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Volunteer Overseas, International Volunteer Work, Help Overseas, Cultural Immersion
Explore the world, expand your horizons, and take part in an intercultural experience you'll never forget.
Take a deep breath into Cultural Immersion.
Volunteer Overseas
and Help Overseas with Cultural Extremes. Make a difference to your life and the lives of others..
Before last year, my day-to-day life consisted of double short lattes, a long and often dreaded
commute and a 40-50 hour work week at a job that I enjoyed but certainly wasn't fulfilling.
I knew I wanted more and to do something different. So I made the decision to head overseas.
I already knew that I loved to travel but I also knew that wouldn't sustain me for the long term.
I wanted to donate my time and energy to a worthwhile project. I wanted to have an authentic
cultural immersion experience. And so I looked into several
international volunteer projects.
The first was the Peace Corps but I quickly realized that I wasn't quite ready to make that
2-year commitment—without choosing my final destination. I wanted a little more freedom.
So then I searched through multiple volunteer abroad companies and was faced with the
fact that almost all the options were pretty expensive.
In my search for the perfect project to
Volunteer Overseas,
I eventually came across the Rural Thailand Project, A Volunteer Thailand
Program being offered through TEFL International
at the time. It was exactly what I was looking for. I would receive a
TESOL course
and certification in preparation for Teaching English abroad and then I'd work in a placement
for 4 months putting my skills to work but also helping to improve the quality of life for a
community that normally wouldn't be able to afford a native English-speaking teacher.
Now my daily life consists of a 10 minute walk to work along the waterfront, sawngthaew rides
for longer journeys, delicious Thai food every day and immersion into a culture that is very
different to my own. It's almost hard to remember what my life was like before. To live and
work abroad to help overseas in a completely different culture has been one of the most
challenging and educational things that I've done with my life. It's different from the
traveling I've done before and I would have to say, more rewarding. Living and working in a
country unfamiliar to me, I've had intercultural experiences that I haven't been able to
have while traveling. Here in Thailand, I've found the authentic cultural immersion experience
I was looking for. I've learned much more about the culture of the country by living here
rather than moving through it. I've made deeper connections with the people I've met. And
even if we don't always share fluency in a common language, we learn to communicate creatively
and somehow that makes the connection all the more valuable.
Traveling and living abroad for over a year now, I've learned a huge amount about myself.
It has broadened my appreciation for and understanding of the world. Much more than any
difference I may have made, I've gained a fresh perspective on life and realize that
there's a lot more to be experienced.
Cultural Extremes was born out of a desire to offer affordable cultural immersion experiences
and volunteer overseas projects to people who want to change the way they're living and see
the world in a new way. International Volunteer Work enables you to explore the world, expand
your horizons and immerse yourself in a completely different culture. We want you to experience
life outside the cubicle. It can be done. Take your life to the Cultural Extreme and help overseas!
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IMPORTANT: As a
precaution and for monetary safety please purchase travel / flight
insurance just incase your flight is cancelled or delayed.
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