Want a deeper insight into what an ICS placement looks like? Read the amazing blogs written by our past and present volunteers. Enjoy the journey!
After finally meeting as two full Progressio teams at 6:30am in Heathrow Terminal 2, both the Parcila and El Bramadero groups set off across the Atlantic, landing tired and jet lagged in the Nicaraguan capital Managua, a full 24 hours later. Understandably it didn’t take long for everyone to fall fast asleep at our accommodation for a few days of orientation before travelling to our community.
Una mañana muy calurosa llena de mucho entusiasmo y amor los voluntarios nacionales de Progressio ICS Nicaragua se preparaban para darles un recibimiento a los voluntarios británicos con las puertas abiertas de nuestra comunidad.
El cual nos reunimos en casa de Doña Rosa, a la que muchos llamamos Mama Rosa, por su gran calor humano. Nos recibió con unos ricos elotes donde todos contentos le dimos las gracias y hablamos sobre dicha actividad que realizaríamos para darle la bienvenida a nuestros amigos, compañeros británicos y un núcleo más de la familia.
This blog marks the end of our eleven weeks in Parcila and twelve weeks in Nicaragua, so it would be an appropriate time to reflect upon our reasons for coming on the project. I knew before coming here that the time would slip away from us, but that foresight doesn’t help when it comes to saying our goodbyes. There is so much I’ll miss about being here; even as I write this, my host family and our chickens are huddled in the house to escape a thunderstorm.
1) Expect to be called ‘Negra/Negro or Negrita/Negrito’
When travelling the world as a tourist, you see some amazing things. There’s the wildlife and landscape, local foods and drinks, modes of transport, traditions, clothing… the list goes on and on. It’s an incredibly mind-blowing thing, to step into the unknown with a passport and a money belt, filled with confusing foreign currencies, and experience something completely new.
I’ve been asked, or more importantly volunteered, to write a blog for YONECO (Youth Net and Counselling) in association with Progressio ICS on whatever topic I wish, so long as it’s based on my time here in Malawi. Well, if there’s one thing which struck me immediately, and something I’ve wanted to put into words since I arrived, is the massive understatement (or at least for me,) concerning our cultural differences.
Stepping into Lilongwe, Malawi, for the first time was simultaneously one of the most exciting and nerve wracking experiences of my life. Our first few days here brought with them a tidal wave of learning, as we immersed ourselves in the culture and began studying the language Chitumbuka.
There were a few moments during this initial process that really stood out to me. While studying Chitumbuka, we learned that if someone were to ask you about your country of origin, you would typically respond with, ‘____ is our home’.
Almost four months after my ICS placement and it is still something I think about every day. My Malawian family and friends I dream about re-uniting with and miss them immensely; sharing a life altering experience creates an unbreakable friendship. Although my days of waking up to a rooster alarming at five thirty or telling stories like The Ugly Duckling under a mango tree are now over, there is so much about my experience that remains. Here are a few invaluable things I learned along the way:
1. I was a product of my culture
Our April - June 2016 cycle of volunteers in Zimbabwe were the last cycle to work alongside partner organisation Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP) after four years. The team have complied a series of case studies demonstrating the impact the ICS programme has had in Mutasa.
Our April - June 2016 cycle of volunteers in Zimbabwe were the last cycle to work alongside partner organisation Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP) after four years. The team have complied a series of case studies demonstrating the impact the ICS programme has had in Mutasa.
