A guide on what to expect in rural Appalachian culture written by Global Volunteers’ community partners at Southern Appalachia Labor School (SALS). While on a volunteer service program, you will be immersed in Appalachian culture. Many things might come as a surprise to visitors, and so we’ve written this guide to help you better understand […]
Some of the world’s most beautiful islands are also the greatest volunteering locations. If you choose service as a way to refocus your mind onto something larger than yourself, you can take a break in one of our partner communities and make a world of difference. These “do-good” programs engage you in genuine development projects […]
The Indian Festival of Lights Today marks the Indian festival of lights, called Diwali or Deepavali, which is celebrated throughout the country. The Diwali festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. There are many stories associated with this festival. The most common is […]
Despite its incredible growth, India remains true to its historical essence. This is a brief account by Rita, a first time India volunteer, of her experience hearing the heart of India. This is my fourth Global volunteers program. The first three were in Romania. In December of 2016, I took a Road Scholars trip to Northern […]
There are some people who can just walk up to a person and make conversation in the most kind and natural way. I’m definitely not one of those people. But Jerry is. His ability to quickly bond and make friends gave him the chance to be asked by total strangers to take part at an […]
Jenny Quach is a volunteer coordinator at Global Volunteers. She knows a thing or two about Vietnam. She was born there. Here she shares a little bit about the Lunar New Year. While January 28, 2017 is just another day for most Americans, on the other side of the world, many Asian countries (China, Taiwan, Vietnam, […]
China Country Manager Baoli Wang talks about the Chinese Spring Festival and all the preparations families have to do for this festivity. Anticipation has been littering in the air for weeks as people frantically prepare for the Chinese Spring Festival. Now, the Festival is really around the corner! However, many people are not done with […]
Last weekend I went to the Andes region in Peru, to the city of Huancayo. There I encountered many customs that you might have never heard of and you might find interesting. I will share them with you in a few blog-posts. First of all, allow me to share the custom that brings the sweetest memories: Pachamanca. […]
China Country Manager Bao Li Wang talks about the most important holiday for the Chinese, the Spring Festival, and the Little New Year celebration on January 20. The Lunar New Year, known as the Spring Festival in China, is the most important holiday for the Chinese. The celebration for the Spring Festival usually lasts for […]
India Volunteers Erich and Katie recently were recruited by local families to judge a kolam competition outside Global Volunteers’ guest house in Chennai, India. This is their report: Today was a very special day as it started the Pongal celebration. Today is the first day of the festivities and it’s called Bhogi, which is similar […]