A month full of bliss

The first time i heard about this program, I was incredibly exited. After I applied, fear struck. I realized I would have to spend a full month with people I hadn't met before but at the same time, I would have an incredible time that I hoped to never forget. So I talked to friends and they gave me the push to commit and come through.
Fast forward four months later.....
The day of my flight came and I had not recieved my visa yet. I am not a U.S. citizen so I actually had to apply for my visa myself with little direction from ISV. I applied a month before my flight and asked the visa agency to hurry my visa even though it clearly says on their website that they cannot do this and there are no exceptions. Well I received my visa an hour before my flight so I cleary did not make it. The trip hadn't started and I my stress level was high. After paying a ridiculous amount of money and 2 days later, I was in Australia a day after I was supposed to arrive. Tip: make your layover in LA as long as possible because this would give you the time to leave the airport and explore the city. That's what I did and wished I had more time.
Then I met the other volunteers in the house we would share for two weeks. I was assigned to the program in Newcastle, which in my opinion was the best one in Australia compared to the things I heard from other groups around the country. We lived in a two story house in the middle of the city! The other groups lived in a cabin in the woods, just like the movie. Tip: I did very little research about Newcastle and Australia in general before hitting the ground and I would recommend doing the same. If I had done my research I wouldn't have been as impressed as I was throughout the whole trip. It's much better to ask your volunteer or tour leader where to go or once you get there, do the research.
Most of the other volunteers you will like, a couple not so much and a few you will make a real connection with. At least this is what happened when my group met up with the other groups in Sydney. Just try to take it easy with everyone and ignore the ones that kill your vibe.
You will not always love the volunteer work you do. It is hard! You end the day really tired and wake up early the next day early to do more work. You get used to it. One day (the worst work day) we had to do a lot of handy work/extreme gardening for 6 hours and I ended up with a sore back and red blistered hands because the plants that we were rooting out were prickly. Other days will be incredibly rewarding. Sometimes I had a hard time understanding why we were volunteering but you just need to ask.
We stayed in really awesome locations that are situated close to everything. The nightlife is really really fun. And remember you don't have to stick with the others in your free time so get out of thr hotel room and go explore by yourself!
Con: you can't go in the water unless you are told it's safe. No matter how pretty blue or how swimmable the water looks, DON'T. There are jellyfish and other sea animals that will land you in the hospital. You will be able to swim in pools, lakes, lagoons, etc so no worry.
If you're worried about getting homesick, HAHAHA. That never happened to me. Don't count the days until you leave paradise either, you won't be able to enjoy your days as much if you do. Just push it back until the last day-then cry.

Enjoy it! You paid for it.