Volunteer Summer School in Buryatia
- WHAT: Teach kids, travel and explore Buryat culture, food and nature.
- WHERE: Eurasia -> Russia -> Buryatia
- WHEN: 2011.
- HOW MUCH: Cost
- WHO: Volunteers from different countries of the world, those who want to visit the place they have never been to, want to see what they haven't seen, want to live unique experience, broaden own mind and help local children to get a wider exposure to the world and opportunities of the education.
Make change - educate yourself and others!
Please download our poster to spread the word!
Make change – educate yourself and others
Eva Pfarwaller
Subject: health awareness (alcohol/ cigarettes’ influence; sexual education)
When we set off one early morning from Ulan-Ude, I didn’t know very well what to expect. Actually, I was going to have a unique experience in a very special place, being allowed to catch a glimpse of a culture that is very different from mine.
After a beautiful ride in a minibus, we were welcomed to the first village with a traditional ceremony! Our host families were very welcoming, and very curious about us and our lives and cultures. 
Unfortunately our not speaking Russian was quite a barrier to communication, but our family’s daughter helped with a bit of English. During our stay we had the chance to participate in several village festivals, which made us discover their culture and traditions. We were treated as very special guests, being almost the first foreigners to visit this region!
The surrounding nature is astonishing as well, a pity that we couldn’t do the horseback outing, but the circumstances didn’t allow it.
And yes, of course there were difficulties, because of cultural differences, because of language problems, because of communication and organisation problems within the group. I’m sure these are just “teething problems” of a still very young project, and will resolve in the future editions of the Summer School as experience is acquired. Organising a project like this is not an easy task, as communication with the villages is difficult even by phone.
I would recommend participating in the project to anyone who likes being in contact with children, no need to be a great teacher, it’s all about showing them something different from what they know. It would be a great advantage to speak some Russian and to have been in Russia before, but even without this you can get a lot from the project if you’re open, flexible and able to communicate without spoken language. Be aware that organisation and sense of time might be very different from what you’re used to, but if you’re ready and prepared this is a great way to learn something yourself and work with a group of people from different backgrounds.
If you have questions to Eva Pfarrwaller, please, contact us and we will forward her your e-mail.