My experiences in Bali

If I did a list with the best five experiences in my life, Bali definitely would be on the top of it. I spent there in Ubud 4 and a half weeks and everything just truly met with my expectations. One of my favorite part was the introduction week because it really helps you to get through the basic hard things at the beginning when you are in a different country or even on a different continent. That one week gave us the opportunity to meet new people and make friendships just before the program even started. It also gives a little taste of the culture and show you the most significant places which are really amazing.
I was also very satisfied with my volunteering program there which was teaching. All the children were so adorable, and you just felt that they are so desperate to get a little knowledge of English. Of course they lost sometimes their attention (like in every 30 minutes) and started focusing on other things, but that’s what children normally do, so you could just start playing with them something and then return back to teaching and that was all.
The only thing which was different than what I imagined was that I didn’t have to spend the whole day volunteering and teaching. I did the preparation for the class in the mornings and teaching the children in the afternoon so normally I had time to visit places and do some sightseeing between mornings and afternoons and that was so good, because you had the chance to explore the whole island as well.
The accommodation and the foods were also fascinating and delicious. Before I went there I just tried to put as low my expectation as I could, but when I get there I realized that it was unnecessary, because everything was so clean and the food was amazing too. You even had the chance to do your laundry, to use the swimming pool there for free, play ping pong, and just cross over the street in the middle of nowhere to get to a warung (bar) where you could just chill or get a drink. :) If you had any problem, all the staff members were there to help you, they were really helpful and you could get free rides by the local taxi drivers to the city center as well, which was great.
To sum up, if I had to recommend a place to do some volunteering, I would definitely recommend to volunteer with Green Lion Bali through IVHQ, because you could hardly get a better opportunity in your life, for sure. To live there, to get to know the culture, to meet and help children, and to be part an amazing community like that was… that’s what Bali can give to you, so just don’t miss the chance. :)