ISV (International Student Volunteers) Reviews

When I began to tell others that I was going to South Africa for volunteer work, the typical reaction was, ‘Be careful. It is a very dangerous place’. This led me to have some misgivings about my choice of OE. Yet, now I can safely say these fears were completely unfounded. My journey to South Africa was unforgettable with experiences that will be hard to match.

The journey was organised by International Student Volunteers (ISV), a company that arranges trips, combing a period of volunteer work, followed by an adventure tours for students from all over the world. It offers a variety of choices for both parts of the journey, and for the part of the world. For me, the country, obviously, was South Africa and my area of interest was wildlife conservation. I took part in two weeks of volunteer work, at the Ann Van Dyke Cheetah Centre in Pretoria, followed by two weeks of travelling around South Africa.

This journey interested me as I have always wanted to visit South Africa and because I love working with animals. I also felt it was a good opportunity to assess my career path as I am currently studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Technology.

During my volunteer work I took part, along with a group of other students, from around the world, in feeding and interacting with the Cheetahs and the many other endangered animals that the Ann Van Dyke Centre cares for. These include cheetahs, African wild dogs, vultures and hyenas. The work was not demanding and we got to hang out with the Cheetahs up close. The workers were kind and made you feel right at home. It was amazing to feel calm sitting down next to a potential killer. We assisted in preparing some cubs for Miami and Canberra Zoo and clearing enclosures for new Cheetahs. Overall the experience was surreal. To be able to feed and be so close to so many animals, reinforced my choice of career path and stimulated a special interest for large animals.

Following the volunteer work, my group and the other conservation groups with ISV came together for our South Africa Tour. On tour, we such a full schedule and went to so many places that we only had one free day to do as we pleased. We started at Kruger National Park, then to Port Elizabeth and finally Cape Town, travelling mainly by bus. It was so much fun travelling with all of these new people and seeing/doing so much; kloofing (hiking, caving and cliff-jumping), tubing, safaris, zip-lining, bungy jumping and surfing. It was wonderful.

Throughout the month everything I did was a unique and memorable experience, but there were a few things that stood out. Firstly, having lunch in the enclosure with the two Canberra cubs, that sat and purred while we ate. Another moment would have to be bungy jumping from 216m (the worlds highest bridge bungy). Then lastly, seeing all of the incredible animals; from a cute spider monkey to the massive endangered Black Rhino. I took nearly 2000 photos and I am struggling to decide which ones to select for my album. The sky there everyday was blue and full of sunshine and I’ve made friends I will never forget.

My journey to South Africa has left me far more knowledgeable about the country and its struggles. Africa has got under my skin and I want to return to work with more of our endangered animals.

Thank you ISV and I will return!

ISV knows what they are doing. They gave me 4 weeks of complete cultural immersion, adventure, and education. I learned so much about the locals and native species! Especially sea turtles. We did beach patrols at night, looking for nesting mothers. We would measure them and collect their eggs as they were laid, so we could move them to a safer spot in the hatchery. We monitored the hatchery 24/7, and once the babies emerged, we recorded data and released them to the sea. In the second two weeks, we went on an adventure tour. This was a very organized vacation, packed with activities that most people may not have the chance to experience. For example, we went on a nature hike, horse-back riding, river rafting and visited a mud spa, just in one day! I made so many friends from around the world and countless memories that will last. Volunteering in Costa Rica helped me decide to pursue a career in marine conservation. My life has changed since this trip, and I am so happy I had this opportunity.

In June 2012 I went to Costa Rica for 5 weeks with International Student Volunteers. I decided to travel with ISV because I didn't want to just see the sights, I didn't want to just be a tourist. I wanted to live there, volunteer in the community, learn and speak the language, all while doing more than a tourist does, not just seeing the sights but skydiving off them, walking through the waterfalls, kayaking to a private island, and much more. My 5 weeks started in a town called Heredia, I took classes at the local english to spanish university for a week. With 30 other ISV students we were broken up into classes with 5 students and 1 teacher based on the spanish we know. I lived in the town there with a host family closely living to the other students walking everywhere. My second and third weeks were spent with my group of 12 people up in the highest altitude in Costa Rica living in the cloud forrest atop the mountains. The first of my two weeks there were spent making an environmentally friendly manure for the farmers there who grow coffee plants. This was a very small community with less than 100 people and almost everyone was a cousin of someone else. One rural dirt road ran through several mountains and connected the town, the school, and all of the houses spread out through miles. Also during the first week we worked on five different farms throughout their small community. The second week was spent working on the dirt road pouring concreate from where the previous groups have ended and we continued. All of this was done while each of us lived in different homes, all virtually neighbors. I lived with the nicest old couple in a nice home on a farm with hens, horses, dogs, cows, etc. He was also known for being the oldest, nicest, man in the town and during the time I spent their I threw a surprise party for my couple when I found out about their 30th wedding anniversary. They told me thank you, but in their culture 30 isn't big and I needed to come back in 10 years for the 40th when the entire town will be partying. Sadly I had to leave my little home in Costa Rica, as the 12 of us headed back crying on the bus. When we got back to Heredia we met up with the other 5 volunteer projects and all 60 of us were divided in half for our adventure tour. After all going out for a fun night together we left the next morning headed out on reverse trips one started at the end and one at the beginning, sadly not meeting half way. The adventure tour was an amazing time filled with some of the best things I have ever done. Surf lessons, kayaking, massage on the beach, horseback ridding, climbing waterfalls, sea tubing, white water rafting, mud spas, and much more. It was the best 5 weeks of my life and this summer, I am going to Australia. I would recommend ISV to anyone who wants to go to Australia, South Africa, Thailand, New Zealand, Dominican Republic or of course, my Costa Rica.

I had a once in a life time experience in New Zealand!

Volunteer Project:
I had the best group of people I could ask for to volunteer with on a unique island called Motuihe just a 30min boat ride from Auckland. Although it may not be appealing to be isolated from the rest of civilization, it was a liberating experience being able to leave behind cellphones and even internet for two whole weeks! However, we were able to go into Auckland 2 times during the volunteer portion to connect with family and friends as well as experience urban New Zealand life! I myself am interested in restoration ecology and it was neat to gain an insider perspective at the different initiatives being undertaken around the world. I became incredibly close with the people I met on the island as well as with the two project leaders. They made our stay so welcoming that I defiantly would go back some day!

Adventure tour:
This part of the trip honestly changed my life. I was not the type of person at all who would ever consider bungy jumping or white water rafting. I am not generally a thrill seeker but this part of my trip pushed me in ways I had never been pushed before. If you decide to do this trip BUNGY JUMP. Honestly, it is the most liberating and amazing thing one can experience and that was worth every penny. It pushes you mentally and physically. The other parts of the trip aim to push you in other ways, scared of the dark? Caving helps you with that. Fear of heights? You can bungy jump or sky dive. The best part of the adventure tour is that I never felt pressured to do anything. I had my group to support me 100% but never did any of the guides or the people I met push me over the edge (literally or metaphorically).

I traveled to Australia with ISV in 2011, and ever since my return my life has not been the same. In fact, the first thing I did when I got home was get on the computer and sign up to become an ISV student representative at my school.

The first two weeks of the trip I spent volunteering in the outback on a wildlife preservation ground called Calperum station. During these two weeks, you stay with about 8 people in one location, working during the day with a couple breaks in between. Volunteering for an experience like this is the best thing you can do for yourself. Our group became so close in those two weeks. In our down time we made countless videos (one of which we pretended to be in a horror movie), taught our group leader Parkour and even created a make-shift training room, gave each other nicknames, threw a thank you/going away party for one of the local workers at the preservation who became a memorable part of the team, planked on clifftops, had our own 4th of July celebration by the campfire, and sort of adopted a pet goat we found. Imagine waking up to an Australian outback sunrise, with kangaroos hopping around literally just feet away from you. I know, none of this sounds like work; this was just our down time. But we made even our work fun as well. We became so close and it felt great to know we were creating a positive impact on the environment we'd be unfortunately leaving behind us. Let me just say, all of us knew that these two weeks we were working and we had two more weeks of play ahead of us, yet we still had an extremely hard time leaving our volunteer site. The bus driver who came to pick us up at the end of it must have thought we were insane.

However, the following two weeks came at a whole different pace! We suddenly found ourselves with 50 other people we had briefly met in an airport fourteen days prior, in a hostel in Sydney, with a very fast-paced itinerary ahead of us. And every moment of it was both incredible and unforgettable. After getting to know 8 people very well, it was fun to branch out and see what other groups were like. Not to mention our free day in Sydney (during which I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge), surfing in AWESOME hippie-town Byron Bay, ocean rafting, white water rafting down the Tully River, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, and bungee jumping in Cairns just to name a few. ;) These two weeks were full of adventure and risk-taking, overnight bus rides and city-exploring.

I went into this project knowing that the month would go by incredibly fast, so I decided to make every moment count. By the end, leaving felt surreal. I can talk about my experiences forever, but the best way I can describe it to you is that it was the best thing I ever did for myself. If you travel with ISV, and if you travel to Australia, I promise you that home will never be the same. And trust me, when you see what the world has to offer out there, you won't want it to be. You'll want your home to be the horizon.

Australia and ISV was the most life changing experience I've ever had. I made the most amazing friends that will be my friends for life. These people will never leave you and you get a whole new outlook on the world. I grew up traveling since I was a little kid and still I honestly believe this is the best way to travel.

I volunteered with the WIDECAST initiative on the OSA Peninsula working with sea turtles. It changed my life! Honestly, one of the best experiences ever! I still start many of my sentences "In Costa Rica...." The country is beautiful and the host family we stayed with was wonderful. I learned so much during my time there! I now know so much more about sea turtles and even learned a little Spanish even though I didn't take the Spanish week. PURA VIDA EVERYONE!

I travelled with ISV to Thailand in January 2012. It was my first overseas experience, and one that I can confidently say changed me for the rest of my life.

My specific project was volunteering in a local fishing community in the south of Thailand. Upon arriving in the village by long-tail boat, we were introduced to our host families who warmly opened their homes to us for the duration of our stay. Most host families spoke little to no English, but this did not prove a problem, in fact it resulted in many fun and amusing interactions. The housing was basic, but very clean and homely, with running water and electricity.

Every morning we would eat breakfast at our homes, with lunch and dinner provided by a local cook and eaten communally with the volunteer group. The house I stayed in was on the river-front by the small dock, so each morning we would get to watch as people went to and from the boats to cross over the river for work or the markets.

Following breakfast, we would meet at the school to commence one of our main projects during the volunteer stay; to paint mural on the new water treatment plant in the local primary school. Our other project was teaching English to the children, so we painted murals with Australian animals, shapes, weather and common sayings, all with Thai and English translations.

Following our delicious traditional Thai lunch, we would then do different activities each day; such as a cooking school, learning how to weave reeds into baskets, visiting the rubber tree plantation (how many locals made a living), rubbish collection and mangrove replantation.

Later in the afternoons (once school had finished) we taught English to local primary school children; aged anywhere from four to twelve years old. With younger children we played educational games such as Simon Says, while the older children enjoyed sitting down and learning vocabulary and grammar. This was the most rewarding part of the volunteer experience. Many children in Thailand do not continue on to high school, and it was inspirational to see how many children came to class of their own free will wanting to learn as much as possible.

The evenings were filled with way too much food, reflections on the days work, educational discussions and many fun card games.

The main focus of our volunteer project was to improve the lives of people in the village through promoting eco-tourism. This is obviously a huge project, and not something that can be achieved in two weeks, but the work that we did is one part of a whole that is continually being built on. For these children, learning English not only improves their future opportunities, but promotes their self-esteem and knowledge of the world. The increased self-confidence of the children is something that truly could be seen in two weeks.

While my volunteer group did give to the community, I felt as though they gave so much more to us. It opened my eyes to both the struggles that other people face, but also how happy people can be with seemingly less than what I felt I had. I have come to realise what is important to me, and have changed the way I live based on this. Since then I have travelled to another four countries, and look forward to a life-time of learning about other societies and cultures.

It was a truly memorable experience and I will never forget it!

I enjoyed meeting all the people involved in the project and adventure weeks and I overcame fears and I encounted difficulties which I also overcame, and I feel proud to have acomplished this.

Everyone was so helpful and I felt safe and looked after for the whole duration.

I would recommend this trip to everyone!

It was an absolutely life changing experience. It was my first chance to put what I had been learning in the classroom to use in the field. I learned so much about conservation, the country and myself during my month in Costa Rica. I loved every minute of it and we we did valuable work on the wildlife reserve. It has inspired me to work in several different countries throughout my career. I owe a lot to my experience with ISV and I wish that every student could have the same opportunity. Costa Rica is such a beautiful country with an incredible culture.