What inspired you to go abroad?
After joining SLV.Global in Sri Lanka, I really wanted to travel to another part of the world and gain even more hands-on psychology experience while experiencing a new culture.
Why did you choose SLV.Global?
I chose this specific organization as it is specifically targeted at psychology and providing the opportunity to gain experience in the mental health sector which is an experience that I really struggled to find outside of this program.
What was your favorite part about Bali, Indonesia?
My favorite part about the host country was the sense of community. As I was living with a local family, I felt really welcomed by them and the entire community. They even held a welcoming ceremony for us which gave us our very first taste of Balinese food, music, dance, and general culture.
Part one of being welcomed by the local community
What made your experience abroad unique?
What made my experience abroad unique was having the opportunity to work with individuals with special needs and mental health issues through running therapeutic activities that we planned ourselves and having workshops that were run by active mental health professionals in the country.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
The local staff were amazing! They were really friendly and welcoming. Not only did they help me learn some of the language and adjust to the culture shift, they also helped me find my way around the area.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?
One thing that I wish I would've done differently is traveled to more places in my free time. I feel like there were still so much that I wanted to see and explore.
Group selfie post-induction
Describe a typical day in the life of your program.
A typical day in the life of a SLV.Bali volunteer involves having breakfast with fellow volunteers in the homestay and being greeted by our homestay parents who say "Selamat Paggi!" —it means "Good morning!"— in the most cheerful manner. We would then get ready for our morning project and head to our assigned meeting places before being taken to our first project of the day.
After all of the fun and hard work in that session, we would head back and have lunch, sometimes a full meal or just pick up a snack whilst preparing materials for the next project. We would make sure that we had everything we needed and then meet again for the afternoon project.
After a long day, we’d return home where we have dinner with the homestay parents who ask about our day and plans for the weekend. Retire to our rooms or prepare materials for the next days sessions. Sleep and repeat.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time?
Free time on the weekends were spent going on various adventures— from shopping and indulging on food, to relaxing on beaches or spa tables, and even climbing mountains or doing other active stuff! There is an option for every mood.
What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?
My accommodation was basic, but not too basic. I was in a room of four where we all had comfortable beds with mosquito nets and a fan which was NECESSARY! We had a bathroom (with a western toilet) which we shared and generally had enough space between each other. I really enjoyed sharing a room with other volunteers, getting to know each other and not feeling alone in the experience.
Tegenungan Waterfall
What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?
One thing that every participant should know is that you will learn to become more independent from this experience if you are not already. You are not spoon fed but you do have the support of the teams both in country with you and in Head Office.
Now that you're home, how has your program abroad impacted your life?
Now that I am home, I was successfully accepted onto a Master's course in Therapeutic Counseling which I would not have been able to do without the experience gained. I also found myself more patient and compassionate when facing language barriers and use non-verbal communication a lot more to help me.
Would you recommend SLV.Global to others? Why?
I would unreservedly recommend SLV.Global to anyone with an interest in global mental health. Being able to work with vulnerable individual in another culture can be a hugely beneficial experience to those interested in pursuing Psychology as a career.
