Kate Dickman’s Experience in Ghana

Post written by Kate Dickman, a United Planet volunteer.

Exactly a year ago my trip to Ghana began. I remember everything like it was yesterday and my memories of that warm place are fond. I’d have to say that visiting that country was one of the best things I’ve ever done with my life. Although I was not there for as long as I may have liked, what I saw and experienced during my stay was simply amazing.

I was able to discover much of Accra (Ghana’s capital) as well as teach a summer camp up in the Volta Region in a small village called Biakpa. I knew that I couldn’t change the world with just one trip, so I made a goal – to befriend one child and make a difference in their life somehow. During my stay in Biakpa, I was able to help teach kids at a summer camp me and two other volunteers created as well as witness their culture firsthand. One of my favorite parts of the trip was being able to take these children on their first true “field trip” to Wli Waterfalls and the Monkey Sanctuary. This experience was not only a dream come true for myself, but more so for the children who got the opportunity to leave their village for the first time! The look of excitement and bewilderment on their faces was so fulfilling. I’ll never forget their expressions as we danced and sang on the way to the waterfalls –it was amazing.

While the first village was a great experience, it wasn’t until my even shorter stay in the next village – Putibiw that made my trip complete. It was a little unclear as to what I would be doing there as it was not quite on the itinerary initially and it was a new project for United Planet. I felt a bit lost upon arriving there as the people of the village were not as used to outsiders as Biakpa. However, I befriended a gregarious young girl named Bernice. This girl truly took to me as I did her and I taught her as much as I could in that short time. She really was something else and unlike any other villager I had met in Ghana. There was this spark in her and this desire to know more about the world and more about people outside of her culture. She also differed from the other children I met in a BIG way. She did not ask for one single thing. She never expected anything or desired much from me except for friendship.

By the end, she even insisted on buying me a soda and then attempted to give me the equivalent of two American Dollars for my trip home (which I graciously declined of course), but it showed just how selfless this young girl was. She taught me a lot about the kind of people that can have so little but give so much. I was grateful to be able to connect with another volunteer who was heading to the same village and sent with her a lovely care package to give to Bernice. We still keep in touch to this day with phone calls once in a while and I’m happy to say that my initial goal was accomplished. It is a trip I will NEVER forget, people I will never forget and a place I hope to venture back to!

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet

Did you enjoy Kate’s Story? Visit her Blog for more!

Salsa Dancing

Post written by Theresa, a United Planet team member.

Salsa – spicy, fiery, hot, delicious! Of course I am talking about the dance! Like all dance forms, the music and movements represent cultural customs and history, making salsa dancing much more than just a fun, sultry dance.

The origin of salsa dancing is contested with many places claiming to be its “birthplace” — the leaders being Cuba and Puerto Rico. Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. The Latin music we hear today has most of its origins in Cuba where the blending of African drum rhythms and Spanish guitar evolved into a variety of Latin American music.

I fell in love with salsa while studying Spanish and living with a host family in Antigua, Guatemala back in 2002. One day I noticed a flyer announcing salsa lessons for $3.50. Who could resist? I was hooked after my first five minutes! It was a combination of the contagious music, fun moves and the chance to learn more about Antigua from a local’s perspective. I took classes five nights per week and joined my new friends at the salsa clubs on the weekends.

After returning to the States, I was not able to continue exploring my new-found passion until I moved to Boston in 2004. Since then, I have taken endless classes and joined a company called MetaMovements (www.metamovements.com). I now train with the student performance team and teach classes both in the studio and at salsa clubs in Boston. I also dance and teach Rueda de Casino – a Cuban dance with casino-style salsa moves done to salsa music, but the dancing couples are in a circle and all complete the same moves as they are called out by the group’s leader. It is a fun twist on salsa as dancers switch partners throughout the song, making it a very community-oriented dance. You can never stop learning salsa and rueda! The longer I dance, the more questions I have and the more I want to learn!

I am grateful that my job at United Planet requires me to visit many of our volunteer abroad programs worldwide. It has afforded me the chance to dance salsa in many countries including Japan, Peru, Costa Rica and Ecuador. Dance serves as a common language that negates the need for words!

MetaMovements Salsa Team

This photo is from my team’s first performance held at “Salsa in the Park” in Boston’s South End. Unfortunately, we had to dance inside due to the rain, but that didn’t put a damper on the evening!

I love dancing with an international group of dancers and spreading the love of salsa! I encourage everyone to find a form of dance that connects with them and explore it to the fullest – its moves, music and history. I think everyone can dance!

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet!

Beijing Olympics

Post written by Li, a United Planet team member.

National Stadium

There is only one day left before the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games, which will be held in Beijing, China. Millions of Chinese people have been anxiously awaiting and preparing for this worldwide event. I still remember the day in 2001 when Juan Antonio Samaranch, the president of the International Olympic Committee, announced that Beijing had won the bid to host the games. It was truly an amazing feeling for me as a Chinese woman who worked in Beijing! The Chinese view the opportunity to host the Olympics not only as a form of economic development and national pride, but also as a potential forum for multinational diplomacy.

This year China has suffered many difficult times, including the recent Chengdu earthquake. With all these hardships, many Chinese began to doubt that the Olympics were really going to take place in Beijing after all. However, when my friends and family in Beijing told me how many things China has been doing in order to remain the host of the Olympic Games my optimism was restored. My friends from college who are involved in the tourism and hospitality industry have told me that they are welcoming their busiest season ever with great excitement after months of strenuous preparation.
As a citizen of China, I would like to say that “Beijing Welcomes YOU” regardless of whether or not you know anything about the Olympics or China. I know my entire country hopes that everyone from around the world can enjoy the “Great Games” with us. This is the first time I feel as though a sporting event is so very important for my country. It is a great privilege for me to be personally connected with such an amazing event.

I wish all the athletes from the around the world the best of luck!!

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet!

French Films Featured At Rhode Island Film Festival

Post written by Laureline, a United Planet team member.

The 12th Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), which takes place August 5 -12, 2008, is featuring 300 long films, short films, and documentaries from 53 countries. The event, which is being hosted by select theaters in Providence and Newport, will be debuting some films from my native country of France.

If you are tired of the beach and the sun and are looking to immerse yourself in some foreign culture, why not join me and others in a nice cool move theater! If you like French films, there are two that I highly recommend seeing. The first is Christmas Dream (“Songe d’une Nuit de Noël”) a moving story about a young girl who runs away at Christmas. Lost in Paris, she meets a traverse flute player who helps her discover a passion for music.

I would also recommend Between the Folds, a documentary jointly produced by the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Israel. It tells the story of “10 fine artists and intrepid scientists who abandon[] careers and scoff[] at hard-earned graduate degrees - all to forge the unconventional life of a modern-day paperfolder.”

The festival is open to any movie theater professional or amateur. Film-goers can choose from a variety of pass/ticket packages. For more information, please check out the festival’s site: http://www.film-festival.org/index07A.htm

I hope to see you at the movies…

Volunteer abroad with United Planet

Fiestas Patrias del Peru - Peru’s National Independence Day

Post written by Amanda, a United Planet team member.

Peru celebrated the anniversary of its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821 this week. The revelry kicks off on the eve of July 27 each year with folk dancing and music performances in city plazas across the nation. Country fairs with bullfighting, and horse expositions are also part of festivities that take place. The national holiday lasts for two days every July 28 and 29.
To get ready for fiestas patrias, as the holiday is known in Peru, it is common for stores, restaurants, homes, schools, and public institutions to fly the Peruvian flag for the entire month of July. The 28th is a tribute to the liberation leader, General José de San Martín, who, together with Simón Bolívar, led independence struggles across South America. A formal 21-cannon Reveille takes place at dawn, when flags are raised all over the country. Later that morning, Peru’s president is required to give a state of the nation address. Newly-elected presidents assume office on this day. The next day, July 29, the nation’s military achievements are commemorated with an afternoon parade. The president also attends the Te Deum Mass, held in Lima.
This past Monday, July 28, a fountain in Lima’s Plaza de Armas was filled with 2000 liters of pisco, Peruvian brandy, and shared by about 50,00o Peruvians. Even the President, Alan Garcia, came out for a toast to honor Peru’s 187th Independence Day.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia

Celebrating major holidays in the Plaza de Armas in Peru is a given. When I was a volunteer serving abroad, I celebrated New Year’s, Peruvian style, in 2006 in Cusco’s own Plaza de Armas. Public merrymaking and sharing of pisco, wine, or beer, is customary during traditional holidays in Peru.

Watch a video on how Peru celebrates its Independence Day (in Spanish).

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet

Volunteer’s Video - Ghana

The following is a video created by Kate, a United Planet volunteer who participated on a Short-Term Quest in Ghana, West Africa.

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet.

Cultural Diversity in Spain

Post written by Silvia Rodriguez, member of the United Planet Team

It is wonderful to learn about cultural diversity in different countries, and also about the cultural differences in the same country! It is a first step to understanding one another, and helps to enrich our lives and to foster multicultural understanding.
Today I would like to introduce you to the cultural diversity in my home country, Spain. I realized the importance of sharing it with other people when I discovered that there are people who do not know that there are difference languages in Spain.
I think that a good way to explain it would be to make it visual. The following is a simple map of the many languages spoken in Spain.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of languages spoken in Spain. Most people can speak Spanish and we can all understand each other, but at the same time, there are very beautiful languages in other regions that are used by the regional governments and local people.
I consider myself lucky to have been raised bilingual (Spanish and Catalan) and to have learned a third language (Galician) before the age of 5. Moreover, it enables me to learn languages such as Italian, French or Portuguese with great ease!
I really encourage people to discover and be proud of the cultural diversity that exists in their countries; it is empowering and life-enriching.

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet

UP Volunteer’s Experience in Costa Rica

Jungle in Costa Rica

Beautiful Beach in Costa Rica

The following is an excerpt from Sarah’s blog that she kept while volunteering with United Planet in Costa Rica:

Sunday morning was an early one! The family took me over to the bus stop at about 5:30am. I met Luis, who works for Ixacava and we got on the bus and went to Limon, where the reservation is. We got there at about 8:30 and waited for the rest of the group who was coming by car. We waited almost 2 hours! (For me, this felt like a long time, but it didn’t seem to matter to Luis). We spent the time talking to locals and I learned a little bit about the area where I would be staying. At about 10:30, Laura and the rest of the group (her two kids, her husband, the President of Ixacava and her son) arrived. We all loaded up into the back of a pickup truck and we drove about 30 minutes to the “Ixacava Farm.” It really wasn’t a farm, but really a little place with a hut, and some logs to sit on. They then had their monthly meeting, which consisted of them sharing stories and coming up with ways to better their society. It was a great experience for me and I enjoyed everything (that I could understand). After the meeting, we all went back to the bus stop and Laura’s group headed back to the city and I stayed with my new host father. We went to a little shop to buy some food, and then we both got back into the pickup and headed toward his house. When we got to a large river I was thinking, okay, how is this pickup truck going to get across a river like this? Well, the answer was simple… it wasn’t going to. We unloaded, and I was surprised to find out that we needed to ride horses up the mountain to get to his house. Wow. It was an absolutely gorgeous and amazing horse ride that lasted about an hour and a half. I have no idea how he navigated the mountains like he did, I was lost after the first turn!

When we reached the house, I was greeted by his two kids, his wife, his sister-in-law and her son. His wife, Jenny, had dinner all ready when we got there, and it was some of the best food I have ever eaten! After dinner, it was almost dark and I found out that they go to bed when it gets dark, about 7 or 7:30, because there is no electricity. So I followed suit and got ready for bed. We went to sleep and everyone slept on the ground, except for me; they gave me the only bed in the house. We all woke up at 4:00am to start the day! My host father and I headed out to go to work! We spent the day building a new chicken house for an Ixacava project. It was a lot of hard work, but in the end it all paid off. I did have some encounters with insects while I was there. I sat down to take a break and accidentally sat in an ant hill. The result was 27 ant bites. After work I continued my luck with bugs and accidentally stepped in an African Bee Hive (on the ground) on my way back to the house. This resulted in 3 or 4 bee stings! We finally made it back to the house after about a 30 minute hike up the mountain and we had dinner and hung out with the family. I also saw my first “very large” spider! It was about the size of my hand and it was crawling toward me! I jumped up in a hammock and Jenny got a broom and calmly brushed it outside.

The next day we mostly worked around the house, but that afternoon, I got to go and play soccer! It was really, really fun! It was me, my host father, and two of his friends! The field was the worst I have ever seen, but it was one of the most fun games I have ever played. I finished the game with only one injury; I think I might have sprained my toe, because the field was full of rocks, and we played without shoes!

Wednesday was my last morning in the mountains. It was sad to say good-bye, but I was looking forward to showers and bathrooms. We loaded up all of my stuff, saddled the horse and began the trek down the hill. I got on the bus to San Jose feeling like I had been there for the perfect amount of time. I think it was a wonderful experience for me.

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet

From Givenchy to United Planet

Written by Claire a United Planet team member.

When people ask me why I went from working in public relations for Givenchy to doing public relations for United Planet, I tell them it is all about culture and sharing it.

Where does this come from? First, I studied art history for two years in Paris. Then I worked for Louis Vuitton which allowed me to discover that there is a lot more to the high end fashion industry than just making money. People that are not familiar with the French fashion industry do not realize that what it is really about is historical heritage, hand craft, unique pieces and, above all, French culture.

So, when I joined Givenchy’s PR team, I discovered a couture and perfumery house which is among the most interesting in its industry. Its founder Hubert de Givenchy is still alive and the brand has a fantastic history. Legendary film star Audrey Hepburn was Hubert de Givenchy’s first and only muse. What I enjoyed most about my position was the opportunity to promote the brand history and legacy of the new products. Working for Givenchy was really about culture and discovering the French perfume industry. It was my job as a public relations intern to share what I was learning with as many people as possible.

I think this is also what United Planet is about. Everyone is passionate about something, is proud of his or her culture, or has knowledge others do not have. It would be a waste not to share it. The knowledge or passions we have should not be kept confidential or to a happy few.

United Planet, through its different volunteer abroad programs, gives people the opportunity to meet, talk, and like in The Little Prince by A. St Exupery, “to tame and be tamed”. At the moment, I am working as a member of the Communications Team for United Planet. Inside the organization itself the diversity of the people makes it a really rewarding experience. I have a lot of expectations for myself and United Planet and, hopefully, I will be able to participate actively in many United Planet’s programs.

I love culture and I love learning from others. That is why I worked for Givenchy and that is why I joined United Planet.

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet!

Bastille Day

Eiffle Tower Fireworks

Arc de Triomphe

Most French people are proud of their history, particularly of the French Revolution, even though it was a very violent time. When you grow up in France, you are taught the important meaning of Bastille Day. The day Parisians stormed The Bastille, the most famous royal prison in France. It was on this day that the royalty lost its divine and religious status and was only seen as a dictatorship by the French.

When you’re young, and even when you grow older, you love Bastille Day because it means that your parents don’t work and festivities are held all over France! The biggest celebration is the military parade on the Champs Elysees, the main and well-known avenue of Paris which stretches from l’Arc de Triomphe to la Place de la Concorde. The parade can be seen on every national TV channel.

There are also many festivities in small towns such as fireworks, balls and concerts. This day is very important because it demonstrates the French people’s dedication to their country and a renewed understanding of what their ancestors went through. Although Bastille Day is a French holiday, celebrations happen all over the world. In 2006, I was in the United States and I went to “Le Bal du 14 juillet” organized by the Committee of French Speaking Societies in New-York. It was a very French experience in a very American city. We drank good champagne and an orchestra was playing ‘La Vie en Rose’.

Wherever you are, whatever you do, Bastille Day should be celebrated as a symbol of freedom and revival.

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet!