A review of my time in Yangshuo

Spending time in China this summer has been an incredible experience for me. Being there for 5 weeks meant that I was able to fully engulf myself within the Chinese culture and experience the area like a local. There were cheap things to do in my spare time which allowed me to experience activities which I wouldn't have the opportunity to do in the UK.

I feel that Gotoco provides you a great opportunity by connecting you with a partner school or camp in China which you may not have had any link to otherwise. This enables you to spend your summer making a difference to a set of lovely kids and do this all whilst still having the ability to explore a new country and culture within your summer holidays from Uni.

My experience at Zhuoyue English School in Yangshuo was incredible. Before I had even arrived at the camp, the programme organiser went above and beyond to ensure my stay would be safe and problem free. This included organising my taxi from the airport to the camp, which would have been difficult for me to organise independently given the language barrier. The accommodation was of outstanding standard, with a maid who came in most days to empty the bins and clean the floors, and our own personal balcony with an incredible view of the school. The children at the school were all lovely and as teachers we had plenty of resources to help us to organise our lesson plan for each day. We were also able to participate in the activities organised for the children, such as peanut pulling and tea picking, which gave us the ability to experience Yangshuo in a way which is non-accessible by tourists. Angie was kind enough to allow me to stay longer in the accommodation after my programme finished and gave me the opportunity to participate in English Corner where I was able to teach some of the adults for a few weeks. For this I am incredibly grateful and I would definitely recommend this programme to future volunteers.