Closing Time?

For many volunteers, End of Service is a mixed-bag of emotions: excitement at the prospect of returning home, sadness at the thought of leaving students, new friends, and host-families behind, and optimism for the next adventure on the horizon. For some, however, this next adventure is not so far away. Some volunteers feel like their work is not yet done, and make the decision to remain in-country, either extending their service as a WorldTeach volunteer, or finding employment elsewhere.

In this post, Olivia, an Ecuador Year volunteer, reflects on the past 10 months of her service in Quito, and reveals some exciting news: she will be extending her stay in Ecuador for another year!

"I find myself in a lot of looking-out-of-windows situations here in Ecuador, and more often than not my thoughts are steered toward how lucky I am to be looking out on whatever it is I am looking out on:


-Driving to the jungle in Puyo from Banos, the wind delivering through the open windows the scent of rain falling and fallen, the sun still shining in patches through the thick clouds, differentiating the already varied colors of Ecuadorian green. 

"Short Stories, Long Country" Issue #3

We are thrilled to share with you the newest issue of "Short Stories, Long Country," a newsletter written by volunteers and field staff of the Chile program. Says Heather Tang, Chile Field Director: 

"In March, we welcomed 10 new volunteers to sunny Santiago to start off the new Chilean school year. Since then, these gringos have been snapping photos, writing articles, and composing poems to be contributed in the third issue.

We hope you all enjoy it, as it is the first issue for our newest members of our close-knit WorldTeach Chile familia, and for some of them, their hello and farewell all in one as they are finishing in their amazing experiences in Chile at the end of July. However, though some will conclude their service at the end of this month, their legacy will stand strong through the learning they have fostered, the relationships they have made, and the memories they have left.  Those who are staying until November will continue contributing to their impacts on their Chilean communities along with the new seven who just arrived in mid-June and are itching to dive into their lives in Chile!"

The next issue of Short Stories, Long Country is schedule to be released on November 1, 2011. If you would like to subscribe, please send your name and email address to chile@worldteach.org or chilesslc@gmail.com.

Enjoy!

Chile SSLC - July 2011

U.S. Embassy in Tanzania Welcomes WorldTeach Volunteers

Deputy Public Affairs Officer Roberto Quiroz II briefs WorldTeach volunteers on U.S. development assistance programs in Tanzania at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam on June 23, 2011. Photo courtesy of http://tanzania.usembassy.gov

This year's group of WorldTeach volunteers in Tanzania was recently welcomed at the U.S. Embassy for a series of presentations on U.S.-Tanzania partnership programs. We're thrilled to launch the second year of this program, which was made possible by WorldTeach alum and former U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, Mark Green. Read more here >>

Interested in serving in Eastern Africa with WorldTeach? Join us and serve in neighboring Rwanda for a year, departing this December! Read more and apply today >>

Namtastic Week

During school holidays, volunteers take some time off to celebrate special occasions or support their students in their extracurricular activities. Below, Namibia Year volunteer Amy Rossishares some stories about her most recent school holiday week, and updates us about life in Bunya, Namibia, her placement site.

This week I had my third school holiday in the last four weeks!

Holidays = no school.

Wednesday I celebrated another volunteer’s birthday, who also went to Clemson. (Yeah, there is a volunteer near me who went to Clemson. I’m pretty sure “it’s a small world” is an understatement.) Thursday, which was also the Day of the African Child, I went to catch the boys soccer game. 

Weekend Trips: Thai-Style

While our volunteers spend most of their time in the classroom, there are plenty of oppertunities on the weekends to relax and explore the area. Below, current Thailand volunteer Kerry Tanney describes a trip to see some local attractions, including a dried-up waterfall and a "sleeping" volcano.

We're still accepting applicants for Thailand Year 2011-2012. Click here to learn more!

“Kerry, what are you doing on Saturday and Sunday?”

“Um … I’m not sure … maybe go to Nakhon Phanom?”

“Do you want to go to a waterfall?”

“Ok, sure, what day? What time?”

“Sunday … I think early morning.”

This is a typical conversation between Sumet and I over lunch, either on a Tuesday or a Friday, and exchanged in a mix of Thai and English, in I am being invited somewhere. By agreeing to go to this “waterfall” I clearly have no idea where it is, what the name of it is, and who else is joining us on this excursion. Later in the day I ask if I will be swimming at said waterfall, so I will at least be prepared for being wet.

Sunday morning rolls around and I am up early. Since I know how Thai people operate, I could be picked up 30 minutes in either directions of the meeting time we agreed on, which in this case was 8am. At approximately 8:45, Sumet and Earm arrive in my driveway and I go to meet them, eager to see what the day has is store for me. While waiting for another teacher (Han Yoat) I am informed that the waterfall they originally wanted to go to is dry, as it had not rained enough yet this season … IT HASN’T RAINED ENOUGH YET? I am confused at what “enough” is. Nonetheless, this day shall prove to be more interesting than originally planned.

We drive towards a nearby town and stop at 7 Eleven for snacks (yay!) Then, we head on our way to god knows where. First stop: a peace memorial in which the words translated for me were, “rebel”, “anti-government”, and “The queen built this.” Well, that sure tells a complete story!

We then get back in the car and arrive at the site of a "volcano", as I am told. It is "sleeping" ... so that's a good thing. It was, actually, a really cool thing to see: there were about 4 places, where I am guessing the volcano would erupt, that were filled with water and subsequently lily pads and lotus flowers. Really neat looking. I also noticed that walking on the volcanic rock was hotter than over in the parking area. Quite peculiar. 

The tiger dog that lead us around the volcano.

a weird Thai bug...

Next stop: a frightening bridge that has been around for god knows how long. The concrete bridge next to it for the use of cars was only built about 7 years ago. What did people do before that?! Although the bridge is concrete, metal, and wood, it still swayed, and was really quite terrifying to cross...

 

The homies that drove onto the bridge and curiously stopped right where they could see the "farang."

And finally, we arrive at the waterfall (that was in fact quite dry) and walked around there, climbing on rocks and such for some time … clearly a perfect opportunity for a photo shoot of Kerry! I was basically positioned exactly where there was flowing water and that is it. 

Then we stopped somewhere for lunch, goy dtiow (noodle soup) and leo beer … how very Thai. After lunch, we head out to what is actually a national park and a flowing, shallow river where we could "swim."

As you can see by the photographic evidence, I was told to stand or sit in a ridiculous number of places during a short amount of time for my picture to be taken ... typical Thailand!