There's no denying it, these bloggers are bound to make you jealous. Whether it's their guts, their energy or their tan you admire, overseas volunteers have got plenty to share with you about their remarkable work in fascinating countries. Read on to find out what you could be missing.

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Wednesday Jul 19, 2006

About me

This is my first entry so here's a bit of an introduction: I'm Lucy, I'm 18 years old, and I've just finished school.  Now the only thing to go back for is results day, which I'm trying my best to forget about! I hope to take an English literature degree after my year out, and so I'm currently engaged in panicking about my university choices.  At least I know that whatever grades I get I'll still have amazing experiences to look forward to next year.

At the end of August I'm leaving to volunteer for a year in Namibia.  I organised my gap year through Project Trust, and from my experiences so far I would highly recommend them to any school leavers finding out about gap year possibilities.  Some of my friends were put off by the prospect of starting uni a year later than most people, but the chance to take a gap year isn't one that's likely to come round twice.  It's something I'm really interested in doing and I'm almost definite that it'll be well worth it.

Project Trust runs a selection course on the small Hebridean Isle of Coll; staying there for a week allows Project to get to know you and decide which project you're suitable for.  It also allows you to meet other potential volunteers in a neutral environment, and decide whether volunteering is really the thing for you.  More importantly, you soon forget that you're being assessed and have a hell of a lot of fun.  You're asked to give your top three preferences of country and type of project, but they make the ultimate decision.  This is really a good idea, as Project have 40 years of experience at placing volunteers and are likely to be the best authority on what kind of people are suitable for which project.  I was lucky enough to be placed at my top choice, I was bouncing off the walls the day I got the letter!

I'm going to be working in the small coastal town of Luderitz in the southwest of Namibia, and the surrounding townships of Benguela and Nautilus. One other volunteer (who I haven't yet met) and myself will be producing the town's monthly English-medium newspaper, the Buchter news.  We'll also be teaching part-time in a local school, and working with Children in the Wilderness, an organisation that arranges camping trips for children from local orphanages.  Part of me can't wait to get there and part of me is more than a little nervous, but I'm sure that after my training course (back on Coll) at the end of July I'll feel a lot more prepared.

This short introduction has become a little longer than planned, so I'll leave it at this!

Posted by Lucy Hayes ( 2:42 PM )
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