Program Reviews

This trip to Australia is life-changing to me! I have learnt so much about how to protect the Earth by putting into individual effort, and how to better work in a team as well as enjoying the fun of learning about different culture.

Through two weeks' of tiring but exhilarating voluntary work, I understood how important it is to protect the Earth. Small steps can make big differences. I learnt how to do basic recycle, such as compost, desperate waste collection; I learnt that the consumption of bottled water, which could be less clean than tap water, has created tons of plastic waste; I learnt about how seriously the cutting of trees and construction of buildings along the Asian east coast has negatively threatened migrating birds' foraging habitat.

In addition, since I, as a Chinese, was immersed in both Australian and American culture, allowing me to enjoy stunning Australian sceneries in the farm and conservation park as well as lots of American jokes and food. It's amazing to cooked together, lived together, and talked about different life with students just like me all around the States!!!

So during the middle of the school year my friend just dragged me to a random information session with her and it happened to be for this program. I had not heard about it before and was not particularly interested, but as I heard more and more I realized it was something I really wanted to do, so I just went for it. This program can be 5 weeks total but I opted out of the Spanish immersion and adventure tour and just did the 2 weeks volunteering. Although my time in the Dominican was not as long as others, I still think it was the opportunity of a life time and some of the best two weeks of my life. To begin I will tell you one thing, I did give this program a 10/10 because the opportunity they gave me for these two weeks is something I will forever be grateful for, but information can be a little confusing. The thing is, within ISV there are many different countries with different programs, and then within the different countries, there are different volunteer projects, so a lot the information you receive is general to your country be not specific to your volunteer project. Going into the trip this did make me a little nervous but I also think this in a way added to the fun of it. I did not go in knowing exactly what I would be doing and it was always exciting to find out and get to do things I never thought I'd be doing, just be open to go with the flow and trust that you are in good hands. My project leaders were Pedro and Danyi and if yours are them or anyone like them you will have no worries. These two are two of the most welcoming, interesting, funny, and all around just good guys. The second we spotted them at the airport they made us comfortable with them and they were always open and helpful. The volunteer project I was a part of was called the El Castillo project. It was truly en eye opening experience. We were up a mountain in a rural area of the Dominican Republic in a village called, as you can probably guess, El Castillo. We stayed at a beautiful ecolodge called Villa Pajon and the nearest city was Constanza which we had an opportunity to pend a day in during one of our days off. Our other day off we ventured to the the aguas blancas waterfall. While these days were great and the rest was probably needed, I would venture to say all the volunteers would have preferred to keep working. El Castillo was amazing. We were able to redo the whole school floor, tear down and rebuild an entire new house as well as replace/fix walls, foundations, roofs and floors in many other houses. It was truly rewarding to do all of this because you can really see the difference you make and see the finished products and the atmosphere in the community was unlike any other I had seen. Everyone wanted to help, people were constantly coming to our working sites and offering to do bits of work and help with the construction on other people's houses when they too had very little, and the things they can do (and we learned to do) with their bare hands and no power tools never ceased to amaze me, also the two construction "maestros" (Kiko and Pinguino although I have no idea if those are correct spellings) we got to work with were, just like our project leaders, funny, all around great guys that truly made our experience one of a kind, I think ISV does a great job really picking people out like them that will make your time on project even more fun and memorable. Another part of this project was running the HELP (health and english language program) for the children of the community. This may have been the best part of the program. We got to plan lessons and spend the day with these kids that were so eager to learn and play with us. Each activity we did thrilled them and they could have fun with anything, literally swinging a jump rope around and not even jumping brought joy to the eyes of these kids, and it is that joy that I could see on each of their little faces that made this piece my favorite part and why i think this program is so great. Just go for this program and I can say with almost 100% confidence that you will not regret it for a second, just be ready for some teary eyed goodbyes and make sure to check your junk mail as for some reason a few important emails from ISV went there for me!

My summer in Costa Rica was so amazing! On my project with ISV I got to work with sea turtles, we were patrolling at night and counting the eggs, measuring their shells, and tagging the fins of the turtles we found nesting on the beach. There is this thing that the turtles do called an arribada, which is a mass nesting. The mass nesting can be anywhere between 2-7 days long. The arribada that i got to experience was 3 days long and we got to see over 5,000 Olive ridley sea turtles nesting on the beach. I was the most incredible sight!! I was counting one turtles eggs and when she finished i stood up to give my egg count to the recorder and i look over the beach and it was just a sea of turtles! Everywhere you looked on that section of beach was a sea turtle! It is a sight I will never forget along with an amazing experience that i will never forget. If i had a chance to go back i would in a heartbeat!

Wow. That was my exact reaction both when I first set foot on the beach of my project site and when I stepped into the boat to leave two weeks later. Costa Rica, or the Rich Coast, was nothing short of incredible. Packed with intense biodiversity, the lush rain forest environment created the perfect setting to perform our work. Throughout our two weeks in the country, us volunteers helped out with a variety of projects, from counting seeds dispersed through the rain forest, measuring trees, planting soil bags, making signs for tourists to read, and researching the human impact in the environment through ecotourism. Because I am an engineering student, the project work I was assigned in Costa Rica provided the ideal real-world scenario for experience. Furthermore, the group I was assigned to was amazing--everyone was so helpful and kind; the project coordinators, host families, and fellow volunteers all around were very friendly. I have so many stories from those two weeks, including an up close encounter with monkeys, fishing coconuts out of trees, and sunset swims. I would highly recommend this country and ISV for anyone who loves traveling and making an impact in their world. So enough reading--get out there and help your Earth!

Going to Australia was on of the nest decisions I have ever made. Growing up in a small town I have always wanted an adventure, and I always wanted to do something bigger. This trip gave me the opportunity to do both. Being able to look back at the two weeks of volunteering, and seeing what my friends and I had accomplished was overwhelming. It is an incredible feeling. Then after two weeks of hard work, you get two weeks on adventure. We did things I would have never imagined doing. I made new friends and new everlasting memories.

Most of the activities we carried out have been mentioned in other reviews so I don’t want to spend time writing about it. I would rather share my overall experience there.
I have always wanted to volunteer abroad but it always seemed impossible (especially when I first saw the price of ISV programme). However, what I learnt travel should never be a matter of money but of courage so get out of your comfort zone. I know there are plenty of other alternatives but ISV seemed to provide a really good service judging from previous participants’ reviews. So I chose ISV and I will never regret it.
As we have been told during our project week, you see a bigger picture when working in a smaller community. This is a very brief description of ‘voluntourism’, a concept introduced to us by the co-founder of VA32 (volunteer africa), Mike. It is very true when you go into a community and really get to see how they carry out their daily life, what are their living conditions and so on. These things are impossible for you to see if you had joined any ordinary tour. What you would have seen is just a plain huge statue of Nelson Mandela(about 3 metres tall) and you will go and take a selfie with it and that’s it without being able to appreciate what the man has done for the country. If you are like this, you can consider yourself a tourist not traveller. Travel, not to escape life but for life not to escape us.
The two weeks of project was eye-opening. You WILL make friends for life and you WILL miss everything there once you get back to your home country. Do not forget to join the adventure tour because you will do things you will never do again like riding at the back of ‘bucky’ (4 by 4), watching lions and cubs walked past you, seeing the big 5, jumping off cliffs, singing songs in the bus, watching ‘Lion King’ in South Africa, getting to know who can fall asleep the fastest in a bus ride and what not. After the 2 weeks of volunteering, you deserve to have some fun so join the adventure tour. You will get to meet more people from other projects and now the list of people you are going to miss just gets longer. Also, you get to have more stamps on your passport.
There are a lot more things I could write about but I guess no one will really read the whole review if I keep on writing. Let me end my review with a quote written on the wall of ‘Back to Basics’, where we learnt scuba diving in Mozambique, “there is no adventure in your comfort zone” .

Wow! This was my second trip with ISV and I honestly didn't know if this trip would live up to my last trip... but it absolutely did! I volunteered doing conservation work at Masebe Game Reserve in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The work we did was hard, rewarding, fun, and extremely valuable for anyone looking to have a career in the life science. Our project leader Kirsty, and the researchers Norman and Edward were extremely knowledgeable of the bush-veld ecosystem and the many organisms that inhabit it. We learned about everything from invertebrates, lichens, and vegetation to mammals, birds and reptiles! Each day we would do a three bird point counts in which we would go to different areas in the reserve and form a circle and call out the birds we saw and or heard. To do these accurately we first had to learn the common birds by sight and call. Next we would do VCA's (Variegation Composition Assessment) in which we would work in the bush-veld running transect lines, forming quadrats and measuring vegetation. This was time consuming and required a bit of hard work and concentration to ensure accurate data. We would also stop any time we encountered a Giraffe and record how man we saw and the gps location. In order to get all this work done we had to leave each day at 6:00 AM and brave the cold of the South African Winter. However it was worth it, to be out in one of the most amazing environments in the world to learn valuable skills from real experts! We also had small lectures with our project and or researchers to discuss different environmental and social issues facing South Africa and the world. These lectures were extremely informative and thought provoking and broke down misconceptions we may have held. We stayed in the Telekishi Cultural Village which was composed of mud and manure buildings that were not only extremely nice but were very effective insulators and fully equipped with electricity. The head of the cultural village was extremely knowledgeable of the area, its history and the people and he took us to the nearby village and around the reserve to teach us about the cultural, historical significance of the area. The head researcher Norman also runs an environmental education program with the village school that we got to assist him with. Over the course of the two weeks on project i learned a plethora of information as well as made some life long friends. The other volunteers are some of the most amazing people i have ever met and i have no doubt in my mind that i will be friends with them for the rest of my life! After project we set off on a two week adventure tour in which we met up with a tour leader Tasch (who was hilarious and extremely knowledgeable) as well as the other volunteer from the other ISV South Africa programs in which i made even more friends! With our tour group we visited Swazi Land, Mozambique, and more of South Africa. We went to Kruger National Park and saw lions, zebras, elephants, rhinos and more! We stayed in a variety of resorts, and did everything from SCUBA, snorkeling with dolphins, Kloofing, hiking, game drives, and caving! This trip was nothing short of an amazing, life changing adventure in which i gained invaluable professional experience, world perspective, and made amazing friends!!!!

ISV has changed my life, I got a taste of a different way of living. Life was simple yet so exciting while traveling with my ISV Group. I worked in the Wild Mountains, a beautiful rain forest located near Rathdowney Queensland, with 13 other Volunteers who soon became a little family ill never forget and will always love. The Wild Mountain taught us how to live in this wonderful world off the resources earth provides us. We learned about sustainable living, while planting trees, doing track work, eating a vegetarian diet, and so much more. Traveling alone takes you out of your comfort zone and taught me so much more than I had expected to take from this trip. While volunteering I also learned about myself and what we I am capable of doing. ISV showed me what is important in life. Making an impact felt great and I will continue to do so in my own community now that I have the education.
The last 2 weeks of my trip was the Adventure Tour, it was an exciting 2 weeks of nonstop laughter and doing crazy things such as sky diving and white water rafting. One of my favorite activities was when we went scuba diving/snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. Floating above it and just realizing how beautiful this world we live in is and how lucky I was to have the opportunity to travel to this amazing country with this awesome group.
ISV brought me life long friends and memories I'll always share and never forget. I highly recommend traveling with International Student Volunteers. I have traveled with my family, I have also studied abroad but I have never walked away from a trip feeling this satisfied.

I arrived in Costa Rica from London feeling very nervous about the weeks to come and the people I would meet, and to be honest, never saw myself coming out the other side alive! Safe to say I live to tell the tale.

The journey started in Heredia where I met my group of eight others and our leader Pablo Riba. We had three girls including myself and the rest boys in our group which made for a really fun and chilled dynamic. Everyone was American excluding myself and two boys from France. Firstly we took a bus to the river and then an extremely bumpy hour and a half long boat trip to the village on the Osa Peninsula where we would stay for the next two weeks.

When we arrived the families were there to greet us and help with our luggage- regretted the size of my obscenely large bag after the ten minute walk from the beach to my little wooden hut where I experienced my first case of the jungle sweats. Little did I know this was to be a state of permanence during my whole trip in the 95% humidity. Our group was split into three groups of three for the sleeping arrangements and we stayed with different families in the village, all 5 mins walk from each other. In one case the volunteer dorm was attached to the host family's house but us girls and the boy group were in separate cabins next to the host house. Ours was comfortable enough for the middle of the rainforest but after inspection of everyone else's living quarters we realised that we had drawn the short straw. Above the wooden walls, we were exposed to the elements allowing entry of my worst enemies in the jungle- giant moths and crabs from the beach. In our hut there were two sets of bunk beds, a 'shower' (more like a trickle that didn't much like to work in the rain), toilet, sink and a mirror- luxury!

My host dad was called Elmer and was extremely welcoming, although, like everyone else in the village of the older generation, spoke not a word of English! I really do recommend coming with at least some Spanish. Having said that my Spanish is terrible and I'm now an expert in conversation via facial expressions and eyebrow movements- there are perks either way. We were fed generously throughout the trip although through no fault of my host dad I was extremely ill with an upset stomach. The meals were VERY different with rice and beans being served for breakfast lunch and dinner. The rice and beans were served with a side of fruit and egg for breakfast and for lunch and dinner it was a type of meat and some veg- usually chicken. Make sure you bring lots of stomach neutralising meds because there are no toilets once you get up into the forest!

The first day of work in the forest took my breath away ( literally). It was not only hot but the hiking was extremely physically demanding. We had to walk up the dreaded 'red hill' to collect data in quadrants. This consisted of four or five (depending on where in the jungle you were collecting) extremely steep inclines with uneven terrain. Although this was tough and I discovered that my body can sweat more than I ever thought possible, the view from the top was beautiful. You could see above the forest canopy and then the bluest of seas which I thought only existed on Instagram after hours of editing and saturation boosts. A natural paradise. It was on this first day at this moment that we got our first awkward group photo as we all stood about a mile apart from each other which we looked back on at the end of the trip and found hilarious. I was very thankful for my litre and a half water bottle- essential to have a big bottle on this trip as we were out until the hottest part of the day (around 12) with no way of filling up. The morning work consisted of walking around the forest with our local guide,placing quadrants under trees and counting the seeds. During our time on the Osa we each had two days with Pablo helping him measure the width of some of the biggest trees in the forest which changed up the daily routine a bit- the rest of the group did the usual seed counting with the local guide. This data would be included in a long report that Pablo sends to the government each year comparing growth and monitoring development.

Although this sounds very dull, and it was very slippy/ steep most of the time underfoot, our group became so close that even this was fun. I think everyone just got on with the work thinking of the positive effect it would have on sustaining this beautiful environment. Every day we saw a different type of animal- spider monkeys were the most common but red macaws and toucans were also frequent visitors! We went back to the village for lunch every day and you really did feel like you deserved it . Every day our whole group went to the beach for a swim together during our lunch break before starting afternoon work. This was way more chilled as we just stayed in the village filling up soil bags that we numbered and planted different seeds in that Pablo had collected from the forest. This downtime meant hours of talking and we really got to know each other well. After the days work was finished at about 3.30 and Pablo walked home, we often stayed at 'El Rancho' which was the clubhouse, or went to watch the breathtaking sunsets together until dinner which was at 6. Particularly amusing for me was my re creation of a scene with Jesus and his disciples at sunset. We had one guy with long hair who held a stick whilst everyone else bowed before him. This nickname of 'Jesus' stuck with poor Matt for the rest of the trip. Nonetheless, it was an excellent photo strategically planned by yours truly.

During these two weeks we had two free days the first of which we got a boat to the nearest village called Drake. Us girls attempted to look nice- an impossibility in the jungle. As soon as I stepped out of the hut it started pouring with rain and within minutes my mascara was all over my face leaving me looking like a tragic woman who had attempted tribal war paint with hair resembling Bridget Jones circa 2001. We were all thrilled to get wifi at the village. Although I thought the no drinking policy would annoy me, I wasn't bothered by it at all for the sole reason that there wasn't really anywhere to go to buy drinks! Beware- do not buy pizza. I ordered four cheese and they put nacho cheese on it and charged a bomb. Utter outrage.

On the next free day we went to the beautiful Rio Claro waterfall with out local guide Waneger. It was like something out of the jungle book and I feel very blessed that I have been lucky enough to see mother nature in this way. For lunch, Waneger took us to the beach and a sweet organic looking shop where a local sold necklaces and bracelets made from shells and natural materials for reasonable prices. I got a necklace which I felt was a rite of passage on my way to becoming a woman of the jungle/ edgy traveler. Both the free days were lovely although not that relaxing as everywhere you go you have to walk- and sweat.

Although everyone is on panic alert for Zika virus at the moment, I really didn't get bitten that much. I slept with a fly net around my bed and put fly spray on in the morning but I sweated that off within about 10 mins (gross I know). So all in all protection from flies is not essential as the main problem area (legs and feet) are covered by long socks and rubber boots.

I really can't recommend this project enough. As cliche and ridiculous as it sounds, it has opened my eyes to the world, not just to the beauty of nature but also to what is damaging on a human scale and the many threats of exploitation that fecund countries such as Costa Rica face. I think it is essential for people to be reminded of the joys of simplicity at least once in their lives, and this volunteer project is something that definitely taught me that. Until next time, Costa Rica.

My time in Thailand was amazing, I learned so many things but mostly and most importantly bout myself. This trip pushed me out of my comfort zones and also re-instilled what is important to me. I learned many things during the first two weeks of volunteering like, international and national relations, trades/construction skills, time and money management, sustainable development and fostering beginning friendships. My project leader was very friendly and helpful, he made sure to really highlight the core values and purpose of our volunteering time and work to the Lisu village and women's group. Every day he had us write out five things we were grateful for that day. This activity really made me see how the simple and small things are what we take for granted so easily and so often; for example, so many times the fresh fruits served at dinner were on my grateful list because it was a bright and sweet end no matter how tired I was at the end of the day. The constant smiles and words of appreciation from our project leader, our project supervisor, and the village people we were ultimately helping was always a sweet and kind reminder of why we initially chose to be on this volunteer trip: to help others and learn about ourselves and what we are capable of, both physically and emotionally.

The final two weeks of adventure tour however is where I really learned about being myself and about being independent. Though all of our activities were done together, I found some of my favourite days where when I did solo full day of half day trips. The friends I made on this trip were wonderful in that though we all had great times together (dancing in the rain by the ocean, helping each other overcome anxiety on snorkelling for the first time, bonding over amazing food and getting tipsy over a coupe drinks, offering words of support and hands to hold while getting traditional bamboo stick tattoos, or having memorable conversations while laying on a bed with tangled sea hair and sun sensitive skin at the end of an adventuresome day) they still understood times when I wanted to be alone and enjoy the busy city streets or rolling sea sands by myself. Some of my best memories are when I took a day trip to the highest peak of Thailand, did some self-guided temple touring, and traveled to one of the most renowned temples of the country. These moments are when I was really able to admire and understand myself and the world I marvelled at. Though these people I'm traveling with are from all over the globe, I have made friends and lasting memories with them. I learned so much about myself in that month abroad that I was truly saddened to have to return home; but, one of the things that this trip really showed me is that I have had this independent, curious, social, and adventuresome side within me all along, it just never had the opportunity to come out.

The universality of friendship and individuality really made this trip meaningful and beautiful to me. I hope to never forget all that I learned over in Thailand and that I will always keep open to meeting new people and learning from new adventures.