Gap Year
After completing my A-Level studies and before beginning my time at the University of Brighton I took a gap year. My year involved solo travelling and volunteering around Southern Africa. This was fully self funded, with the funds being raised by working at Woodwork Traditional Handmade Furniture (for more information see “Experience” page) during the week and for Ruggerbugs, a rugby training company, at weekends.
In October 2015 my year began with two and a half months spent living in Kampala, Uganda and volunteering at the International School of Uganda, in the Music, P.E. and French departments. There was also time for some fun including joining the Mountaineering Club of Uganda, white water rafting on the Nile for 3 days and a little bungee jump!
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After Uganda, I spent two months living in Durban, South Africa, whilst volunteering in a small business running a clothing and art shop.
The most challenging time of my gap year involved spending three months living and volunteering at Kedesh, an all boys orphanage in Beira, Mozambique. This was particularly tough due to the fact that Mozambique is a Portuguese speaking country, which was a language I could not speak. However I was soon able to adapt and learn to get by thanks to the boys teaching me some basic Portuguese. The main focus of my volunteering at Kedesh was to help with construction projects that needed to be done around the home. For the time I was there, I helped to project manage and build a new seating and sunshade area near to the pond at the home.
I then returned to South Africa and lived for three months in Pietermaritzburg, where I volunteered in a local church, mainly working with the young people and children.
Finally I finished my gap year with a one month overland backpacking tour through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
It was an incredible experience to see so many different places and people in Southern Africa and one that has made me grow as a person. I am no longer scared of new challenges, of being away from home in places I’ve never been to before or even somewhere where I cannot speak the local language and do not know anyone.