Best time of my life!

I recently returned from the IVHQ Bali trip and already wish that I could go back. I signed up alone, not knowing a single soul on the trip and managed to make great friends with the other volunteers. It is extremely common for volunteers to travel alone so if you cannot find someone to go with don't let that hold you back! The volunteers were super friendly and staff was very accommodating. The first night there were two lizards on the wall of our room and not knowing that they were completely harmless, we called Green Lion Staff to help get them out. Within 15 minutes two staff members arrived and helped us clear our room of the lizards. The lizards are harmless, just think of them as wall decorations, but they defiantly are around. The sleeping arrangements are spacious but very hot. My villa did not have a window but it had a fan, which helped tremendously! After you get used to the sweating it is not so bad, so by the last night it did not bother any of us but the first couple nights you might wish you brought an extra fan. The location of where the volunteers stay is about 2 kilometers away from Ubud center and it is a really nice walk. There is a lot to do on the weekends for volunteers, so do not worry about being bored, in fact I do not remember a single minute that I was. I felt safe the entire time I was in Ubud, granted I never wandered off by myself and always stuck with a buddy. Ubud center has a lot of shops and great places to eat. The program food itself is very good also. I was surprised with how accommodating the Green Lion Staff was to all food diets and allergies. Now onto the program itself; the orientation was very much enjoyable. The instructors are very kind and activities are fun. The only complaint I can think of is how hot it was during some of the sessions, but that is to expect when you are in a tropical destination. For my program I volunteered at a school about twenty minutes away and taught environmental education. It was by far my favorite part of my trip. Even though the kids spoke minimal English (which I was not informed of before) they were excited to learn about whatever was being taught. My partner and I brought stickers one day and the children’s faces just lit up. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Some of the students have English-Bahasa dictionary to try to communicate with the volunteers better, it really was the sweetest thing.