Maia Piermattei Blog
Maia Piermattei is a 4th Year International Relations and Sociology student and spent the summer teaching in South-East Asia
My summer volunteering diary from South East Asia
In September 2021, at the Freshers Fair, a sentence spoken out loud caught my attention: “Free trips to China!”. As surprised as I was, I didn’t want to miss out on such an opportunity and I headed towards the stall to get some more information. That’s how I found out about GoToCo, the company that flew me to South East Asia!
Flash-forward to June 2022: I’m teaching English in Bali, where I’d been welcomed with great warmth by my Balinese hosts who introduced me to their fascinating culture. I was surrounded by some amazing co-workers, teaching an fantastic class of 17 students, and all the while I was following a fully funded TESOL course myself, which will later allow me to become a certified English teacher in March 2023.
Flash-forward to May 2023: I’m writing this from a plane directed to Vietnam. I’ll spend the next couple of months volunteering in the rural North, where access to education is often and for many limited due to a structural lack of resources. Although my experience in Bali was so good that I can hardly believe anything could ever top it off, I’m aware that we never really know what’s ahead of us, and something tells me that this summer will exceed my expectations just like last summer did.
Flash-forward to August 2023: During my time away I had the opportunity to mentor one of my students participating in an English competition, to take language lessons from the school’s teachers, and to contribute to the development of local schools by participating in extracurricular activities and marketing photoshoots! The progress my students have made throughout the past months was immense, and the gratitude shown by the students, teachers and principal brought tears to my eyes. Funnily enough, as I’m sitting in the airport ready to fly back to Europe, I realise that I was the one being taught all the while!
Do I see myself undertaking a teaching career in the future? Not exactly. Would I embark on this programme time and time again? A hundred percent.
The fulfilment and joy this trip has brought me are impossible to explain. Just try, for a second, to picture yourself doing something you had no idea you could do. First, travelling alone (for free!) to work in another continent. Second, teaching in an actual school and seeing your students’ faces brighten up as you walk in the classroom; their eagerness to learn becomes tangible in their smiles, in their words, and even in their mistakes. Third, finding that you are completely in charge of yourself –other than of your students! The necessity to adapt to a different environment, to face constant challenges, and to prove what you’re capable of to yourself and to others will suddenly and imperceivably transform you into a version of yourself you’ll be amazed by.
Personally, as a student of International Relations and Sociology, I’ve always felt within me a desire to know the world, to explore it, to improve it when and where I can –something I had been convinced was just an idealist’s dream, but volunteering abroad has slowly taught me that it is entirely possible. Why? Because it’s a human sentiment! And all of us, as human beings, have been gifted with the incredible capacity to empathise, help each other, go on adventures, inspire and be inspired. Trust me: volunteering and travelling will change your life!
Plus, at university, getting involved in projects is unbelievably easy: you don’t really need anything but the will to achieve new things and the courage to step outside of your comfort zone. And since I’ve been ranting about helping and motivating each other, maybe I can give you a little push by showing you some pictures that I think you’ll like and by walking you through the first stage of the application process. Please get in touch if you want to know more!