The World Traveler's New Experience
Volunteer: Manon van Thorenburg
Age: 18
From: China, by way of Belgium
Occupation: Gapper
CCS Program Site: Puriscal, Costa Rica
What do you do/Where are you from?
I’m finishing up my gap year. I finished up high school in May 2008, from China. In October, I start University in England. I lived in China from 7th grade until graduation, and then left for my gap year. But, originally I’m from Belgium. I lived there for two years, then Poland, then Korea, then China.
Have you traveled in the past?
When I lived in Europe, I traveled all over Europe. And for the last few years I was in Asia, so I traveled all over Asia. But my trip to Costa Rica was actually my first trip to Latin America.
You’ve traveled so much, and lived so many places. Which languages do you speak?
I speak French to my mother and Dutch to my father, and I’ve always spoken English in school. I took accelerated German during the first half of my gap year — it’s the third national language in Belgium, that’s why I wanted to learn it. Then I started to take Spanish once I lived in China, that’s actually why I chose Costa Rica, to be able to practice. I also learned a little Mandarin, too, but not as much.
How is volunteering abroad different from other types of traveling?
What was great about my trip to Costa Rica is that I really got to communicate and bond with the local people, and so I really feel like I’ve gotten to know Costa Rica better than any place I‘ve traveled to.
Why did you choose Cross-Cultural Solutions?
Well I did a lot of research on the internet, and somehow I started at the UNICEF website, then I got directed to the CARE website, then I got directed to the CCS website. I pretty much read the entire CCS website, and it sounded so amazing, I wanted to do it. I really liked that you could volunteer and still travel on the weekends, and the cultural activities. It sounded like a really great organization to join, and it turned out to be a great choice.
Describe your overall experience.
In all seriousness, the three months I spent in Costa Rica were probably the most amazing months of my life. I really want to keep volunteering in the future. I really want to stay connected with the people and the culture of Costa Rica and I hope to go back there in the future.
What surprised you?
Probably when I first arrived — I was really scared of arriving there and not knowing anyone. What surprised me was how quickly I felt at home there. After two days, I knew all the volunteers, and we were planning trips together…I really felt like I was at home. And after 12 weeks of living there, I felt like I had lived there for years!
What did you learn while volunteering?
Volunteering with the kids really showed me how little attention they got at home, and how much they needed attention from us (me and the teacher). Sometimes, we would send little certificates home with them, and you could see the next day that some of the parents didn’t even take them out of the notebooks. So you could see that they just weren’t getting the love and affection they needed at home.
Why do you think other people should volunteer abroad?
There’s so many people who need your help. And, after three months there, I feel like I really made a difference. That’s a lot to say, but I know I made a difference. You should not only volunteer for yourself, not because you want to be thanked, but it’s a mutual exchange. You give so much, but you get so much in return, and if everyone did this, the world would be a better place.
Who should volunteer abroad?
Everybody. I saw people of all ages — I was the youngest one there, and then there was a 73-year-old man who was there about the same time that I was, and I looked up to him so much! I mean I never thought I’d be volunteering with a 73-year-old, and he did so much! But it just shows you that people of all ages can volunteer.
