Lisanne in Curaçao
Participant
Lisanne
Programme
Volunteering
Country
🇨🇼 Curaçao
Duration
4 weeks
Short bio
Hi! I’m Lisanne, I’m 18 and I’ve just finished secondary school. I then had a gap year, during which I spent 4 weeks volunteering with The Power of Sports in Curaçao.
How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?
I’m happy with the support I received back home in Holland. I first came across The Power of Sports at the study abroad fair in Utrecht. There they already gave a clear picture of what you could expect and what the organisation is all about. After that I had a chat with Ruben, and we looked at what suited me best and what I could expect when I arrived in Curaçao.
My original departure didn’t go ahead because the situation around Venezuela escalated at the time and my flight was cancelled. Ruben got in touch with me straight away to see whether there was a solution for me and whether he could do anything. This was really nice, because you immediately notice that they’re truly there for you, even when things don’t go to plan. While I was in Curaçao, Ruben also got in touch to check that everything was going well there and that I was enjoying myself.
My story
“From the moment I arrived I felt at home, I was warmly welcomed and before I knew it I was sitting down to dinner!”
Lisanne · volunteering in Curaçao
Going abroad, I knew that’s what I wanted to do in my gap year! During my search I came across The Power of Sports and I knew very quickly: I want to go to Curaçao! I was already coaching, so this seemed like the perfect way to learn even more new things.
From the moment I arrived I felt at home, I was warmly welcomed and before I knew it I was sitting down to dinner! Of course you’re living with a whole group of people in 1 house, but it’s so much fun! You get to know lots of people and in the end we were just one big family!
Coaching, but also running PE lessons at primary schools and the after-school club, is really great fun! I was often at the same locations, which meant I built a bond with the children too. You do need to know that coaching and running PE lessons in Curaçao is different from back home. You simply have less equipment and the facilities aren’t always that good either.
I remember being shocked when I saw the athletics track, because I just wasn’t used to what it looked like there. Because of this you sometimes have to adapt your plans, but in the end I was able to give some really fun training sessions and above all the children amazed me with how good they were!
The fact that everything is just a bit different from what you’re used to is a fun challenge! You have to be much more creative to keep coming up with something fun.
For me the biggest challenge was sometimes communicating with the youngest children (4 to 5 years old), as they hardly speak any Dutch, if at all. Still, I actually enjoyed this too, because when the game finally gets going, you can look back proudly knowing you managed it!
This experience is of course about much more than just giving PE lessons! You actually have quite a bit of free time and there’s plenty to do when it comes to going out! The beaches and nature are also really beautiful, and the culture, well, that’s nice and relaxed!
What advice would you like to give future interns and volunteers?
If you’re in two minds, just go for it! My experience was truly fantastic and I’d do it again in a heartbeat! Ohhh and enjoy it!
A few more small tips:
– Hire a car, it can be really cheap and it’s just ideal for getting around easily
– Learn some basic Spanish words, because Papiamento is very similar to Spanish
Lisanne’s photos
