Our Alternative Spring Break Programs for 2012 are available now at our website.

Our trips in 2012 are available from February 1 to April 30.

See you abroad!

Glad to see the NBA will start its season soon, after the lockout.

Speaking of basketball, check out our Basketball Coaching Program in Ghana.

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

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

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 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.

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

From: Emily <-----@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Subject: RE: Cosmic / Emily & Ben
To: info@cosmicvolunteers.org

Hi Scott,

Kenya is amazing! We’re having a really great time, everyone is so lovely and so far everything has been really fun!! We’re going to give our coordinator some photos at the end of the trip so she can give them to you. We spent the first week at a baby orphanage and just got back from Nyeri [wildlife volunteering ranch] where we stayed with Peter’s mum and had an amazing time, will let you know how the next step goes!

Hope you’re well,
Emily and Ben

For orphanage volunteering in Nepal, we have placements in the city of Kathmandu as well as rural villages in Chitwan such as Bijayanagar.

The volunteer work at orphanages in Nepal typically involves teaching conversational English, basic math, playing games, arts and crafts, helping with homework, playing sports, taking them on day-trips, and sometimes getting the children dressed in the morning and helping them with meals. The work schedule is generally Monday-Friday from 9 to 4.

A new friend in Nepal

Kathmandu is an urban setting, very crowded on the streets, with shops, businesses, and apartment buildings everywhere. There are a lot of incredible sightseeing opportunities on weekends, such as Monkey Temple, Pashupatinath Temple, the ancient neighborhood of Bhaktapur, and Durbar Square. For accommodations, volunteers stay with a local host family. You would take a public bus to reach the school (our coordinator will show you how to do this).

In Chitwan, the orphanages are located in rural and semi-rural areas. Bijayanagar is a very rural area, located about 100 miles southwest of Kathmandu (6 hours by bus). The area consists mostly of farmlands with small adobe houses, with schools and medical clinics and shop located at the end of dirt roads. There there is not much to do in your free time except meet and hang out with villagers, read at night, and walk around the forests (where you can actually see wild rhinos!). The nearest Internet cafe is about 30 minutes away in the town of Narayanghat. Some volunteers enjoy this isolation and slow pace of Bijayanagar, which I did when I first volunteered there myself in 2000 for 3 months. The people are wonderful, the students will love you, and the natural scenery is incredible.

Getting around in style !

For photos from Nepal, please see the albums on our Facebook Page.

Volunteers taking a dip in a river near the Mekong Delta in Vietnam