As we take a look back at our own experiences and prepare for a return trip to South America, we want to share some of the things we found most surprising about international volunteering.   Leaning into uncertainty is half the fun and a critical part of any life-altering experience, but we’re hoping that this insight will help you to feel a bit more comfortable if you’re contemplating a similar path.

Surprise #1 - Disorganized Organizations

Organizations that host volunteers are often stretched very thin.  Need is great.  Resources are limited. Outstanding nonprofits are very comfortable responding quickly and effectively to ever-changing circumstances. They are organized in their inevitable disorganization.  Unfortunately, other nonprofits are just plain disorganized.  Not necessarily ineffective – just disordered. That being the case, we’ve met very few international volunteers (including us!) whose experiences matched their expectations.  That’s ultimately a great thing, but it can be a bit overwhelming when you first step foot on foreign soil.

In our case, one of our responsibilities was teaching English.  On our first day, we learned that the person we were scheduled to train with was reassigned.  We were on our own to teach two classes, and we had no clue what to do! We were barely acclimated to the extreme poverty that surrounded us.  Somehow, we had to pull it together in order to teach English to Spanish-speaking kids and young adults.  We pulled it off, and did so again and again, during our months volunteering.

Many volunteers we met along the way were inconsolably upset about the constantly changing reality of their volunteer experiences.  Many let it sour their entire journey.  The truth is, some organizations are disorganized (or can appear to be).  Plan to be very flexible and become friendly with uncertainty.

Next up: Language Non-barriers