Volunteer Experiences with Alliance Abroad
by Amelia Jackson Boren
Cutting through the jungle with a machete, feeding cabrito to lions and facing off with grasshoppers six-inches long does not sound like a typical south of the border vacation.
However these are just a few of the myriad of different experiences Crystal Calderoni has encountered in her first two weeks as an Alliance Abroad Group volunteer in Costa Rica.
“This is a humbling experience because we realize how minute we are in the grand scheme of things and how we have to surrender (to nature),” she said, adding that the focus of her trip thus far has been conservation versus consumption.
“In America we seem to consume so much,” she said, somewhat sadly.
Crystal, who lives in Austin, Texas arrived in Costa Rica July 2 and returned home August 13.
After spending a few days at the Amistad Institute language school brushing up on her Spanish, she set off to experience many of the different volunteer projects offered through Alliance Abroad.
Alliance Abroad Group (AAG) is an international cultural exchange company that assists young adults in finding work or volunteer placements in the U.S. and abroad.
AAG sponsors international citizens to come to the United States, as well as finding placements around the world for those wishing to experience a different lifestyle and culture working abroad.
“Right now I can’t speak in English and it’s weird,” Crystal said. “My main concern is when I return to Austin, how can I keep the ‘tica’ heritage in myself.”
Her first week she lived with a Costa Rican family, and now she is acting as a caretaker at a zoo that rescues injured animals and rehabilitates them. Next week she heads to the coast to save sea turtles.
“I have seen more in these five days (at the zoo) than I’ve ever experienced in my life,” she said. “I didn’t know I could handle it.”
Crystal is documenting her travels and experiences through a Web site, http://www.allianceabroad.com/ob/crystal/crystal.htm, where other potential volunteers can gain insight into what it truly means to be a part of an Alliance Abroad program.
Although she has previously studied abroad in Spain, Crystal said this experience has been different because she is completely immersed.
“The waterfalls here are bigger than Hawaii and I haven’t even been to the beach yet,” she said excitedly.
Further Information
www.allianceabroad.com
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