Iruna de Oca, Archaeological project, Spain - Summer 2005

Before the work camp I had feelings of anxiety but it ended as perhaps the most amazing experience of my life! After a day of travel I arrived at the meeting place in the Basque Country and gradually the other volunteers arrived one by one, all very relaxed, friendly and welcoming. Despite the varying levels of English it was still possible to communicate, whether it be through mime or actions, or through others as translators, and everyone could still have fun together. Conversation was so good, everyone and everything was so much fun and so interesting. Work was short but relaxed, and finding bones, pots, pottery, metal nails and even some bronze was incredible, others even found coins and baby skeletons! The afternoons were very chilled, an opportunity for a siesta or to visit the nearby swimming pool or sunbathe. The evenings and weekends were always well organised with local places of interest to visit, walks, hikes, excursions to towns and coastline, wine tasting, many fun games and even a night of massaging. The summer festival in the village/town included live music and an opportunity to let your hair down in the fiesta whether through dancing or a few drinks. The 23 volunteers included seven nationalities, many of which I feel I will keep in contact with and meet again in the future. On board were four autistic boys who despite their handicap managed to integrate just as everyone else. From this camp I have discovered it is the people that really count the most and I now recognise the importance, despite a difference in nationality or language, of the learning, enjoyment and understanding that can exist between us”

Oliver Pitcher

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Beach Cleaning in Iceland - Summer 2005

Ever since I can remember, all the workcamps and summer holidays that I’ve embarked upon have been of the sunshine variety, in an effort to boost my tan in the absence of any real summer in the UK. So it was with some surprise that I found myself eagerly choosing a workcamp in Iceland this year (my 5th!) - surely the very word “ice” in the name would put anyone off in mid-July?! Iceland is a small island north of Scotland, with a population the size of Coventry, and with summer temperatures that barely exceed those of a chilly English November. The project was based in the far northeast of the country, about as far away from the capital Reykjavik as possible, which meant that we all travelled, by way of a 14 hour minibus journey, to the camp together – the journey was a great opportunity to see some of the natural attractions Iceland is famous for, as we drove past waterfalls, lakes filled with iceberg fragments, glaciers and miles upon miles of volcanic landscape interspersed with tiny villages.

It also meant that by the end of the journey, the group had already become very close, forced together by the intimacy of a small minibus! Our village, Bakkafjordur, was a fishing community of just 100 people, with no bar or accommodation, and a shop/bank/post office only open from 1pm until 5pm every days – I suddenly understood why my guidebook said “few travellers will venture here”! The local school we stayed in was superb, with internet access, sports equipment, and even a dishwasher and washing machine – all this for just 11 children, and certainly a far cry from my previous, rather less luxurious, workcamp facilities! The work comprised of two parts; for much of the time, we worked our way along the local coastline, picking up all the discarded fishing nets and other rubbish swept in from the sea, so as to protect the vital fishing industry of the area, whilst other days were spent planting hundreds of young trees in an effort to regenerate the countryside.

As we were in such a remote place, we soon became minor celebrities, and the local villagers made every attempt to make us feel welcome and to give us a taste of the traditional Icelandic culture. Almost every evening someone would pop into the school to say hello, often bringing local food for us to try – highlights include raw dolphin (not particularly tasty) and rotten shark, eaten after being buried for months on end…! We were taken on a fishing trip, a jeep safari to the desolate interior of the country, and given a tour of the village fish factory, a smell that I think none of us will ever forget. In return, we helped re-paint the school playground, and hosted a barbeque for our new friends in the village. As for the weather? Well, yes it was sometimes wet and cold, but we also had some sunshine, and any bad weather simply made us feel that we were adventurous explorers in the middle of nowhere. By the end of our camp, I was extremely sad to leave; we really felt part of a community, and the isolation had also pushed our group of volunteers together so that we were remarkably close. The long drive back to Reykjavik through yet more breathtaking scenery gave me plenty of time to reflect upon a camp that was a remarkable experience, in a country that has already got me contemplating my next visit.

(Louise Treves, July 2005)

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Working with kids in France - summer 2005

I recently enrolled on a volunteer project via Concordia in a beautiful little village called Maziers, France. There was a joint goal of the project; firstly to help the institute we were staying at fix up their river bed by the technique of fascine braiding, this in itself was rewarding in seeing the dramatic improvement to the function and aesthetics of the river. But what made it one of the greatest experiences of my life was meeting many new amazing people.

Firstly there were the other volunteers, who living with day in day out, sharing experiences, cooking, cleaning and travelling together with made a special sort of family, which felt broken as we all had to say goodbye on that last morning. Then there were the kids of the institute, who worked along side us and those with which we interacted with in animations/games or just chatting with after work or at dinner time.

There were the young people of the village, who seemed to be stuck in a wonderful dream world, chilling, talking or dancing at bonfires or barbeques deep into the night in a forest under the stars for what seemed like every night. We also interacted with the people of the village, consisting of no more than a hundred houses, there were delights like an international meal (prepared by the volunteers) welcome and leaving parties and general fun and festivity. The piece de resistance however was on the 14th July (the French national holiday).

There was a procession in the village, a firework display at a nearby village and at Fondrament probably the best evening of entertainment I’ve seen in my life, with a Ukrainian circus, Trapeze, Acrobats, really really bendy people, Singers, Musicians, Can Can dancers and others. When I think about the breathtaking scenery, friendliness of the locals, family atmosphere and satisfaction gained from a job well done all combined I have no problem in saying…..
Yes, I’d come again next year!

(Amir Quli,July 2005)

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Setting up a Play with children in an Armenian Orphanage - Summer 2005

The first question anyone asked me when I said I was going to volunteer to help in an Armenian orphanage was where is Armenia? This is easy to answer- Armenia is a landlocked country bordered by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. The look on peoples faces when I say this makes them emphasise their second question- “WHY??”. This question was much harder to answer than the first, especially after the Sunday Times had just published an article telling of the war torn, earthquake destroyed, poverty stricken, dangerous post Soviet country. The first question anyone asked me when I said I was going to volunteer to help in an Armenian orphanage was where is Armenia?

(Volunteers take a group photo with the children in the orphanage in Armenia)

As I arrived at the orphanage I realised that the only problems I had were not tripping up on pavements in need of repair or else falling into holes in the roads especially after dark!

The orphanage was situated 15km outside the capital Yerevan. It was a small self-contained ‘village’ with about 77 children aged 1 to 15 who had either lost their families or their parents could no longer look after them. About 6 children live in each house where there is a ‘mother’ who looks after them. This gives the children a sense of having a family. Our work involved playing with the children, painting, singing, playing football, generally allowing the children to have fun and realise that there were people who cared about them and valued them. Our overall aim was produce a short play with the children, a difficult feat as very few of the children, or even Armenians in general, speak English, as they are so unaccustomed to having visitors. This really meant that the volunteers had to quickly learn the basics of Armenian, something the children had great fun in trying to teach us

One of the aims of the organisation was to promote intercultural learning and understanding by offering young people from different backgrounds the opportunity to work together. Well this certainly was the case as I was the only English person, although all the volunteers spoke

their own versions of English! At first this was a little overwhelming but I quickly got used to speaking slowly and interpreting what they mean.

I actually found this one of the highlights of the

experience as it taught me about the differences in our countries but how we are all fundamentally the same. After all I now have friends in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Canada, Iceland and of course Armenia, how many people can say that?!

Volunteering was an amazing experience, there is no other way you can be certain that your

charitable donations will not end up in some corrupt politicians pocket and you can really see that you are making a difference to peoples lives; not only that, without knowing it they are also making a difference to your life.

So, next year, will I go on a luxury package holiday or volunteer again? Well that’s easily answered, how else except volunteering are you going to see the real heart of the country you are visiting?

Claire Atkins (July 2005)

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Discovering Mongolia working with children - Summer 2006

Mongolia isn’t traditionally a place that springs to mind when you consider other locations in the World. When people say they are traveling to Asia invariably Thailand, China or Japan spring to mind, so, when I said I was traveling to Mongolia with 12 strangers for 2 weeks there were looks of surprise, shock & bewilderment evident on the faces of family and friends.

Being an inexperienced traveler, having only stepped foot in North America and Europe prior to my trip, I would say that my determination to get this one under my belt was significant.

I knew that I wanted to do something a little different and volunteering appealed; I discovered Concordia thanks to Google. Then I found the problem of having so many fantastic projects to choose from. Working with children sounded like it suited me, having spent lots of time with children (having an 8 year old sister largely contributing to this), so I selected the kid’s camp project and chose Mongolia because of its mystery to me and it so different from anywhere I had visited before.

Prior to departure, the planning, the budgeting, and the expectations all seemed overwhelming. The preparation weekend was very useful for reassuring me and it widened my horizons, in addition to stamping out any apprehensions. Hence, I was purely excited on departure.

I got to visit Beijing en route as I had a stopover there, which was a real bonus as it has a lot to offer and is such a memorable city.

On arrival in Mongolia you are instantaneously met with the most priceless scenery you could imagine, miles of green and views that could easily have been transposed onto film by studios eager to find the perfect view for a shot. At the camp the older kids carried our bags (an immediate illustration of the kindness of the children that I was to become struck by) as we took in the surroundings of evergreen trees & spanning mountains as far as could be seen. Behind us the scattering of wooden huts on the hill which would be our station for the next 2 weeks.

Evidently we did not have the creature comforts; the toilets became bearable and the lack of running water was no problem when we had a river a short walk away and a gas stove to boil water on. These things really were not priority as we got immersed into the project after bonding with the children very quickly. Each day the volunteers would organize activities for the kids, who ranged from ages 2 to 12, such as arts and crafts, fashion shows, mini-Olympic games and volleyball tournaments. This was between free time, which we would all choose to spend with the kids anyway.

Most of the kids were orphans so I expected them to be sad and withdrawn, not animated and full of fun as they all were. We were not expecting that they would offer us so much love, and not want a single thing in return.

(The kids in the project are having fun with a cake!!)

Although many of the kids did not speak English, we managed to communicate with them effectively through games and having fun, we all got our messages across. Some of the older kids could speak a bit of English so it was good to get to know them a bit better.

The volunteers had the opportunity to see a different part of the country over 2 days in the middle of the project. We stayed in a desert area with a Mongolian family in a ger tent, what an experience. This really was sampling the culture as closely as anyone could hope to. We also visited Buddhist temples, drank horse milk and saw goats being milked; all symbols of Mongolia.

Traveling after the project came highly recommended from some of my fellow volunteers, who were lucky to do so. There are beautiful lakes to be seen, hot springs and national parks.

To me, this work camp did not feel like work, instead it felt more like I had been privileged to be in this unspoilt country and to spend time with these children who were free from all negative aspects of modern cultures, such as greed.

It was so hard to leave behind the completely compelling and tremendously rewarding time that I had had.

There is a website about the children, with photos, at www.theirfuture.net. Please take a look.

(Katie Blampied, Mongolia 2005)

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