I was the first intern to work at this placement as a Medical Social Worker, so it took some time to feel out what my role would be. As I mentioned, my supervisor gave me space to work independently often, but was also available to check on the progress of my work, as everything was conducted in Spanish.

... my time spent in the hospital reduced the stress on the doctors in a severely understaffed hospital, and made a positive contribution to the people of Palampur. I helped perform tasks such as assisting geriatric patients in and out of their beds, taking blood pressure and vitals of post surgery patients...

Every day, Yael and Ella would guide me through new recipes, techniques, and how to overcome the challenges of baking vegan (without eggs, dairy, etc). By the end of my three weeks, I was familiar with almost all the products and techniques used in the bakery..

I’ve traveled to farms to work with livestock, injecting, de-horning, pregnancy testing and artificially inseminating. I spent a lot of time in the townships, getting to know the locals – dogs and children! It was refreshing to be in community that valued love and kindness over materialistic items. We dipped the dogs (and many puppies!) for fleas, ticks and mange, de-wormed, vaccinated, and injected antibiotics to treat illnesses and injuries.

We did some game captures too, so I got to give some injections to wildebeests, impala’s and blesbucks. From wildlife we went to a farm and I witnessed the birth of a calf, and I got to do some pregnancy testing myself. Of course volunteering is hard work, but we had some time off too.

After being at the project for 3 weeks and being able to visit the same townships, during dog dipping, you could see the impact you were making on the animals which is honestly the best feeling in the world. You would notice the decrease in mange, ticks, fleas, and worms that dogs had.

During my time in South Africa I gained such a wide array of experience that would have never been possible at home. I participated in several game counts, tested cows and sheep for fertility, treated horses and mules in the area of Coffee Bay, and experienced both a net and helicopter capture.

The other task was acting as a cultural guide… this was definitely the best of the three jobs! Every day I got to organize a different cultural activity around the city and all over Catalonia! This meant that I led a group of guests around showing them the sights while I, myself, got subsidized admission to all the fantastic places! Better yet, because I worked at the hostel, I got discounted tour trips all around Spain!

I liked when I was able to make a difference in a day of a traveler who visited Barcelona just for a short time. The best reward was the grateful smiles from the people I could entertain with my personal stories and jokes. In addition, I loved to share and exchange opinions and ideas with them.

The days at the Eco-Friendly Hospitality Internship consisted of either serving breakfast, bartending, or “activities” days (going anywhere around Barcelona with guests). Working breakfast meant early mornings, but waking up early was the only part of the internship’s duties that felt like work. Working the bar was great for getting to know the guests, and activities days were always easily accomplished as I was constantly hanging out with guests regardless of being scheduled for activities or not.

The tasks I had to perform were various and enriching. (Bar, breakfast, touristic visits…) They were in direct contact with the clients but also with the proper functioning of the hostel. The atmosphere was always friendly and pleasant. The integration in the hostel and in the city was fast, it’s very easy to get used to the Spanish atmosphere and customs : hours of lunch, beach very near, night life … I‘ve never get bored! I had the time to work but also free time to discover the city and go out with clients.

Day trips outside of the city were also a fantastic opportunity to experience more Spanish culture and see what else Spain has to offer. Girona with the beautifully colourful houses and Roman ruins; Figueres with the overwhelming Dali Museum (and crypt of the man himself); Sitges with its beautiful beaches and Montserrat with its hiking trails and Monastery. These were incredible days and ones that I wouldn’t have had without my time volunteering.

This program takes place in an orthopedics hospital in which we would rotate, from day to day, between the many different departments it has to offer. My personal favorites were radiology and surgery, but there are also wound care, rehabilitation (mostly for patients that have had a stroke of children with various physical disabilities), acupuncture and traditional medicine departments.

Some tasks that I performed included removing acupuncture wires and needles, administering B12 or antibiotic injections, cleaning extremely severe wounds, as well as observing and shadowing surgeons. To be able to participate in this project, one should be warned that you will see extremely shocking wounds, and a ton of blood... On the other hand though, if you are ready for it, this project taught me so much, and really opened my eyes to third-world country care and how different countries work. I loved every minute I spent in the hospital, soaking up the miles of information that was available there, even just by observation!

It was quite the eye opening experience to see how efficiently very little resources could be used to yield the maximum care for the patients.The best part of the volunteering was actually being able to do procedures and assist the nurses in their daily activities. I had already been trained in how to do many of the skills, so it was as simple as the nurses showed me how to do them in the Vietnamese way and off I went. The hands on experience you get through Gnarly Troop is second to none.

It was truly an amazing experience. The coordinators were very friendly and accommodating and I learned a lot during my stay. Even though it was crowded, overall the program was great and I would recommend it to anyone. I’ll surely miss everything about Vietnam from its rich history and culture, food, friendly students, to the patients in the hospital who kept asking me if I’m Vietnamese. I’ll especially miss the lifelong friendships I had made.

I was able to help the nurses in their daily rounds; giving injections and medications and setting up IV\'s. All of these skills were learned right at the placement site. Our assistance was really beneficial to the nurses in their daily jobs. 

I really grew and developed from this experience at the same time as having some of the most exciting times of my life! 

As my volunteer time came to a close, I felt so inspired and so confident that I couldn’t wait to go home and show off my newfound knowledge of vegan baking...I am so very proud of myself for having the courage to experience one of the best adventures of my life.

I can only describe this trip as one of the happiest times of my life; being able to integrate everyday with people from all over the world and having the whole of Barcelona on your doorstop was incredible. It has completely changed my perspective on the world and I can’t wait but to explore more of it!

The hands-on involvement was unlike any other! It felt great being able to help the local vets and townships. Volunteering in South Africa was by far one of the most rewarding experiences of my life!

I made so many friends from all over the world and memories that I will cherish forever. So do not hesitate, go for it and make the best of your stay by volunteering in Spain, you won’t regret it!

When I visited there were 12 kids there and we played all morning on the playground, with sidewalk chalk, doing puzzles, etc. I think I had just as much fun playing as the kids did.

The actual program itself was also amazing. They kept our group busy the entire 3 weeks we were there, and always kept the schedule engaging, professional, and fun. My favorite memories include getting to really know the vibrant, big-hearted people of Cusco through medical campaigns and our fun excursions to Machu Picchu and other scenic areas on the weekends!