through my eyes...

the world according to a globe-trotting, sight-seeing, day-tripping, frequent-flying damsel in de-stress

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There are [0] photos and [19] stories tagged with "voluntourism".


My last day at the center...

INDIA | Sunday, 19 Apr 2009 | Views [154]

After several days of volunteering in a cramped room in 100+ degree heat, we finally had a morning with a breeze, making the temperatures tolerable enough to take the boys to the park. As we walked through the busy Nizamuddin Railway Station, it pained ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Hangin' with street kids....

INDIA | Friday, 17 Apr 2009 | Views [192]

Life in Delhi has been going smoothly. I've already fallen into a routine: I go to the center in the morning and work with the boys on their English, then we do physical education in the afternoon. After I leave the center, I take a tuk tuk to some Delhi ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


On Agra and volunteering...

INDIA | Monday, 13 Apr 2009 | Views [197]

After Jaipur, we headed to Agra. Agra, of course, is home to the spectacular Taj Mahal, which took an astounding 22,000 workers 12 years to build. It was built in 1631 by Shah Jahan (a Muslim ruler) as a memorial to his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who ... Read more >

Tags: adventures, voluntourism


Saying goodbye...

PERU | Thursday, 4 Oct 2007 | Views [306]

Has it been a month already? Amidst a swirl of activity—of sightseeing, volunteering, and the buzz of day-to-day living—the time has flown by and already feels like a dream. After a month in Peru, I find the prospect of leaving bittersweet. There are ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


The last day of school...

PERU | Wednesday, 3 Oct 2007 | Views [467]

Today was the last day at the Pumamarca school for many of us volunteers. Knowing this would be the last time that I would see the school and the children (for now, anyway), I was plagued by a feeling of melancholy from the moment I woke up in the morning.... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Building a home...

PERU | Wednesday, 26 Sep 2007 | Views [283]

Today we had a full day working at the school at our various duties (for me, that meant English grades 5 & 6, then assisting with hygiene), and then we went to work on Hernan´s house. For those of you who are actually reading all of these entries, ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


A home visit...

PERU | Friday, 21 Sep 2007 | Views [263]

The other day we conducted our first home visit. A home visit is when the volunteers, along with Ginny and Iris (the organization´s social worker), visit a home in the Pumamarca village to check on their progress. These are typically families who have ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


When food poisoning isn´t merely food poisoning...

PERU | Tuesday, 18 Sep 2007 | Views [527]

Sometimes food poisoning isn´t merely food poisoning when it´s...well, you´ll see. After three days of illness, Ginny (our volunteer coordinator) took me and two other sick volunteers to see a doctor in Cuzco—someone the organization trusts and works ... Read more >

Tags: doctors hospitals & health, adventures, voluntourism


Getting into a routine in Pumamarca...

PERU | Wednesday, 12 Sep 2007 | Views [238]

Our comings and goings to the Pumamarca school are both exciting and bittersweet. When we arrive in our combi van, there are already children at the gate awaiting our arrival and welcoming us with hugs, kisses, and a resounding chorus of “hola amigos!” ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Our first day at the Pumamarca school...

PERU | Monday, 10 Sep 2007 | Views [675]

Today was our orientation at the Pumamarca school. Pumamarca is a rural village outside of Cuzco where the people live in extreme poverty—there is no sewage system, no running water in the homes (the locals either use untreated water from faucets outside ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Feeling at home in Cuzco...

PERU | Sunday, 9 Sep 2007 | Views [265]

Arrived in Cuzco. I am so thankful that I opted to take anti-altitude sickness tablets before coming, because the altitude (which is approximately 11,000 feet) is not affecting me as much as it has at lower elevations in the past. Cuzco is nestled in ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Saying farewell to Aegina and the hospital...

GREECE | Wednesday, 9 Aug 2006 | Views [309]

Morning is my favorite time at the hospital. Since our shifts don't start until 9:00 am and most volunteers sleep in until shortly before, that means that waking up at 6:00 am affords me several hours of alone-time to have my coffee, read, say 'kalemera' ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Learning new skills...

GREECE | Monday, 7 Aug 2006 | Views [237]

Last night several animals were brought in (every day many animals come to the hospital via ferry), one of which was a stork that had collided with some electric lines. The accident sheared off a wing, paralyzed part of its body, and amputated the bottom ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Falling in love again...

GREECE | Saturday, 5 Aug 2006 | Views [271]

I've fallen in love. Never in a million years did I think it would happen here in Greece, least of all with one who doesn't even speak the same language. His name is Sheldon—I know, not a Greek name, but as it happens, Sheldon's family came to Greece ... Read more >

Tags: Cultural Observations, adventures, voluntourism


Releasing birds and things that only seem to happen in Greece...

GREECE | Saturday, 5 Aug 2006 | Views [359]

Life at the wildlife hospital is an adventure. Despite the routine, every day seems different because of new arrivals, new diseases to treat (the center's pigeon population is currently experiencing a chlamydia or salmonella epidemic, Mirena isn't sure ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures, food & eating


Life at the wildlife hospital...

GREECE | Tuesday, 1 Aug 2006 | Views [570]

I've been volunteering at the wildlife hospital for over a week now. The hospital was formed 20 years ago by some college students because no facilities existed in Greece to rehabilitate wild animals (though there are now some other organizations that ... Read more >

Tags: voluntourism, adventures


Camera-less, but good news...

GREECE | Tuesday, 25 Jul 2006 | Views [274]

I’ve been able to put some much-needed sleep between me and what happened with my camera. I can’t say I feel a whole lot better, but I feel slightly less self-pitying about the situation. More than anything, it's not about the camera, which was insured.... Read more >

Tags: adventures, sightseeing, voluntourism


Plan B? What's Plan B?!...

GREECE | Monday, 17 Jul 2006 | Views [220]

I'm still working on Plan B and find it difficult to accomplish in Crete. Alexandra, my Greek cabin mate on the boat to Crete, offered that the difference between Greeks and Americans is that Greeks are slower from the heat, while we Americans—most of ... Read more >

Tags: adventures, voluntourism, cultural observations, sightseeing


An unexpected turn of events...

GREECE | Thursday, 13 Jul 2006 | Views [1380]

I guess how you set your expectations has everything to do with the outcome of a situation. Or at least your perception of it. Take the overnight ferry from Athens to Crete, for instance. I was prepared for it to be like most ferries I’ve been on—a huge ... Read more >

Tags: adventures, sightseeing, voluntourism, planes trains & automobiles



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