Experience:
Organisation:
Name: Natalie
Hometown: Brighton
Destination: Peru
Project type: Teaching English
Organisation: Projects Abroad
What were your impressions of your destination?
It's a really amazing place, so beautiful, I loved the walk to school everyday alongside a river with mountains either side of it. The people are mostly all friendly and happy to help.
Was the work interesting and challenging?
It was challenging work, I was teaching with one other volunteer and the school had no teacher, so we were taking classes of up to 35kids with just us two, we quickly got into it though, and although it was hard work I think I got more out of it because we were taking and planning classes ourselves. It has also encouraged me to carry on teaching English, currently to refugees.
What was your accommodation like? Did you feel comfortable and welcome at all times?
I was in a host family in Calca, it was a really nice house, I was with one other volunteer and we both had nice rooms. The family were lovely and we spent hours playing with their kids. We had a gate on the outside of our house that was locked at night, and there was a communication problem one night as they had gone out during the day and locked the gate, so we couldn't get in, we went to a friend's house and stayed there until they got back a couple of hours later. Other than that they were very welcoming and friendly.
Were you happy with the organisation and the staff that were responsible for you during your stay?
Yes, I didn't have any problems while I was away, so didn't need their help much. We were visited in our host family to make sure everything was ok which was nice, and our placement was visited as well. When we were having problems with the teaching there were people in the office we could talk to and the other volunteers could always help out as well.
Do you feel that you got value for money on the project?
Yes, although it seemed like a lot of money at the time, it was nice knowing that everything had been paid for before I left, so I didn't need to worry about running out of money.
Would you recommend the project to others?
Yes
