Up till now, most of my blog has been based on the positives of overseas volunteering, as the majority of my experience has been. I do think it is important though for people to see the other side though before making the decision to do the same.
The Financial Implications - Your expenses at home do not cease when you travel, so instead of paying for expenses in one country, it is split between two. I am grateful that my parents have assisted with the nightmare of contacting different service providers while I am over here to discuss bill disputes etc as I am physically unable. To call home for example, costs around one Euro per minute. I also support the financial needs of my children, to make sure they have what they need while I am away. I am sometimes judged, by locals, for the blessing that I have to be born in a country of wealth, without the realisation that with good wages, comes higher expense. Everything is comparative, when I am home, there is no savings, no extra income. I do not own my own home and will realistically not be able to afford to due to the high price of living in my home country. I have travelled to three different countries in three months while being here. The tickets purchased being extremely cheap and having to do a lot of at home web surfing to ensure that I procure reasonable flights and accommodation. I also tend to have one major meal now, and forgo the evening dinner, preferring to use the additional money for travelling. I don't get my nails done which I have noted is quite popular here, and have not had a hair cut since leaving home, for the same reasons. We all have differing priorities in terms of what we want to do. For me - travel is my passion.
Family and Friends - Coming to a new country can be quite lonely. If, for example, you have children as I do, your heart physically aches from the absence of having them away from you. A phone call is adequate but not enough to fill that hole. Being in a country where there is significant language barriers can be a hardship too. Not everyone wants to converse with you in English if your local dialect is poor. I have been grateful that I have made many wonderful friends whilst being here, but there is also moments where you do miss home. (My heart soars when I hear a fellow Australian's voice when travelling).
Exhaustion - Being a volunteer means that people assume that you have super human abilities, being able to stay awake till all hours, and still conduct yourself in a reasonable manner the following day. I have attended events an evening before having to be up at 3am for yet another event and then finishing at 2am the following day. I thoroughly enjoy the events but even now, tiredness overwhelms me and yes, some of this is my fault for the aforementioned travel, but still, sleep is a luxury that I can't afford.
Support - Trying to get projects started and completed can be problematic. Priorities differ and sometimes assistance for your needs are put far behind everyone else's. Delays are inevitable which can prove to be frustrating.
Food - Oh the food. If you have ever watched the movie - Along Came Polly, there is a part where Ben Stiller talks about how sick he has been since meeting Jennifer Aniston. He talks about throwing up and losing considerable weight due to the food eaten. This is me. Since landing here, I have been sick so many times, I have lost count. I have stopped eating local cuisine, even a salad made me seriously sick yesterday as it had not been stored correctly and was slimy in consistency but not wanting to offend the host, I ate regardless and yes I paid for this dearly. I now eat small meals, starting the day with toast and Vegemite donated by kind UK and Aussie friends. I then eat muesli bars and food from the local supermarket and only very occasionally have a meal in the evenings. The food here is delicious, but very rich, fatty in terms of meat and cheeses, and I just cannot stomach it. This is an obvious issue with me and what my body is used to, but it can make some days very uncomfortable all the same. I miss fish and chips, pies, pasties, and traditional "Aussie" food.
Finding what you need, when you need it - Back to your body. Trying to find feminine items in the evening when everything closes at 9pm is disastrous. Not poor planning, just body readjusting to time zones, changes in environment etc. I haven't been grocery shopping for around a month. It is not only difficult to find what you need, trying to interpret what you are purchasing can prove to be a headache.
All in all, my experience has been such a wonderful one, but I want there to be an understanding that with great experiences comes the flip side. You need to take the good with the bad and ensure that you focus on the better parts which I hope I have achieved to date and communicated well through my blog.
Live every moment.
Dani xxx
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