Volunteering abroad is a wonderful experience, but sometimes people are hesitant. Maybe because they don’t know where to start or they don’t know what to expect. My goal is to make volunteering abroad seem less intimidating and scary. There are so many programs out there but I volunteered with a program called IVHQ. If you want to learn about the steps to volunteer abroad click here to read all about it. Once you apply you probably want to know what to expect when you get to your volunteer program, so this is what a week in the life of a volunteer abroad in Bali looks like, working for the sea turtle conservation project with IVHQ.
Monday-Friday Schedule
Monday
8:00am – Breakfast and Get Ready to Volunteer
9:00 am-12:00 pm – Introduction to the project (on the first day of volunteering) or volunteering with sea turtles
12:00 pm- Lunch + some down time before going back to volunteer in the afternoon
1:00 pm -4:00 pm – Volunteering with the sea turtles (feed and clean the turtles and clean the tanks)
4:00 pm-6:00 pm – Down time (exploring the island, swimming at the pool, playing games, etc.)
6:00 pm – Dinner
7:00 pm until bedtime- Free time (exploring the island, going out to a beach club, or playing games and getting to know fellow volunteers)
Tuesday
8:00 am – Breakfast and Get Ready to Volunteer
9:00 am-12:00 pm– Volunteering time (crab catching, seaweed collection, feeding and cleaning the turtles, and cleaning the turtle tanks)
12:00 pm – Lunch + down time (journalling, FaceTiming family/friends, swimming, etc.)
1:00 pm-4:00 pm – Volunteering time (re-painting sea turtle conservation centre)
4:00 pm-6:00 pm- Down time
6:00 pm – Dinner
7:00 pm till bedtime- Free time
Wednesday
8:00 am – Breakfast and Get Ready to Volunteer
9:00 am-12:00 pm– Volunteering time (beach cleanup)
12:00 pm – Lunch
1:00 pm-4:00 pm– Volunteering time (feed and clean turtles and clean turtles tanks)
4:00 pm-6:00 pm– Down time
6:00 pm – Dinner
7:00 pm till bedtime- Free time
Thursday:
8:00 am – Breakfast and Get Ready to Volunteer
9:00 am-12:00 pm– Volunteering time (crab catching, seaweed collection, feeding and cleaning the turtles, and cleaning the turtle tanks)
12:00 pm – Lunch
1:00 pm-4:00 pm– Cystal Bay Excursion (swimming, snorkeling, playing games, etc.)
4:00 pm-6:00 pm– Down time (exploring the island or swimming at the pool)
6:00 pm– Dinner
7:00 pm till bedtime- Free time
Friday
8:00 am– Breakfast and Get Ready to Volunteer
9:00 am-12:00 pm– Volunteering time (painting conservation centre and making signs to put up along the beach)
12:00 pm– Lunch
1:00 pm-4:00 pm– Volunteering time (feed and clean turtles and clean turtles tanks)
4:00 pm-6:00 pm– Down time (exploring the island or swimming at the pool)
6:00 pm– Dinner
7:00 pm till bedtime- Free time
Weekend Schedule
On the weekend there is no volunteering so you have the weekend to explore. On Nusa Penida there are so many amazing places to see including:
- Goa Giri Putri Temple
- Crystal Beach
- Kelingking Beach
- Angels Billabong
- Broken Beach
- Gamat Bay
- Tembeling Beach
- Guyangan Waterfall
If you want to learn more about these amazing places click here to read all about them.
Hopefully this was helpful and maybe eased some stress for future volunteers planning on going abroad. The schedule may be slightly different for different projects and destinations with IVHQ but for the most part they are all pretty similar. For anyone planning on volunteering abroad, please let me know if there are any questions you have I would be happy to answer them!
