My first Spanish classes – in Colombia The beginning of September has brought with it the sudden realisation that I’ve been in South America for seven months. Which means I’ve also…
“This is a forgotten place,” Marcos says, as he unlocks the chain wrapped tight around a set of big blue doors. “But you’re with me. You’re probably safer up here than…
“¿Tres ensaladas de frutas, por favor?” I leave the tiny serving hatch, where three women wearing hair nets and harried expressions rush back and forth. Plates of food scattered around the…
When looking for volunteering projects in foreign countries, one of the first things to catch people’s eye is working with children. There are so many orphaned and impoverished children around the…
It’s been two months since I started working at Collegio Miguel Merchan as a voluntary English teacher. In that timeframe, there a few things I’ve become certain of. Firstly, teaching is…
One of my major reasons for moving to Ecuador was to learn Spanish properly. I’ve tried learning languages before, and it’s never gone too well, despite my best efforts to the…
“Over there, across the trees, are the balconies, bordering the river. Los balcones. If you mention them, people will know where you are.” We stood at Claudia’s bedroom window, looking out…
My first volunteering shift with Crisis at Christmas was in December 2007. My first task was clearing the food trays in the canteen, after the guests had finished their breakfast. I…
I’m a first-time volunteer at Iceland Airwaves. Standing in a sweaty store cupboard, mere inches away from the main stage at Reykjavik’s Harpa concert hall, I hold up a green tee shirt…
Mama is watching the hole for red ants, chewing on a lump of betel nut. She bends down to try a lift a log, buried upright, deep in the ground. She…