Author: Cosmic Volunteers

Philippines Kathryn Kirk Smiles

Kathryn Kirk in the Philippines

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Kathryn Kirk, from Hawthorndene in South Australia, volunteered with Lisa Crannage at an orphanage in the Philippines in Tacloban City for two weeks. Kathryn wrote to us about her volunteer experience:

Dear Cosmic,

Hi, sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you about our trip. We have only been home a couple of weeks, and it has been so hectic with uni and work.

Once again I had a fantastic time and have memories that I will treasure forever. Our program coordinator Ethel was so friendly and helpful and the team over there, as well as our lovely host family went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable.

Working at the orphanage was another touching experience. The conditions we worked in were not what we had expected, however we are so grateful anyhow. At the beginning it was a huge shock because the children were in very bad health conditions i.e. extreme malnutrition, iron deficiencies, worms, head lice, tuberculosis, chicken pox, scabies etc.

So initially we were so cautious and worried about picking up something. However after a few days we adjusted and were able to help out alot by teaching the children English and math. I was so happy to see them learn and develop their skills because all of them were so far behind.

Our Coordinators were great in that they organised days off for us and took us out of the city to some beaches, and sightseeing around other islands.

I will definitely be volunteering again in the future because it gives me the opportunity to experience another culture in a meaningful way, plus I learn so much and meet some amazing people.

Thanks again Cosmic Volunteers for organising another unforgettable volunteering experience.

Photos from Kathryn Volunteering in the Philippines:

Philippines Kathryn Kirk Host Family

Philippines Kathryn Kirk Smiles

Philippines Kathryn Kirk Beach

Philippines Kathryn Kirk Dinner

Philippines Kathryn Kirk Kids

Thailand Elephant Camp Chiang Mai Two Friends

Jade at Elephant Camp in Thailand

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Jade, an 18 year old from from Gig Harbor, Washington, volunteered at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand for four weeks. She wrote to us with her feedback:

Did we do enough to prepare you for your experience?

I believe so. I recommend any future volunteers do a little bit of research before they leave, because I wish that I did.

How were your accommodations?

I loved the volunteer group house! Everyone was very nice there and Todd [our Thailand Coordinator] was incredibly fun.

How was your volunteer work?

The elephant camp was AMAZING. Once I settled in I didn’t want to leave! The people were very welcoming and went out of their way to make me comfortable and happy.

How was your local Coordinator?

Todd was beyond my expectations. Scott from Cosmic Volunteers was also so incredibly helpful.

Did you have any illnesses or injuries?

None at all.

What was the best part of the experience?

Having the chance to work with the elephants. I did some first-aid, taught lots of English, and rode elephants everyday. The rides through the jungle were the best.

What was the worst part of the experience?

I think having my money taken was the most negative experience, and it actually wasn’t that bad. I was a little bummed at first, but I figured something to that effect would happen. Scott and Todd handled the situation beyond my expectations.

Would you be willing to email or talk to future volunteers about your experiences?

Absolutely, I would love to.

Any other comments?

I love Thailand and I want to thank you for the chance to go on this trip! I am definitely going to return.

Thailand Elephant Camp Chiang Mai Riding

Changi Airport Entrance

Singapore Changi Airport

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Singapore Changi Airport was named best in show at the World Airport Awards earlier this year, picking up the top gong for the fifth consecutive year.

I mention this because there is a good chance you will change planes at this airport on your way to volunteer in Vietnam or volunteer at an elephant camp in Thailand.

In 2016 a record 58.7 million passengers were lucky enough to experience Singapore Changi Airport  — the world’s greatest airport.

It has a butterfly garden, for starters. Found in Terminal 3, it features flowering plants, a six-metre waterfall and 1,000 butterflies from 40 species.  

The airport now has Singapore’s first premium Japanese farmers’ market. The retail space offers everything from seasonal veggies and fruits to meat products and sake — all brought in from Japan. Some items, including the Egoma tea and a selection of unique sushi and wagyu sake, are new to Singapore.

Terminal 1 has a cactus garden (featuring 40 species and a cocktail bar), a rooftop swimming pool and jacuzzi (from which you can watch planes taking off), a water lily garden, and the Kinetic Rain art installation featuring 1,216 polished copper raindrops.

The Orchid Garden features more than 700 orchids of 30 species grouped by their various colours and shapes, representing the 4 elements of nature – Earth, Water, Fire and Air.

White orchids displayed with floating glass bubbles represent ‘Air’, while rare brown and green orchids displayed with tree root sculptures represent ‘Earth’.  Floral columns simulating giant candles represent ‘Fire’ while clustered blue and violet orchids represent the ‘Water’ element.

Changi Airport Garden

If you have time to spare at Changi Airport, you don’t have to worry about a lack of entertainment. Die-hard movie fans will find the Movie Theatres in Terminals 2 & 3 the best place to spend their time when transiting at Changi Airport.

You can enjoy movies of different genres at both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. These screenings are available free-of-charge for your viewing pleasure and these entertainment hubs are open 24 hours daily.

There is also an Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 area where you can play the games consoles for free.

The new Xbox Kinect room sports gaming experience. It is based on your movements and actions, including your facial expressions and voice. Just choose table tennis, beach volleyball, track and field events, bowling, boxing or soccer.

At the MTV booth, you can watch your favourite music videos on a 50-inch plasma television with great quality sounds piped directly to your seat.

Changi Airport Departures

International House Philadelphia

Diwali in Philadelphia

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International House Philadelphia is hosting a Diwali celebration on October 11 featuring Indian food and sweets, traditional music and dance, and activities including henna, diyas, rangoli, games, and firecrackers.

Diwali is the “Festival of Lights” — the ancient Hindu festival signifying the victory of good over evil by commemorating the return of Lord Rama from his 14-year exile and his vanquishing of the demon-king Ravana. 

International House Philadelphia is the region’s international center for arts, culture, educational and residential activities. Their overall mission is to encourage understanding, respect, and cooperation among the people of all nations.

Details
Diwali Celebration
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 – 7:00pm
International House Philadelphia, 3701 Chestnut St.
Tel 215-387-5125 or www.ihousephilly.org
Tickets are $15

Toni Hagen Nepal

Toni Hagen Nepal Documentary

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As the world gets smaller, it’s rarer and rarer today to find true explorers, those who are the first to visit and map out foreign lands and cultures.

For Nepal, that explorer was Toni Hagen. He was a Swiss geologist who first set foot in Nepal in 1950 as a member of a Swiss foreign aid mission.

These days of course, Nepal and its Himalayas are very popular on the trekking circuit for world travelers. But before Toni and other select early visitors arrived in Nepal in the 1950’s, the country was still “forbidden” to outsiders.

Toni obtained the first trekking permit ever issued to a foreigner traveling in Nepal. Think about that when you receive your own trekking permit there. Amazing.

Altogether, Toni spent over a dozen years in Nepal, walking 14,000 miles, enduring everything from icy blizzards to torrential monsoon rains, while carrying out the first geographical and geological surveys of the country for the Nepalese government and for the United Nations.

Toni plotted sites for hydropower projects like Kulekhani and the Karnali Bend, proposed a east-west electric train artery, ropeways for mountain transport, and advocated rural eco-tourism.

His most famous quote about Nepal though indicates what really impressed him the most about Nepal: “I found the people more important than the rocks.”

Toni, who died in 2003 at the age of 85, documented his work and experiences.

His 1961 book Nepal is still valuable to modern travelers. 

He also filmed a documentary on Nepal between 1950 and 1958.

Toni did narrate one version in English, but that version is hard to find online.

The version I am posting below has a narrator speaking Nepali. Still, the images and scenes from Nepal in the 1950s make it well worth watching.

Guatemala Motorbike Monterrico

Motorbiking at Sea Turtle Conservation in Guatemala

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I rode on the back of a motorbike in Guatemala this past summer.

Don’t try that at home. Or anywhere abroad!

I wasn’t exactly hitchhiking. But I WAS walking on the side of the road — going from the small town of Hawaii back to beach town of Monterrico, Guatemala.

I had just visited our sea turtle conservation project with ARCAS in Hawaii, Guatemala on June 16, 2017.

A nice guy (pictured above) stopped and asked if I wanted a ride. I hopped right on the motorbike and away we went.

15 minutes later we arrived in Monterrico and I got off the bike. I thanked him and offered to pay him something. He politely declined. How about a cool drink or lunch? Again, no gracias.

He did agree to let me take his photo — for posterity. Then we went our separate ways.

Cambodia Volunteering

When Volunteering Abroad Does More Harm Than Good

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Canada-based Ayushi Patel wrote recently in her article “When Volunteering Abroad Does More Harm Than Good” that:

While volunteering abroad can dramatically change the quality of life in communities in underdeveloped nations for the better; sometimes, these individuals are the target of exploitation and harm.

She attributes the rise of the voluntourism industry to the effects of the Civil War in Cambodia, which took place from 1967 — 1975. 

The Cambodian Genocide carried out by Khmer Rouge party leader “Pol Pot” resulted in the gradual devastation of over 25% of the country’s population.

The worldwide outrage led to an influx of tourists into Cambodia who wanted to help the survivors of the war, especially children.

Most of the local Cambodian organizations did tremendous work, with the best intentions.

Others organizations though, writes Patel, “…resorted to the exploitation of Cambodian children in order to gain sympathy from outsiders for profit-incentive purposes.”

This led to the creation of orphanages, Patel continues, many of which were organized solely to draw foreigners to visit the orphanages and donate cash.

Patel offers no data or research to back up the claims about voluntourism’s origin story. But the point she make in the story is valuable — tourists volunteering at orphanages is a bad thing.

Fortunately, there have been international efforts to close all orphanages in Cambodia. There are also major international institutions collecting data on orphanages and other “residential care institutions”.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health recently conducted the first research of its kind assessing the literacy and health of children living outside of family care in Cambodia.

The study estimated a total of 48,775 children – close to one percent of all children in Cambodia – were living in residential care institutions.

Lindsay Stark, DrPH, associate professor of Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, led the research.

“Our goal was more than a simple head count,” noted Dr. Stark, who is also director of research at the CPC Learning Network. “We also assessed literacy and health and looked at the reasons why children entered residential care, whether or not they had parents, and if they did, whether their parents lived nearby,” she says.

Here is a video from the project:

One of the viable ways to end such institutionalization of children in developing countries is to educate foreigners on the situation, so that they avoid visiting and volunteering at orphanages abroad. 

Journalist like Patel and institutions like Columbia University are certainly doing their part and I applaud them.

I have written recently about the efforts by organizations like Stahili who are working to end orphanage tourism.

The word is spreading globally that no one should volunteer at an orphanage.

As Patel writes:

If you find yourself volunteering in South Africa for one week playing with the children, you are simply not doing meaningful work that will improve the living standards of the community. It is much more meaningful to work on long-term, sustainable projects such as building resources that will provide the community with clean water.

Ask the Pilot Ghana

Ask The Pilot in Ghana

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American pilot Patrick Smith, who wrote the popular aviation column “Ask The Pilot”, wrote about his fascinating experience flying domestically in Ghana in West Africa.

Patrick has always been one of my favorite reads, and his piece on co-piloting a domestic flight in Ghana is no exception.

I would never recommend that anyone take a domestic flight in Ghana. Yes road safety is horrendous there, no question. But at least you have a chance in a vehicle.

Anyway, here is an excerpt from Patrick’s piece on Ghana, as he flew from Kumasi to Accra:

The drive to Kumasi’s airport takes about 45 minutes. That’s five minutes of actual travel time and 40 minutes of idling in gridlock amid mufflerless trucks, overpacked tro-tros, ambling goats, and gangs of adolescent hawkers going car to car peddling everything from cellphones to wallets to burlap sacks of that staple of Ghanaian subsistence, the cassava root.

The terminal [in Kumasi] is spartan and cheerless, but a pleasant enough place, all things considered. It’s a single-story block with windows facing the runway. The arrival and departure zones are basically the same room, separated by a corridor of offices and a small waiting area cooled by ceiling fans. I’d describe the décor as “Soviet tropical.” The Antrak ticket counter, if we can call it such, is a claustrophobic room on the arrivals side.

Inside, two women are seated behind a small desk. Like almost everybody in Ghana, the women are remarkably friendly. They recognize me from the earlier phone call and extend a warm greeting.

“Is the flight to Accra on time?” I ask.

“Yes, of course!”

The women tick our names from the reservations list, then politely ask us to pay.

“Sure.” I nod toward Julia, who has already pulled out the Visa card and placed it on the desk.

With this, one of the women opens her eyes wide and makes a moaning sound. The other makes a tsk-tsk noise and shakes her head. They appear startled, eyeing the credit card as if it were a rotten cassava.

“Oh, I’m sorry. We don’t take credit cards.”

“But … you mean?”

“Cash only, please!”

“Um.”

Now, maybe I’m not as well traveled as I think I am, because who ever heard of an airline, particularly one with resources enough to operate a $9 million ATR turboprop on scheduled services, that doesn’t accept credit cards? I’m either too jaded, or too naive, but I think to myself: This isn’t Congo or Mali, for heck’s sake, it’s Ghana!

The problem is, we’re out of money. The nearest ATM is back downtown, and departure is only half an hour away. There are no more flights until tomorrow.

“But this is all we have.”

Read the rest of No ticket? No problem. Hitching a ride in West Africa, the world’s most “dangerous” place to fly.

Chloe Chen San Francisco Airport

5 Thing NOT to Pack when Volunteering Abroad

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When preparing for your volunteering trip abroad, it may be tempting to pack as much as possible.

After all, you’ve probably never been to the host country, and you want to make sure you have absolutely everything you need for the trip.

The truth however is that less-is-more when it comes to packing when going abroad.

Here are five things you should NOT Pack when volunteering abroad:

1. Adapters

Do not bring adapters for electric outlets abroad. For example when you need to charge your tablet at your host family, the plug that came with the tablet may not fit into the wall outlet. In this case you would need an adapter. Buy an adapter in the host country. It cost about $1 USD and will definitely be compatible with local outlets.

2. Guide Books

Don’t get me wrong — I love travel guide books. I just don’t see much use for them DURING the trip.

They do generally have good maps (especially Lonely Planet). My favorite part of every travel guide book is the section on local scams and dangers. The books of course also have great practical information on topics like visas and currency, as well as crash courses on the country’s history and culture.

The problem with guide books? Burying your head in one.

Some travelers actually end up spending more time reading the guide book in their bedrooms abroad that actually walking outside and experiencing the country first-hand! I walked through Trafalgar Square once and saw a guy sitting down reading a Lonely Planet book. An hour later, I walked by the same guy — and he still had his head buried in the book! Not good, man.

Here’s some advice on how to step away from the guidebook.

3. Neck Wallet

If you’ve done any international traveling, you’ve probably seen travelers wearing neck wallets. The idea is to keep valuables like your passport, cash and credit cards safe and secure when traveling — by wearing them in a wallet around your neck.

Know what though? Leave the neck wallets at home! They look corny, and they’re an easy, visible target for pickpockets. Money belts are no better either.

I told a teen volunteer in Guatemala this summer — If I have to carry large amounts of cash on a given day (say over $100), I put the cash in my sock, in case I get robbed. He thought it was gross. It is of course, but it gives me peace of mind. (I still haven’t been robbed abroad after 17 years of travel though.)

4. Cell Phone

Yes, bring your smart phone from home. But use it mostly to take photos and to stay in touch with family back home for urgent issues (like plane delays or health emergencies).  

Better to buy a local cell phone to use as your primary way to talk and text with locals like your host family, coordinator and friends. Why? A local cell phone will be guaranteed to work; it will cost you no more than $30; and you will not have to worry about your expensive smart phone from home getting lost / stolen / damaged. Smart phone use is also an easy and tempting way to isolate yourself from local life — which is a bad thing on volunteering trips abroad.

5. Santa Clause Gifts

Bringing gifts and treats from home for people abroad may seem like a no-brainer good idea. But like with so many other aspects of volunteering abroad, things are much more complicated.

Foreigners showing up in poorer communities on a regular basis with “stuff” creates a Santa Claus mentality, where locals come to expect the same from future volunteers. It encourages kids to beg. Plus sweet treats like candy are bad for kids’ teeth.

If you must donate, we suggest donating cash — discreetly — to local projects that truly help locals and have a proven track record. And make sure you are present when the cash is being spent (on school supplies, food stuffs tuition, etc.).