PROFILES

Check out what some of our previous participants have done!

• Cambodia
• Costa Rica
• Peru
• South Africa

Cambodia

Barry & Rhonda, taught English at a school in Cambodia.

Our classes are getting bigger by the day as word spreads. Every day another student turns up from one of the neighbouring villages. One of our challenges is trying to remember the names of all the children. Particularly with names like Sophoan, Yoeurng, Sophal Leng and Channthy. The children think it’s very funny when we pronounce their names incorrectly.

We have been getting to know the children and how much English they know. This varies quite a lot and most of the classes are mixed ages and abilities. They are all however keen to learn.

Krousar Thmey (where we are volunteering) also has a Street Kids Centre near our guest house…some of the kids sell postcards and despite them not having any formal education, some of the kids have amazing English skills which they have learned from the tourists. First they come up to you and ask where do you come from? Then they deliver in rapid fire English an impressive list of facts. eg. "I know-how-many-people-live-in-your-country - 24 million-and-your-Prime-Minister-is-Mr-John-Howard-and-your-queen-is-Elizabeth-and-she-has-four-children-and........" By this time you are so impressed , how could you refuse to buy some postcards!

Our journey has been a rich and rewarding one and one that we will remember and reflect on for a long time. We have seen many changes in Cambodia since our previous visit 12 months ago. There is lots and lots of development happening here and overseas investment that will provide a lot more structural development

However, there is still much to be done as most people still exist on less than US$1 per day and cannot affort basic education or have access to even minimal health care

Still despite all this, the people are incredibly friendly, always ready with a smile and a chat and impeccably polite and extremely hard working.

Costa Rica

I can definitely say I’ve had the time of my life - again! The other being Work USA four years ago - go IEP!

Andrew has recently returned to Australia after the time of his life in Costa Rica. Another happy IEP volunteer! Read on for a taste of his adventures.

Hello again IEP,

Final farewell…
I'm about to finish my time in Costa Rica, I left Tarcoles a week ago, said my goodbyes to the crew at OTEC (IEP’s partner in Costa Rica) and have just seen a few Costa Rican sites in the last week. Now it’s off to Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico before California and eventually London.

It was an incredibly emotional farewell in Tarcoles; many tears shed by the family and all our friends in the town. I ended up living with four other volunteers for most of the time in Tarcoles- our family was amazing, so inclusive, they took us on their family outings and by the end my communication in Spanish was actually pretty good.

Getting famous…
Simon, another IEP volunteer who lived in Tarcoles at the start of the year, is really kinda famous in Tarcoles. Everyone loves him! It’s like "Oh, you’re Australian, do you know Simon?"

I think the best part was just living in the community and getting to know everyone. By the end lots of people in town seemed to know who we were and what we'd been doing, even if we hadn’t met them!

The work…
As for the volunteer work - we did become quite fond of our job - keeping the park and beach clean. It gives you the opportunity to actually be an active part of the community. I'm a bit sad that I won't get to speak Spanish so much in the future, its real cool being able to communicate properly in a different language, something I hadn't experienced before.

The play…
Otherwise I did lots of surfing, did a few trips to Panama and Nicaragua, hung out at the uni with my host sister and her friends, drank quite a bit, went to Carnivale with 100,000 Ticos, made tons of friends both foreign and Costa Rican.

I can definitely say I’ve had the time of my life - again! The other being Work USA four years ago, go IEP!

So thanks again, it has definitely been challenging at times, but the overall experience has been amazing!

Muchas gracias, tiene un feliz navidad!

Sam & Hannah, volunteered in Costa Rica

Things are going well, I'm enjoying uni and from the sounds of things Han is having a good time too - but I think I speak for the both of us when I say that it doesn't compare to the time we had in Costa Rica over the summer!!

The trip was great, it has really made me think more about conservation. It has definitely put a different spin on our own 'green' debate for me.

Regarding the placement, the work was good. We worked in the mornings but had enough time in the afternoons to relax and see a bit of the place. The work we did was based around maintaining the paths, clearing rubbish and we did a bit of planting as well so there was a bit of variety. Everyone at the park was very accommodating.

Our host mother Shirley really looked after us. She'd had a number of host students before so was a good guide whilst we were there. She previously worked as a cook so the food was great. The home was very comfortable and we had our own room which was also good. All up the homestay was a great experience.

OTEC (IEP’s partner) were very helpful. Their initial introduction to CR was much appreciated and everything went like clockwork, from the airport to the accommodation to our first host family whilst we did the language course. They were also very approachable so I'm sure if we had any serious problems they would have been great.

All up it was a great trip, but I've got to admit that sometimes it's tough thinking back to our time in Cahuita when I'm sitting in a lecture theatre, we've got a bit of a case of the travel bug now!

Simon, 24, participated in IEP's Volunteer Costa Rica program!

After I graduated from university I wanted to travel and do a bit of volunteer work somewhere. I chose Costa Rica initially for the surf, and also because I wanted to help out.

I was living in Tarcoles- it’s a small fishing village, there’s not much else to it so it was definitely a culture shock. I did a home-stay; my family was really nice- it was the mother and father and two daughters that were living there and they also had two other sons who lived out of home. None of them spoke any English at all. There wasn’t much communicating going on – just laughing most of the time.

I volunteered on a number of different programs while I was there. I’d spend a couple of days a week doing community service work like park maintenance or cleaning the beach. And then there was often construction work to do, like building a new basketball court. That was kind of cool- the whole town pitched in and everyone came out and worked and no-one got paid or anything, which was kind of strange. I taught English one day a week in the high school. One of the teachers there could speak a bit of English and they just got me to come in and help, and relate to the students a little better.

IEP was really helpful and so was OTEC (IEP’s partner in Costa Rica). They were really great-well organised and lots of help in setting it all up. The whole program was pretty laid-back; you can travel if you like. It’s not very stressful!

There were so many great things about my time over there like meeting people, experiencing a different way of life and being able to help out. And of course the surfing!

Peru

Jacqui, Volunteered in Peru

I know this experience has changed my life. I have learnt so much, about South America, the history, the culture, the people, and also about myself.

My original plan was to stay for the two months, but within a few short weeks there I knew that would never be enough. I ended up staying for four months and would happily return tomorrow, if only I had the money.

I travelled to Ecuador and went to the equator where I stood with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one foot in the south, I went to Bolivia, the streets of La Paz a sight to see themselves, Chile with its wineries and beaches, Argentina where I learnt to tango on the rooftop of the hostel, and Uruguay where the parties were out of control.

But the best country in my opinion was Peru. Who knew that such a small country had so much to offer?

Firstly the terrain itself, its divided into three sections, and the beach the desert and the jungle and each section is as varied as the next.

The people of Peru, so warm and friendly, (the men a little too friendly at times...haha) but so curious about tourists, and so generous, I often think that is the people who have the least that share the most. I travelled all through Peru, the trip was organised by INTEJ, and we went to Cusco where I hiked the Inca trail, something that I completely recommend to anyone, Puno, where we spent a night with a local family on Lake Titicaca, Arequipa where we went out to worlds deepest canyon and saw condors flying and then to Ica where we went sand boarding.

As for the volunteer placements, they are all very good. I worked in the Tupac Armanu medical centre and I cannot talk highly enough of the people there. The head boss and all the staff are so welcoming, encouraging, helpful and not to mention patient due to my limited Spanish.

Working in the medical centre gave me a great opportunity to meet many of the people who lived and worked in the community and to gain an insight into what it was like to live in a very economically depressed area.

My whole trip through South America was definitely an adventure, there are times when I felt challenged and overwhelmed and out of your comfort zone.

The language barrier was at times difficult and Peruvian culture can be very different to ours here in Australia. However I would not change one thing about my travels, I loved every minute of it and I would recommend this to everyone.

Thank you so much to IEP for organising this program placement for me.It was an unforgettable experience and I am so happy that I have done it.

Hannah, 20, from South Australia

The Low-Down

I was staying in a small city in the north of Peru called Chiclayo. I was working at a Government run refuge for girls called Rosa Maria Checa.

I had a small group of girls I worked with aged between 12-17, we became very close at the end. I did a variety of activities with them. I taught them English, played basketball and volley ball, did drawing and craft work. We just talked about our lives. The girls were there for a variety of reasons, some were orphans, some were sent by the government because they’d come from bad homes. There was a girl from Belgium also volunteering at the same place and we became good friends.

In the Beginning…

I went to Lima first, it was very different to what I thought it would be. I thought the capital would be more westernised but it’s not. It’s a lot bigger than I thought. It was a real culture shock, everything was open to so late at night, and there was lots of poverty around but it wasn’t a sad environment at all, everyone was so happy and there were lots of parties and stuff. That’s just life to them, they’re so happy to be alive.

It was really tough at the start because my Spanish wasn’t very good and it was all so completely different from my life here. My host family were really lovely, but I just wasn’t used to the house things like, the walls were made out of cardboard, it was just so different.

Peru was completely different to what I thought it would be, there is only so much you can read about a place. The city I was in was a lot less nice than Lima, the capital. Being a non-Peruvian you get a lot of attention and no one speaks English.

A Normal Day

I worked Monday to Friday, I would work the morning or afternoon shift work. It got so hot in Chiclayo you had to be up by 7am otherwise you would just lie there sweating.

My host family would make me breakfast of fresh fruit and bread etc then I’d have a shower, walk into city centre to catch a Kombi to the refuge. This Kombi is their public transport and they pack about a hundred people into these little vans and a little boy is yelling out where we’re going. It’s such an incredible experience.

Then at the refuge I’d do various activities with group.

Why Volunteer? Why Peru?

I really wanted to have a complete culture shock, I wanted to go somewhere very different to Adelaide. You don’t get to experience a lot here, I was born in Adelaide and lived in the same place my whole life, everyone knows everyone and I got to the stage where I just wanted to do SOMETHING, to travel and see the world and do something meaningful. I’m studying Anthropology and it is almost impossible to study cultures when you’ve never been anywhere.

Everyone I have ever met from South America have been so friendly and Peru has got everything, the coast, the jungle, the highlands, it’s so beautiful, I’ve just always wanted to see it.

The Real Effect

The whole experience made me think about so many things differently, it was just so happy there. I loved my host family and I got so close to my brother. They had a little swing on the top of their house that overlooked the city and we’d sit and talk about life and put on music and sing. I did so many things by myself, on the weekends I just went travelling by myself on public transport up and down the coast just with my Lonely Planet.

I think it’s really important that people volunteer. The girls get a lot out of it, they learn so much, some of them can’t even spell their own names. It’s often their only opportunity to see the world outside of their own. They asked lots of questions about Australia, most of them didn’t know anything about it.

Memories….

I went travelling up into the Highlands and to Macchu Picchu, it was amazing, it’s so beautiful. Other things that stick out in my memory are those Kombi rides to the refuge and the times sitting on the swing overlooking the city.

I’m going to go back in December. I have so many friends overseas now.

Couldn’t have done it without you

IEP have been such a great organisation to volunteer through. I just had so much support and INTEJ (IEP’s partner in Peru) were terrific as well. The insurance IEP offer is fantastic, I had my bag stolen while in Peru and I had no problems getting money back.

“I had the most amazing time of my life.”

South Africa

Jennifer, 22, completed IEP's Work USA and Work South Africa programs.

I believe that you can't entirely appreciate a different culture until you experience it first hand by living and working in the country.

I had participated in the Work USA program that IEP offers and then through their website I came across the Work South Africa program. As I really didn't know anything about South Africa (obviously apart from the negative media it gets here in Australia sometimes) I decided that I wanted to experience the country first hand. I felt the IEP program was the best way to go about it. I think that having the opportunity to live there for 12 months and living their lifestyle is far better than just holidaying over there.

I gained employment at the Waterfront in Cape Town as a waitress at a restaurant called Cantina Tequila. It turned out to be the best job I ever had! I lived in a two bedroom apartment in Sea Point with four other people. There was me from Aus, three of the Work South Africa participants from Canada and one participant from England.

South Africa was absolutely amazing; through my job as a waitress I was able to meet so many different people from different cultures (Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa). We were invited to different gatherings and parties etc that passing through tourists would have missed out on. We even managed to pick up some of the language (the important words of course!)

My most memorable travel experience was doing a township tour. Even though this was through a tour company, I ended up meeting some of the people that lived in these townships through work. It has to be said that even though these people live in tiny 'shacks', they are the happiest carefree people I have ever met, and they really know how to throw a party!

Up to date, I think that the South African experience was the most rewarding. I would definitely go back and do it all again if I was given the chance. I gained an understanding and appreciation for all different types of cultures and I made some life long friends. I think I have a wider view on the world after being in South Africa. And definitely have a new appreciation for things we take for granted here in Australia, such as living conditions.

Karl, 25, completed Work South Africa

I hadn’t really considered South Africa as a working holiday destination until I met my South African girlfriend. She was my main motivation for going and I can’t be left wondering ‘what if’ so off I went!

The girl was from Jo'berg but being a beach bum myself I told her there was no way we were living there. Her parents had a beach house just north of Durban in a spot called Ballito Bay. I worked in one of the local pubs as a barman. Surf was a huge appeal to me in SA. So many good breaks and so little crowds! I was living right in front of an all time right-hand point break and it was only surfed by about twenty locals... This kind of wave here would have hundreds of people scrambling to surf it.

Some of my best memories are of some of the waves I scored, the wonderful people I met and the sunsets were unforgettable. But having a week in a five-star game lodge with my family, best mate and girlfriend was something I will never forget. And also just the ruggedness of Africa and the people that live there.
I will never forget the earth shaking noise a lion makes when it roars four metres from you, nor the sheer size of an elephant as it walks within one metre of the four-wheel-drive. Africa sure puts everything in your life back into perspective.
We travelled for the first month heading to several game farms including Kruger, and visited some epic spots such as Blyde River Canyon. I had a couple of mates from Sydney come out and visit me and we did a three week surf trip from Durban to Cape Town. So many beautiful spots visited, friendly people met and some pretty damn fun waves surfed.

I loved it, even though things went sour with the bird. I don’t regret a thing.