EU and Asia European Voluntary Service Project on

“Youth and the Environment”

Volunteers´ Testimonials
September 2008 – June 2009

‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the
authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained
therein.’
Index

Index
1. Introduction: Youth and the Environment………………………………….....3
2. Volunteers´ Testimonials
Cultural Differences and Adaptation Process………………………………….4
Living Situation……………………………………………………………….…....8
Host Project……………………………………………………….……….……….11
My Life in the Host Country……………………………………………….…....14
A Day in Hainan Foreign Language Vocational College in Wen Chang….16
3. Participants’ List…………………………………………………………………..19
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Youth and the Environment

The increasing man made pressures on the

environment and its resources cause many
challenges that need to be faced on the
international level. Moreover we need to better
understand the environmental issues in order to
make our actions less harmful for our
surrounding. Young people especially will have
to live longer with the consequences of today’s
environmental decisions than will their elders.
Therefore young people should be educated in
this area, as they constitute a big part of the
world’s population and they will be managing
the natural resources in the future. The European Commission already organizes many
projects related to this theme. They help not only in increasing the awareness of the
young people who are taking part in the projects, but also those that are interacting with
them. They allow getting to know the environmental situation in different countries and
the attitude of people from other cultures. It helps in understanding the importance of
protecting the environment and the necessity to educate the young generation about the
possible consequences of the overexploitation of the natural resources.

Against this background ICYE International Office together with its partner
organisations and with the support of the European Commission, was able to develop a
multilateral EVS project around the theme “Youth and the Environment”.
This project enabled 12 young European volunteers to do their voluntary service in
various fields related to environmental protection and education as well as youth work
in 6 Asian countries and 4 young volunteers from Asia to work in similar projects in
Europe. This allowed them to make a worthwhile contribution to environmental and
educational efforts in their respective host communities and provided them with an
environmental and cultural awareness and an array of general skills.
For the host organisations reaching out and involving young people in meaningful
activities provided a unique opportunity to create an atmosphere of mutual
understanding and respect. Therefore both the host organisations and the EVS
volunteers could benefit from the possibility to exchange opinions and share experiences
regarding education, environmental and
biodiversity protection, pollution prevention
and control, climate change and sustainable
production and consumption.
We would like to thank all the volunteers
and partners who participated in this
project for their commitment and dedication
which led to promising results.

We particularly thank the volunteers who

have contributed to the creation of this
documentation and the European
Commission for the invaluable support.
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Cultural differences and adaptation process

Lana Simpson, British volunteer in Vietnam

Cultural adaptation was something that I was not too worried about before coming to
Vietnam, as I have travelled to various countries before and was prepared to be open
minded and relaxed about cultural differences. I don’t feel that I encountered many
serious cultural ‘shocks’ whilst here, although it took me a little while to become
accustomed to the lack of personal space and number of people staring at me!

Raido Mänd, Estonian volunteer in India

Indian culture is very different from the European one. We

tried to respect it, but we had problems adapting to it. We
couldn’t totally forget our European lifestyle and thus
sometimes we had some misunderstandings with our host
family and some inhabitants of our village.

Street in a small Indian city

Volunteers in Nepal: Milla from Finland, Juan from Spain and

Tariq from UK

Living in a host family helps enormously in adapting to Nepali

culture and learning the basics of the language. By living with
family members who do not speak English it is vitally important
that the basics of the Nepali language are learnt by us, so that
we are able to communicate effectively.
Our time in Nepal has also enabled us to gain an insight into
cultural differences which are prevalent in Nepali society. For
instance, we have gained more knowledge of the workings of the
caste system as well as gaining more understanding of the role of
women in society. By gaining an understanding of these cultural
norms, we could immerse
Milla gets a tikka from
her host mother ourselves into life in a
different country.

We have adapted to the culture fairly well without

any huge conflicts. It is good to stay long time in the
same place; this way we have got to know people well
and understand the culture better.

We don’t like the night life because they close bars too
early! 11.00pm and its ‘lights out’… Nepali wedding
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Swantje Heiser, German volunteer in Indonesia

I can’t say that I had a concrete problem to adapt to

Indonesia’s culture although it is a mostly Muslim society
and thus you might think it is quite different. But I
experienced that life and culture here are very friendly with
a lot of helpfulness and respect towards each other. I also
never experienced criminality or violence and I really like
that most of the people don’t drink alcohol, so there are no
drunken persons. In Indonesia I can still find something
like a hierarchy regarding
to people; thus you always
have to show a lot of
respect to older people. And Swantje in a traditional
as most of the people are Indonesian dress
Muslims I am supposed to
wear clothes covering my shoulders and knees, but this
is not asked too much. One thing I am a little bit
annoyed of is that I am always striking out because of
Swantje with her friends my skin and hair (white and blond) and there are a lot of
people staring at me. The problem is that I don’t feel any
more as a tourist as I learned the language quite good and feel that I’m living here and
not just visiting, but most of the people consider me as a visitor because of my
appearance. Thus I see my appearance as a hindrance to being able to totally adapt to
Indonesians.

Maciek Kokowski, Polish volunteer in Taiwan

Taiwanese are very curious about the “western people”

habits, so they like to observe them. They are also very
friendly and forgiving towards foreigners, so I didn’t have
any problems with intercultural misunderstandings. Even
when I did something against local rules, there was usually
someone who just politely explained how I should behave in
this situation.
I didn’t have any problems with Taiwanese food as I had Maciek with his Taiwanese friends
expected. I learnt how to use chopsticks quite quickly.
Language barrier is still a big problem when it comes to the communication with people
on the street. There are also some habits and situations here which are still hard to
understand or even accept for me, like burping at the table, lack of cultural life, karaoke
culture or lack of knowledge about some international symbols or events.

Sara Winther Skriver, Danish volunteer in Indonesia

I see my cultural adaptation as four different parts. The

biggest part is a part that I honestly don’t feel like an
adaptation anymore – it has become me – my life. Subjects
like my dressing, my way of speaking, most of my food, my
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routines. These are all the things which are very natural for me to do in an Indonesian
way.
Activities like peeing on the floor and eating the same rice dish for breakfast every
morning – are activities that goes to the part that could be called “partly adapted”. Most
days totally implanted in my daily routines
without causing any annoyances, but some days it
can still make me dream of Denmark.
The third part is “objects” I just do because I
should. Like buying souvenirs every single time I
have left the village or not using my foot to close
the door when I am carrying the dishes.
The last part is a part that consists of all the
things I just don’t want to adapt to... Like eating
chicken feet or get up at 5am.
Luckily this third and fourth part are quite small.
Sara at an Indonesian wedding

Vera Haschkovitz, Austrian volunteer in India

Through the EVS project I achieved a lot for my whole future life. My trip to India has
changed the way that I think about life. It’s hard to imagine how other less fortunate
people live but it’s even harder to see it through your own eyes. I experienced a lot about
culture differences and the importance of religion. I got more self-confident and more
self-dependent. I know now how to deal with difficult situations and problems. I can say
that India made me more patient and more thoughtful in a good way. I developed
teaching skills, adaptability and more capacity for teamwork. Knowing those skills will
make it easier to find a good job. Because of participating as a volunteer in India I would
like to find out more about different cultures and lifestyles all around the world. That’s
why I decided to study cultural and social anthropology.

Sangeetha Ravikumar, Indian volunteer in Spain

I think my cultural learning

expectations have been fulfilled. I
not only learnt about the Spanish
culture, but also about the culture
of other European countries like
e.g. Portugal, Germany,
Switzerland, Italy. I managed to
live and work in a multicultural
environment. I also tried to
introduce my own culture to other
people. I was preparing Indian
food, wearing my saree and trying
to tell others about Indian
traditions. I had an opportunity
to participate in many parties and
festivals. I participated also in a
summer course of a Spanish dance Sangeetha teaching traditional Indian
(Flamenco). These experiences helped dance to the Spanish children
me to understand better the Spanish
culture and people.
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Dian Wahyu Ekawati, Indonesian volunteer in Austria

„Jump into the cold water“ is the phrase my Austrian friend uses to describe my coming
to Austria. It's a big adventure for me to try the life that is completely different from the
one in my home country. I found out and experienced many things during my stay here.
At the very beginning I had to ask many basic things, that are obvious for the locals.
People in Austria drive on the right side, while in my country we drive on the left side. I
almost had a bicycle accident because of this difference. People’s attitude towards time,
appointments and 'invitations' are also different. In Indonesia, it‘s not a problem if you
are late for an appointment without any notification. But in Austria it's totally different.
People will think that they are not important for you, that you don’t respect them.
Indonesian people like to spend their leisure time in front of the TV. But Austrians do
sports for example cycling or jogging. In the weekend, when the sun is shining, a lot of
people go out, sit on the Donau riverbank, sunbath, swim and make picknics or
barbecues (normal Indonesian would never do that). Most of Indonesian people is afraid
of the sun and getting dark, especially young people. Almost every weekend, my
neighbours made barbecue in their garden. They invited friends or other neighbours to
join. Austrians like also going to bars, pubs and coffee houses.
Food was a problem for me at the beginning. I was a person who didn’t like eating bread
and cheese in the morning, didn’t drink any milk or coffee. When I hadn't eaten rice, I
hadn't had my meal. During the first month, it was a little bit hard to adjust to the food
here. But now I really like to eat rolls, butter, jam and cheese in the morning.
There are more things here that I managed to adjust to, but there is one thing that I
still can’t get used to. All the shops here close at 18.00 on the working days and are
completely closed on Sunday. In Indonesia Saturday and Sunday are the perfect days for
shopping.
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Living situation

Dian Wahyu Ekawati, Indonesian volunteer in Austria

Wohnheim Sankt Martin consists of 2 houses which are

located in two different places I worked in Wohnheim Sankt
Martin 1 and stayed in Wohnheim Sankt Martin 2. The second
one looks like an apartment which consist of 3 floors. On the
first floor there is a working place for the patients, while on
the 2nd and 3rd floor there is the living place. I live on the 3rd
floor. People who live in this house are nice and welcoming
and it contributes to the nice atmosphere that we have here.

The place where I live is close to Donau river and a small hill.
Whenever I get bored, I can go for a walk along the Donau.

Dian on an excursion

Lana Simpson, British volunteer in Vietnam

I have been living in a dormitory style accommodation just outside of the city centre in
Hanoi, owned by my coordinating organisation, Volunteers for Peace Vietnam (VPV). For
the most part I was happy with this arrangement as I was able to live with other
international volunteers and mostly had my own room…

Swantje Heiser, German volunteer in Indonesia

I am living in a 6000 inhabitants’ village in Central Java in Indonesia. The village is

called Sulursari and very small, but luckily we have a market and also some small
shops. There is not much to do, but after a while I adapted to the life there and suddenly
my days have been filled. I arrived in
September together with Sara, a Danish girl
doing the same projects as me but in another
school, and we had been living in the same
family for three months but then she changed
the house because of some problems. Therefore
now I am living alone with one man around
forty, but when I say “my Indonesian family” I
always think of three houses next to each other
as those people are all considered as my family.
Swantje and her host family There is then my host father, then next to his
house his older sister with her husband and two
boys (one older, one younger than me) and next to her house the mother of my
Indonesian host organization’s boss with her daughter (in my age) who has a one year
old sweet child. So I have a lot of places to go but as doors here aren’t closed during the
day, also every other house is open and warmly welcoming.
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Volunteers in Nepal: Tariq from UK and Juan from Spain

We both live with the project manager and his family which consists of Grandfather,
Grandmother, Mother, Father, Son, Daughter and maid. It is often quite a manic
household with something always going on! Our host family belongs to the Brahmin
caste and is also upper middle class which is highlighted by the fact that our host father
drives a car which is unheard of within other volunteer host families. The family has a
history of farming which is illustrated by the amount of land they own as well as the
various animals we have living in our house area. For instance, we have buffalos,
chickens, goats and cows. One of the benefits of having these animals is that we even get
to drink fresh buffalo milk and eat freshly made curd everyday with our daily meals
even though we are woken up at 05:00 everyday by the farm workers!

Sara Winther Skriver, Danish volunteer in Indonesia

I am taking lodgings with a local Indonesian family – mum, dad and two teenage
daughters. Occasionally a grandmother too. They have been extremely friendly and they
are always very helpful if I have problems. On the way, I have been introduced to their
biological families as well and they all treat me as a
full member of their family. As both of “my parents”
are working, we are usually buying our food at the
local market but in the periods where our
grandmother is living in our house, she is usually
cooking! Our house is comparatively well-
maintained and above average in this village but the
walls are still made of wood, no glasses in the
windows and soundproofing non existing –
Sara’s host family including to the neighbours motorbike, dog and
baby!:)

Vera Haschkovitz, Austrian volunteer in India

My accommodation was good but was connected with some troubles in the beginning. I
had to share my room with an other volunteer for about 3 months. … The food was
delicious. Integration into the local community wasn’t really difficult; everyone wanted
to know me and was helping me to get faster into the culture and their traditions and
daily life activities. I was very often invited to family houses and I also met people of my
age, who I could hang out with.

Raido Mänd, Estonian volunteer in India

Our living situation was very good. ICDE-INDIA was renting one house for all the
volunteers and we really liked it.
We were eating in a host family. Nice people and good food. At first food was very spicy
for us, but we got used to it. We ate only Indian food and sometimes we got bread and
jam for breakfast and chicken once a week. That was a bit of luxury, because not
everybody can afford it here.
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Milla, Finnish volunteer in Nepal

I’m living with a Chhetri (second-highest caste) family in Bharatpur, just outside
Narayanghat city. In the family there is father, mother and a 6-year-old son. I really love
this kid. The house is really nice with two floors and a garden, where grows for example
a papaya tree – ooh, can you imagine… fresh, ripe papaya straight from the tree every
week… I join my family’s normal life, which includes helping the mother with the
housework, visiting relatives or just hanging in the front porch and watching what the
neighbours are doing…

Maciek Kokowski, Polish volunteer in Taiwan

I live with the host family in the segment. The location is quite nice. I have my one room
and Internet connection there. I live about 20 minutes by bike from the center of Tainan
which is one of the biggest cities in Taiwan.

Sangeetha Eruchappan Ravikumar, Indian volunteer in Spain

I got a chance to do my European Voluntary

Service in Spain, in a village called Castuera. I’m
sharing an apartment with volunteers from other
countries like Portugal, Dominican Republic and
Germany. I’m glad to live with other volunteers,
we support and help each other in everyday life.

Sangeetha and her flatmates

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Host project

Lana Simpson, British volunteer in Vietnam

I have greatly enjoyed volunteering for Action for the City, a Vietnamese NGO, during
my time here in Hanoi. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with a
group of highly dedicated and capable women within this NGO; they have been very
supportive and encouraged me to get involved with many different areas of work. During
my time here, I have been primarily focused upon a project titled ‘Organic Vegetable
Farming to Alleviate Poverty’, which has proven to be extremely interesting and
provided me with a range of skills and experiences. Aside from a few ups and downs
which I feel are present in any kind of job, I feel that I could not have asked for a better
host project.

Volunteers in Nepal: Milla from Finland, Juan from Spain and Tariq from UK

We work on four different projects; Gyaneswor Community Forest, Malika Nursery,

Kantipur College of Medical Sciences and FriPAD.
Our work is varied and ranges from duties such as
writing proposals to wedding. Everyday tasks
include watering plants, planting seedlings,
cleaning forest areas, writing reports and teaching.
We have in the past nine months taught English to
people from disadvantaged backgrounds,
participated on school construction projects as well
as a Korean Monastery restoration assignment and
also worked
Cutting bushes in a community forest on a Medical
Health Camp
which provided free treatment for the most needy
in rural parts of Chitwan, Nepal.
Our work environment is what one may describe
as being ‘relaxed’. The people we work with are
extremely hospitable and accommodating. We
thoroughly enjoy working with the people at the
various projects and have established close
personal relationships with them. We will miss the
Class group Kantipur College
intercultural dialogue once we leave!

Working in Kantipur College

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Maciek Kokowski, Polish volunteer in Taiwan

I work in the St. Theresa Opportunity Center which

is a center for people with disabilities (both children
and adults) in Tainan County. We have here both
people with physical and mental disabilities. Most of
them live at their homes with families and come to
the center during a day like to school. There are
school buses taking students from home to school in
the morning and then back after the classes.

Maciek at work
Vera Haschkovitz, Austrian volunteer in India

My host project name is Ooty’s Children Home. As the name already says its set in Ooty/
Tamil Nadu and is about working with children. I’m working together with a volunteer
from Sweden. Together we work with 5 girls who are all coming from a different area of
Tamil Nadu.
When I came to my project in September 2008, Gustav (the other volunteer) and I had to
rearrange the rooms in the house and decorate them, so the children could come and
move in. The two persons, who are in charge of the project, helped us. We set a timetable
up, but our first try didn’t work out properly. Gustav and I changed it a little bit and we
also found other options to get ourselves more work or rather “useful” work.
After Christmas holidays my schedule was fixed and looked like this:
• getting up at 6:30 am and help cooking in the kitchen and look after the children
• after breakfast I found myself a new task to do which was teaching at a
government school (only in the mornings for about 1 ½ hours)
• then I had lunch within the project and after that my free time started till about
3 o ‘ clock (every second day till 5 o ‘clock)
• from 5 to 6 pm I was giving three teachers from my area extra English lessons
(this I wouldn’t really count as working because I really got to know them and I
enjoyed talking to them)
• At 6 o ‘clock I started tutoring at the children home. Our 5 girls and children from
the neighbourhood came over to do their homework together. Mainly I was
helping in subjects, like English, Mathematics and reading
• at about 7: 45 pm the tutoring lessons were over and had dinner together with
our girls
It was really helpful for the children to have us there. Their English improved rapidly
and as well their manners and characters. Although the beginning wasn’t really easy
because of various reasons as aforementioned I would evaluate the project as successful.

Sara Winther Skriver, Danish volunteer in Indonesia

My main task is teaching English in the local

elementary school. The students are in the age of 8 -16
divided among 3th to 6th grade. Usually the students
will receive English lessons (just 4th to 6 th grade)
once a week but during my stay they have 3 additional
lessons a week. I usually teach alone as the normal
English teacher just teaches at my school on Saturday,
when I am free. In addition to this, I am assisting

Sara with the children

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extra English lessons for the 10th grade at the local senior high school once a week.

Dian Wahyu Ekawati, Indonesian volunteer in Austria

Wohnheim Sankt Martin is a place for handicapped people. It's a kind of dormitory
where handicapped people can experience family atmosphere, friendship and fun.
Wohnheim Sank Martin was started by a mother of one the patients. She wanted her son
to have a place to live, when she won’t be able to take care of him anymore. Together
with 6 other people, she financed the construction of the houses (Wohnheim-1 and
Wohnheim-2). The relations between the patients and the staff are like in a family. The
patients are taught to be independent and they
also have some duties, like e.g. washing their own
clothes, making their bed, doing the dishes,
gardening and helping in the preparation of the
meals.

I work in the morning from 07.00-09.00 and in the

afternoon from 16.00-20.00. My main task is to
help the staff with taking care of the patients. In
the morning I’m waking them up, helping them
with dressing, breakfast and preparation for the
work. In the afternoon we are playing games, taking a walk, I’m helping them with home
work (kitchen work, gardening, washing the clothes), then we have an evening tea
together and then I’m sending them to bed.

Sangeetha Eruchappan Ravikumar, Indian volunteer in Spain

I’m working in the Youth and Leisure Centre of

Castuera. As well as centre de Interpretacion de la zapa
de la serena (Bird Environmental centre).
The main aim of the centre is to organize activities for
children and youth in different age groups. We want the
young people to participate in as many social and
cultural activities as possible. The centre offers, among
others, creativity workshops, IT courses, video, cinema
shows, information about youth sports competitions. The
centre is organizing also birthday
parties and different events during
local festivals.
My main role is to help in
preparation and implementation of
the projects for environmental
education. Some of the activities
are implemented in cooperation
with the centre for the study of
nature and other organisations that
are working for the protection of
nature in the area of Castuera.

Sangeetha on an excursion with children

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My life in the host country

Sara Winther Skriver, Danish volunteer in Indonesia

Most Indonesians, especially in the rural areas

haven’t met a foreign person before so inevitable I
have had a lot of unwanted attention! Mainly this
has been funny and I have met many people on
this account, too. It has caused long conversions in
the public buses with strangers and people who are
touching my white skin, just to check if it’s real!
Indonesians are in general very friendly and
extremely curious – but also don’t know much
about life outside Java. They ask you about
everything – even things my own mother would
never ask me directly! (like my weight and when I have my period…) Most days it has
been funny to meet new people and share my culture but I have also realized that I can’t
retell my whole life story every single day to a person I don’t even know the name of! I
evolved two rules to protect myself in my every day!
1. always smile in public! - if not; you will have SO many questions from people you
barely know!
2. it is OKAY not to tell the whole truth! This wasn’t absolutely easy for me in the
beginning but it realized that it was necessary in order to “survive” all the
Indonesians’ questions!
To live in Indonesia has been a challenge – some days more surmountable than others. I
have never felt alone or neglected and in general, I must say I have been happy here!

Swantje Heiser, German volunteer in Indonesia

Life in Indonesia or at least in a small village like mine is very slow and relaxed in
comparison to Europe. The people here have always time to make a small talk or just
come across and hang out in our house for a while, they seem to be in a good mood all the
time (maybe because showing feelings is considered as weakness) and although they
don’t have a lot of extraordinary amusement like cinemas, shopping malls and fun parks
they are satisfied. Living standard is still rather low as some don’t even have running
water, electricity runs out very often and washing machines are a true rarity. Of course
there are problems and also unemployment is very high (in Sulursari nearly 50%
someone once told me), but apparently they know how to fill their time and do enjoy life.
When I am tired of reading, playing cards, having a chat with someone, relaxing or
preparing my lessons I sometimes wish to have more social contact and more
possibilities to develop myself by joining a club or do some sports for example. I know
there are a lot of individual sports but as it is so hot in Indonesia I have become quite
lazy. But I like the spontaneity and friendliness of the Indonesians and am very happy
because I found something like a second home and a second family!

Lana Simpson, British volunteer in Vietnam

I have really enjoyed living in Hanoi and have been able to have a full and busy life
whilst here. My time has mostly consisted of working 4-5 days a week, then socialising
with friends and seeing parts of Vietnam (mostly as weekend trips) in my spare time.
Hanoi is such a busy and exciting city that I feel there is always something to do;
 15

whether it’s visiting a pagoda or museum, going for a bike ride around one of the lakes or
meeting friends for a Vietnamese coffee or fruit smoothie! Vietnam itself has many
interesting places to visit, and the good (though sometimes bumpy!) public transport
makes this relatively easy.

Volunteers in Nepal: Milla from Finland, Juan from Spain and Tariq from UK

Our life in Nepal is fairly easy-going with not a lot of

restrictions. We are basically free to do anything we
want when it comes to working hours, taking days off for
visiting places or work descriptions…. There are many
other volunteers here who we meet regularly. In general
we are feeling content. …

Milla participating in a masonry training

Maciek Kokowski, Polish volunteer in Taiwan

Even with language problems Taiwan is still very friendly for the foreigners. There are a
lot of English signs on the streets and people are very helpful. Actually the life for the
foreigners here is easy, because no one wants to make them problems.
But sometimes it might be also boring, because of limited number of entertainment
places for example pubs or clubs. Culture of singing in karaoke is not so attractive for
me and other foreigners as for local people.Unfortunately it is also not so easy to make
friends with Taiwanese so most often my friends are also foreigners.

The exhibition of Maciek’s photos is being prepared

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A day in Hainan Foreign Language

Vocational College in Wen Chang
By Tammo Fröehlich (German volunteer in China)

Depending on my schedule, which was organized by the school, I have to wake up during
week days at about seven or nine in the morning. On Thursdays, my class does not begin
before half past two in the afternoon, so I have the chance to catch up on some sleep if
necessary. In the morning I normally eat
breakfast at my place. There is a wide variety of
pastry and fruits to find in the town.
Sometimes, I go out to one of the little tea-
houses down the road where I can enjoy the
morning sun amongst the curious locals and
have a “Bao Zi” (bread filled with meat),
noodles, and milk-tea. They also serve a very
strong green tea that wakes me up. Another
possibility is going to the schools dining hall,
but normally I avoid that because of the large
number of the college’s students in their
everyday morning-rush.
My dormitory is located on
the campus, so my way to
the classroom buildings is
rather short. In my classes
there are generally about
30 students, most of them
are girls. Their major is
Oral English, so my task is
to get them speaking to me.
This often means I am entertaining and motivating more than I am teaching. The
students are all very
friendly, respectful, and
easy to handle. Sometimes,
I teach from the book the
school gave me, or watch an
English movie in one of the
media-rooms and have a
chat about it, or I play little
vocabulary games and have
them discuss their own topics. I always have some candy to prevent a lack of motivation.
One class lasts two periods with a ten minute break, each period is forty-five minutes
long. During the break I like to go to the teacher’s lounge where I can get water and have
a chat with the Chinese English teachers.
 17

For lunch I prefer going outside to one of the many

little restaurants near the school. Normally I am
accompanied by friends or students of mine who are
usually up for a little chat afterwards. Sometimes I
also like to go alone because I always meet new
people to talk to and practice my Chinese. Some food
available is a large variety of noodles, soup, rice with
meat and vegetables, or dumplings. Some of the
many snacks offered in the streets are fried chicken,
a kind of pancake, corn, or “shao kao” which is
Chinese for
barbecue. Fruits
range from apples
and bananas, over
melons and oranges
to mangos, papayas,
pineapples, and the
coconuts which Wen
Chang is famous for.
Thankfully, the food
is not expensive at all.

As a foreigner you will surely get the people’s full

attention, both locals and students, all the time and
everywhere in this town. There are a lot of different
schools in Wen Chang and the local economy heavily
depends on the business brought by the pupils.
Just to get through the totally crowded streets and
finding a place to sit in the little shops can be a little
difficult sometimes. After all it's always amazing to see
all these young people and everyone smiles at you or
says “hello”.
The campus after class
At about one in the afternoon the streets that were full
of life before become totally empty and most of the little
stores close down, because at this time it gets very hot. Most people will take a nap, me
included.

After finishing my class in the afternoon at about half past four I have a little rest again
and I go out to buy some more fruit or things that I need. I also like having a little chat
with my neighbour or some students time to time. Depending on the day, I also have
Chinese lessons in the morning or afternoon. The school arranged a Chinese teacher for
me who can speak good English and we get along very well with each other. The lesson
lasts for one hour and thirty minutes. The lessons are private which makes the
atmosphere very comfortable and personal. Of course I don't have to pay for these
lessons the school provides them for me.
 18

In the late afternoon I can choose from many activities here on the campus. I often play
sports like basketball, football, volleyball, or table tennis with the students. I also like
running and stretching afterwards. The teachers here invited me to their basketball
team and the football team as well. Furthermore there is the opportunity to learn some
Chinese Kung Fu, go to the art building to play instruments, or join the break dance
club. So life here is never boring.

For dinner I also normally go out with friends. On Thursdays the student’s English club
invites me over to have a little chat about a specific topic with their members in the
evening. Sometimes I also get invited by one of the English classes to chat and answer
their questions about my home country. All the students are very interested in
foreigners and their stories.

On weekends I have to prepare my lesson plans for

the coming week and do some documenting about
my teaching methods. When I am free I enjoy
having short school trips with my classes or travel
around the island
by myself or with
friends. Travelling
is quite cheap here
and the island is
very beautiful and
School trip with one of my classes offers a lot of little
attractions and
different landscapes.
Wen Chang also has a small nightlife. There are a few
Short vacation in beautiful Sanya
clubs here besides the many karaoke bars. People are
usually very friendly and respectful towards foreigners.

Overall a day in this college can be very busy, exciting, exhausting, and fulfilling.
 19

3. Participants’ List
EU-ASIA EVS Programme on Youth and the Environment 2008/2009:

Volunteers Host Country Project Sending org / country

Hainan Foreign Languages

Tammo Fröehlich China ICJA Germany
Vocational Colleges

Hainan Foreign Languages

Sander Sirel China ESTYES Estonia
Vocational Colleges

Helping Hands for the Under

Raido Mänd India Privileged - We serve Charitable ESTYES Estonia
Trust

Gustav Grahn Calminder India Ooty Childrens Home PeaceWorks Sweden

Vera Haschkowitz India Ooty Childrens Home ICYE Austria

Indonesia ICJA Germany

Swantje Heiser DEJAVATO

Sara Winther Skriver Indonesia ICYE Denmark

DEJAVATO

Community Conservation/Ecology
Milla Hyvärinen Nepal Maailmanvaihto, Finland
Programm in Chitwan

Community Conservation/Ecology
Juan Luis Perez Lopez Nepal ASERMUN Spain
Programm in Chitwan

Community Conservation/Ecology
Tariq Patel Nepal ICYE UK
Programm in Chitwan

Maciek Kokowski Taiwan St. Theresa Opportunity Center FIYE Poland

Lana Simpson Vietnam Action for the City ICYE UK

Wohnheim St. Martin

Dian Wahyu Ekawati Austria Dejavato, Indonesia
Kosterneuburg

Pin-Yen Fang Belgium De Bereklauw ICYE Taiwan

MTÜ Noortevahetuse Arengu Volunteers for Peace

Khiem Nguyen Estonia
Ühing ESTYES Vietnam
Ayuntamiento de Castuera -
Sangeetha Ravikumar Spain Centro Juvenil y de Ocio Cuesta ICDE India
de la fuente
 20

8. Contact and Copyrights

This documentation was published by the International Office of the ICYE
Federation within the frame of the Action 2 “EU and ASIA European
Voluntary Service Project: Youth and the Environment”

Written and edited by Lida Ulaszewska and Andreas Schwab

Contact:
ICYE International Office
Große Hamburger Str. 31
D-10115 Berlin, Germany
Telephone: +49 (30) 28 39 05 50 / 51
Fax: +49 (30) 28 39 05 52
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.icye.org

This documentation can also be downloaded from the ICYE website.

http://www.icye.org/eng/res_publications.html

For information on the EVS Programme:

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/doc82_en.htm

Copyright ICYE International Office