Nepal, Peru and Costa Rica - Volunteering Perspectives from a Wheelchair User
As a college freshman, Megan Smith contacted the National
Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange looking for a chance to
volunteer in Latin America and Asia. Megan, who has cerebral palsy, uses a power wheelchair and was looking for volunteer opportunities in a disability-related capacity. After a disappointing first
attempt at matching with a program, NCDE sent Megan information on Cross
Cultural Solutions' Costa Rica Program. From there, Megan received placements
working in a nursing home and as a teacher's aide in a school for
children with disabilities.
During her volunteer assignment in Costa Rica, Megan lived with other volunteers in a renovated schoolhouse. In her travel blog, "International Disabled Traveler," Megan shared updates about brushing up on her Spanish while working at a nursing home.
"I just absolutely love the people there [at the nursing home], they are teaching me Spanish from bingo and animal cards. I actually accidentally told them in Spanish that I was pregnant instead of embarrassed, so they got very excited and wanted to make me baby clothes, until I figured out a way to get over that no I was not pregnant. They were very disappointed."
During her trip, Megan experienced new definitions of what it means to be independent. Sometimes being interdependent can mean accepting the help of others so you can participate. Instead of missing out on an inaccessible zip-line tour of the canopy, which would have also meant foregoing sights of a massive waterfall, smoke billowing from a volcano, and flying through the air with toucans and parrots, Megan found alternative means of transportation to get to the zip-lines. "If you don’t mind being carried by some Costa Rican men, you’ll do fine."
Megan later volunteered with Helping Hands in Nepal, teaching orphaned children English and helping them with other subjects. There, she lived at the orphanage with the children and the manager. When she wasn't teaching or helping with household chores, Megan explored the beauty of Nepal.
"Yesterday I went to the Monkey Temple, a huge Tibetan Buddhist temple overlooking Kathmandu, it was so gorgeous with the prayer flags cascading from the top of the temple down the mountain. I had to walk with Hartaga to the bottom of the steps and it was a little shocking because tens of people started
to crowd around me and touch my hair and try to lift my legs and pull
me this way and that. Quite hilarious sight it must have been. But then
a young man picked me up and started carrying me up the millions of
stairs, and his friends started carrying my chair up. Hartiga said it was the Nepali version of the 'white night' fairytale."
Follow Megan's overseas travels, view her photos, and post comments at Disabled Traveler!
