WorldTeach provided me with a lot of firsts: my first extended trip abroad (beyond a third grade family vacation), my first time in a developing country, my first stay with a host family, my first time teaching in a classroom, my first time entirely immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture. Even one of these, let alone the combination, could have been overwhelming or terrifying. Instead, through the efforts of the U.S. office and especially the field staff in Costa Rica, the elements of my volunteer experience formed a cohesive, unforgettable summer.
With a positive and "ready for anything" (yet prepared) state of mind, it became possible to appreciate and love so much more, while materially possessing so much less. During orientation, my co-volunteers, field staff and I realized some previously undiscovered teaching skills, attempted to memorize games and songs, and above all gained a loving, strong and supportive group of friends. A week later, alone in a rural village seemingly accessible only by motorcycles and ATVs, my own abilities and new-found state of mind were tested.
In the community, at home, and in school, I was forced to choose whether I or not I would say "yes." I had already said "yes" to teaching from 8 am until 1 pm, five days a week, but the greatest impact occurred when I was able to say "yes" outside the classroom. With this word, I discovered a love of delicious Costa Rican food (arroz con pollo! gallo pinto! fruit picked from the trees on the walk home with my students!), and made great memories in $10/night hostels and on five hour bus adventures. I swept the floor and hung the laundry out to dry with my host mom, running outside to collect clothes when the afternoon rain started to fall. I watched my students fawn over the camera I had brought into the community, and let them improve my soccer skills and laugh when I slipped on the moss-covered rocks at the river.
Right now, I may not physically be a part of the "pura vida," or even be able to recollect precisely what I did to fill each day in that tiny village outside of San Isidro del General. I do, however, have a group of friends who are always willing to nostalgically reminisce, and the knowledge that each of my small daily journeys in Costa Rica has undoubtedly shaped who I am today. I can credit WorldTeach with confirming my love of travel and exploration. This journey began with the simple realization that if you want to try something new, you can (no matter how crazy it sounds to your "grounded" friends and family). I would encourage anyone who is even minimally drawn to this program, to make the jump and say "yes."
Response from WorldTeach
Thank you for your open and direct feedback about your experience in American Samoa. We are glad to hear that you had a great year as a classroom teacher.
However, we sincerely regret that we failed in appropriately supporting you. After nearly 27 years of recruiting, placing, and supporting volunteers, we are acutely aware that volunteers are most successful when they receive open, attentive and caring support from our staff. We endeavor for that to be the experience of each volunteer so we welcome proactive suggestions from the field to continuously improve what we do.
In response to the feedback we've received, we have changed our pre-departure literature for every single one of our programs to more accurately outline the costs that volunteers should expect to incur as they prepare for their departure as well as while they are in-country. We have made the language about the flight terms clearer and we have booked one way tickets to American Samoa this year. This allows us to book and pay for one way return tickets so that volunteers don't have to bear the burden of paying for the difference in airfare from a round-trip ticket.
We take safety seriously which is why we expect to know the whereabouts of our volunteers so that we can get in contact with them in the case of an emergency. We also expect volunteers to treat their positions as they would any other job, and to approach it with the same degree of commitment and professionalism. Teacher absenteeism is a challenge in the American Samoan school system and we envision WorldTeach volunteers as part of a solution in that regard. We're sorry if our oversight came off as 'big brother-ish' - our intent was accountability, not draconian supervision.
After the issue with the last stipend was brought to our attention, we quickly rectified our mistake and issued a refund to every single volunteer.
As you mention, the region is most certainly an exciting one to volunteer and live in and its students are in need of dedicated teachers. Please feel free to reach out to us in the head office (info@worldteach.org) to continue the dialogue about how we can better serve our volunteers and ensure positive experiences for future cohorts.