Song of the Open Road by Walt Whitman
This verse from Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of the Open Road” is relevant to all thoughtful travelers, including those volunteering abroad:
From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently,but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.
I inhale great draughts of space,
The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine.
I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness.
All seems beautiful to me,
I can repeat over to men and women You have done such good to me I would do the same to you,
I will recruit for myself and you as I go,
I will scatter myself among men and women as I go,
I will toss a new gladness and roughness among them,
Whoever denies me it shall not trouble me,
Whoever accepts me he or she shall be blessed and shall bless me.
Shut Up!
How do you volunteer abroad? You shut up! Journalist Katelyn Kennon explains in the Arizona Daily Wildcat.
Selling Spices in Ghana
On your volunteering trip to Ghana, you will see lots of young women selling items on the street. This young lady sold us spices in the town of Tamale in northern Ghana.
Nepal launches online visa application
Nepal’s Department of Immigration (DOI) announced last week that they have launched a new portal where foreigners can apply online for visa.
Shambhu Ghimire, Director of the DOI, said that the new online service is “…currently under trial. We plan to completely switch to the online application system from January next year if everything goes as planned.”
To apply for a Nepal visa online:
- Fill out the online application form.
- Print out the visa receipt.
- Upon arrival in Nepal, present the visa receipt to the immigration officer, along with the visa fee and the required documents (passport and photo)
- The officer will issue the visa to you (by pasting the visa inside your passport)
We will all have to wait and hear from our volunteers and other travelers in the coming months whether filling out the visa form online before leaving for Nepal is worth the effort; eg makes the immigration process faster upon arrival in Nepal.
Regardless, at least Nepal is taking a step in the right direction in terms of moving the visa process to the Web.
World’s oldest Buddhist shrine discovered in Nepal
If you’re volunteering in Nepal, especially through our programs in Bijayanagar, you have the unique opportunity to visit the birthplace of Buddha located in the small town of Lumbini.
And now as a bonus, archaeologists in Nepal have just announced that they have discovered traces of the world’s oldest Buddhist shrine at the same temple complex in Lumbini where Buddha (“Siddhartha”) was born.
Lumbini is about 175 miles from Kathmandu and less than 100 miles from Bijayanagar. Our volunteers have been coming to Bijayanagar for the last decade, working at schools, medical clinics and orphanages. So it’s an easy weekend trip to visit Lumbini during your volunteer trip.
The village of Bijayanagar, Nepal:
Temples around Bijayanagar, Nepal:
Volunteer Handbook — Service Learning Trip to Ghana
Here is a PDF copy of our Volunteer Handbook — Service Learning Trip to Ghana.
This guide gives you a good idea of the information we provide to you, the volunteer, both before and during your trip.
The document covers topics such as the daily itinerary, health and safety, accommodations, and pre-trip checklist for your volunteer trip to Ghana.
Operation Listen to Love
One of our former volunteers has created a project called Operation Listen to Love — to donate items and cash in Guatemala several times a year.
The mission of Operation Listen to Love is to donate items such as new/used clothes, books, toys, school supplies, etc. to Semillas de Amor and other Guatemalan orphanages.
Operation Listen to Love is being run by Janine Kim, a California high school student, who volunteered through Cosmic Volunteers at the Semillas de Amor orphanage in Guatemala in the summer of 2013.
Cosmic Volunteers is providing guidance to Janine and her peer, as well as paying shipping costs for items they will send to Guatemala.
According to their Facebook page, this is how you can help Operation Listen to Love:
> Donate the above items and more kid-appropriate things to me or a participating club!
> Donate money directly to Semillas de Amor.
> Spread the word!!! use this project for your youth group, club, etc.
> Message Janine for more info!
Children and staff at Semillas de Amor:
Halloween in Vietnam
The VietNamNet Newspaper has some wonderful photos from Halloween in Vietnam.
Vaccinations for Kenya
Kenya does not require any vaccinations for entry.
However we recommend that at least two months before departure for Kenya, you visit a travel clinic or an individual doctor specializing in travel medicine to discuss any possible vaccinations.
We follow the vaccination guidelines of the Centers For Disease Control for Kenya (CDC).
The CDC recommends:
Routine vaccines: Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot.
Hepatitis A Hepatitis: You can get hepatitis A through contaminated food or water in Kenya, regardless of where you are eating or staying.
Typhoid: You can get typhoid through contaminated food or water in Kenya. CDC recommends this vaccine for most travelers, especially if you are staying with friends or relatives, visiting smaller cities or rural areas, or if you are an adventurous eater.
Malaria
Malaria is present in some of our volunteering locations including Kenya. Read about how to prevent and treat malaria.
Zika
Zika is a risk in Kenya. Because Zika infection in a pregnant woman can cause serious birth defects, women who are pregnant should not travel to Kenya. All travelers should strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual exposure to Zika virus during and after the trip. For more information, see Zika Virus.