A Very Worthwhile Challenge

I recently volunteered in Guyana for three months and had an amazing experience overall! My group was placed in an Amerindian village called St. Cuthbert's Mission. The landscape of the village was beautiful and the people were friendly and welcoming. I can't wait to go back and visit the friends I made, as well as to explore more of the country!

During my time in St. Cuthbert's, I taught the Grade 3 class at the primary school three days a week along with another volunteer from my group. Occasionally, I would fill in for other teachers at the primary school as well. I also helped teach remedial Math and English classes to the Grade 7/8 students two days a week. Apart from teaching, I also helped plan and run workshops for both the primary and secondary school students on a variety of topics including dental hygiene, nutrition, study skills, test-taking, and water conservation.

There were tons of other things to experience in the village as well, and we tried to keep a busy schedule to ensure we could make the most of our time there! We went camping, fishing, hiking, and swimming with some of the locals. I had my first ride in a dug-out canoe, and shampooed my hair in a black water creek! Some of the villagers invited us over for dinner sometimes as well. It was really interesting to experience life in another culture and another part of the world, and also very rewarding. While learning about Guyanese culture and building relationships with some of the locals, I learned a lot about myself in the process.

However, as expected, there were a few challenges to overcome during our project as well. As this was my first experience volunteering internationally, I felt a bit overwhelmed at first and didn't quite know how to get involved in the community, or what kinds of projects I could participate in. We were given little direction or encouragement from the field staff in Guyana upon arriving in St. Cuthbert's. I would have appreciated a bit more support and guidance overall throughout the project, but especially while trying to settle in and adjust to our new home during those first few weeks. However, having little direction also had its benefits. It forced me to try to integrate into the community on my own, and to become more proactive. We were expected to get involved and to find useful ways of contributing to the community. We had to take initiative and seek out projects we could create or participate in. It was definitely challenging, and even frustrating at times, because I didn't know what to do, or felt overwhelmed by the task of trying to find something meaningful to do. In the end, however, all these challenges made for a very valuable learning experience! I had a wonderful time in Guyana and would definitely consider volunteering with Youth Challenge International again in the future!