"While I'm gone" is real.
And as heartbreaking as it is for all of those close to me that I truly will be gone for nearly a year, the least I can do is tell everyone what I'm doing while I'm gone. Here's a complete play-by-play description of my year abroad.
8/2/2009-8/6/2009: London
Since the company that planned my trip is based in the UK, my first flight leaves from London. I'll be staying with a friend of my dad's for a few days before my actually trip begins. I'll mostly spend my 4 days there trying not to fall madly in love with a boy with an accent.
8/7/2009-9/4/2009: Cape Town, South Africa
(project description copied from program's website)
Outside of the developed areas of Cape Town the wealthy suburbs come face to face with communities living in townships below the poverty line. Children at the township schools do not get an education that would give them equal footing with their richer counterparts and therefore have restricted opportunities for the future.
This project works with children and the school from the Imizamo Yethu Township near Hout Bay. The township has a history that stems back to the early 1990’s, when approximately 450 families were forced to move here from other informal settlements in Cape Town. Today, the township is one of the largest in the area and home to over fourteen thousand people (though there is likely to be more than this) living in corrugated iron shacks.
The school currently has around 1100 pupils and is very basic and under resourced. There is a very small play area, no assembly hall, no library and no gym. On average, each class has about 45 children in it, which makes it very difficult to control and impossible to pay the children individual attention. Since 1994 the Township has, and continues, to grow rapidly and extra classrooms have needed to be added to the school. However, it is not possible to have any further infrastructure in the area. It is a wonderful school though, with the current headmistress who has worked her way up from being a teacher to a vice principal to now being the head teacher – and she is an absolute star!
The aim of the project is to help alleviate the strain on the already limited resources of the township school. Through your volunteer assistance, the children will benefit from your academic lessons (such as basic maths, English and IT) in the mornings and you will also be able to provide them with extra tuition or help with their homework in the afternoons.
This project works with children and the school from the Imizamo Yethu Township near Hout Bay. The township has a history that stems back to the early 1990’s, when approximately 450 families were forced to move here from other informal settlements in Cape Town. Today, the township is one of the largest in the area and home to over fourteen thousand people (though there is likely to be more than this) living in corrugated iron shacks.
The school currently has around 1100 pupils and is very basic and under resourced. There is a very small play area, no assembly hall, no library and no gym. On average, each class has about 45 children in it, which makes it very difficult to control and impossible to pay the children individual attention. Since 1994 the Township has, and continues, to grow rapidly and extra classrooms have needed to be added to the school. However, it is not possible to have any further infrastructure in the area. It is a wonderful school though, with the current headmistress who has worked her way up from being a teacher to a vice principal to now being the head teacher – and she is an absolute star!
The aim of the project is to help alleviate the strain on the already limited resources of the township school. Through your volunteer assistance, the children will benefit from your academic lessons (such as basic maths, English and IT) in the mornings and you will also be able to provide them with extra tuition or help with their homework in the afternoons.
This is what I'll be doing during the day. Obviously, school gets out by late afternoon, leaving my evenings and weekends open for free time. Lucky for me, Cape Town has gorgeous beaches and loads of things to do (parasailing, surfing, hang gliding, to name a few), not to mention the legal drinking age is 18 (just pointing out a fact, dear parents).
8/5/2009-8/28/2009
For the first 3 days in Nepal, I'll be taking some pretty intense language classes while getting myself oriented with the country. I also found out that I'll be in the country during a huge religious festival known as Dashain, which is a 15 day celebration of the goddess Durga. Apparently there's a lot of meat eating due to the large number of animal sacrifices during the festival (I read that on one day they sacrifice so many animals that those that are nearby end up ankle deep in animal blood. How pleasant.).
After the 3 days of orientation, I'll be sent to my volunteer site. I have 4 choices: teaching in a school, teaching in an orphanage, teaching in a monastery, or working in a hospital. Right now, I'm leaning toward the second option because it allows me to learn about Buddhism first hand by interacting with the monks.
Also, the volunteers are taken on a 2 day trip to Chitwan, which includes an elephant ride to go rhinoceros and tiger spotting! I'll also be able to go canoeing, visit an elephant sanctuary, go on a jungle walk, and watch a dance show in a nearby village. Needless to say I'm really, really excited about this.
10/1/2009-10/31/2009: Thailand
My Thailand trip is broken up into 4 1-week sections.
Week 1 is made up of language lessons, socializing with other travelers during parties, cooking lessons, games, group discussions, etc., visiting local landmarks and towns, and plenty of leisure time to swim, shop, and do whatever else.
During week 2 I'll be learning about the history of Buddhism in preparation to stay overnight in one of Thailand's most famous temples. Mid-week I'll stay in the Wat Song Phi Nong temple, where I'll learn about meditation and the monks' way of life. After the overnight stay, I'll be going on a biking tour to see other Thai monasteries, a pottery market, and the zoo.
Week 3 is my volunteer week. I'll be working as a teacher in a local school.
Week 4 will be spent on the island of Koh Samet. My time on the island is basically all free time to do what I choose, except for a boat excursion to go snorkeling and fishing (I, of course, will absolutely not be fishing. Fish are friends, not food.). I'll be celebrating my 19th birthday on the island.
11/1/2009-4/18/2010: New Zealand
I'm lucky enough to be spending winter in New Zealand, which is actually summer time there. For the 5 1/2 months I'll be in New Zealand I'll be working and living in my own apartment (with roommates, so not really "my own"). Feel free to come visit me! Except you, dad. I know you've probably already arranged for Christmas in New Zealand. I don't yet know what kind of job I have because I don't know what's available until I get there. I'll be staying in a hostel until I find a job and my dad and I are apartment searching now.
4/18/2010-5/9/2010: Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands
I will have a 2 night stay in Quito, Ecuador before a short flight to the islands. I'll have a few days on Santa Cruz island to tour the town and see the tortoises that I'll be researching. After that, I'll be staying on Isabela Island, where I'll be working with Giant Tortoises at the breeding center, and aiding in the mapping and conservation efforts around the island.
5/9/2010-5/23/2010: Costa Rica
For 2 weeks in Costa Rica I'll be working at the Wildlife Rescue Center, which recently won the Ford/Jaguar Cars International Conservation Award. There are about 400 animals in enclosures and 100 more roaming the 27 acres of land. Its home to everything from monkeys to reptiles to tigers. I'll be cleaning cages, feeding animals, and occasionally guiding tourists through the center.
So there you have it. My almost year-long adventure around the world. By the end of the trip, I will have been on every continent except Antarctica, but I fully plan on going there one day too. I'm going to try to update everyone on what I'm doing in each country, but internet availability is limited.
