Gijs in Saint Lucia

My story

In February my adventure began, to a completely unfamiliar island in the middle of the Caribbean that I didn’t know at all. It was the first time I had left home on my own for a longer period. I was nervous, and I wondered where I would end up, with which people, what I would be doing and whether I would actually enjoy it all.

I was nervous when my adventure began! After a long journey I arrived in a completely different culture and a completely different atmosphere. Everything went nice and slowly, let’s put it that way. When I arrived at the accommodation, the group welcomed me. It was lovely to be welcomed like that.

After a few days I was a bit more used to the surroundings, the heat and the sessions I would be running. It was really nice to be able to watch the others a bit during the first sessions, so I soon got used to running the sessions.

I really enjoyed running the sessions. I mainly focused on giving goalkeeper training to pretty much anyone who wanted it. It was great to be able to do my own thing and to work with people of all ages, from around 6 to around 50. It was interesting to see how people in Saint Lucia do their sport and how (in my case) goalkeepers trained in Saint Lucia. After a while of doing 1-to-1 goalkeeper training or training in very small groups, I started setting up a group goalkeeper training project in Saint Lucia. I wanted to make an impact with it and make sure that young goalkeepers could get specific goalkeeper training. I have to say that setting up a completely new project didn’t go without a struggle. Communication was sometimes difficult and it was hard to reach the young goalkeepers. A few times I was ready to give a training session and nobody turned up, that’s part of it! My advice to others here is: don’t get discouraged! Keep going, the results and happy faces will come! After a while it started to take off. More and more participants came along, and with the help of a few other interns and volunteers the training sessions started to run better too. It felt really good to see the happy faces of the young goalkeepers and to hear from the parents how much they loved the way their son experienced these sessions. All in all, it was sometimes tough to set up this new project, but it was well worth the effort, and a great result is that the project is still running (which, secretly, feels really good).

Something else that has really stayed with me is that I was able to give personal goalkeeper training at a good level. For example, I trained the goalkeepers of the reigning champions of Saint Lucia. I also gave 4 months of 1-to-1 training to a goalkeeper who I could really see improving and who really expressed his appreciation for the sessions.

I also really loved the preschool sessions. Playing and doing sport with the youngest ones was fantastic. The smiling faces, hugs and appreciation were really special to me!

Besides doing sport with all these people, I of course also explored the amazing island. The nature was amazing and we went on really fun outings as a group. Going to two other nearby islands (Martinique and Dominica) was also really beautiful!

All in all, they were intense but amazing months. There were definitely ups and downs. It really wasn’t always easy, but I learnt so much about myself. I got to know amazing people, both local people and volunteers and interns who became really good friends. What a time it was, and I definitely have no regrets!!! I recommend everyone to come to this amazing island and have an amazing time.

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

Go into the adventure with an open mind. Beforehand I did a bit of research and wondered what it would actually be like there. In the end it’s all a bit different anyway, but in a good way. Try to immerse yourself in the local culture too. Enjoy your time in a completely different environment!