Overall 9 (just because nothing is perfect)

An ordinary day at HOOP: your morning is free but you'll most likely want to swing by the office in the morning to get advice from fellow staff or prepare your lesson. It's located in the center of Arequipa, the most beautiful city in Peru (in my opinion), very friendly and easy to get around. Then you'll grab or make a bite to eat, thanks to the most amazing avocadoes and mangoes and fresh produce from local market, and meet up with fellow volunteers. You are in a group of about 8 volunteers, each one of you is the lead English teacher of a class, students more or less ranging from age 4 to 14. You are free and even encouraged to introduce any themes or methods of teaching to your students alongside the lessons from the book you use as guidance. Alongside teaching them English, you can pass on elements of your culture, songs, art projects, dances, games... Interaction is key. After your hour-long English class, the children can choose to get help with their homework or have an hour of recess. HOOP is basically a commitment in the afternoon, leaving you a lot of free time to discover the fun of Arequipa and take weekend trips around the many destinations in Southern Peru.

The key point for me was to be able to establish a real and personal relationship with my students and their families in the community. It happened, because HOOP is a free afterschool program that children attend only if they wish to. They are eager to learn, full of energy and have genuine love and joy to offer.
I also felt instantly welcome within the HOOP team and met people who I will consider as friends for a very long time, since the memories we shared were out of the ordinary and unforgetable.