Author: Cosmic Volunteers

Letter from Elsa High in Hong Kong

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(Thank you letter from Elsa High principal in Hong Kong regarding her 27 students’ one-week volunteer trip to Vietnam. The trip was led by Scott Burke from Cosmic Volunteers and six of Elsa High’s teachers.)

Dear Scott,

On behalf of all of us at Elsa High, including our parents and the Governing body, I would like to thank you very much for indeed your part in the wonderfully successfully first educational visit for our G6 & G7 students. All the feedback I have received has been positive, and I know you worked way beyond the call of duty in more than one area in order to ensure the best outcome.

Michael and the rest of the staff very much enjoyed working together with you and I would be more than happy to recommend your organisation to other schools.

It was great meeting you and I look forward to welcoming you back to Elsa High School in the future.

Warm Regards,

Mrs. Rachel Friedman
Principal
Carmel School Association
Elsa High School

(Click to see the original letter)

Janny writes from Guatemala

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From: Janny Jang
Date: Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 10:33 PM
Subject: Re: Cosmic / Janny
To: “Cosmic @”

Hi Scott,

It is amazing here [in Guatemala]!

The masons, who we work with at the construction site, are incredible people.

I am very excited for the new volunteers because they have unbelievable experiences ahead of them.

I get picked up with another volunteer in the morning and we head to the construction site, which is a very thrilling ride since we are on a pickup truck. The work we do each day is incredible because since everyone is determined and hard working, time flies while progress is also being made in amazing speed.

The stay here at the host family is great.

I met so many amazing people here!

I’ll talk to you soon!

Janny

Book on Ghana Orphanage Trip

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Ghana Book Orphanage Volunteering

Our volunteers Teresa and Andrew Allen have written a book about their experiences volunteering at an orphanage in Cape Coast, Ghana in in 2009.

The couple volunteered at the Children Of Hope Orphanage in Asebu, Ghana. 

Here are some text excerpts from their book:

You are invited to Asebu, Ghana, and the humble home of 17 happy, smiley, and bouncy Children of Hope.

Running to meet us is little Olivia. Her welcome gifts to us are her smile, laughter, kindness, and love of learning.

The Children of Hope are proud to introduce us to their goats. These lucky goats couldn’t have better caretakers — or friends — than the Children of Hope.

Twice a day, the Children of Hope collect fresh water for meals and baths. Their home does not have electricity or running water, so the children walk a mile to and from the water source, carrying buckets on their heads.

Two kind women care for the Children of Hope, day and night. And on Sundays, they
spend many hours making the children’s favorite food: fu fu! Fu fu is a traditional Ghanaian dish made from pounded cassava root and is served with a savory stew.

New Teaching Placement in Kathmandu, Nepal

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Our volunteers have a new teaching placement available in Kathmandu, Nepal at the Emmanuel Secondary Boarding School.

Their principal has invited Cosmic Volunteers to send teaching volunteers to their school, in order to help the students with their spoken English and to share any teaching methodologies and experiences you have.

The details of the program:

  • Minimum stay: 4 weeks
  • Maximum stay: 1 year
  • Start Date: Year-round
  • Minimum age 25+
  • Must have bachelors or teacher certification
  • Subjects to teach: English, math, or science

Nepal Teachers Rachel and Britanny Preschool Child

It’s been absolutely incredible

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From: Rebecca  <——–@oxy.edu>
Date: Thu, May 12, 2011 at 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: Cosmic / Becca & Sabrina
To: “Cosmic @” <info@cosmicvolunteers.org>

Hi Scott!

So far it’s been absolutely incredible. We are loving every bit [of Delhi] (even coming to tolerate the extreme heat). Our coordinators and host mother are really kind and welcoming. We couldn’t ask for a better introduction to such a new and vivid country. Thank you for ALL of your help, and we’ll be in touch with you as the trip goes on. Sorry we haven’t written to you sooner! We’ve been so busy exploring!

Best,
Becca & Sabrina

Be Careful Booking Hotels Abroad

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Volunteer Ghana Booking Hotel

As USA Today wrote yesterday, hotel websites are notorious for having photos and descriptions that don’t match reality.

I’ve heard this a lot from volunteers over the years traveling to Vietnam, Ghana, India etc:

> In Delhi last month, I walked by one of the hotels I browsed online before leaving home. The hotel’s website photos were so misleading – the building was run-down in person and was located right next to a large trash-dump.

> I once talked to a hotel owner in Ghana whose website had photos of a resort hotel, while the reality was that his hotel was basically a run-down brothel in a dumpy neighborhood in Accra.

> In Vietnam last year, one of our volunteers booked a beautiful-looking hotel in Saigon for several weeks, only to find on arrival that it was a small hotel located down a cramped and noisy alley.

My advice:

  • If you need to book a hotel from home, only book 1-2 nights. If the place isn’t what you expected from the website, you can change hotels.
  • My coordinators are happy to book 1 night for you at a safe budget hotel, then take you around to see the other hotel options.

Flu Warning: Beware the Drug Companies!

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What vaccinations should you get for your volunteer trip abroad? It’s one of the top 5 questions I get from volunteers.

I have told them for years to start with government bodies like the CDC in the US and the UK’s FCO.

But as the “Flu Warning: Beware the Drug Companies!” discusses in the New York Review of Books, the CDC in particular has relationships with drug companies that present an potential conflicts of interest.

The author writes:

The CDC…has a nonprofit arm, known as the CDC Foundation, which essentially serves as a contract research liaison between the pharmaceutical industry and CDC scientists, accepting grants from companies for specific research projects such as the development of vaccines, diagnostic kits, and other health-related commodities.

In other words, the US government agency that recommends vaccines to travelers takes money from those vaccine companies.
What to do?

First, do not get too worried about what inoculations to get for your trip abroad. The most frequent health and safety problems faced by international travelers are not preventable by vaccines. The top two are car accidents and drowning – not infectious disease, terrorism, or assault as the media might have you believe.

Second, focus on considering vaccines that prevent illnesses related to food and water, as these are the diseases you will most likely be exposed to. The short list is Hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera. (For health care workers, the Hepatitis B vaccination is a must).

I would still use the CDC as a starting point for your research into vaccines for your trip. But keep in mind the above info when doing so.

Tips for Buying Flights

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Tips for buying your flights for your trip abroad:

  • Start researching your ticket purchase immediately (though holding out to buy your tickets can sometimes save you money)
  • You can arrive in the host country 24 hours on any date or day and our Coordinator will meet you at the airport.
  • Usually, the best day of the week on which to purchase the cheapest tickets is a Wednesday, at around midnight (this means your purchase date, not your travel date).
  • Usually, the worst days of the week on which to purchase the cheapest tickets are Saturday and Sunday (again, your purchase date, not your travel date)
  • Start your searches at websites like Farecompare and Hipmunk which list the airlines and fares for your intended travel dates.
  • Do not rely only on the Internet; always call the airlines directly, as they do not always have the cheapest fares online for international fares.

Lindsay Volunteering in Ghana

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From: lindsay Date: Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 9:57 AM
Subject: Re: Cosmic / Lindsay
To: “Cosmic @” info@cosmicvolunteers.org

Hi Scott,

I am sorry I have not written to you sooner, but the internet has been quite slow and I have enjoyed being a bit ‘disconnected’ so have not been coming to the cafe!!

Everything is going really well thank you, I am loving the food and (touch wood) have not been unwell once!! I am loving staying at the orphanage and am really glad it worked out that way as I have been ble to spend more time with the kids and Mama and really get involved.

I found teaching a bit challenging at first, just with the huge differences in culture (and the fact I have never taught before) But I am getting more and more confident with that too.

Jessica has been good keeping in contact and making sure I am OK (she took me to a funeral a few weekends ago).

Thanks again for organising everything, so far it is everything I thought it would be and more.

Regards,

Linds