Maud in Saint Lucia

My story

On 19 June my adventure began: my internship abroad in Saint Lucia with The Power of Sports. With a healthy dose of nerves, I said goodbye to my family and friends. I travelled via London to Saint Lucia, where I arrived together with three other Dutch interns. From the very first moment everything felt special: the warmth, the impressive nature and the unique culture. Then the drive through the mountains to our accommodation, with a view of a beautiful sunset.

The first few days were mainly a period of getting used to things: life on a tropical island, living with other interns, the local culture and working entirely in English. Although it was sometimes challenging to take responsibility myself and to treat the schedule flexibly, I noticed that I became more confident every day and got better at dealing with unexpected situations.

During my internship I carried out a range of tasks:
Children with disabilities at Aunty Pinky’s: I taught sports lessons based on creative themes, such as fantasy worlds, making up games that combined fun and movement. It was special to see how enthusiastically the children joined in, how they learnt to work together and how quickly they came to trust me.

Swimming lessons at Sharks and SeaJays: I taught swimming to different age groups, ranging from beginners to children who were already learning advanced techniques. At first I found this quite daunting, as the level was higher than I had expected. I observed and followed the coaches’ instructions, but I was also given responsibility for coaching individual children and teaching techniques such as kicking, floating and front crawl. This took not only knowledge, but also patience and clear communication in English.

Summer camps (Swimcamp & La Clery Multi Sport Camp): During these camps I taught swimming in the sea and led sports and games for larger groups of children. This called for a good overview, flexibility and creative solutions so that everyone could take part actively and safely.

There are many more activities, but these were my top 3 that I got to lead.

Apart from the internship, we had Fridays and Sundays off. We could then join activities organised by the organisation or do our own thing. That’s how we explored the island, went to the beach, played pool at the pool bar, went to street parties and enjoyed local festivities like carnival. We also did adventurous activities such as ziplining and quad biking, which made the experience even more unforgettable.

This internship in Saint Lucia helped me grow enormously, both professionally and personally. I learnt how to take the lead confidently, come up with creative solutions and communicate clearly with children and colleagues, entirely in English but also in Dutch. By going abroad on my own, I stepped out of my comfort zone, discovered my own resilience and made valuable new friendships with other interns and local children. Every day brought new challenges, but that’s exactly why I learnt so much about teaching, working together and dealing with unexpected situations. This experience not only gave me new skills, but above all unforgettable memories!

What advice would you like to give future interns and volunteers?

Don’t be afraid to go on your own, there’s really no need. There are always other interns to support you, and together you make unforgettable memories that no one can ever take away from you.