certainly say that this was one of the best decisions i ever made, because it was a "complete" trip; i learned, i met amazing people, I loved (and, of course, I still love) beautiful places, beaches, gardens, forest, desert, There's so many things you can find in this incredible country named South Africa.
Talking of my internship, I'am a physiotherapist and I worked with disable people in the townships. An experience that I will never forget, It helped me to grow up as a therapist and as a person, getting to know how different the cultures can be. Besides making me a better person, letting me help and share with different people it made me thanks and be thankful for everything. Sincerely, after this journey I can say out loud that was one of the best experience that I ever had. In all senses; love, challenge, knowledge, fears. In one word: mind-blowing. Thanks ELI for everything. Lots of love from Chile

I went to Curitiba as part of the ELI program ins summer of 2015. I wanted to experience a culture I hadn't encountered before but I also wanted something to do while I was there. I wasn't interested in seeing sites; I wanted to work and learn. ELI Abroad's program was the perfect match!

The staff made the application process easy and answered questions about the visa process. They arranged everything for me. I was picked up at the airport and driven to the wildlife sanctuary The housing was very comfortable and just as described. It was an apartment on the wildlife sanctuary's grounds, which was shared by a few of the volunteers (some stayed off site). My roommates varied over the first week but all were very nice, and I had the place to myself for the last half of my trip (which I loved!).

Every day, I helped the wildlife staff prepare food and clean enclosures. It was fun! The morning hours were spent chopping all kind of food in different sizes to fit all the different mouths and nutritional requirements of the animals. I was paired up with a different member of the staff each day so, by the end, I had gotten to know everyone and gotten to work with all the animals.

Most days, they got a delivery of produce from grocery stores - the overstock that was about to (or had already begun to) go bad. The entire group of us would plow through and divide up the food into what was fresh and what had to be tossed (the pigs got that). I admit, the smell was pretty overpowering.

I used Duolingo to get conversational in Portuguese before I left on my trip, so I was able to speak with the staff. Not well, but enough to joke and talk. There were also some English speakers who helped, too.

I am vegetarian and they were able to accommodate my eating preferences. I simply sent a text to the Director of the sanctuary when I was low on groceries and they dropped whatever I needed off the next day.

The people were fantastic - they clearly care a lot for the animals and work very hard, 7 days a week for them. They were a fun group and I loved it - even though it left me wiped at the end of most days.

I would highly recommend ELI Abroad. In fact, I am hoping to go on another trip with them soon!

I really enjoyed volunteering at the clinic in Da Lat. It gives you a wonderful exposure of the day to day hum of activities for a local clinic. You get to see the local life in this beautiful town of Da Lat and is such an interesting way to get to know Vietnam. The staff are all very eager to get to know you, and even though there is a language barrier, you make do with hand gestures, and smiles. There was a doctor who had excellent English and a pharmacist who was eager to practice her English with me, and so the two of them took me under their wing. Not just in terms of showing me around the clinic, but also to explore around the town, showing me the best cafes and taking me out to eat and explore. I went during November/December and was the only volunteer at the time, so it was nice to have these 2 women be my companions to hang out with. There is plenty of time in the afternoons to explore the area, and relax. The work at the clinic consists of helping with immunizations, drawing blood, and working at the front desk to fill the medication orders in the little pharmacy behind.
I rotated one week in each activity, and spent 3 weeks in total. I think this experience gives you a little medical exposure to get your toes wet, but provides you with an enormous amount of experience of being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and learning to take things as you go. I got sick the first night I arrived, and the staff helped me considerably. Even though you might be the only volunteer, know you always have support! Vietnam is a wonderful country with lots to offer and explore. The thing about volunteering abroad versus at home is the additional aspect of getting to discover a whole new culture, open up your views to a whole different way of life, and see the beauty of the world. Even though professionally, this wasn't the strongest in terms of directly impacting my academics, it helped me grow personally.
My only regret is that I didn't get to stay long enough to explore the rest of the country. I spent a weekend trip hiking at one of the mountains nearby, and another on an Easyrider tour to the coast, Mui Ne, stopping along the way at various farms and loved riding through the beautiful mountainous region of the central highlands. So if you go, save time before you fly out to explore more of the country! The food is great and there is a diversity of nature all around you will be sure to fall in love with.

I spent this past summer volunteering in the Tijuca National Park Rainforest in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. I was originally interested in this specific forest because it is the largest urban rainforest in the world! I am studying Environmental Sustainability at The Ohio State University and really wanted to get a hands on experience with resource conservation in a such a diverse area! I am so thankful for this experience as it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but I was able to make some lifelong friendships and learn a ton about the natural ecosystem that exists in a global city! I worked a different site in the forest every day (4 days per week) and was not only fully immersed in the natural environment, but also was able to help care for it through invasive species removal and tree planting. I would definitely recommend this experience for anyone who likes being outdoors, even if you do not have any prior experience studying the environment. The National park staff are incredibly friendly and helpful and my host family was absolutely amazing. Rio de Janeiro is the perfect combination of a city that's culture can be explored through nature, art, food, and music!

I came into this program wanting to get more experience with animals I have not worked with before. I am an aspiring veterinarian and was extremely interested in the animal care aspect at this center. I was not disappointed! This experience solidified my love for wildlife animals and inspired me further in regards to future goals.
Anyone who participates in this experience will be a part of something truly special-- everyone I met along the way is filled with passion and warmth.
~Madison