Bali

I have just returned from the best 2 months in Bali.
Before leaving the pre departure support was amazing! I read the hand book thoroughly before i left and it prepared me massively for the trip. Any extra questions i had were answered immediately by either josh or philip, reassuring me that i would love the trip.

While there i took part in two projects, both the childcare and teaching. Both projects were incredible. The child care consisted of looking after children from 6months-6 years, carrying out general care, including feeding, washing, play and teaching english for a short 45 minute lesson. The children are a dream to teach and care for, they are the liveliest of kids and you will instantly fall in love with their cheeky/playful personalities. The childcare centre is based in a nunnery meaning you get to work along side the nuns and carers. Please do speak to them, their english is basic but they are the sweetest of people and really appreciate your help and attempts at learning the language.
The teaching project is equally as good. Volunteers are expected to plan lessons for the week, this requires creativity however once you get going it's super easy! In the mornings you teach at a different school every day allowing you do meet all kinds of children. Indra comes along to help translate, he is externally helpful and very talented at his job making the volunteers job much easier. In the afternoon you teach at akasa, here you teach the same children every day. These kids are the sweetest, they are forever writing you notes and asking for hugs and signatures. It is a really enjoyable class and the part i loved most about teaching.

Now for my favourite part of the trip! The family! The family you stay with are the nicest group of people i have ever met. Ketut, Rush, Indra, Krisna, Go Ni Ni and the rest of the family are all amazing, every single person made me feel so welcome. The family pride themselves on making every single person feel like part of the family, it's such a lovely part of their culture and was one of the reasons why my trip was so successful! Nothing was too much for them, anything you needed was attended to immediately. At first Krisna( the youngest son) was so shy, but after many attempts at speaking to him he really came out of his shell. Please do make an effort to speak to him, he is the sweetest person and listening to his music is truly magical. Indra is such a key part to the team, he takes you on your induction day, on the pmgy weekend trips and organises all transport for you. He is always there for the volunteers and does such an amazing job at making everyone feel welcome.
The accomodation is beyond anything i could imagine, you are provided with mosquito nets and bedding and each room has an ensuite. The water in the shower is cold however after a day in the heat it was well needed. Rush and the team are currently in the mist of building a new part to the home which will eventually mean that all volunteers are in the same house! They are consistently trying to improve their destination in order to ensure all volunteers are happy with their stay!

My only advice to volunteers would be to go for it! Don't hesitate, get involved in as much as you can, embrace as much culture as you can and enjoy your self, you won't regret it!

I had the most amazing time in Bali and met the most incredible people. Thank you so much to my balinese family, without you my trip wouldn't have been as amazing as it was! Aku cinta kamu💛