Senior restores French castle

In June senior Jillian Du traveled to central France with a group of students from around the world to have an experience of a lifetime. Her destination, a village called Saint Germain Des Fosses, was near Chateau des Prureaux, a castle where Du and her peers did their volunteer work. “I went there to participate in a volunteer work camp where we lived nearby the castle and we were working to renovate it,” Du said.

The group was working with Volunteers for Peace, which was made up of international teenagers. The students worked together to re-cement bricks in the castle and build a cottage in the forest behind it. “What made my experience special was that it was international and I was exposed to cultures from around the world,” she said. “Even though we were all from different places and cultures, we all acted like one unified group.”

The group was not limited to renovating the castle. “We went on adventures to nearby villages, made cheese, wove baskets and hiked to a nearby waterfall,” she said. “One of the highlights was an international night when everyone cooked a dish from a different country. They were all delicious.”

Du arrived not speaking a word of French but was able to get by through gestures and translators. “I learned how crucial it is to speak another language in places out side of the U.S.,” Du said. “Although sometimes it was difficult to communicate, it was survivable. I got used to the fact that I couldn’t understand what they were saying half the time.”

Du would also highly recommend the experience to those interested. “I would most definitely urge people to participate in something like this,” she said. “Experiencing the culture in its rawest form really helps you grow as a person.”

Junior helps out in South America

This summer, junior Spencer Meldrum visited a rural village called Tamahú Northwest of Guatemala City, Gautemala. Meldrum and his family sponsor a school in the village and they return every summer to help the impoverished people that live near the village. “We bring the poorest of the poor into the town from nearby mountain houses in order to teach them and give them two free meals a day,” Meldrum said. “We went to one of their houses in the mountains and it was 30 minutes by car and then an hour-and-a-half walking. We were exhausted just this one time while these children have to make the same commute every day.”

Meldrum’s volunteering included teaching, feeding and visiting the inhabitants throughout the trip. Hoping to inspire others to aid the impoverished, Meldrum and his family are trying to start a program where high school students would travel to Tamahú for humanitarian work.

According to Meldrum, this trip was a phenomenal experience. “It gives you a new perspective on life and teaches how we need to exercise our privileged lives to help those in need,” he said.

Meldrum learned not to take things for granted. “We have such fortunate lives here in Palo Alto,” Meldrum said. “It is really important to realize how many people there are who don’t have what we do. We are a global community and we have a responsibility to help the less fortunate.”

Junior teaches in Delhi, India

For some, summer might mean vacation, adventure or even self-discovery. For junior Ruhi Nath, it meant all three. This summer, Nath volunteered for the Association for India’s Development (AID). “Before I went, I knew that I really wanted to do volunteer work while visiting,” Nath said. “I especially wanted to work with kids, so my grandfather helped organize my volunteer job with a local organization before I reached [India]. [AID] has projects set up all over India, [but] I worked with the Gurgaon chapter,” Nath said.

Nath’s job with AID was located just outside Delhi, the capital of India, in the village of Jharsagon. Although stricken with poverty, Jharsagon has two schools, both with the AID program. “I worked with the Disha School, teaching English to the students every morning,” Nath said. Nath met and worked with students ranging from 5 to 12 years old. “Most of [the student’s] parents were laborers. They chose to come to school every day and learn the basics in Hindi, Math and English,” Nath said.

According to Nath, the best part was working with the students. “Each of [the students] were different, with their own distinct personalities and backgrounds,” Nath said. “What struck me the most was how easily you could make them happy—they didn’t take anything for granted.”

“I learned both how valuable and powerful education really is, how much effort it takes to run a school and how small contributions can go a really long way,” Nath said. “It taught me a lot about myself and highlighted the stark contrast between my lifestyle and those of others less fortunate, which really helped me realize the importance of public service and volunteering.” Nath plans to fund raise for AID and return to volunteer at Jharsagon in the future.

Junior interns as veterinarian in Taiwan

Many of us enjoy carefree vacations when traveling. However, some, like junior Irene Hong risk their own lives to help different societies around the world.

Hong volunteered at the National Taiwan University Veterinarian Hospital in Taipei in the midst of an incoming typhoon warning. Ironically, her attempt to avoid the typhoon only resulted in bringing her closer to the eye of the storm. “I arrived in Kaohsiung, but after the typhoon hit, I couldn’t get out of Kaohsiung for four days” Hong said.

After Kaohsiung was hit by the typhoon, Hong was able to take the high-speed rail back to Taipei for her internship at the University. “[I worked] at the National Taiwan University Veterinarian Hospital for four days, nine hours a day,” Hong said. While working there Hong “enjoyed talking to people with the same interests and taking care of animals.”

Hong mentioned a story about a touching event while she was at the hospital. “One instance was when an owner ordered her lunch and dinner within the sick room in order to accompany her dog,” she said. “Despite the infringements on hospital policy, the owner stayed with her sick dog over several nights, knowing that her dog would soon be euthanized.

Despite all her experiences in Taiwan, Hong has one regret. “The only thing I regretted about the trip was not working there long enough and I plan to go back in the future,” she said.