Danisha in Saint Lucia

Participant

Danisha

Programme

Internship

Country

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

Duration

10 weeks

Short bio

Hiya, I’m Danisha! I’m 20 and I’m doing my 2nd-year internship for the Sport Studies course at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. I’m in Saint Lucia for 10 weeks. In my free time I play a lot of hockey, sit out on terraces and do fun things with friends.

How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?

The support from Holland was good! At first I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go, but thanks to the information he shared, that became clear very quickly.

Before the internship I asked lots of questions, which were answered quickly, well and clearly, with answers you could actually do something with. Since I’ve been in Saint Lucia I’ve hardly spoken to Ruben, but whenever I need him I can always send him a message.

My story

“Don’t hesitate to take on this adventure! It’s more than worth it! Enjoy every second with the children, because no one can ever take that away from you!”

Danisha · internship in Saint Lucia

During my 10-week internship the focus was mainly on the pre-school in the mornings. From school we were given the assignment of developing a new sport and movement programme for it. The pre-school sports sessions run from Monday to Thursday, and each day you teach a one-hour session to children aged 3-5. These are the best hours of the week, thanks to the children’s enthusiasm and the energy they bring.

Besides the pre-school, I was also very involved with swimming. At first we only gave swimming lessons in the pool, but after 2 weeks an open water swimming session was started. Here you taught swimming in the sea, and it’s incredibly cool to do. The difference between how scared some children were in the water at the start and how they came running into the sea by themselves at the end was like night and day.

Outside all the sessions, it’s always great fun in the house. Sometimes there are quieter periods, but usually there are between 10 and 15 people in the house. We often all go out together, to the beach or do fun activities ;))

It was an incredibly cool experience to live in a completely different country for 2.5 months. I definitely don’t regret the adventure I took on here. As well as experiencing so many wonderful things, I’ve also learnt and seen an enormous amount that I can definitely take with me into my future. There’s nothing more wonderful than the opportunity I was able to give the children by sharing my experience in sport.

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

Don’t hesitate to take on this adventure! It’s more than worth it! Enjoy every second with the children, because no one can ever take that away from you! And above all, don’t forget to drink enough cocktails ;)) It’s also really fun to do as many activities as possible so you get to know even more of the island.