Change of Plans

So I've just talked with my mom and I am going to be coming home early . . . She is going to be calling British Airways to change my flight dates, so I'm not entirely sure what day I will be flying out, but it will be sometime in the next week probably. The safety problems, issues with the program I've been placed with, and the negativity I've been surrounded by because of those elements definitely played a huge role. Beyond sharing that basic explanation though, I don't think it's really needed for me to go into detail on here. I'm happy to talk to whoever about it in person though, so feel free to ask when you see me again!

I am really sad to be leaving my class. Unfortunately we're not able to spend that much time with them. Had this "volunteer trip" devoted more time of each of my days to working with my class, I think that I would have definitely been able to stick it out. With only 3 hours, max, a day devoted to my class though, there's just too much other crap from this program being a mess that fills up my day . . . The last week has been incredibly frustrating. I'm not supposed to be able to get a refund for the time that I won't be here, but I am going to talk to the director about using what would have paid for my food and such, to go towards supplies for my class. Each day we start with coloring and workbooks, but even with just half the class there aren't enough working crayons for everyone, and some kids have coloring books that are literally completely filled and are falling apart. Getting them some new supplies is something that I was going to do, and will be something that I do anyways with or without DTR's support.

I'm sad to leave, but really excited to be home. I don't really think ill of IVHQ (the company that connected me with DTR), or even DTR, for this experience that has not even begun to meet the expectations I had for it. I honestly think that there were just too many different elements that happened to work out poorly all at once. Even the volunteers that have been here for longer have repeatedly said how bad they feel for us coming into all of the drama that we've come into. Under different circumstances, I think it would have been a much better experience. Multiple volunteers have even talked about how great of experiences they've had with other IVHQ placements in other countries, but how it is just the South Africa program that is not up to par. And that just makes me really upset because I had considered other programs . . . That does give me hope though, that I could try another IVHQ program sometime and have a better experience.

 

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