GC Thailand Team,

I received an email from you at the beginning of the week asking me to comment on my time here. I hope a letter is OK rather than email ( note: GC team has typed and posted as such ).

I would like to begin with saying that my expectations or my thoughts of this program or Thailand were completely wrong (not in a bad way), so far the past three months I have rolled with punches and accepted whatever a surprise or not, come my way.

Language and culture program :

On-line this was described as 2 weeks though every location, but Denise said that this program in Thailand had been modified. It was only about a week which gave me more time in school. I thought it was extremely helpful because Christine, the other volunteer here at the time I arrived, didn't even know how to say hello in Thai. I was taught basics to get by, pronunciation and was given a dictionary that has never left my side. I enjoyed seeing some sights and Wats (temples) in Bangkok and Ayuthaya with a staff. I even went to my first movie in Thailand with him when we decided it was too hot to do anything else. My favorite part of course was my home-stay.

Jot made me feel welcome in her home and village and showed me around as well as experience some of her and her families daily activities and reaching out from the locals even though I was or could be seen as an “intruder” in their home town. My favorite parts were dinner with her family or neighbors. I love eating “Thai Style” with lots of people so you can try different things – you can't do this on your own. Also in the afternoons we would relax in the hammocks and I would teach her English and she would teach me Thai. She is a much faster learner than I am. Everyday I had something new and exciting to look forward to and I was sad to leave, especially when the children wanted me to stay and teach at their school nearby.

Living Arrangements:

I was really disappointed to learn that I would be in an apartment for 3 months instead of a home-stay but I figured it was almost impossible to find one that would want someone living in their home for 3 months. Also I know that every area in Thailand needs volunteers and the placement is close to the coordinators, but I wish I was in a more rural setting. I did like the fact, however, that it was convenient to get Bangkok or leave for the weekend which was easy-once figured out. I also didn't like the area because after my homestay I realized how close knot a Thai community can be and here it is mostly singles, single parents, and younger people – no real sense of community or family. I think many left their home towns to get away from farming and wanted to find work in a city. That is fine and understandable but authentic Thailand which is unfortunately seems to be slowly diminishing. I was grateful that another volunteer was here when I arrived so she could show me the ropes. If she wasn't I think I would have gotten seriously lost on my fist day of school.

Placements:

Primary School:

I loved it, everyone was so nice and accepting. Pinut, an English teacher, was extremely helpful and was there if I needed anything whether it was advice about a weekend trip or suggestion for a lesson plan. I was relieved to find a laid back atmosphere and none of the teachers seemed to be grumpy like most one in the States. I was assigned primary forms 3-6. My favorite was 4 th – 5 th because they were usually the most well-behaved and did what I asked. I had fund with all the children and as the weeks went on it was great to see their personalities developing, which was how I differentiated them as I could not remember all of their names. I have a new respect for teachers and will for my professors when I go back home. Teaching is not as easy as one thinks especially in classes of 35. I also enjoyed the area where the school was. It had more community than the apartment for living and I became familiar with it because the teachers would show you around and take you to lunch. I really had fun at this school and enjoyed all the people I have met and spent time with, even if they didn't speak English they were interested about learning about me. I already miss this school, especially my students. Too bad they have vacation.

Kindergarten :

I was really confused about my first placement. First it was a nursery, then it was a “Summer School”. When I got there it was a nursery but a week or so later it was a summer school. Now that I have settled in my class usually ranges from about 4-9 students. Because it is summer and there is no mandatory attendance, I think some of the kids don't come either because they don't want to, are on vacation with their family or are sick. After my first day of teaching I knew this school was different because many of the kids already know alphabet, numbers to at least 20, and vocab-words even if some are only somewhat vocal about it. I have a 5-year old who will and can have a full out conversation with me, which I find fascinating because my 12-year olds at my other school could not count past 15 and knew about 10 English words. Teaching here I have also had to adapt a new technique because most are 3-5 years old, much younger than my last students. It is also hard to keep their attention for 3 hours, especially with English, so we end up playing a lot with me just talking to them even if they don't understand me.

I have had two very different placements and am glad and fortunate because it has allowed me to see the differences in schools and age and learning abilities as this is something I have not studied and had to adjust to.

Recommendations:

As stated before I think its best if volunteers are placed in home-stays or a small community, this way they can really sense what a Thai lifestyle and culture is all about. I also feel the people are more accepting, whereas here they wonder what I am doing here, but never ask, just go about their business (similar to western society).

I think it would have been nice to take weekend trips to volunteer with other volunteers. This was mentioned in information I got such as help with the tsunami but nothing was even organized. I also think it would be good to have other volunteers' emails incase they wanted to travel together with others. I understand that this is an individual rather than group effort, but it would be nice to see some community with the other volunteers. I met someone who went to the Philippines and every-weekend did something with the volunteers because they were close and the organization, I feel/think planned it that way. I know if we need anything we can call and email and you will do your best, but at times have felt that I have literally been dumped in the middle of Thailand on my own and I know it is what I signed up for, but again it wasn't what I expected. I guess I thought there would be more sense of community from the coordinators down to the volunteers. Finally location, I think it would be great to see GC place volunteers all over Thailand – north, central, south. I am sure it may be a direction the organization plans on heading but if you aren't, I would consider it. I think volunteers will get a more fulfilling time if they were out of Bangkok and Bangkok surrounding areas to really get a taste of Thailand before commercialization. Even in Bang Sai which is close to Bangkok, I felt that sense of “Old World”, so I imagine far north and further north in central regions must be still very well preserved, minus the 7/11's that seem more frequent than in the US ( GC Team would like to thank Kristen for her valuable suggestions which will help us improve our program further ).

Overall, aside my “complaints”, I have had a great experience. It was nothing I expected which I realized could be good. I learned and grew a lot – thanks to you what your company offers. I think it is a great experience that people should definitely try. I was never a close-minded person, but this trip to Thailand has opened my eyes even more and hopefully when I continue on to Tibet this will happen more.

I appreciate your time and patients (my mom who always seemed to call you!) and for your services that were available, but never had to use. I hope you consider my recommendations to further enhance other's experiences in Thailand and good luck with future prospects.

All the best,

Kristen Gold

Hello Global Crossorad!

So here I am in Bangkok having a ball. My flight came in on time, with my luggage and I found the man with the Lilli Szafranski sign right away. Strangely he was wearing a Lisle Park District Tshirt, but had no idea where Lisle was. I am with a volunteer group, Global Crossroads (goggle it if you are interested) on their Summer Escapes trip with 5 other volunteers. I have clicked immediately with the 4 Americans, 2 AWESOME teachers from Denver, one sarcastic girl from the Indiana Chicago burbs and a Harvard grad. The 5th is an Asian obsessed Irish man who is a bit pissy at best, but we like him. The beer and hot Asian girls have opened him up a bit. The GC coordinator has taken us on some super awesome trips every day we've been here. He is Wonderful. We went to the Ayutaya ruins, oldest things I've seen and the MAGNIFICENT Grand Palace where there are Pagodas (big tall shrine buildings) COVERED in 24 K gold and GIANT gold Buddhas. The room with the Emerald Buddha was the best, and unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos. It is indescribably beautiful with millions of details. The Buddha is not too big, about the size of a toilette or something, but made of solid jade and dressed in gold. All the artifacts around him are intricately decorated and also gold and he is sitting atop a very high gold pedestal of sorts. The walls are beautifully painted and the vaulted ceilings have a gold leaf design. We went to the floating market and had tons of fruit (which I suspect had lots of river water all over them, gross) and also to the overwhelming giant weekend market and Future Mall. Thais sell EVERYTHING, for way less than in America, and you can find WHATEVER you can imagine. Nike Shocks and Birkenstocks (though not real) for $20 and shirts and hippy attire for about $2 apiece. I had a 2 hour full body massage for $5!! The market and mall are overwhelming, to say the least, with tons of shops lights sounds and Asians, though STILL not a single shirt fits me. Thais often laugh at me for being "too big!! too big!! hahahah". yeah, hahaha, real funny.

For the Fourth, we were staying on Khoasan road with lots of free time, coincidentally. We bought lots of alcohol and got thoroughly wasted in celebration and had a blast. Even the Irish man did too.

The food is awesome, though sometimes not too sanitary. You can buy anything on a stick and it is often only $.25-$.50 a meal. The last 3 days we spent in the heart of the jungle near the Death Railway in Kanchanaburi. I got to walk over the Bridge Over the River Kwai, which was scary as there was no railing, the track is still in use and people often didn't try to move as you passed so you had to teeter on the actual track and hope you don't fall to your death. We stayed at an elephant camp on a raft-house in the river run by the NICEST Thais. You could see the river running through the bathroom floor, but the bedroom floors had contact paper over the planks of wood. We often went swimming in the river which carried us downstream to some bamboo rafts. We took a raft ride down the river and none of us wore shoes. We had a lengthy hike back to the truck and of course all the Thais laughed at us. There was a GIANT spider in my room. I am not even scared of spiders in my room that I would have begged Geoff to kill back home. This spider was about 3-4 inches in diameter (with legs) and some super nice Thai man killed it. In the morning we got to ride the elephants barebacked into the river and give them a bath as the little Thai boys pushed us in and told the elephants to spray us. AWESOME experience. We went to the Erawan waterfall, which were like out of a fairytale. After hiking to the top of the mountain and passing 6 continuously better steps of the falls we reached the top most with all the jungle flora, bright flowers, bamboo, palm trees, white rocks, clear water, crystal blue pools, monkeys, fern covered caves....it was AWESOME. We swam in the most magnificent water I have ever seen.

The Thai people are incredible nice and they LOVE Americans. It has helped greatly subdue the culture shock that the Thai are very laid back and friendly with a "No Worries" attitude and they laugh at EVERYTHING. Any time you do something stupidly American, everyone just laughs and if you laugh back, you feel better and everything is alright. Thai people are very nice and often smile at you as you drive by. I am very glad to be here and not London (yikes, we found out right away, too, from our British friend we met while traveling) or Europe as hiking in the gorgeous jungle with such a culturally rich people is certainly better than super $$$ Europe. My nice hotel with AC was only $7 a night. It is hot, but not unlike that hot week in Chicago before I left.

Next week the 6 of us go to rural Thailand to teach school children English. Learning English is a priceless experience for Thai children as I learned, it gives them their only opportunity to go to University or do anything other than be a poor farmer. We are all staying at one house (probably an estate) run by a 75 year old man. I hope it is nice. I don't know the phone/Internet status so I might not be able to contact anyone soon. After the volunteering we will trek up through the hill tribes near the Loa border. I expect it to be magnificent.

I will be sad when the other volunteers leave, but I have met so many other travelers already I know I will be ok. I have met many solo-trekkers, men and woman, who are getting along fine. I feel very safe and do not expect to be kidnapped and sold into white slavery.

As I do not know everyone emails, please pass this on to all you think will like to read it.
I will send a separate email with pics.

I miss you all and I hope everyone is alright!

Having a BLAST!!!!
Lilli Szafranski, Thailand

Extremely satisfied with the entire experience! & found everyone to be very friendly and hard working It was great to work alongside the locals and learn from their tremendous skills & really enjoyed the ceremony at the end and felt like had made a difference. Two things that could be improved include the information we are given about the trip before coming & found (once arrived) that some info on the website was not accurate. Also an overview of the jobs that need to be done that day we go in the morning would be great and then tell people to rotate jobs more often so everyone gets a chance to do everything.(eg.sifting sand was often neglected and then the same people would always end up doing it)
But overall an extremely amazing experience. Thank you for all the hard work you put into providing this experience for us

Tracey Renshaw, Sri Lanka

Thank you to Paul, Michael & Ravi for organizing and managing the pro projects. I always found you to be approachable helpful and kind. The local tradesmen were also very patient and good natured which made working along side them fun and productive. The food on site the and at the hotel was good and plentiful. The hotel is fine and Upali and his team helpful. One improvement could be the pre information pack about what to expect. If it could include a clearer list of what to bring and comments from previous volunteers that would be useful .I would be happy to help with updating such a pack. Let me know. More tools of course would also be good. Thank you once again for this wonderful opportunity. I have taken more away than I have left here. Best wishes and continued success

Jennifer Mackay, Sri Lanka

Name: Stuart Cameron Rudolph

First week Program:

1. Orientation about project, Schedule, host family, situation of Nepal : Extremely Satisfied
2. Performance of Language Teacher: Extremely Good
3. Ability and Helpfulness of staff: Sufficiently enough
4. Room and food arrangement of first week: Extremely good
5. Travel activities of first week program: Very Good and organized
6. Over all performance of our Nepal partner for First week: Excellent
7. First week language program: Excellent

Comments: It was always fun, we learned about as much as we could in a week. Good job Hom. My overall experience in Nepal has been great so far global crossroad is always there to feed me and answer my questions. It is a great organization.

Stuart Cameron Rudolph

Name: Joseph London

1- Orientation about project, Schedule, host family, situation of Nepal : Satisfied
2- Performance of Language Teacher: Extremely Good
3- Ability and Helpfulness of staff: Enough
4- Room and food arrangement of first week: Extremely good
5- Travel activities of first week program: Very Good and organized
6- Over all performance of our Nepal partner for First week: Good
7- First week language program: Excellent

Comment: I feel like we coursed so much in our language class. It definitely was a cram session. It is hard for me to remember now but it will be very useful in the villages. I really enjoyed sight seeing and it was great to have a guide. I really enjoyed the first week and am excited to move on to the second.

Joseph London

Name: Erik Jon Jacobsen

1- 2-Orientation about project, Schedule, host family, situation of Nepal : Extremely Satisfied
2- Performance of Language Teacher: Extremely Good
3- Ability and Helpfulness of staff: Sufficiently Enough
4- Room and food arrangement of first week: Very good
5- Travel activities of first week program: Extremely Good and organized
6- Over all performance of our Nepal partner for First week: Very Good
7- First week language program: Excellent

Erik Jon Jacobsen

Name: Andrew Lawrence

1- Orientation about project, Schedule, host family, situation of Nepal : Extremely Satisfied
2- Performance of Language Teacher: Extremely Good
3- Ability and Helpfulness of staff: Enough
4- Room and food arrangement of first week: Very good
5- Travel activities of first week program: Extremely Good and organized
6- Over all performance of our Nepal partner for First week: Excellent
7- First week language program: Excellent

Comment: Language course is great; I learned a maximum amount of information in one week. I don’t think it’s possible to learn more in the short time. I would have liked to see a few more temples but the sightseeing was good. The food was awesome, never bad meal. Future volunteers should be weary of street salesman; they all have goods to sell.

Andrew Lawrence

Allison Davis (USA)

I love working with school and am proud to be able to contribute to such a wonderful place!
The language classes were helpful but I think there only needed to be an hour or so a day. Also I would have liked a boarder instruction. Sonam was an excellent teacher – patient, amusing and flexible.
The sightseeing expeditions were amazing! Thank you for organizing such wonderful outings for us. I appreciate all your hard work and help. The renovation project seemed to have gotten off to a good start today. We accomplished a lot and were very well equipped for what we had to do. I also appreciate the flexibility of country co-coordinator in making sure everyone had enough time to teach the kids. Thank you.

My experience with Global Crossroad

This is lesley, who came back from Peru and here's my testimony:

"My experience in Peru is truly one of the most memorable moments of my life. I stayed in Cuzco for about ten days from May 3 till 12, one day in Lima, and then flew back to Toronto, Canada. From start to end, Jenny and Martha, the national and local representatives, were very helpful and supportive, and facilitated our stay in Peru. We always talked with Jenny. My friend, Maryanne, and I had the fortune of meeting another volunteer (David Curtis) who works at an orphanage, whom we became good friends with during this trip.

The host family was extremely friendly and welcoming. Despite not speaking the Spanish language at all initially, I felt very comfortable interacting with them through other means (ex. sign language, drawing, dictionaries...). They served us many delicious local foods, such as the guinea pig, ceviche, maize, papaya juice..etc. They showed us around the city and took us to markets, small shops, cathedrals and other touristy places (ex. Plaza des Armas). On weekends, they even planned full-day trips for us to see Machu Picchu, other Inca ruins, and museums. We even got to go horse-back riding on mountains!!! The Peruvian scenary was stunning and the experience was exhilirating.

At home, we played soccer, drew pictures, watched TV and chatted with the host family. The house is nice and spacious, and the washroom is very clean. The only minor concern is that there isn't hot water to shower in, but it's easy to get used to. Our bedroom has two beds with lots of blankets (the night can get really chilly), and our privacy was always respected.

Our workplace was a geriatric center in a small, rural area that is 20 min away from home by bus. We usually worked from 9am-5pm, but time flies by when you're having a good time! The staff there (doctors, nurses, psychologists..etc) were as curious about our culture as we were to theirs! I learned how to apply hot packs and massage patients who had sore backs and necks, how to use various medical equipment, and learned some common Spanish medical vocabularies.

Many thanks to Jenny for organizing everything, Martha for matching us with our wonderful host family and workplace, the staff at the geriatric center for teaching us local medical practices, and of course, the host family (Beto, Hilda, Favio and Nicole) for sharing their wonderful culture with us. All of this was very fulfilling and worthwhile. I am thankful for the organization for providing us this opportunity. I will forever remember my time in Peru. :

Cheers,
Lesley Wu

My Time with Global Crossroad

During my time with Global Crossroad, I taught English in Dong Ning, a small city of about 100,000 people on the Eastern coast of China. Dong Ning is a unique city because it is located directly between Korea and Russia. There were many people there who speak Russian, and many Korean people. I taught high school, Grade 1 at Dong Ning Yizhong. I taught roughly 15 classes a week for about 8 weeks. During my teaching period, which lasted from May to July, I had many memorable experiences, and made many valuable memories. I made friendships with many of my students, and after their lessons were over, we would go hiking in the mountains, or swimming in the Suifenhe River, which flows through Dong Ning and into Russia.

When I first heard of the opportunity to teach English for Global Crossroad, I was a little hesitant. For one thing I spoke absolutely no Chinese at all. I am a student at North Carolina State University in the United States, still working on my degree. I am majoring in Business, not Education or English, and I don’t have a lot of experience with things like this. I was hesitant, but I went anyway. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I did not want to look back and realize I had missed out because I was afraid. From the time I got here, until the time I left, I was very well taken care of. The apartment I stayed in had hot and cold running water, a phone, a television, and a washer/dryer (I was worried I would be living in a hut with a dirt floor). There were people in Dong Ning who spoke English who helped me get comfortable in my new home, and also with learning Chinese. There were Internet Cafés everywhere, and a computer with Internet access at the high school, which I used to check my email on a daily basis.

Students in China are all very studious, their day includes about 12 hours of classes lasting from 6:30 am until 9:00 pm. During their free time, we played basketball together, went on bike rides, and hiked through the local mountains. Since we were so close in age (They are 18, I am 21) it was almost more like talking to my friends than teaching a class full of students. During my stay in Dong Ning, I experienced many interesting cultural events, and saw many beautiful things. I was here for 2 of their national holidays: Children’s Day, and The Dragon Boat Festival. During these days, I took part in many of the people’s traditions and customs. I hiked to a Buddhist temple in the mountains with some of my students, which was very beautiful. The river and the mountains also had various trails running through them. I also got to travel all over China during my visit. While teaching, I went on many weekend trips to places like Harbin, Mudanjiang City, and Ba Miantong. After my 8 weeks of teaching ended, I went to Beijing to see the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City, then I went to Qingdao, and saw many beautiful things there as well. It was a very exciting trip,

and I would recommend the Global Crossroad experience to anyone with an open mind, and a love for seeing beautiful places, and meeting new people.

Patrick Stinehour

Teaching in Ba Mian Tong

Hello, My name is Charles Dick and I have been teaching in Ba Mian Tong now for amount a month. I first heard of teaching in China from a close teacher/friend at my college. I was really excited and thought how great it would be to spend some a great time abroad. Through much research on the internet I decided to travel with Global Crossroad. A company that supports and arranges the opportunity for people like to me to teach english in many parts of the world. I have been traveling and working in with Global Crossroad since May 14th of this year. It has been just over one month and it has been incredible. Where I teach, Ba Mian Tong is a small city in the northeast corner of China. It has a population of around 250,000 which is rather small for a Chinese city or so I hear. It is about 2-3 hours bus ride from Russia and 2-3 hours bus ride from North Korea. The scenery is beautiful. The town is surrounded by mountains and rice fields. I run here about everyday. My daily run takes me through the rice fields and these mountains. It is an extremely beautiful run and usually about 4-5 miles on dirt roads and trails through the rice fields.

I teach and "Yi Zhong" middle school, translated it is number 1 middle school. I teach from 21 to 33 classes a week. The standard is 21 but some weeks I teach a little more. The students are from 13-18 years old and their knowledge of English ranges from extremely poor to quite impressive. The kids are all extremely nice. I have eaten dinner or lunch with several of the kids and their families. There is an immense language barrier but everyone always smiles and everyone has a good time. I am trying to learn more the mandarin language while I’m here. Several people have tried to help me and continue to give me lessons.

The food here was a big change. It is nothing like the food back home in America. Some of it is delicious and some I can go without. It's a matter of finding what you like. The dumplings here are ridiculously good, as the fried rice and the bread. The people here are really patient at the shops and markets and put up with my extremely poor Chinese, often times letting me see and taste what I buy before I buy it.

Traveling to China, I would definitely take the opportunity to invest in and be invested in by each person you meet. I have made several friends with my high school students. We hang out after school and play pool or
basketball. I learn from their culture and they learn from mine. A suggestion I would give would be to go with an open mind and know a little Chinese language before you come. It would make everything a little
easier but by far in not necessary.

Charles Dick

Teaching sharing their experience with Jeff, Global Crossroad’s coordinator

Dear Jeff,

I finally got around to writing the report you asked for. It was interesting to read the sample report. My experience has been certainly different. Here is an overview of my experience as Foreign English Teacher in China.

I am a professional woman of mature age, with a tertiary education. I am from Sydney Australia. I found Global Crossroad on the internet, made an application for a placement in China and was accepted. I am not a trained teacher and I do not speak Chinese. I was looking for a challenge.

My placement is in No 1 Middle School in Lian Yu chang which is a suburb in the Linzi District, in the north eastern Province. Zebu is about 150klms from the sea. It is known for its heavy industry and it is very polluted. I am the only foreigner in the suburb, which is similar to a small country town in Australia. I am visible being a blue eyed blonde. I am a curiosity to the local people. I am also the school's first female foreign English teacher. The local people are very friendly and helpful. They sound happy, look healthy and appear to live a simple life. They have made me feel most welcome.

The placement is for the term, which finishes at the end of June. I have 19 classes in all. I teach six days a week. From Monday to Friday I teach four, Grade One classes (2 x 45 minute lessons per week) and four Grade Two classes (2 x 45 minute lessons per week) at the No. 1 Middle School. In each class in each Grade there are about 40 kids. they are aged from 12 to 14 years old. On Saturday mornings I teach a small class of private students, aged between seven and ten years old, (3 x 50 minute lessons) in Zhangdian, which is about one hour by bus from Lian Yu chang. In addition to classes it takes about another 5 hours per week to prepare lesson. So its a full time job.

The standard of English differs greatly between students in each grade, from reasonable to almost non existent. My reading of material on the internet of teaching Oral English in China suggested, that students in a Middle School in China all had a reasonable command of both written and oral English, not so. I also expected the school to have an established basic English programme in place for foreign English teachers to follow. I was surprised that there was nothing, neither textbooks nor support material. When I asked the Chinese English teachers, "What do you want me to teach?" I was told, teach Oral English, keep it simple and maybe talk about idioms, slang and read poetry. I was given one of the current English textbooks for each grade, which the Chinese English teachers are using for this term as well as a copies of last terms textbooks. I tried teaching from those books but the students became very bored reading the same text taught by two different teachers. I read a lot of material on the net about word games etc., many of which required students to leave their desks, which I thought would not be time efficient. Each class has only two, forty five minute classes each week. I found that all students could read English well, but their comprehension was O.K. to minimal. I also found explaining idioms and slang impossible, the students had no interest in them. If I can't get their attention within five minutes I switch to something else. By trial and error I formed my own curriculum.

It is very basic and works for me most times; however, the students may have a different view. Use it or lose it is my motto. Getting students to listen, understand and use English is my aim. I get them to read material aloud, discuss and analysis it , in simple terms. Then we go through explanations for the difficult words. When the students read aloud I get half of the class to read a paragraph and then the other half to read the next. The idea is to try to keep each side of the class alert and ready to read, it works most of the time. In addition, I also prepare other material, some which I have taken from the internet. There are many good websites and I am grateful for the material that they provide. I have good days and bad days with classes. The Chinese teachers tell me that's par for the profession. The one thing that I find is crucial for a quiet good class is to have a Chinese teacher present in each class, particularly in my Grade One classes. If one is not present the students can be very difficult to control particularly as I do not speak Chinese and suddenly they lose all their understanding of English. Most of the foreign English teachers I have spoken to about this difficulty have experienced the same problem.

The accommodation provided is basic but adequate. It is a two bedroom apartment on the 4th floor, no lift, the exercise is doing me good. The bathroom is also the laundry and toilet (western), no door though. A small washing machine was provided. Interestingly, the floor waste outlet in the bathroom/laundry for the shower is about 1.5 meters from the shower area, so the floor floods when I shower. It appears there was no shower in the room originally, it was installed later, hence the waste outlets not being near the shower head. The kitchen has a sink, one gas burner and a microwave oven and its O.K. I also have a very small fridge.

The apartment is opposite a large lovely park, which is the village green and town square. It is the centre of everyday entertainment. It has exercise equipment, puppet shows, evening exercise classes and I'm told, in Autumn, ballroom dancing. The people in Lian Yu Chang lead a very simple life. There a many places to eat but there no pubs, bars, disco's, movie theatres or other usual places of entertainment. I lead a very quiet life, visitors at home, reading and long quiet walks.

Bush tucker is alive and well in Zibo, China. In the largest supermarket in Zibo, Fu Mart, there are lots of insects, grubs and worms very nicely and colorfully displayed in its refrigerated section. In the free market each Sunday, near my apartment, I watch silk worms being cooked and sold. I'm told they are very delicious. I have not to date had the courage to try them, maybe next week.

I have been in China for more than three months and the time has certainly gone quickly. I don't know whether my efforts have helped improve the English of the students I teach, but I am certainly enjoying the adventure. Everyone is so very friendly and helpful. I have not found my inability to speak Chinese a very great disadvantage.

Regards Hedy

My Trip to Brazil

Global Crossroad Volunteers taking a group photos

“My trip to Brazil was one of the most humbling experiences up until this point in my life. I left with the hope that I could make a difference in the life of at least one child. After I returned, I realized that Brazil had given me more than I could have ever asked. My stay in Brazil lasted only for five weeks, but I learned so much it seemed like longer. Upon my arrival at the airport I realized that I really had no other choice but to be open to an abundance of new knowledge (especially the Portuguese language). My first week there was spent with the coordinators learning about the culture, the city, and most crucial, the language. After the first week of orientation, I felt confident enough to get around on my own. I was set up with a host family to live with during my stay. The family I stayed with was very warm and welcoming. The minute I arrived I was offered fresh juice, suco de maracaja... delicioso! (The fruit was definitely a highlight of my experience.) Incidentally the niece of the woman I was staying with was around the same age. Her and I made a special connection. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to stay with this family. They were so very warm. Although I would have to say that I experienced this warmth with most of the people I encountered in Brazil. It seemed to be a way of life. My journey was filled smiles… unexpected, considering my project details. My project was working with children that lived in poverty stricken communities.

My objectives were to teach English to the children as well as assisting with other various activities. I was warned before my departure to Brazil of the possibility that I would encounter situations that may be difficult to deal with. This was due to the poor conditions many of the children were coming from… but I found the children allowed me no time to focus on the negative. My first introduction with the children was filled with hugs and kisses. On the faces of all of the children were the brightest and most sincere smiles I have ever witnessed. They were so excited to have someone from a different place there to see them. As I learned more about the conditions of some of the children I became more impressed with their strength and fortitude. Regardless of the hardships that they had to deal with once they left the school, they always managed to keep a smile. Granted they are children, and maybe one can say they do not know any better, but they taught me so much about humility and happiness. I grew a strong admiration for these children. I made many new friends in Brazil. I was extremely fortunate to have met the people that I did. They were very eager to share their culture with me. With the help of my host family and the information given to me by the project coordinator, I was able to really experience the essence of the culture. On the weekends I traveled to the beaches, went to festivals, and ate lots of tapioca (I may have even acquired a small addiction to this indigenous delight). The Brazilian people reminded me about the importance of unconditional happiness with the sincerity of their smiles. This was true from the time the coordinator picked me up at the airport, till my new friends waved good-bye at my departure. It was truly a life changing experience. Adoro Brasil! Beleza! – thank you global crossroad

Danielle Nicole

REPORT ON GLOBAL CROSSROADS TRIP TO CHINA

cultivate one's morality, understand ones' wish;love one's study, purse one's creativity'

My wife Elise and I are a couple from Philadelphia in our sixties. We were looking for a trip to China that would enable us to have a lot more contact with Chinese people and the everyday life in China than we could get from a regular tour.

We found Global Crossroads on the internet, which offered an opportunity to teach in China for as little as one month at a reasonable price. Elise has had some experience teaching English as a foreign language to small groups of adults, and I am a professional teacher, also with a little experience teaching English as a second language. This seemed to be just what we were looking for, so we signed up with them to teach for 2 months and then travel for two weeks.

It took a while to make the arrangements, but in the end we were promised just what we wanted - a position in China for two months teaching college students (We did not want to teach younger students.)

When we arrived in China we found out that the college that had been arranged for us had canceled on us just three days previously. Jeff, the Chinese coordinator for Global Crossroads, kept in close touch with us, however, brought us to the town where he was living, and in a few days found us another placement at a University (Niong Da) in the north of China - transport back and forth as well as a modest salary all paid for by the university.

We are now entering our fifth week, and this has been a wonderful experience for us. The university representative who arranged for us to come here has been exceedingly helpful, even to providing us with a car and driver for weekend excursions and dinner one evening with his family at a very posh restaurant. We have a lovely apartment with foiur nicely rnished rooms, two balconies and lots of windows. It also includes a microwave, a TV (but no English channels), a DVD player, and a computer which was adjusted so we could use the internet, e-mail, and word-processing in English, and a phone (local use only). We are on the 6th floor, which is a bit of a climb, but as they explained to us, it's good exercise. We also have about a fifteen minute walk to our classes (which is also good exercise.) The campus itself is out in the country, but there is very regular bus service for the ten minute bus trip into Da Qing (population 750,00), and we have on one occasion actually walked there in about half an hour. The weather here includes a few hours of rain on many days, but the temperature so far has been mostly in the 70's - just right.

The semester here ends on June 30, so we will actually have two more weeks to travel than we anticipated and the teaching itself - just 14 hours a week with one class of 32 but the rest under from 15 to 25 - has really been a lot of fun. We are teaching just oral English and just to freshman and sophomore English majors. The students’ command of English is not so great, but some of them are able to converse. Text books which are a little outdated but provide ample material as well as suggestions on how to present it are our main instructional tools. We have supplemented them with some other things that we brought with us and material from the internet.

In addition to the university person who arranged for our coming here, a young English teacher has been assigned to us, and we meet with her every week just to talk and to have her help us with our very limited Chinese.

The best part, though, has been our contact with the students. Their English speaking ability may be modest, but they are bright, helpful to each other as well as to us, very inquisitive about life in the West, and with a good sense of humor. Some of them have come to visit us in the evening. Two of them taught me Chinese chess in exchange for a lesson in regular chess. On the break of the 2-hour classes they help me with my Chinese. (I brought along the instructional book from the few classes we had in Chinese back home). On two evenings we offered an "English Corner," to answer any questions they had about life in the States and also for us to ask them questions. These sessions were both very well attended.

In our spare time, we read, take walks, go shopping in DaChing and play pingpong in the teachers ping-pong room. . We also went with one of the Chinese English teachers (we are the only foreigners on campus) to a piano bar last night.

Lately we have been busy planning our touring time. This has been more complicated than we thought because there don't seem to be any group tours that go where we want to go when we want to go there. We have spent a lot of time on the internet with this and have also gotten a lot of help from Jeff, who has been very flexible and responsive in trying to meet our requests, which sometimes change a bit from day to day as we gather more information.

In brief, our trip so far has been all we hoped for and more. Global Crossroads in the US and especially Jeff, here in China, have been more than cooperative with us in meeting our requests, and the Chinese that we have encountered, both students and adults, have been warm, friendly, good-humored, and helpful in spite of our very limited knowledge of Chinese.

Milt Cohen and Elise Bromberg

All in all it was a good experience. Some of the work was very difficult at the beginning but it was never more than what was manageable. Future more the men we worked with at the site were very nice and did an incridibleamount of work. However there were times when the work was a little slow and that was frustrating However I do recall that being specifically mentioned in the e-mail regarding the trip the people in the country were very nice and it was amazing to watch people overcome that kind of sever adversity.

Brian Lange

Thanks for the great experience to help tsunami victims here in Srilanka
What a grate country with very great people!

Sylvia Roozen from Holland

Sri Lanka has been a great experience. The people are friendly and generous even with the very little that they have. The work is hard but rewarding it was a powerful experience to be part of handing over a new home to a family of survivors. The children on-site provide plenty of smiles and laughs despite language differences. Come with an open mind and a big heart Land plenty of bug spray and you won’t be disappointed!

Lennea Wendland

Volunteering In Kenya

I have spent 4 weeks living with Rahab Ngugi and volunteering at Grace orphans and Disabled center. These last few weeks have been absolutely amazing. I adore each and every kid at Grace and have been inspired by them more than you can imagine. They are the most beautiful, well behaved and intelligent and caring group of kids. It is them who has made me want to do everything I can and give every penny I own to help them out of their dire conditions.

I did not form a strong friendship with Salome and she was always running around vey busy, but I am very grateful to her for what she has done with these children. I enjoyed my placement because it gave me freedom to spend my weekends however I want, whether that was with the children or not. I would recommend to any and everyone I meet to come volunteer at Grace because I know they would love it and it would change their lives forever. I got along with my host family just as if they were a real family. I helped out in things, we had conversations and arguments about things, we went out together, laughed together and at the end of the day went to bed happy.

They were extremely helpful in showing me around and directing me to all of the good places to visit before my departure. I wish I had known the staff at Global cross roads better and if this was my first time in Africa volunteering I probably would have been nervous and wanted you all around more. I know I will be back and look forward to seeing and getting to know you at that time.

Thank you.

Kwaheri
Caroline Brandon

Feedback from Renee Miller Knight on trip to Sri Lanka

My experience here has been very rewarding! Our community coming together with the Galle community in Batwadua to make homes for those affected by the tsunami was a great learning experience. Human nature is similar everywhere. Seeing the strengths and weaknesses played out through the tsunami tragedy is enlightening.

We have met some of the most welcoming and gracious people in my life. We have also had a remarkable number take advantage of us westerners. The refugees have been very grateful for our assistance. They have been extremely resilient in their loss and continued suffering as they rebuild.

Global Crossroad, being a small organization with a strong coordinator, is able to navigate the system and get the work done. The government and larger NGOs are paralyzed while the individuals and small groups are moving forward.

Areas of improvement:

- Tools! We brought lots but still felt slowed by limited tools.
- Unclear boundaries with workmen and locals.
- A guide sheet with prices for services so we know what to bring would be helpful.
- Local customs of giving are important
- Basic Singalese phrases would help.

Areas of appreciation:

- Paul, Michael, and Ravi are a gold mine! Paul is a great “mover and shaker” in the community. He is widely respected and an excellent communicator.
- Michael is very fluent in English and easygoing and extremely helpful.
- Ravi is an excellent team member and super fun
- The engineer Gama is an excellent coordinator.
- The carpenters are very good. Bandula and Kappala’s family is a job to work with. Very good teachers and the mother is a great cook!
- The masons are excellent. Rangie’s family—such a good teacher and great fun to work with.
- Jananaka is a good place to stay. Thanks to Chandrika. The food is excellent!

We had a great rip. Thanks for all your help.

Renee Miller Knight
Executive Director of Bradshaw-Knight Foundation, Inc.
Madison, Wisconsin.

Thank you Jenny (Lesley Wu)

My experience in Peru is truly one of the most memorable moments of my life. I stayed in Cuzco for about ten days from May 3 till 12, one day in Lima, and then flew back to Toronto, Canada. From start to end, Jenny and Martha, the national and local representatives, were very helpful and supportive, and facilitated our stay in Peru. We always talked with Jenny. My friend, Maryanne, and I had the fortune of meeting another volunteer (David Curtis) who works at an orphanage, whom we became good friends with during this trip.

The host family was extremely friendly and welcoming. Despite not speaking the Spanish language at all initially, I felt very comfortable interacting with them through other means (ex. sign language, drawing, dictionaries...). They served us many delicious local foods, such as the guinea pig, ceviche, maize, papaya juice..etc. They showed us around the city and took us to markets, small shops, cathedrals and other touristy places (ex. Plaza des Armas). On weekends, they even planned full-day trips for us to see Machu Picchu, other Inca ruins, and museums. We even got to go horse-back riding on mountains!!! The Peruvian scenary was stunning and the experience was exhilirating.

At home, we played soccer, drew pictures, watched TV and chatted with the host family. The house is nice and spacious, and the washroom is very clean. The only minor concern is that there isn't hot water to shower in, but it's easy to get used to. Our bedroom has two beds with lots of blankets (the night can get really chilly), and our privacy was always respected.

Our workplace was a geriatric center in a small, rural area that is 20 min away from home by bus. We usually worked from 9am-5pm, but time flies by when you're having a good time! The staff there (doctors, nurses, psychologists..etc) were as curious about our culture as we were to theirs! I learned how to apply hot packs and massage patients who had sore backs and necks, how to use various medical equipment, and learned some common Spanish medical vocabularies.

Many thanks to Global Crossroad and Jenny for organizing everything, Martha for matching us with our wonderful host family and workplace, the staff at the geriatric center for teaching us local medical practices, and of course, the host family (Beto, Hilda, Favio and Nicole) for sharing their wonderful culture with us. All of this was very fulfilling and worthwhile. I am thankful for Global Crossroad for providing us this opportunity. I will forever remember my time in Peru.

Cheers,
Lesley Wu

Experience in South Africa

Orientation

The orientation was really helpful just getting us informed about
what we would be doing the next few days and also putting our trip in
context. And it was also a good time to clear up any things that we
were unsure about in terms of the details of the programs we were
doing. Since we didn't really follow the schedule laid out though I
thought it was more helpful when we talked about African culture and
African "solidarity" and how Americans perceived Africa's development.

Host Family

My host family is the best family eeeeever! Angie is the sweetest
woman. She always makes sure that I have everything I need and goes out
of her way to make sure that I'm taken care of. Also she makes sure
that I meet everyone from her work and her friends so I feel
comfortable wherever I am. Then she plans so many trips and activities
for me when it's not even expected of her. She makes sure that I'm safe
wherever I go and that I have enough food, clothes, etc. And it's great
that she knows everyone around Boksburg so she can make sure that you
see different parts of the town but also how different people live
within the town.

Placement

The school was great. Like Angie, the principal went out of his way
to make sure we were comfortable and having a good time. He would
arrange for us to go to other schools to see the differences between
his school and the schools in the surrounding area. He would take us on
tours of the nearby neighborhoods to show us the effect that apartheid
had and still has on the community. Everyone in general has made sure
that we see the parts of South African culture that most tourists miss.
Working at the school in general was a great experience because th4e
school systems and even the problems that educators have to deal with
in America versus South Africa are so different. Seeing how diverse in
terms of culture, socio-economic class, and language the students of
even one class were made me realize the problems that South Africa
faces as such a multi-ethnic nation but also how great that kind of
diversity is in the sense that people learn to tolerate different
peoples. All of the teachers were friendly and encouraged us to help
out in their classrooms and were willing to talk about the problems
they faced at the school.

Overall

Overall it's been a great experience.

NICOLE GREEN

My experience in Tibet: Robert Hunt (UK)

Dear Global Crossroad
This is Robert hunt, recent volunteer in Tibet. I spoke to you from Tenzin's office on the phone while i was at the orphanage and you were quite keen to get feed back on the project so i will write you a report...

Firstly i found the work amazingly rewarding and a unique opportunity that is only provided by global crossroads in Tibet i think. Tenzin is doing a honorable job at the orphanage and
Catering for volunteers. so i will run through my experience at the orphanage in hope that some information might be of help to you or future volunteers.

As you may know i journeyed to Tibet from china due to the situation in Nepal. This was quite a straight forward process. i first flew to Hong Kong where i obtained a 60 day Chinese visa within 24 hours then flew to chengdu via a ticket i had already booked in London. in chengdu i stayed at 'sams guest house' a very well recommended and reasonably priced hotel for back packers which is also featured in lonely planet china. all the staff here speak English, can organize local tours,
offer access to telephone fax and email for a small price. from here i phoned Tenzin who organized for her friend David to contact me the next day (a gave his contact details and business card to rajan).

I then faxed a copy of my passport and visa to David’s office and he obtained a Tibetan permit and one way flight to Lhasa for me in 24 hours. i traveled to David’s office via taxi to pick up the ticket
and permit and pay him (i think 1200 y for flight and 100 y for permit). i then flew from chengdu to lhasa early the next day and had no problems with either visa or permit on arrival. (to note my permit was a 7 day business permit on which i stayed 3 weeks with no problems as i already
had a 60 day china visa, volunteers shouldn’t worry too much about the Tibetan permit type when coming from china i believe it is mainly obtained just as a means to book the flight.)

i was met on arrival in lhasa airport by Tenzin who had a car waiting to drive me to the hotel. i was given my own twin room at kirey hotel (some volunteers shared twin rooms though so not everyone should expect privacy) which was paid in full for my whole stay. the hotel is a very comfortable Tibetan run hotel in the center of lhasa which is popular with travelers so offers many opportunities to meet other people and organize road trips etc. the hotel has 2 restaurants in its courtyard,
the renounced tashi 2, and a just opened but more expensive bar and restaurant called Shangri-La. kirey has a reliable regular hot shower block, a free laundry service to guests, daily boiling water to your room and regularly cleaned shared toilets.

From the kirey hotel you take a bus from just outside the hotel to the orphanage every morning. the fare is just 1 Yuan and the journey takes around 20/30 minutes. i was shown where to get on and off by another volunteer already placed at the orphanage otherwise Tenzin will show you
on your first day. Lessons at the school start at 9:30 am with lunch running from 12:30 until 3pm in which time you can either eat at the orphanage with the children (usually rice and cabbage or dhal) or you can bring dried noodles to prepare with hot water. Then you are free to play with the children, prepare lessons or play pool outdoors up the street with locals.

In terms of what i did at the orphanage my first week was occupied with mainly house keeping tasks such as sewing up holes in the children clothes, washing there clothes, planting seeds and watering the garden areas and tidying children dormitories the second 2 weeks though i taught regular English and art classes to grades 1-3 and grade 4. As a have limited experience of teaching English I chose to concentrate on art and craft lessons. i would strongly suggest other volunteers would be advised to prepare for what types of lessons they would like to be involved in BEFORE they leave for Tibet and there are limited resources at the school and it is A LOT easier to do this preparation and research before hand. Any type and basic English activity book for young children would be a good stating basis as are any personal photos of your home country, family, places you have been of great interest to the children.

Some of the boys are obviously very enthusiastic about football and international teams such as Brazil, France and England are particularly popular. I also found the boys have a fascination with motorbikes which could be used to engage them. The classes are equally mixed though so be
Careful not to alienate the girls who greatly enjoy craft activities, singing and play yard type skipping games etc. Tibetan children are quite shy by nature so volunteers should not expect
to be greeted by hords of smiling children and hugs. It takes a few days to win there trusts, also the orphanage receives many visitors
So the children may not be able to distinguish between who is there for a few hours and who will be staying for a few weeks at first. A handful of the children speak good English so i found is useful to
use these ones as interpreters for the rest so they all learn where you are from and how long you are staying etc. the class sizes where around 30-35 for grade 1,2,3 who are all in one class together then around 10-15 for grade 4 and 5 each in different rooms. i found that it is very useful to bring photocopied material to each lesson and give each child there own work sheet and shared coloring materials etc. i left a lot of my teaching resources (books and coloring pens, pencils, crayons) with Tenzin so there should be more of a stock of resources for volunteers to use now. a good source of resources of Tibetan specific material can be found here:
http://www.snowlionpub.com/ (click Tibetan culture then children corner)

i will list the books i have already left at the end. i taught around 1-2 lessons a day (each lesson is normally split into 2 halves of about 45-50 minutes each). i organized a time table of lessons i would teach with Tenzin in my second which I would highly recommend other volunteers to do as it makes things a lot more structured and can save waiting around for a long time for something to get involved in. when not teaching there are many other activities to become involved in such as paper making, dress making, general cleaning and maintenance, gardening, administration and spending free time with the children. During you time in Tibet it is very easy to organize afternoon/ day
or longer weekend trips to monasteries around lhasa, namstso frozen lake, reting monastery and valley, tildrum hot springs etc. Tenzin is very knowledgeable about such places and how to get there, permits required prices etc and can help you organize trips to get the most out of your stay. also at the end of your time in Tibet Tenzin will obtain your return flight to chengdu for you or help you organize overland jeep transport from lhasa to Tibet.

i hope this information is of help to you. i believe that the Tibetan orphanage programmed is a vital project and encourage global crossroad to keep supporting it in anyway the can for the long term future. I think some volunteers may not get the most out of it due to its early days as a placement destination but with some preparation and enthusiasm i believe this placement is of great benefit and reward to both volunteers and the orphanage alike.

Books and resources already available for lesson to volunteers:

EXPLORE TIBET
by the Junior Museum Staff of the Newark Museum.
HIMALAYA
by Tenzing Norbu Lama
I AM A YAK
by Norbu Kharitsan
PRINCE SIDDHARTHA COLORING BOOK
by Jonathan Landaw, line drawings by Janet and Lara Brooke
PRINCESS METOK LHAZEY: A Tibetan Folk Tale
by Paljor Publications
A SNOW LION'S LESSON: A Tibetan Folk Tale
by Norbu Kharitsang
TIBETAN DESIGNS
by Mary Noble

Report from Kenya

It’s hard to describe accurately in words my time at By Grace – it was an incredible experience. From the moment I was introduced to the staff & children, I felt at home and very welcome in the centre. It was quickly agreed that I teach English & Maths to Form 1 during my 2 week stay at the centre & I was given the teaching aids that were necessary for classes. The other teachers were especially helpful if I had any questions etc. and also Salome was a fantastic source of information and advice during my stay. I found the students to be very eager to learn and very receptive in class - it was just such a pity to find them with only one book to work from for the whole class. Nevertheless, the teachers manage with what little resources they have & they are a great inspiration for the children. I had a fantastic time at By Grace – I extended my stay there by a further week but that was still far too little time to be spending with such great children. I wish I was still there now but I will definitely go back as soon as I can organise for it.
The only thing to note maybe for future volunteers is that the description I received from Global Crossroad on the activities I would be performing at the orphanage was not very accurate. I did not expect to be spending my whole time teaching – had I been aware of this I could have brought out some teaching aids, books etc that would have been beneficial for the students.

Host Family
I was so lucky to be housed with Rahab & her family. I was welcomed into her home as one of the family & I really felt at home during my stay. Rahab spent so much time with me & taught me a lot about Kenyan culture and way of life. She sacrificed her own time at weekends to bring me to the Giraffe Centre & the Bomas of Kenya. She also helped me to buy provisions for the orphanage – taking another whole day of her personal time. I was also invited to join the family in Mombassa over Easter …..the list of ways in which I was welcomed, helped and guided really is endless. In terms of the livings conditions I found the house to be most comfortable and the quality of the meals I received was excellent.

Safari
The safari was absolutely fantastic. The driver, Sammy, was very competent – I felt very safe in the vehicle on such rocky roads! He was also very knowledgeable with respect to the wildlife – in terms of both identification and giving us information about specific animals. The campsite was well run – it was clean & even had hot showers on our second day! The food was also very good.

GERALDINE CLONEY

Mini Venture Experience China

I just completed the Global Crossroads Mini Adventure Program in Binzhou and I had a great experience. The people in Binzhou are extremely nice and this program really allowed me to gain a good understanding of the Chinese culture. I feel like much more can be gained by doing a program like this as opposed to signing up for a tour. It is very rare to come to China for such a short period of time and to gain such a good understanding of the culture and I would highly recommend the Global Crossroadss program.
Overall, I really enjoyed the program and I had a great experience. Thank you for everything!

Josie Vann Harrison

Learning new skills and working in G.C. construction project with local people was very more rewarding and interesting. I will always remember their kindness. Being at the ceremony for the first completed house was inspirational.

Don’t expect to change the world but at least some of your actions may make a small difference in these people’ lives.

Blood, sweat and tears and a
Whole lot of mortar
Will see new lives built after
Destruction from water
Patience and stamina
All put to the test
An experience to remember as
Simply the best ?

Sorcha Heron

Seeing the first house being handed over on the 1st day I arrived. It was awesome to see the smiling family that received it. I gained a feeling that I may be handing over a house soon and how good it would feel.

I expected to be building house, which is what we are doing. I didn’t expect anything else. Global Crossroad fulfilled my goal of learning a bit about construction and working as a team.

Global Crossroad had been really good for helping tsunami victims. My message to oncoming volunteers would be to work hard and do what you came here to do. I donated money through my school, but it wasn’t enough.

Glenna Cross

A Rewarding Experience in Ghana

Caroline Brandon (Sep 5, 2005), Khumasi, Ghana

NAME: Caroline Brandon

PROGRAMME PARTICIPATED:
Teaching English
FROM: Feb. 1, 2005
TO: April 4, 2005

ABOUT THE GLOBAL CROSSROAD COUNTRY CO-ORDINATOR
Richmond was wonderful. He was always available to help me plan weekend mps and visit s to see other volunteers. He was also helpful in talking to my family about expectations. I do wish we had interacted more, but because I was by myself with a host family and kind of far away, I understand why that was not possible.

ABOUT HOST FAMILY IN GHANA
I absolutely adore my host family. The best part about my stay in Ghana is definitely them. My host mother Anita is now like a sister to me. I love getting to learn about Ghana from them. The daughters; Sarah and Appiagyei were always helping to teach me Twi. I loved getting to cook and help around the house. I would highly recommend other volunteers to stay here in the future. I couldn’t have asked for a better family.

Experience in Ghana

My experience in Ghana has been spectacular and something I will never forget. While the first three days were really hard, in particular my time in Accra with Daniel, once I got to my host family everything was fine. Teaching was definitely a new experience for me and given the opportunity I would certainly do it again. I have leaned so much from my students, and teaching is so rewarding. The first time I arrived t my placement, my host family threw me into a classroom and said begin. I had the freedom to teach what I wanted and how I wanted to, which was really nice.

The students are all incredibly bright and try very hard. It was so nice to see them learning and improving and I have become so attached to everyone of the. I did however find the use of corporal punishment very disturbing, but I understand it is part of the culture. I never felt pressured into it or forced to do it. While it was very hard to watch my time in the classroom with my students made it bearable. Because teaching is only 5 days a week was able to travel on the weekends and explore the rest of Ghana. I went to the Volta Region, Greater Accra Region, Central and Eastern Regions. I had so much fun travelling and I would definitely recommend future volunteers to plan trips either on their own or with volunteers because you probably will want a break on the weekends.

I would recommend this programme in the future. Living with a host family is honestly what makes the volunteering experience so worthwhile and rewarding. You are immediately immersing all aspects of the culture. I was able to prepare and eat traditional food, go to church, funerals and weddings, and deal with the ups and downs of my family’s everyday life. They are also very flexible with placement and are able to arrange them if desired.

I feel like I have made a big impact here in Ghana. I have made life long friends and been accepted into a family I will never forget. Ghanaians are wonderful, friendly and amazing race of people that will never forget and long to come back to in the future. I believe that the is absolutely no way this will be my last visit to Ghana.

I know I have to come again! Thank you Global Crossroads for an unforgettable experience!!

Dear Richmond,

Thank you so much for everything, words can’t even express what and amazing time I had here in Ghana! Thank you for finding such a wonderful host family. I don’t think you could have done a better job. Also my volunteer placement was perfect and so rewarding. I can’t believe you don’t get more teachers to this programme. I am definitely going to recommend Global Crossroads and specifically teaching to people when I get home. Thanks also for helping me plan my travels and all of the technical things I had to take care of while I was here. I am still awe of all you do, and with such little help. This organisation is amazing and I wish you the best in luck with it in the future. I will most certainly come back and visit in May when I return from Kenya. I will certainly keep in touch then and forever after.

This experience has made me fall in love with Ghana and I have no doubt that I will be back here again in the future. So thanks again for opening my eyes to the wonderful culture and life Ghana has to offer. Until we meet again, I wish you well. I can never thank you enough and good luck.

Sincerely,
Caroline.
Don’t forget me ….

Katherine Davis, Equador

hi global crossorad. wanted to let you know just how much i am enjoying the
orphanage experience in quito, ecuador. what beautiful kids.
i look forward to sharing some pictures when i return to the states.

sincerely
katherine davis
quito ecuador

Elizabeth Stracey , Galle, Sri Lanka

Dear Friends of Global Crossroad

Martin (Taylor) and I plan to write to you properly to express our appreciation of being allowed to take part in the Tsunami crisis. We were honoured, blessed and privileged and thank you most sincerely for all that GC did to facilitate our involvement.

Will write more next time. Meanwhile, warmest greetings from Cornwall, England, and many many sincere thanks. Please pass on my email address (elizabeth.stracey@nhs.net)
to potential volunteers.

Elizabeth (Libby) Stracey, UK

Michaela Alisandrello

I just wanted to thank you for such a wonderful experience during my two weeks in Ecuador. It was an experience that I will never forget. I loved it so much because everything that I did was so different from the next thing. Being able to stay with a host family, especially a host family as nice and welcoming as yours was what made all of the difference in my two week stay. I think that if I had stayed at a hostel or had some other arrangements I would not have felt such a connection with the culture and how Ecuadorian people really are. Being welcomed in to your home and being included as part of the family was one of the best aspects of my trip. You really made me feel welcomed and I appreciate that. I was nervous when I arrived at the airport but as soon as I met Maria's parents I knew that I was going to have a good trip.

It was great that the orphanage was so close to your home. It made going for both the morning and afternoon easy and not troublesome. I really don't have any complaints about my trip (other than when I wasn't feeling good because of my medicine). The food was great, and always a variety which is good. I miss your home made juice in the morning. The side trips were all exciting and different from one another. Papallacta and the Cloud Forest were my favorites. The country is so beautiful so being able to see different parts of the land by just riding in a car was enjoyable for me. I also enjoyed meeting both of your families. Seeing a family in Quito and one outside of Quito was a great comparison.

Thank you for all of your generosity and being patient with my half Spanish half English. Staying for two weeks has sparked my interest again in the Spanish language and I am considering completing my Spanish minor with classes during the summer. I wish that I had been able to communicate in Spanish better at times, but never felt isolated because of the language differences.
I loved Ecuador and am sure that I will return to your wonderful country some time within the next few years

Michaela Alisandrello

Sandra Calderon Roales, Delhi, India

I arrived in Holly Family Ashaniwas on February 3rd, 2005. I will stay here for 2 and half months. The orphanage has 35 girls between 3 and 18 years old. All of them are going to school and receiving vocational training to give them a better life. I am teaching English for 2 hours during the afternoon and playing with the kids during the free time. The children are really interested in learning English, paying attention and participating in the class. They seem to be very happy to have someone to teach and play with them.
I am also doing office work to help Sr. Lilly Chirayath to send letters and e-mails, as well as help to do brochures and another activities lo let people know about what Holy Family Ashaniwas is doing for the street children and get donations for them. I am very satisfied and happy with all the activities I am doing here because I am contributing to give a better life and future to these children. I am also happy because I am receiving love and everything I need from the children and the nuns.

Sandra Calderon Roales, USA

Caroline Brandon, Ghana

So far it is wonderful. My family is nice and caring and helps me out with anything and everything. My father owns the school I am working at and the mother also teaches there. I love my class. They are so wonderful. They learn so quickly and get really excited about new things. The one thing that is very hard for me is having to watch the other teachers reprimand the students by knitting them with a stick. It really is a very different culture and I am still adjusting and learning new things everyday. I can’t wait to start traveling. I want to see the difference in the other regions. Fit is going by so fast and I don’t want to leave ever.

Caroline Brandon