Susie in the Caribbean

Participant

Susie

Programme

Internship

Country

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

Duration

4 weeks

Short bio

I’m 22 and I study Trend Research and Concept Creation at fontys in Tilburg. This past year I took the Global Development Issues minor, and through that minor I ended up in Saint Lucia with this organisation.

How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?

I’m very happy with my preparation and the support I received from Holland. Before I left, I’d arranged to meet Ruben to talk through our expectations and make preparations.

My story

“The month of volunteering was full of ups and downs, but I learnt so much and did so many cool things that I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Susie · internship in Saint Lucia

In June 2022 I left for Saint Lucia to spend a month volunteering for the charity United Through Sport. I definitely found this nerve-racking. I’d already travelled around Asia, so I thought I knew the whole “being away from home” thing. I’d definitely overestimated myself there. Saint Lucia and the Caribbean is certainly a place all of its own.

When I arrived I had to get used to the way everything was organised and people’s attitude. Everyone had a laid-back attitude that took me a lot of getting used to, and I also had to adjust my expectations a bit.

During the four weeks I mainly taught rugby and sometimes joined in with netball. I got a huge amount of satisfaction from this. The young people I got to teach were really eager to learn and keen to develop themselves. For many of them, rugby was also exactly the outlet they needed.

The month of volunteering was full of ups and downs, but I learnt so much and did so many cool things that I’d recommend it to anyone.

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

I’d recommend really immersing yourself in the culture of Saint Lucia. It’s a rich culture with an interesting history, and it will help you understand the ways of the island. Also, make sure you talk to other volunteers, in the end they have the best tips ;).