I have been sitting here for ten whole minutes trying to think of a clever/interesting way of starting out this review and it has reached the point where my brain hates me, so I'm just going to dive right in. Plain and simply, go overseas. And not only that, go overseas with Global Nomadic.
The entire process leading up to my trip could easily have been ten times more stressful than it actually was (and the stress I did encounter was more or less due to the fact that I am scared of everything - including needles, which you need A LOT of if you choose to go to Africa). You will be matched up with two correspondents at Global Nomadic - one to help you figure everything out before you go, and one actually in the country you are travelling to to assist you with things (cultural orientation, setting you up with a host family, etc.) directly related to the country and project you are working on. Both of these people maintain excellent contact with you, and you never feel like you are totally on your own. Being a first time traveler, this definitely made the process less stressful for me.
My stay in Ghana was the hardest and most amazing thing I have ever done. I lived with a host family, and although it was a far cry from the way I'm used to living in North America, it was much nicer living conditions than I was anticipating. The volunteer association I was placed with was called "Trashy Bags", and although it wasn't clearly outlined what my work would be, I didn't mind it too much as it allowed me to be pretty innovative and creative in how I spent my time.
One thing I simultaneously liked and didn't like about this program was that I went completely by myself - it wasn't with a group, so I didn't have friends immediately which made it a bit harder to get used to being away from home. However, when I began at "Trashy Bags" I was pleasantly surprised to see three interns already there through another organization, and these people quickly adopted me as one of their own. I became and continue to be great friends with these people, so although I hated being alone at first, I came to see that had I not come alone I never would have bonded with these people and there is no way I would have wanted to miss out on that opportunity.
I did find that Global Nomadic was a bit pricey. Going overseas is going to be costly whichever organization you go with, but compared to some of the people I met over there, I did find that Global Nomadic was one of the more expensive of the bunch.
Long story short, GO.
