Internship Programs in Bali

3 Months Volunteering in Paradise

After volunteering for 3 month in the teaching project in Ubud, Josephine from Germany feels like Bali is her second home.

Josephine always had the dream to go abroad to do some volunteer work after finishing high school. She eventually chose Bali as her destination and is more than happy with this decision. She had a wonderful time in the project and also in her free time with the other volunteers.

My intentions and first impressions

I always wanted to go abroad after my Abitur and eventually chose Bali as my destination. If you hear of Bali, you immediately think of paradise and that is what it definitely is. But like every beautiful spot on earth, there is another side to Bali than the Bali everybody knows from pictures and movies: the developing country and local life, coined by Hinduism and agriculture.

As I chose a volunteering project in a local school near Ubud I was able to encounter into the life of the Balinese and by all means am so thankful to have made this experience!

Everybody in the school, the students and the teachers, were very welcoming and friendly from the first day so that I felt very comfortable straight away. Especially Ibu Agung, a teacher from the school that is responsible for the volunteers, treated me like I was part of her family and made me feel like I was at home.

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My project work

In my project I was expected to teach children between grade 1 and 6 in English, as it is essential to speak English in Bali because of the tourism. The language barrier- the kids could barely speak English and I can speak the same amount of Bahasa Indonesia, made my work harder than I had expected. By talking with our hands and feet and having Ibu Agung, who translated many things, by my side made it possible for me to teach some English words in a playful way. As the kids live in a rural area coined by agriculture, education is not as important for their parents and therefore good achievements in school are not a priority. Nevertheless, most kids were hard working and very curious and it was fun to work with them!

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Bali is my second home...

During my stay I was also able to attend two ceremonies (two weddings) which Ibu Agung took me to. It was so nice to experience the different culture up close and I am very thankful for being able to have experienced this. All in all, the Balinese people are so warmhearted and welcoming that I always felt like Bali is my second home.

Free time

Besides my project I also had a blast in my free time. The people that I met turned into something like a family replacement for that period of time and with them I have made memories I will never forget. Because I first lived near Ubud, where I didn’t feel quite comfortable, then moved to Sanur into a homestay after 3 weeks where I stayed for 2 weeks and eventually moved into the Sanur House (a house with volunteers) I got to meet a lot of people that I probably wouldn’t have met if I had stayed in one place for the whole time and I am very thankful for that.

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Conclusion

From my time in Bali I have learned to be more spontaneous, to be thankful for what you have and to try to always be friendly- everybody feels better then!

I am very grateful for the last 3 months and wouldn’t mind flying back to Bali right in this second...

Did you get inspired by Josephine's story?