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Online Donations Cash Donations Material Donations Donate by Shopping Volunteer for NEGF Volunteer Application Form Messages from Previous Volunteers |
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Languages available:
English Messages from Previous VolunteersHere are some comments from previous volunteers to give you an insight in to what it is like to work with New Era Galapagos on San Cristobal. If you would like to have email contact with previous volunteers please contact us: info@neweragalapagos.org Jon Chamberlain (Jan - April 2004) Volunteering with New Era Galapagos Foundation has been a very worthwhile experience. I came here for 3 months in 2004 and wished I could stay on longer. I was involved with the summer camp and getting to know the kids was great fun. Now I can`t walk around the town without shouts of "Teeecheer" following me. You get a lot of respect from the locals here when they realise that you are a volunteer and you really feel like a part of the place, not just passing through like all the tourists from the boats. If you feel like you`re just treading water in your life, come and work on this tropical paradise island and help New Era help the Galapagos Islands. Barbara Rowland (Jan - April 2004) Having left a cold and wet England behind it was a pleasure to arrive on such a beautiful and sunny island. I was met by William (Director, NEGF) and shortly introduced to Sally and Jon. I think I knew that I would find myself in the unusual situation of being the "old" volunteer. However, it really didn't matter and hopefully I was able to bring my years of "wisdom and experience" to the situation. It is fair to say that I missed my family for a short while but acclimatized very quickly and in the end extended my stay for an extra week. I only wish I could have stayed longer. The people of San Cristobal are amazingly warm and friendly. All in all it was a life changing experience. I feel as though I've left a piece of my heart behind. My thoughts are still with the Galapagos and the people there. I know I'd like to return sometime... Sally Walsh (Jan - April 2004) I worked for New Era in early 2004, teaching English in adult evening classes. I have been a TEFL teacher in the UK for many years but this experience was very different. At home I had mainly taught overseas students preparing to study at UK universities, but on San Cristobal my students weren’t academics, they were fishermen, taxi drivers and full time mothers; busy people with busy lives who made the effort to attend an English class every day. Some inevitably dropped out, but 10 students completed the course and I was impressed by their dedication and commitment. It was hugely satisfying to watch their progress throughout the 12 weeks. Many of the students were complete beginners, others had studied a little English before without much success, but by the end of the course all were able to hold simple conversations in English. We ended the course with a meal that the fishermen in the class had caught and the women had cooked. I presented all the students with certificates everyone seemed really pleased with their achievement, myself included. For me, it was also a great way to meet people from the town, people who I probably wouldn’t have got to know otherwise. Bumping into my students around the town, exchanging a few words in English and chatting about the classes made me feel more like part of the community in San Cristobal. It was a beautiful place to live for 3 months but it was the friendly, welcoming people that really made it special. |
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