Travel is the only thing that you can buy that makes you richer.
Every now and again I reminisce about my short lived time in Guyana, South America. A teeny tiny country on the east coast of South America bordering Suriname, Venezuela and Brazil. A country rich in natural resources, beauty and water. Oh so much water in rivers, lakes and waterfalls. More often than not as I am explaining to people about my experiences as a volunteer with Youth Challenge International I bask in the memories of the natural beauty of the land and it’s people. Rarely do I delve into the gift of freedom that this experience has given me and how utterly selfish I feel that my experience was.
So why did I pack up my eat-sleep-repeat life as I knew it and in 4 months board a plane to South America?
As a student studying international relations (politics) at university I was expected to complete an international experience. At the time it was preferred that I lived and either studied or interned overseas for a semester. Neither option was financially viable for me at this time. While it was looking like I was going to major in 20th Century History and Human Rights Violations not many top notch corporations were interested in me as an intern. As the summer holidays rolled around I was driving to my 5:15am shift, chilling out to talk back radio I heard the story of Kevin’s Questions, an Aids Oprhans Search for Answers, with Miles Rosten. I won’t go into too much detail but this story of an orphans search for answers really connected with me. If Kevin could ask questions, maybe others out there had answers? Could I be provide the answers?
Packing my bags getting ready to go
A fortnight later and I applied, completed an interview and had happily been accepted into the upcoming Youth Challenge Australia (now renamed VOICE) project to Guyana. With little more information than HIV/AIDS prevention education and here’s how to fund raise I had less than four months to explain to my community what I was doing, and hey can you throw me some cash to help? Here I really have to thank some great friends and my amazing family who helped me raise sufficient funds to cover my participation fee, air fares, accommodation in Sydney for pre departure training and a few other muchly needed items. I won’t bore you with the details but it really was a community effort to get me over there. I’d also like to note that since returning to Australia I have presented to the community groups on what we achieved and the continuation of our work, as well as supporting other volunteers before they leave Australia.
For 4 months I preached the gospel of where I was going and what I was hoping to do. There would be no religious contribution (interference?), no handing out religious books. Just a group of honest people going to help communities who had asked for our help. This is one of the reasons I chose to go with Youth Challenge International. The communities needed some form of help and had been involved in the planning process. We weren’t just going to have a happy go lucky vacation in the jungle.
Our brief on the project provided me with a rough skeleton of an idea. There would be a day training in Sydney, a few days training in Georgetown and then off we went. At some point we would be running workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention, building a soup kitchen. A suggested list of clothing and gear was slipped in. With little more knowledge than what you’ve just read I packed my bags up, boarded a plane travel half way across the world to find myself.
And then I lost myself. Months of planning had prepared me for everything except actually stepping off that plane into another country virtually on my own. Jet lag slapped me in the face and a cruel sleepless mistress crept into my bed. Traveling in June I had become acclimatized to the cooler Melbourne days. Not the waves of tropical heat and rain that I was confronted with. On arrival at camp my mind said enough-time for sleep and a dose of denial. My lips dried out and nausea beat at my door. For the next two days I stumbled in and out of restless sleep, nausea and meeting new people. Wonderful people who didn’t know me from a bar of soap and took care of me.
As I slowly regained normality we had to push forward. No mobile phone, no Facebook and no connection to my family, friends and boyfriend back home. Before we knew it our plans were up in the air when we where told that tonight we would be on a truck heading down south to Mahdia. I borrowed a phone, made one last call home to speak to my mum, had a cry and boarded the back of a truck. The 12 hour trip to Mahdia was lost on me. For the first time that I can remember I curled up and feel into a deep sleep. Around a gas bottle.
Packing up all our food
Over the next two months we traveled down to Mahdia and Tumartumari spreading the good word on Rapid Testing, general sexual health issues and attempting to build a playground. Our days where spent in the community meeting people, talking to people and creating workshops. I have to admit the attendance in Mahdia was rather low. We later discovered that the Mayor quite regularly had “white groups” through town for the financial benefits. In Tumartumari the local village leader Hannah, was a valuable asset in spruking our workshops.
So why did I do this trip? Honestly? Selfishly. Because I was lost. Only I could find myself, half a world away from where I came from. This trip and the people I met along the way taught me a lot of life skills- Humility, patience and empathy to name just a few. Even to this day I feel as if I personally gained more from my experience than the communities that I was there to help.
On my return to Australia I found myself to be more balanced, more relaxed and even more determined to change my life and take control of what I had. Since then I’ve separated ways with the boyfriend at the time (rather soon after), found a new travel loving boyfriend have traveled to over 15 countries, moved out of home and adopted two dogs. All whilst studying, working, creating and horse-riding. My short experience in Guyana gave me a glimpse of the woman I could be not the woman I was.
In part 2 of our International Volunteering series we’ll be discussing what to expect of your international volunteering experience.
If you’ve volunteered abroad we’d love to hear your story.
*Rapid testing is a simple pin prick HIV/AIDS blood test.
