Program Reviews

This program was absolutely amazing. The staff was incredible and we got to do amazing things. The size of the group was perfect, 11 of us, and we stayed in some amazing places. I felt like we got to see the real side of Fiji, not the touristy places you would normally go to. They would change the programming depending on what we wanted to do as a group. We went to the ocean every day. We had time to snorkel and tan. We also spent 31 hours in Nativi village building them a community kitchen. Spending the time in the village, living in their houses and being able to really get to know them and their children, was the most rewarding part of this trip. Once we were done in the village we went to an amazing resort and spend the last five days being together as a group and surfing in some amazing spots. There was nothing that I would have liked to change about this trip. I would do it all over again if I could.

The Puda Vida life means living your life as if every obstacle is a piece of cake. It means being happy and welcoming to everyone around you as well as looking at the bright side of everything. I would love to be around Costa Ricans all the time. The community I stood with was so loving and caring and still to this day opening there homes to me if I ever go back to Costa Rica which I most defiantly will do!

I had such a great time in Spain, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The leaders were so great and helpful, and I became such good friends with the fellow students on the trip. One of my favorite parts of the trip was being able to talk comfortably with locals. I was glad to learn Spanish that I would not have otherwise learned in a classroom that is essential to day to day conversations.

This was a really fantastic trip and a great way to experience France, a country I'd been wanting to travel to for many years. All the French people we got to interact with, including our guides in the mountains, people we worked with on community service projects, and especially my homestay family, were incredible people. They were completely welcoming and, when applicable, very grateful for our help. My homestay family was really amazing -- the kids were super friendly and the parents did everything they could to make our stay as good as it could be, so that I really didn't want to leave by the end of it.

The four trip leaders were also consistently focused on making sure that everyone was enjoying the trip and getting what they wanted out of it. They had regular one-on-one talks with everyone on the trip to make sure there were no problems and to help people who were having any kind of trouble. I didn't have any real concerns but I'm sure this was very helpful for some people.

One complaint with this trip is that with regards to learning French, although I certainly made a lot of progress and built up a lot of confidence in conversational French, it was not really an immersion experience. All the kids spoke English so while the trip leaders spoke mostly in French to us, the vast majority of the interactions I had on the trip were in English with my tripmates. In addition, since there was such a wide spread of French proficiency and I was one of the more advanced French speakers, I didn't get as much out of the language learning activities as some of the other people did. In terms of visiting France, seeing the country and meeting wonderful French people, this trip is really excellent. However, it's not perfect for someone who really wants to get a French immersion experience and learn the language as fast as possible.

I learned so much from my trip in Nepal. I experienced many new and exciting things. I will never forget the people I met and the things I learned. It was definitely a once in a life time experience!

I loved my homestay and family and the all the children in the village. They were super sweet and I learned the culture of Fiji from them. The scuba diving was super scary at first but our teacher helped me to try again and Im glad he did! I loved it and I learned to grow even if I was afraid.

This trip was my first overseas camp. All I know is that the description fits. It is a wonderful experience and I made so many great new friends! I got significantly better at speaking spanish which enabled me to skip a class! I also did so many cool activities that I wouldn't have been able to do anywhere else. For starters, I was really nervous for the rafting trip. However, it was completely safe and absolutely thrilling! We got to go swimming in all these waterfalls and go surfing down the rapids. The views were stunning especially with no one around us but the wildlife. Ill also say overall the lodging and bathrooms were all really nice, compared to what I expected. Next, the cloud forest was really, really nice. Off the bat if you are going to this particular trip you need to be fit. The exercise and exertion that goes into this part of the trip is intense. So be prepared!! Here we did TONS of work everyday and we learned a lot about the wildlife too. The food on this part of trip was to die for. The people are also super nice and you never feel pressured about the spanish. Next, the home stay is probably the most impactful. Here you get to practice your spanish the most. You are also rarely with your counselor and you have the most freedom, but it's still safe!! The people, again, are also very nice and there are tons of little kids to play with. We do community service everyday but its easy stuff and then we do fun activities like playing in the river or games with the kids. I should also mention that we have to wake up around 7 am everyday and go to sleep around 10 pm. We also always pretty much have access to food. We also went on a few field trips like visiting another but huge waterfall. There isn't as much shopping on this trip as I personally expected but we got to go to super markets a lot. Then we travel to the national park. Unfortunately I got sick during this part but I got lucky because it has the best lodging! We saw amazing sunsets, went to hot springs and ziplining of course! Do not do this trip if you are afraid of heights!!! You are hundreds of feet above the forest for a large time in the air. But don't be afraid to try new things! Last but not least, the surfing! The beach is just beautiful. The water is warm and safe and the bottom is all sand. The surf instruction is great and you are guaranteed to stand up the first day. There is also a nice pool too or you could walk up and down the beach and collect shells. The shacks that we live in are super comfy but I hope you are not afraid of giant lizards! All in all this trip is just..its soo nice. I completely recommend this to anyone! Lastly, the counselors are the sweetest people who you can really trust and they always do everything with the safety of your child in mind! This the right decision for an overseas camp. And don't forget Global Works offers other locations and specializations as well.

I had such an amazing time on this trip and grew so much as a person! I am constantly using the things I learned and the experiences I had in my day to day life.

This trip being a custom one was quite unique since it was based on gaining a medical experience and learning about the Nicaraguan culture at the same time. I've got to shadow some doctors and nurses at the local hospitals, get my hands dirty by digging a trench with a pick axe and shovel, and teach third graders about proper hygiene. I have learned to value the basic necessities I take advantage of back home, especially hot water. There were many first-time experiences for me, such as bargaining, zip-lining, and seeing bats. This was truly a wonderful experience for me.

I still think about Fiji almost every day. I had the most amazing time, and met the most amazing people. The first two days of preparation before the village gave us the perfect mix of down time to get to know one another, and time spent learning about what we were going off to do. I loved the big hike to the waterfall, it was very rewarding, along with the sunrise hike which was beautiful. At night a lot of the kids, myself included, would get to interact with the Fijians and sit around the Kava bowl, and hangout with the other teen agers. They were SO cool, and taught us a lot of cool Fiji stuff. Activities like that and snorkeling and scuba diving were great experiences I don't usually come upon in my daily life.
The service work we did was tough but worth it. We would spend hours mixing cement for the building, but when we got to sign our names in the stairs it made it feel like we really accomplished something big. Trash clean ups were fun because we got to go off with friends.
I did happen to be one of the group members that had health issues however. I got a nasty bug bite on my leg, but right once I brought it to my leaders attention I got taken to the doctors office. Afterwards, I caught a cold and they had me take a couple of days to rest. Last of all, I got hives all over my body, which no one really knew what to do about. That was the most aggravating because it was very itchy, but eventually went away. It all made me a lot tougher though, so I really didn't mind too much.
My group also did have issues with a few kids getting sent home. It was honestly so long ago that I'm not upset about it anymore, but at the time it was very hard to handle. The whole group was very upset with their leaving. I was just so happy I didn't do anything to jeopardize my trip, but I missed the ones that got sent home very much.
Overall, it was an amazing experience. I have such good memories from it, and would go back in an instant if I could.