La Vida Idealist

At the end of orientation in Ecuador

I’ve been thinking about the pros and cons to volunteering through an organization vs. going abroad on your own.

When I went to Ecuador through an organization, I wasn’t just another person trying to make it on my own there; I was part of a team working for something, with other volunteer friends around the country whom I could go visit if I needed a break or a pick-me-up.  When things got tough—if we didn’t like the work assigned to us or we took issue with the way things were organized—the sense of camaraderie pulled us through.

It also meant we had security in numbers. At the same time, while being in a group of other foreigners during orientation wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it could get awkward. How many times did we walk into a quiet restaurant with 15 loud-mouthed Americans? Going anywhere as a foreigner can bring attention, but rolling down the street 30 deep can really turn a few heads.

My life in Argentina is quite different from that. I’m not with an organization, and I’m essentially down here on my own. When I first arrived I had a friend from WorldTeach visit me for a couple of weeks. It was great to have a friend with me, but we still branched out and met other people. At her hostel, we became friendly with a Spanish girl who as it would turn out was from the same city I studied abroad in, went to the same university I went to, and worked in the Internet cafe across the street from where I used to live! Even after my friend left we continued to hang out. And without a large group, I didn’t feel obligated to have to go anywhere with large groups of people, freeing me up to do whatever I wanted.

Ultimately, I still look back fondly on the friendships I was able to make last year. Not only did it give me friends across Ecuador, but I now have friends across the U.S. too. I wish I could say the same about Argentina, because I don’t have another volunteer to hang out with or go on a weekend trip with. But that also gives me more freedom to do what I want to do – I don’t worry about breaking the rules of an organization or not fulfilling my end of the deal.

If you’re trying to make the decision between joining an organization or coming down on your own, keep those things in mind. Are you the kind of person that wants to meet other people with whom you can share the experience, or would you rather wing it and try to find opportunities on your own?

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