Thankful

Pharoah LeFeuvre
Scotland, UK

When I think about the six months I spent in Santiago with VE Global I really feel a deep sense of satisfaction and always smile. There are genuinely few other things I have done which have been so overwhelmingly positive. 

Spending the best part of 30 hours a week in a home for teenage girls was vastly different to anything I had done before, either personally or professionally. And while it was a challenge, especially at first, the act of building a relationship with these girls was incredibly rewarding. I received a real sense of satisfaction from my time there; whether it was helping a girl with her maths homework, tutoring a seven year old to read or running a series of cookery workshops. I would always return home knowing my day had been spent doing something worthwhile. VE also gave me the opportunity to do things I never thought I would ever do, such as go on a beach holiday with more than fifty children and be a MC, in Spanish, at an arts festival!  

From a social standpoint there was always something going on in VE, from concerts and football matches to weekend trips away camping. While I found living in Santiago a great environment from which to learn Spanish, with opportunities aplenty to practice either while working with the girls, at VE meetings or in my free time.  

Overall I am really thankful for the time I spent at VE and believe it really does offer the opportunity for anyone, no matter what their background or skills, to make a positive impact and have a fantastic experience while doing so.