Bali (Ubud)- Healthcare Education 2017

This was my first time volunteering abroad so I was quite nervous and did not know what to expect. After coming home from Bali, I am extremely thankful to IVHQ for giving me the opportunity to do this project and for their continuous support leading up to my trip to ensure that my travels would go smoothly. This was truly such a humbling and life changing experience that I will never forget! The moment I was greeted by the local organization in Bali and met the other volunteers, all my worries had faded away. It is amazing to see how quickly friendships and connections form between volunteers and the local people in such a short period of time.
There is something magical about Bali- I have to say that people in Bali are the most genuine, loyal and humble people that I have ever met. Everyone smiles here and it is contagious!

During the first week, the local program staff gave us an orientation of the Balinese culture. We visited a monkey forest, a holy water temple, a rice field, had a Batik painting class, went on a walking tour of Ubud with some free time to spend browsing through the markets, learned to cook some traditional Balinese food, saw a traditional Balinese dance (Kecak) and learned some basic Bahasa (language spoken in Bali). A great variety of activities and they were well organized and fun! Be prepared for lots of walking and moving around during this week :).
Thank-you to the kitchen staff, I have now developed a new love for tempeh and peanut sauce!

I came to Bali for the healthcare education project, hoping that a group of children would learn something new from me. In fact, they were the ones who had re-taught me the meaning of a very powerful gift: gratitude. It was remarkable to witness how excited and grateful these children were to receive basic stationery that I had given them for Christmas which we would think to be ordinary. I never would've thought that a group of children who I only got to know for a week would have such a big impact on me.

If you are thinking of volunteering abroad but have some hesitations, I would definitely just take the dive and follow your dreams and everything else will fall in place. Not only was I able to learn about the Balinese culture and people, I learned so much about myself during these two weeks. Trust me, it will be rewarding in the end that you won't regret it!