What inspired you to go abroad?
I was raised in a small upstate New York town and felt that being immersed in another culture would be invaluable for my perspective.
Why did you choose Omprakash?
I chose Omprakash because of the flexibility, affordability, and strong ethical focus of the program.
What does ethical travel mean to you?
Ethical travel is travel that supports the greater good. Typically, the greatest concern of ethical travel is the effect on the local people and environment which hosts travelers. The local communities and environment must be respected and impacted negligibly or positively as according to the perspective and values of the host communities, and not the travelers. Ethical travel should also better the traveler by engaging them in critical thinking on their perspective and role on the planet (and not impart or reinforce biases in the traveler).
What was your favorite part about Oaxaca, Mexico?
The friendliness of the people was the best part.
What made your experience abroad unique?
I had never had to seriously speak Spanish and was 17 —fresh out of high school— when I left for Mexico. My perspective and view of my place in the world has been changed forever.
How has this experience changed the way you approach your day-to-day life and/or the future?
This experience has totally reframed my perspective on my place in the global system. It has shown me my privileges and set me on a course to try to find a way of living that best combats inequality in the world. I am currently considering a profession in micro-finance and find myself with more patience and compassion for the world less privileged than my own.
What advice would you give other people hoping to spend time abroad right after high school?
Make sure you have support at home: be sure to have ways to contact family, friends, and someone who understands the difficulties of cultural immersion. Also, be sure you find a program appropriate for your abilities.
Don't be afraid to stretch a little bit in learning to do development work, manual labor, or teaching your native language, but don't apply for positions like management, micro-finance, impact assessment, or medical working unless you really have received schooling in those things.
Both you and your volunteer agency need to be thinking responsibly and ethically including accurately assessing your capabilities. Finally, get to know your partner affiliate as well as possible before going, and don't be afraid to pull out of an assignment if something doesn't seem like it's a good fit.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
My local bosses were exceptional at making me feel welcomed and useful as a part of my English teaching program. They were also very responsive to my doubts and questions, and helped make sure that all of the living arrangements I had found for and by myself were adequate.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?
I wish I had collaborated with my Omprakash mentor —my contact person while I was home and abroad— more.
Describe a typical day in the life of your program.
Omprakash has every type of listing for volunteering positions so I had a rather light volunteering position. I would wake up with my host family, do my exercises, bike downtown, prepare my English classes to teach, and twice a week I would spend around 5 hours getting to and teaching my classes.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time?
I enjoyed seeing museums, music, biking, running, hiking, and enjoying good food very much.
Día de Muertos
What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?
My accommodation was a family house just outside the city where our office was. I lived with three adults in their late 20s, their parents, and a few other individuals and small families that changed while I was there. Some of which were two goats, rabbits, six Chihuahuas, a kitten, and an iguana. I either shared a room or had it to myself. The best part was I had a family to live and eat with.
Would you recommend living with a host family to others?
I would recommend living with a host family because it's the most surefire way to have a meaningful connection with the host culture and people. It's also very helpful to have people watching out for you and being your friend.
What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?
It is very much up to the participant to find a partner that suits them. I found a great partner affiliate for me, but it requires a fair amount of research and patience. It's also the best program ever.
Now that you're home, how has your program abroad impacted your life?
I am committed to understanding income inequality, learning another language (Spanish), and becoming much much more confident in my abilities.
Would you recommend Omprakash to others? Why?
I would most, most, most definitely recommend my program because it not only offers life-changing cultural immersion in safe settings, but it also gives you incredible choices in the kinds of experiences you want, and maintains the highest ethical standards in educating all those involved to the greatest extent possible.
