Thank You for My Experience in Africa and China

I signed up for two week program serving in Xi’an, China working with local secondary junior high school students. It was very challenging to do lesson planning with so many words lost in translation. However, with all the guidance and fantastic country leadership management team from both Global Volunteers and the local scholastic community, I felt very comfortable sharing a little bit of life in America with the students. Our team had many excursions to explore local archaeological sites and numerous significant cultural and culinary tastings to really get a feel of daily life in Xi’an, China. It was the most incredible experience for me. As a result, I started soliciting all my family and friends to donate towards my next volunteer program in Ghana, West Africa. The administrators at Global Volunteers made it extremely easy to make it possible and my dream of going to Africa came true.

I thought I had seen it all and lived it all, until I spent 3 weeks serving the local schools in the small area called New Akrade , about 8hours by bus from the capital of Accra. The program incorporated volunteers, local leaders, tribal chiefs, and the Global Volunteer country leader to work together to bring the most benefit for the area and to ensure we would have the best experience of our lives. For me, it was life changing. There is just something about being in Africa. I felt reborn. I hope anyone who is on the fence about participating in a service program abroad can have the opportunity to let go all the pretentious restraints of society and let Global Volunteers show you how to help others and have fun at the same time!

-Chris