Gap year stories
Ben Ellinger, age 24
I felt my skiing ability had plateaued. After University I wanted to do a season in Canada and the NONSTOP Instructor programme seemed an ideal way to ski everyday and be trained in a structured and progressive way to ensure real technical improvement.
The course was faultless. The programme and ethos behind it were fantastic. An enormous amount of thought and consideration had gone into the development of a world class course. The instructors and contacts in Fernie were proactive, always very friendly, organised and enormously passionate. I became a level 2 ski instructor with the CSIA and a race coach with CSCF. I became very confident and knowledgeable about a sport I adore.
I lived with 4 fantastic guys and from day one we didn't stop laughing. The people on the course came from pretty varied backgrounds and we had a lot of fun. The course gave me some excellent friends for life, an even greater passion for the mountains and skiing and a qualification that I can enjoy using for the rest of my life.
I have since entered a 2 year international graduate management programme. I also instructed in Courmayeur, Italy for Interski for 1 week in January with a good friend from the course. The course helps develop leadership and confidence. When I instructed in Italy the group management was an important skill and no doubt these skills help in all sorts of environments. In addition, you are thrown into a new environment with a massive mix of people on the course and in the town and any new situation like this benefits an individual in terms of social confidence.
Katie Yewdall, age 27
I left Madagascar over three years ago now, and I still think about my time with Blue Ventures on a nearly daily basis. I was expecting the beautiful seas, stunning aquatic life, long beaches, quaint huts and friendly, smiling locals (all of which were very much present) but I wasn't expecting quite how much I would learn about myself, what it was like to live another life and, of course, the true meaning of conservation.'
Katie Yewdall joined a Blue Ventures expedition to Madagascar in 2004 and after completing her 6 week volunteer placement she returned as an Expedition Field Scientist for a further 9 months. Her experience in Madagascar shaped her career choices and Katie now works as an Environmental Officer.
Poppy Langdon Down
I went with a brilliant group to Romania and I hope we will all stay in touch. The Oyster representative is the most amazing coordinator who works way beyond his job description to make sure we had a brilliant experience in Romania and got everything out of the experience that we had hoped for.
The flat we stayed in was great and really felt like home after 3 months and Brasov is a lovely town to be living in, right in the mountains with lots to see and do and a good place to go out in the evenings. We had great weekends visiting other towns as we were keen to see some of Romania.
I loved working on the respiratory ward in the hospital every morning and each afternoon in the family houses (orphanages). It broke up your day doing different things. Its great when you feel like you have made even a very small difference to one of these children's lives or when you get all the children at a family house doing an activity like head, shoulders, knees and toes, all joining in and having fun.
I would recommend this to anyone as it had been the best thing I have done in my life and I would love to go back. It has allowed me to become more independent and I now feel much more ready to go to university next year.
(Poppy Langdon Down went to Romania with Oyster Worldwide)
Nicola Tamsin, age 20
On a placement with Quest, Nicola helped to build water dams, educate Akamba children and plant trees. She said "I saw parts of Kenya I would never see as a typical tourist but more importantly I actually gave something back to the local community. It was hard work but we became an equal in the community not just an outsider looking in. We didn't just come home with the odd souvenir and scenic photograph, we came back having built 4 dams from scratch, planted hundreds of trees and having helped some of the most deserving people have a better standard of living... an indescribable feeling!"
Emma Davies, age 34
Emma was granted a sabbatical from her job to embark on a Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) expedition in the Philippines…"The sense of satisfaction you gain in actively doing something to protect the wonderful marine life is really amazing. If I was new to diving and was to train all over again from scratch, I would definitely take my PADI course on a CCC project, the diving was really safe and in as little as a week you could be diving amongst some of world's most pristine corals."
Simon Edwards, age 21
"I believe conservation and looking after our environment is very important, and I'm pleased there are organizations out there who offer trips to look after the world we live in. As I'm particularly interested in the sea and I traveled to the Bahamas to volunteer on a Greenforce project there for 10 weeks, working to restrict the damage done by over fishing and uncontrolled tourism on the third largest barrier reef in the world. It was amazing and I saw sharks and turtles and learned loads about the sea and coral reef life. The living conditions were basic, but I was living on a paradise island which more than made up for it and I loved every minute of it."
Phil Watkins, age 26
This is an amazing project that I am so happy to have been able to take part in. Much remains to be done but the Cambodian Handicraft Association (CHA) has done so much already that I just want them to rule the world. CHA promotes Income Generation for the disabled. This is really good as Cambodia still has ‘Least Developed Country' status, and can only better itself through increases in commerce. There are a large number of disabled people in Cambodia, all of whom can become easily disenfranchised when unable to contribute to their community. CHA proves that ‘the disabled are, in fact, able'. CHA takes on disabled people with nowhere else to go, teaches them art skills and how to tailor, how to run a business, how to speak English, how to deal with their issues from being disabled. (Outreach International.)
Susan Hendry, age 29
"I quite honestly feel the Peak Leaders' course is the best thing I've ever done. The balance between the light-hearted good fun of the ski coaching and the more serious pressure of instructor training and ski exams was ideal. Throughout the nine weeks the Peak Leaders' team was a backbone of support and the sense of achievement at the finish was second to none". Susan is a pharmacist and has an international ski instructor licence. She works the winter season at Lake Louise with private clients.
Nikki La Niece, age 21
The whole experience was unforgettable, and it has made me look at my life very differently. It all began on a high - the first evening while we were chatting by the fire, a herd of elephants walked past, babies and massive adults alike. It was an awesome sight. And while I was at a community-teaching project, we celebrated World Earth Day, working with children - they got into the local press, which made their day. I left on a high, too, so pleased to have made such an important contribution." (African Conservation Experience.)
Harry Harris, age 19
Harry took part in a 2 month challenging and worthwhile rainforest conservation project and a one month Spanish Language course in Belize, Central America with Trekforce Worldwide. The project was designed to improve the national parks' infrastructure, build some low key eco-tourist facilities in the jungle and clear research trails. Harry says, "I signed up for Trekforce Worldwide as the expedition and project because it sounded exciting, and challenging. It was something totally different to anything I had done before, and with a worthwhile purpose: helping a community generate money through improved eco-tourist facilities, whilst saving the rainforest. I learnt Spanish and this project aided and benefited rainforest conservation and community development in an important nature reserve in Belize, Central America. It also helped me to interact better within a group (learning teamwork) and surviving in challenging and difficult situations.
Alexander Maltby, age 22
Alexander joined The Leap's Kenya Beach and Bush Team for twelve unforgettable weeks, working on community and conservation projects in Africa. He loved the variety of spending dividing his time between living on the beautiful coast, teaching English and Sport to local kids and then heading up-country, tracking elephants and building water wells. Alex made great friends, learnt to scuba dive, discovered a passion for safari and made a huge difference to local people who now have fresh drinking water and cricket in their lives.
James St John, age 19
James took a placement teaching English in Yanqing, China arranged by i-to-i and reports: "The volunteer internship is going fantastically, both the teaching and the general experience. The teaching is becoming really good fun now; I had a nervous first lesson, but have got into it quickly and now nearly every lesson is a joy to have. Having just met the headmaster the other day, it's fantastic to know that the school is benefiting from this as much as me. He seemed very genuine in his appreciation, which makes it all the more worth while when you think about it."
Helen Jeffcutt
‘The school itself is beautiful, the amount of art work done by the students which is displayed around the premises is amazing and it is clear that the students are all really proud of it. In many respects it reminds me of my secondary school-the same 'groups' are divided in classes according to the 'cool' gang and the 'geeks' - some things don’t change wherever you go! The majority of the students are very friendly and they have been really interested that this placement is for part of my uni course- they can't believe I actually traveled all the way from England to specifically come to this school! The staff are incredibly helpful and friendly, they have included me in their daily activities and have made me feel welcome both in class and out.” Helen traveled to Australia with Changing Worlds in March 2007
Rob Clarke
My Gap Year, teaching English in Mexico with AV has changed my life. In a country where the contrast between rich and poor is as stark as stark could be I shall never forget the welcome I received from the village and school and the children’s smiles that just kept coming for the 5months I was there. I, of course, take away the memories but am also now more confident in myself, able to wash, cook clean and speak Spanish! If you’re thinking about taking a Gap Year, stop thinking and start organising it – Since day 1, I have never looked back. Rob went to Mexico with Africa & Asia Venture (AV) in February 2007
Ayesha Khan, age 19
Raleigh International “seemed to provide a strong safety net, so I could ease in gently to travelling alone,” says Ayesha who came on expedition to Costa Rica, Nicaragua in 2007. “We worked on building a path to the lagoon in the crater of Volcano Barva. The aim was to improve access and increase tourism, which would help fund the (Braulio Carillo National) Park.” She also lived in an indigenous village helping to construct a community centre: “the people were hugely welcoming, warm and friendly and everybody was truly sad when it came to leaving. It was a wonderfully rare and unbelievable experience.” The biodiversity she encountered on the Corcovado trek was “amazing…every blister was worth it.” She gained greater confidence and self-belief from expedition, “have a go at everything and you will be surprised at the number of things you are good at.”
Rory Kettles, age 19
Rory left school in the summer of 2006 and has spent his gap year with Project Trust in Cambodia. Rory’s placement has lasted the whole year and has involved working in a variety of WWF sites. Originally in Sen Monorom he was part of a community education team visiting villages encouraging people to conserve wildlife. Once acclimatised he moved to the Merouch headquarters - on a river close to the Vietnamese border. This is an exceptionally remote area, four hours through the forest in the dry season or three days by elephant in the wet. At Merouch he taught occasional English lessons to the Khmer rangers based there and also accompanied them on patrols lasting up to four days into the forest. These patrols were to record animal tracks to calculate the number in the forest, to check on camera traps set up on previous patrols and to deter poaching. Usually there were a couple of days between patrols and Rory used this time to clean his kit, relax and to practice his Khmer on the rangers. Rory applied from Cambodia to Kent University to study for a degree in conservation and was accepted onto the course.
Jacqueline Gunn, age 22
Jacqueline spent two months on a care project in Cambodia organized through Projects Abroad, caring for children that have contracted HIV. Everyday was different. These children need a lot of love and attention and general care. Activities also included doing arts and crafts with the children, teaching basic English as well as helping to prepare meals. Jacqueline found the experience challenging but incredibly worthwhile.
Hannah Lavelle, age 19
Hannah coached a large group of Under 12’s and found this incredibly rewarding, though challenging at times! She also represented the Akpeteshie hockey team where she found playing as part of a mixed team each week a new and enjoyable experience. Hannah’s most memorable time was watching and helping with her first birth at the medical clinic especially as she was also taught to deliver the placenta before cleaning and weighing the baby. Hannah has grown in confidence, is more independent and feels better equipped for moving away from home and going to University.19 year old Hannah Lavelle’s placement in Ghana was arranged through GAP SPORTS.
Andy Ferrington
“I took a gap year last year, and after looking around at all the organizations I set my mind on VentureCo’s “Inca & Amazon Venture”. 15 weeks living, travelling, exploring, learning, playing and volunteering in South America. 15 students and 2 leaders, with whom you’ll share every high and every low; a group of people you’ll grow closer to than people you’ve know for years.” Andy is now training to be a commercial airline pilot.
Lucy Millet, age 19
Lucy enjoyed a 4 week Chinese language course in Beijing arranged through CESA Languages Abroad. “The school was a brilliant, peaceful, sophisticated place. The staff were extremely friendly, knew us by our first names and chatted and joked with us. I learnt so much more than I had expected and had so much fun. I loved being able to impress people with the Chinese I had learnt. Beijing was great, safe and cheap, there was a lot to see and do. The people are friendly and the place is exciting. I would love to go again!”
Angela Cotton
Angela who is in her 60s decided to do a life changing adventure and went on a teaching placement in Kenya arranged through Travellers Worldwide. She has extended her stay and now also helps with administration. She aims to continue her work in Kenya for as long as possible. Angela says that she loves the African life, feels years younger and is so very happy. She has definitely brought happiness to the local people.
Trevor Langford, age 26
During my two summers as a counsellor I made some fantastic friends from the world over and developed lots of new skills. I participated in exciting new activities that have continued to interest me. My Camp America experience was life changing as it provided me with the confidence to pursue other avenues. I would highly recommend it to any young person who wishes to meet new people, gain work experience with children of all ages and abilities, and widen their horizons.