Lattitude Global Volunteering

Lattitude just recieved an email from Jamie, our first NZder to go to an Indigenous school placement in Australia, exciting!

Hey everyone,

I hope all is well in New Zealand. Over here it has been absolutely pouring with rain for the last week. Its been raining so hard the roads flood and the other day part of the field turned into a river. I was out driving and got got caught in a downpour, it was intense.

Since Monday things have really changed because the students have arrived. Due to the bad weather flights from some of the remote communities have been cancelled, so only half of the indigenous students are here so far. I’ve started working at the school during the day in classes. Essentially my classes are either indigenous or non-indigenous. In the indigenous classes I have been assisting teachers help new kids settle in, helping with computer work and art. In my non-indigenous classes I have been helping with maths and careers. My time table is yet to change quite a bit. I think I’ll be picking up some music and sport classes too. I really hope I can get involved in the P.E department.

There is an organisation here at the school called CLONTARF who essentially organise football (Aussie rules) games to encourage the kids to enjoy and stay at school. Thursday after school we had a game, it was so much fun! It was my first game and its a really great sport. We’ll be having regular games and trainings on Tuesdays and Fridays. Since then I’ve played more football, soccer and basketball with the kids, it’s great fun and they are all very good at sport.

As the week has gone on I’ve started to get to know some of the kids, however they are very quiet at first!  I am working in the senior boys house in the evenings. I just hang out, occasionally helping with homework and supper.

On Saturday us gappies had the day off, so we drove out to the Adelade river to go on a crocadile tour. It was pretty cool, they got the crocodiles to jump out of the water for some meat. We saw quite a few animals that day like snakes, wallabies and kangaroos. We even nearly ran over some dingos on the way out to the river! In the evening I found a green tree frog out the front of my house. I picked him up, he was a pretty cool frog.

That evening we went out to a restaurant for dinner (gee I feel like I’ve been eating too well). I had curry, it was very good. I would also highly recommend the Australian wine “Yellow Tail”, it is very very good.

Cya

Jamie

Darwin Beach

Getting close to nature

Kormilda

Hello everyone,

It has now been more than three months since we arrived in New Zealand.

Time for a report!

We are five girls from Germany, all from different parts which not seldom causes little debates about words or even aroused the good old east-west comparison. As you see, we have heaps of fun together and it is really nice to have a girls’ night every day.

Our placement is the Nga Tawa Diocesan School laying in the outskirts of Marton, “the best of rural life” as a big advertisement for the little town says.

The school is quite small with less than 300 students. So much the better for us, it’s a familiar atmosphere here and it seems doable to keep in mind all of the girls’ names.

We were welcomed very heartily and the helpfulness and kindness of the other staff members haven’t diminished since. You can really say that we are in good hands. Our scope of duties – the assistance of individual students, canter track supervision (the school has its own equestrian academy) or boarding duties – is very various which is good. Conclusion: We are really lucky with our placement.

Now, next catchword: New Zealand. Or perhaps the most beautiful end of the world.

We have now already had plenty of time to get to know (and love) the characteristics of the inhabitants of the “green island”. There is the traditional morning tea, the well-known “sweet (as)”, the notice that the Kiwis daub butter on everything – doesn’t matter if it’s sweet or salty, the easy-going attitude (very nice ), their biiiig love for Rugby (with which we were also infected due to RWC) and the pride for their country that we can really understand. For in New Zealand the whole spectrum of mother nature’s variety fits on about 270.000 km² -  whereas it needs a whole continent for that in some places.

Because we live in a very rural area our device for the weekend often is: Let’s do a trip! Probably we have already seen more now than gappies living in bigger towns.

After only three months we have already visited most of the North Island. Our faithful van “Sonny Dan Nonu” ( named after the perhaps greatest Rugby players of New Zealand  ) was always with us. Almost right at the beginning of the last term we went to beautiful Tongariro National Park to go skiing on Mount Ruapehu. It was also a good opportunity to meet some other volunteers. We went on to Taupo, where we could admire the wonderful mountain scenery behind the lake. New Plymouth, Hamilton, Raglan, the Waitomo Glowworm Caves…on the way there we also had a little adventure. Deadlocked in the middle of nowhere and it was getting darker and darker. But we found a lonely farm and we could once again meet the Kiwis’ helpfulness. The guy said he would “just go and grab something” – and came back with a tractor! All’s well that ends well. So we could drive on and didn’t have to spend the night with all the possums around us. Just the right pinch of adventure we decided!

In the last holidays we went on our first longer roadtrip and were joined by some other gappies. Two volunteers from England and one from Canada came along which finally forced us to talk in English all day long (fortunately – because this was in principle one of our purposes. But with five Germans…)

Our holiday destinations were Northland and Coromandel. So: 15 people, 5 cars and nearly 3000 km to drive.

Surfing in Raglan, Trounson Kauri Park, watching the sunset on giant sand dunes, a walk to Cape Reinga with a fantastic look-out, Ninety Mile Beach, every evening sitting together with a guitar, a harmonica and the blues, countless beaches, mudslinging, boiling cooling water, blue bays, Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove,…We really spent awesome holidays together. So it is as clear as mud that saying goodbye wasn’t easy. But: It was just the beginning of many other journeys like this one.

As you can gather from our report, we are enjoying our year in New Zealand to the full. Our time here is made unique by all the nice people and moments, great landscapes and the experience to once be on the other side at school.

At this point we would like to thank Lattitude very much for the great organization and their support

We hope that all the other gappies are having such a wonderful time as we have!

Best wishes,

Anna, Silja, Maria, Thea and Bente

As some 2012 volunteers are gearing up to leave early next year, Lattitude has recently held Briefings for volunteers going to the UK, Canada, Fiji, Vietnam, Poland, and Australia.  These were held in Christchurch, Palmerston North and Auckland. We are happy to say they were a success, with Palmerston North being our biggest briefing yet! 220 people. Phew.

Thanks to all volunteers who came- it was great to see you all!

Lattitude staff are a little worse for wear this week, but would not like to think what we would be like if we did not have such amazing help! Bigs ups to NZ Travel Brokers, Contiki, QBE insurance and fantastic past volunteers and their parents.

Few photos from our Auckland and Palmerston North Briefings:

‘Fide Litteris Labore – by faith, by learning by hard work.’ This emblem is on the chest of every student and staff member. Just like the All Blacks wear the silver fern.

I was connected to everything about it in my life as a gap student at Wesley College near Auckland. I came to know this faith when I was introduced to Wesley. I was blown away with the delightful voices of the students as well as the impressive school haka. I really like the way the students and staff members treat me and the big community at the college.

By hard work the 1^st XV rugby team made it through to the Top 4 New Zealand final in Rotorua where I supported the team on a weekend trip. Being in New Zealand during the Rugby World Cup is another great experience especially when you work in a school with such a wide range of cultures.

By learning rugby at this school as a young fellow some have become international rugby players. A few players from the Australian as well as the Samoa World Cup Team come to see their old school.

Moreover, I have gained an insight into administrative tasks by assemble the Unit Standards for the Achievements or to issue the timetables for coming Terms. Besides working in the office I also drop off and pick up students. Before these driving jobs I had to finish a driving course in which I learnt with my flat-mate “it is better to be two minutes late than dead on time.” Another task is to film the practical music assessments or to help in the sport lessons as well.

On the weekends we did some pretty good trips to other Volunteers to see a bit of the awesome nature that New Zealand has to offer. We have been to fabulous Waiheke Island, Hamilton and Napier.

Now I am gearing up for a North Island Trip with some other gap students.

Namaskara everyone,

I have just returned from a volunteer project in Bangalore, India. I was involved in a project for the 10th Asia Europe Young Volunteers Exchange, called Health on Stage. This was organised by the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS), and Field Services and Inter-cultural learning India (FSL) and supported by the Government of Japan.

Out of 82 applicants, 21 of us were chosen to participate in this project that went from the 20^th August-1^st October. The project was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and a unique and first time project using Forum Theater for the promotion of public health dialouge about water related diseases. We worked in urban slums in Bangalore, the industrial area of Chennai and the tribal area of Mysore. I was based in Bangalore, and worked in a team of 9 others from the Philippines, India, Portugal, Estonia, France, and Mongolia. We created 9 forum performances in different communities over a month. A typical week consisted of social mapping in the planned area where we would perform, then scripting and rehearsing the forums, making costumes, rehearsing some more, then performing the forum, and carrying out an evaluation with the community. In between we would debate (a lot), travel 4 hours a day to our work on insanely overcrowded buses and rickshaws, meet curious locals, eat many cashew cookies and curries, and generally have a crazy cool time.

Kempe Gowda Bangalore team for Indian fashion show

One of the first communities where the Bangalore team performed

There were three phases of the project, firstly 27 participants started in Bangalore for a week long training about intercultural learning, forum theatre, and water related diseases in India, we then split and worked in the communities for a month, and phase three was an evaluation week back in Bangalore. It was an intense learning experience, with some fun on the side. Some of the highlights included; riding an elephant at the grandiose Mysore palace- so overdone, but so worth it! The Ganesh festival (where elaborate paper mache Ganeshes (Hindu god with elephant head) are decorated, and driven down in a long, musical, scary firework ridden procession, to a lake, then thrown in with celebration with random unidentifiable food being chucked into people’s hands, doing forum with children, dancing Bollywood style, travelling to the Mysore countryside and sighting a local Bollywood star, and generally just hanging with locals and eating sweet paan. I have made many friends and hope that this project will lead to new connections and potentially projects for Lattitude volunteers and further development of how the NZ Lattitude office prepares volunteers. Health on Stage will continue with follow up in the communities with FSL India and also follow up with the volunteers and an official publication about our work which will be released in around 6 months. Check out the links below to find out more about the project!

http://www.asef.org/index.php/projects/themes/education/1987-10th-asia-europe-young-volunteers-exchange-health-on-stage

http://www.thisweekbangalore.com/?p=3524

Also please check out Kempe Gowda Bangalore’s blog:

http://kempegowdabangalore2.wordpress.com/

Ganesh and the Bangalore team

slumming it

For more info about India, we still have placements avaliable for 2012- please contact Anna on 06 350 5920 or aburgin@lattitude.org.nz

Now we are really in New Zealand! Nina and I arrived just one month ago in Wanganui, and we have already seen a lot of different sites of Aotearoa.
We are living in a nice little house near the school we are volunteering at. The beach is not far away. The first thing we wanted to do, was buy a car. It is absolutely necessary if you want to get to know the beautiful landscape. No sooner said than done! The first journey for our “new” Volvo was all the way up to Taupo. Through the desert and through a blizzard he brought us to our destination: a backpackers hostel in the city at the lake, where we met a lot of the other Lattitude volunteers. Together we did some sightseeing, bungee jumping and partying.
We try to travel as much as we can, any time we do not have to work at the school. There we do some assistant teaching and office jobs as well as working at the hostel, where we have to look after the students and enjoy the delicious meals of the hostel cook together with them.
Until now we have been to New Plymouth and the wonderful Mt. Taranaki, to Wellington which is a beautiful city, to Stratford and Marton where we visited some of the other volunteers, to Taupo where entertainment rules, and all around the lovely Wanganui.

greetings
Jonte

Before we begin, your doctor recommends that you listen to my very talented friends’ band make warm and snugly sounds. I suggest a hot chocolate to accompany the music and to complete the setting -  

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQP3tbTJ6w&feature=youtu.be - Liam McClurg & Coney Island Swamp Monster

 I’m sorry I haven’t written in quite some time. I have a lot to cover. 

SO, since we last spoke, I finished my English teaching in Neuquen, Argentina July 8 and set off traveling up towards Lima, Peru through Bolivia until August 11. For the past week I have been in the US –  Richmond, Virginia and Boston. 

From July 8 I went straight to Puerto Madryn, a harbour full of wildlife in Argentina. This was the start of my travel. Throughout my 4 months of English teaching I was joined by my friend Brooke from Levin, New Zealand. We traveled together up to Peru. We  went to the beach in Puerto Madryn and had 10+ Right Whales no more than 15m away from us. I then went on a boat ride and had the whales just a few meters away. It gave me butterflies. Also quite funny to think that the whales come to us to people-watch, while we whale-watch.

I then went to Iguazu Falls. These waterfalls are hard to describe. Masses and masses of water falling every second. Quite magical. http://argentinastravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/iguazu-falls-rainbow.jpg – this is genuinely what it looks like. Postcards can barely do the falls justice.

From there we headed west so we could travel up into Bolivia. In the north of Arg in a small town called Tilcara I cilmbed a 7-colour mountain. I don´t think you´re meant to as it was very dangerous – wrong step left or right and you´re in the shit. Viewing the northen Argentina landscape from ontop of a mountain was quite a spectacle. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1900442191026&set=a.1426370459529.2067784.1240826538&type=1&theater

Up we go to Bolivia. Bolivia is a strange strange place. My time there so reflected that. I lost my passport, all sorted now. Bolivia included arriving as the 7-12 hour bus is meant to leave, twice, then talking with the driver and hassling our way into the bus – thus meaning travelling in the aisle and sitting in the front booth next to the driver. Most definitely not comfortable but quite an experience for sure.
We visited and crossed the world´s largest salt flats in Bolivia. At one point, due to the water on the flats, sky became ground and ground became sky. There was no trace of a horizon. It was almost like being in a dream. I doubt I’ll witness this again -http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l1naekK0WO1qz9v0to1_500.jpg . We also saw ancient mummies, not in a musuem, but simply sitting as the were orignally placed in a cave – spooky. I stared into their eyes.

I visited an old and still running silver and zinc mine in a place called Potosi, Bolivia. We truely do all live in different worlds. Just the day before I went two boys were killed in a nearby mine. There were many many 15 year olds working in this mine. They survive off coca leaves. It was a very shaking experience seeing the way they work and live. I felt like there was nothing I could say or ask or anything to do while I was there. They have tourists coming through everyday and being amazed and appalled at their working conditions and lives, asking the same questions, crying, taking photos. What can we do – who knows.

I then moved up to La Paz in Bolivia and biked the world’s most dangerous road. It was a lot of fun. Very dangerous for cars to be using the road but for bikes it wasn’t too bad. But then again - http://images.travelpod.com/users/gowithzo/1.1271882588.massive-drop-on-death-road.jpg

 In Peru I visited Machu Picchu. It was quite spectacular. I almost enjoyed the scenery more than the actual Machu Picchu. The mountains were amazing and the fact that this old town was built so high up was incredible.

I’m currently in a town called Manchester by the Sea about 40minutes from central Boston. It’s a cute little town with nice houses, and the sea. I was also in Richmond, Virginia. There was a river and lake very close. The water is a whole lot warmer than the cold Wellington, NZ water that I’m used to. To me the water feels like a spa. To hear the locals complaining about the cold is quite funny. 

From New York I fly out to Rio de Janiero, Brazil on September 8. I eventually fly out of BA on October 10. I have a month to work my way down from Rio to BA. I also want to go and see a few places I missed back in Argentina before I go, too. We’ll have to see how time goes.

That’s a general summary of my trip so far but I think I’ll write up a few little stories and send’em off while I have time here in the States. Once again sorry for my poor level of contact, I’ll make an effort to improve for my last month and a half. 

Hope all is fine and dandy!

Chris

After the first two weeks at my placement at Lakewood Lodge I visited Marcus and Simon, two friends I first met at the preparation camp in Germany. I don’t have a car yet, so I asked Damian, a Kiwi also employed at the Lodge and already a good friend of mine to give me a ride to Wesley College in Pukekohe.

After I arrived Saturday evening, Marcus and Simon showed me their placement an after dinner we went into a bar in Pukekohe, but we didn’t stay long because of our planned trip the next day.

The next morning we jumped into the Wesley College van and drove up to Auckland. After we finally found a parking lot we walked to the ferry terminal and bought the tickets to Waiheke Island.

On the ferry the weather was nice and we took plenty of pictures of Auckland and the little islands we passed, but short before arriving at Waiheke Island it started to rain cats and dogs. So we stayed at the Waiheke ferry terminal until the weather got better, bought an all-day bus ticket and just hopped into the next bus we saw.

After some driving around we left the bus at Rocky Bay, the sun was up again but it was windy as. We climbed around the cliffs and took some nice pictures. It was very cold, so we took the bus again, this time we left the bus in the middle of the island, where a supermarket is located. We bought some food and then took the bus to Onetangi Bay. There we discovered an amazing beach, a few kilometers long with nice white sand. Marcus and I had brought our trunks with us, so we made the crazy decision to just change clothes and run into the water, it was really really cold but very funny. After this little refreshment we headed back to the ferry terminal, took the ferry to Auckland and drove back home.

Waiheke Island is definite worth a visit, probably even more during summer – amazing landscape, nice food, many vineyards and wonderful beaches!

I have just got back from my Lattitude experience in New Zealand where I worked at an all girls school in Hamilton on the North Island. One thing is for sure, I couldn’t be more happy with the decision I made to take a Lattitude Gap Year. During my time away from home I met people from different parts of the world, formed friendships that will last forever and created unforgettable memories. The most rewarding part of working at the school was getting to know the boarding girls who made me feel like family and grew to be an important part of my time abroad. When I had the chance to travel I had a blast, making the most of my time off and cramming in as much sight seeing and activities as possible. For such a little country, New Zealand has an amazingly wide range of beauty and fun to offer and it’s also conveniently placed near countries like Australia and the Pacific Islands, so exploring places outside of NZ is always an option if time and money are a virtue. Things are never boring between working, chilling at the beach, taking part in adrenaline filled activities, hiking, watching rugby and so much more. Not to mention the laid-back, easy going way of New Zealand life is no problem to adjust to. I don’t think this experience has changed who I am but it’s allowed me to grow as a person and become a more mature, independent version of myself. This past year was probably one of the most influential years of my life and has prepared me for what the future may bring. It’s taught me more than I ever could have guessed and I’m so thankful for being given the opportunity that Lattitude presented me.

Thank you heaps Lattitude!
Jessica

Beautiful NZ beach

Jess at the bungy

School

Country: UK Role: School Assistant

Nikki was one of our scholarship winners in 2010 and is currently volunteering and kindly let us share this email.

Dear Sharyn and Rachel,
I’m sorry this email has been such a long time coming – I’m over half way through my placement and its so hard to believe!
First of all I wanted to thank you both again for gifting me with this amazing opportunity, not only has it been a childhood dream come true for me, but it has also created the most amazing changed in my family, which I think is all a result of this scholarship. For myself and my school, I don’t think any of us could have dreamed that something so amazing and big could come to a person in a community so small. There were a few significant negative ‘event’s that took place at my school in the preceding 18 months, so to have something so uplifting and good to happen was something that could be shared with not only myself and my immediate whanau, but also my teachers, peers and community, and give us some hope back that good things can happen again. The biggest and most immediate change I was able to see was in my family though, especially in both my parents. I value both my parents immensely for not only all they have given up to raise me, but also the astounding role models they have been – always spurring me to do my best and be my best. Although I’m still in disbelief that all this has actually happened to me, to my parents I think (and hope) they see that all I am and all I’ve achieved is a direct result of themselves, and I’m not sure I’ve seen parents any prouder. And as a direct result, my parents separately but at the same time (confusing, I know!) also made huge change in their own lives, and left their respective lives in New Zealand to pursue bigger and better things abroad, where hopefully things will be a little bit easier on them, especially without 4 children towing them down! I guess this wouldn’t mean too much in normal circumstances, but for my parents, this uprooting is about that most radical thing I could ever think of any of them doing. Just about as radical as a small-town girl from Te Puke getting the amazing opportunity to volunteer and live in England. The flow on has also meant all 3 of my brothers have made big changes in their lives; whether pursuing higher positions in their careers or looking to see things outside of New Zealand as well. Extreme and radical change – but in a good way!
So far, my placement here has been full of all the ups and downs I was told about and tried to prepare for but really couldn’t – travel sickness, physical sickness (from the weather!) and of course home sickness. But after that magical 3 month marker, everything just came right, and now it’s hard to get through a day without marvelling at something purely because it’s different from home, and thinking how lucky I am. At the start, I wasn’t sure what to expect from St Andrew’s – especially as I’ve never even been to a boarding school before. Pretty soon I realised how well-matched I was for this place though – around half my ‘day’ duties are spent coaching kids here (daunting at first) but I soon found that I had enough knowledge to help out, and in some cases actually take over and teach new things. From what I’ve heard, the responsibilities and things I’ve been asked to help with are really uncommon for a gappie to do, but I’m glad that I’ve been asked and I can get stuck in with whatever they need – its been the most rewarding part of it all! A by-product of course, is that I’ve been incredibly busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because I feel like I really am trying to make the most of everything that comes my way this year – all because of the two of you!
I’ve been to national championships for athletics and hockey helping coach the kids, to amusement parks and ice-skating rinks with my boarding kids, I’ve caught up with a long-lost relative I’ve never met before! I’ve travelled to the most amazing places in England like London, the Lake District, Cambridge and Scotland, and I’ve caught up with an old exchange student friend of mine in Holland.. and then turned from tourist to tour guide when she came to England! With so much seen and so much still to come (like my 2 week Contiki tour starting in just one week!!) and seeing one of my brothers for the first time in over 19 months, I really feel like I’m lost in a fairytale – or the Dr Seuss poem “Oh! The Places You’ll Go”.  I guess what I’m trying to say is, that I am so incredibly grateful for this amazing opportunity you have gifted me with, and with so much gone and so much still to come, the memories and experiences you have given me have changed the course of my life irreversibly, in a way that neither I or nor any of my family could ever have dreamed of.
I hope this year has gone smoothly for both of you especially with all the international disruptions and upsets, but I think you should rest assured in the amazing job you both do, and in the hope and opportunity you give people like me.
I hope Lattitude and this scholarship can continue for many more years to come!
Thank you so much yet again,
Arohanui,

Nikki

London Eye

Nikki

Cliffs of Eastbourne

Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

In Holland