One of GSC’s best indicators of success is the positive feedback we get from our volunteers and community members about their experience learning, growing and giving back. Many of our past GSC Program participants have recommended us to friends and colleagues, and some have continued their involvement with GSC long after their return home. GSC is proud of the fact that our volunteers consistently rate their degree of program satisfaction very highly. Here are some comments from our volunteers in their own voices spoken from their hearts. 

THAILAND 

Teach English Abroad Program

“I cannot truly say which experience that happened in Thailand could be defined as the most memorable. I had such an amazing time in Thailand and I would love to go back as soon as possible. However, I will always remember the orientation week touring around Bangkok and Singburi. My host family was the greatest! Everything was extremely memorable.” – Keith Bachman

“I feel that the project went beyond my expectations. I met so many great people, and the staff was so kind. I felt at home there.” - Dana LeClaire

“I feel great about having gone to Thailand to work as a volunteer. I met some lovely people and it has changed my outlook of day-to-day events. Thai people don’t seem to get upset about anything (traffic for example), and the Buddhist philosophy of kindness and humility has made a lasting impression on me. I hope to be able to apply this philosophy to my daily life now that I’m home.”
- Monica Scott

“I had read the prep material for the trip and can tell you that its description of the warmth of the Thai people is understated. I felt like a visiting dignitary while I was at the school and even with my host family. The staff were more than accommodating and welcoming-greeting me, getting food I could eat, adjusting the a/c or TV stations to English. It seemed that with my host family, my every wish materialized. My most special memory of teaching was actually an afternoon at the Wat, reviewing a workbook with a teacher monk. I actually left the GSC materials with him as he was a new teacher and wanted to know how to structure lessons. We went over the book's glossary, A to Z. Imagine explaining what a "soap opera" is to a Buddhist monk!” - Sherry Picker

“I had an unforgettable time in Thailand. I was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Thai people and the endless smiles and questions from the Thai students.” - Dorianne Mir

International Health Program

“If you are interested in healthcare- have applied to medical school, are in medical school or are just thinking about applying- the GSC healthcare program is an experience you should seriously consider. While becoming immersed in the local way of life, you will observe and participate in all areas of the hospital. From the OR to the ER to the delivery room to medical and surgical wards, you will make rounds, see patients and observe surgeries, firsthand, along with the doctors and nurses. After volunteering at half a dozen places in the US and feeling totally apathetic, I found GSC, gave them my faith and they didn’t disappoint. I saw and participated in things I could only have dreamed of. To say the trip surpassed my expectations would be an understatement.” - Matt Goldenberg Midwestern University, First Year Medical Student

“During my time in the Ang Thong hospital the staff was so enthusiastic and welcoming, you really felt like you were part of their family. Participating in an orthopedic surgery, watching C-sections and being able to hold a new-born baby were my most memorable experiences.”  - Michelle Sriprasert

“My most memorable experience in Thailand was spending time with my host family. I have never spent an extensive amount of time in a foreign country and the family was a great way to get fully immersed in the Thai culture. My host family was especially welcoming, accommodating, and loving. It eased the transition of living in a different country and I was able to develop a great relationship with them. My overall experience was great- I felt that I was adequately immersed in the culture while being able to help the local community. Volunteering at the hospital opened my eyes to different aspects of healthcare, and teaching English allowed me to learn about the educational system while meeting new people. I learned life long lessons from both projects; the experience that I got from the GSC program was very unique compared to the other abroad projects I had researched.” 
- Emily Wang

“As I explained to my classmates, after feeling I have struggled through many of my rotations, I had a major breakthrough in my training while in Thailand. I attribute this to the fact that, after spending nearly a year at American hospitals seeing many normal presentations, I went to Thailand and saw between 50-100 abnormal presentations each day. This repetition helped to develop, and eventually polish, my clinical skills...I must give Dr Kittiphong most of the credit for my educational development while at the hospital. His patience and willingness to teach were unmatched by my American preceptors. Despite his hectic schedule, he was always eager to take time to translate, explain, demonstrate, and gently correct. He and his wife were two of the kindest people I have ever met. I'm sure when I ponder my life experiences, during the twilight of my years, I will regard my six weeks in Thailand as six of the most sensational weeks of my life. I traveled to Thailand hoping for an enriching experience. What I found exceeded my wildest expectations." - Christopher D. Cox, Eastern Virginia Medical School Student

Buddhist Immersion Program

“The day begins at 5am with the rooster crowing in the neighbor's yard. I doze on and off until about 6am- finally waking up. I went outside and, like clockwork, a Thai Buddhist monk walked by the gate chanting a prayer. Just the morning affair was a cultural experience!” - Jennifer Wellman

"My most memorable experience was when one of the novice monks that I had the opportunity to speak frequently to after class told me that I gave him the power to speak English, that talking to me gave him a happy feeling, and that I was the best friend he had ever had. It was touching and gratifying to know that my time volunteering benefited at least one person ... When I first started teaching, I was nervous and unsure what to teach. It was also a challenge to get my students to speak English because they were very shy and only used to speaking English as a group. For the first couple of classes I had them play games such as charades." - Vivian Rajeswaren

"I am so enamored with these novices (monks). Most are so grateful and so eager to learn. And even the "bad boys," (you know, the ones who sit in the back row and avoid doing anything), come around when they begin to "get it". Sometimes I can actually see the "eureka" moment. And some of the novices are true geniuses. They put me to shame, they learn so quickly. I think that the most important thing that I can do is to make my students speak -- to really engage them in some type of conversation. This is nothing they are used to and at first most are reluctant to speak individually. I love teaching these kids and some of them are really beginning to speak English." - Valerie Stanton

HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Program

"I had a very positive experience, and feel we made some difference in the lives of the students. Having  been raised with a similar up bringing as many of the campees (?), I know how difficult it is for them to open up about many of the topics we covered, and even to just speak out in general. By the end of the camps, I felt that the goals the group had set out to accomplish (teach english and hiv/aids prevention) resulted in unexpected byproducts such as encouragement of openmindedness and personal confidence. I think I personally saw the most changes in the teachers and university students."  - Michelle Sriprasert

Orphanage Program

“My most memorable experiences were with the children at the orphanage I was placed, Wat Srakaew. I love to work with children, but this opportunity allowed me to see just a small part of what these children’s lives are like. I don’t believe it would be possible to forget there faces, and because of them, I now want direct my future studies toward children’s health issues in countries like Thailand.” - Erica Jorde

“At first I thought if I can teach them how to properly pronounce the ABCs then I will have accomplished something, but I realized that it was much more than that. The exposure to a native English speaker is so beneficial to these children. Also, the fact alone that someone from half around the world cares enough about them to come help has a huge impact on them. I think that my stay had a positive impact not only on myself but the children too.” - Rebecca Kasper


TANZANIA

Sustainable Agriculture Program

“I enjoyed the project immensely. I am studying international development and environmental studies so to have field experience, all is it brief and armature on my part, has reaffirmed my conviction to these studies. It made me want to return to Tanzania as quickly as possible to continue work in related topics (not to mention reconnect with the powerful ties of friendship I have there).” 
- Carl Reeder

"I signed up with the GSC program in order to work closely with Tanzanian farmers and spread the knowledge of sustainable agriculture, and that is exactly what I was able to accomplish. I was extremely pleased with the structure of the program and felt that our workshops were a great success. The coordinators did a wonderful job in facilitating the workshops and preparing the necessary materials... We definitely established some basic techniques that will not only help the local farmers but also reap benefits for the environment in the long term." - Alisha Pluff

HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Program

“There is not just one experience I will remember most; however, there are little ‘glimpses’ of my Tanzanian life that will stay in my memory forever. I remember walking in Soweto and buying roasted corn with the housegirl and neighborhood children. I remember riding in the daladala with Mama Anna and 28 other passengers on our way to her home village at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I remember learning a Chagga dance at a post-wedding celebration and bargaining for kitenge and khanga in the market. I remember the mothers and children bundled in colorful clothing crowding the benches outside the health clinic. I remember the laughter and smiles of my students in matching green uniforms as they played Ultimate Frisbee for the first time. I remember the joy I felt when my students performed flawlessly during the “teach backs.” I remember the shouts of “good morning” and “how are you?” as I walked in the streets of Arusha. I remember drinking a Kilimanjaro while swapping stories with my Tanzanian friends at a local club.” - Chelsea Reighard

“I have just arrived back in MN after two weeks in Arusha. The people who work at Global Service in Arusha are just great.....Being a family nurse practitioner; the conditions in Arusha and Tanzania were very difficult for me. I cried daily at the level of poverty, the seemingly hopeless situation of HIV/AIDS for millions of Africans, and the ongoing general diseases I witnessed on my daily walks through Arusha--leprosy, cerebral palsy victims, malaria. I will never forget the people of Tanzania nor their personal stories/histories, and will try to help them on an ongoing basis from my home in Duluth, MN. I believe the NGO's are vital to the ongoing development/education of the people of Tanzania. I can't thank Global Service enough for their assistance to me in my personal journey of discovery in Tanzania. I felt like what I did was just one tear drop in an ocean of suffering. But, it reminded me of the story of the young boy who walked a beach throwing stranded starfish back into the water. An old man said to him--there are thousands of those starfish on the beach, what difference can you make? The boy said as he tossed one of the starfish back into the ocean, "Made a difference to that one"---and that's exactly how I feel. I made a difference to a few, and I will continue my efforts one person at a time.” - Pam Schwartau

“I had an amazing time with my team here. I could not have asked for a better, more well-balanced group to work with” – Lindsey Kagawa

International Health Program

“I loved the homestay experience, and just the general cultural immersion that GSC offered. To be able to connect with local families and people my age was a really powerful way for me to understand the culture. Seeing the structure of the schools, getting out into the farm villages and just getting around town everyday gave me huge insight into daily life in Arusha.” - Meghan Guy

"The most memorable part of my experience was meeting the local community and my host family; they taught me a lot about the culture and way of life in Tanzania that I would never otherwise have had the opportunity to learn. They also made me feel at home in their country and eased the whole experience." - Donna Rooney