Service Abroad During a Pandemic – A student’s Do It Yourself (DIY) experience

The article below was provided by a student and based on her experience in the fall of 2020.

By Erin Wittenburg, class of 2023

Entering my third year at Etown during a global pandemic wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I had struggled in the spring (2020) with the transition to online learning and I couldn’t see myself doing well and retaining fundamental information that I knew would be important to my education as an Occupational Therapist. My study abroad trip I had been planning since my freshman year had also just been canceled for the fall, and I knew that if I really wanted to make something of my education this year I would have to think a little bit outside of the box. With a big push from my mom, I decided to take a leave of absence from school and began researching programs accepting students to volunteer aboard and landed upon an international volunteer organization called IVHQ (International Volunteer Headquarters) that had everything I was looking for. IVHQ is a certified B corp international volunteer organization based in New Zealand with connections to local volunteer organizations in over 40 different countries that contribute to the sustainable development goals created by the United Nations. Out of all of the different countries and programs they offered, I ended up applying and booking my trip with their Special Needs Support program in Split, Croatia.

                A million different things were going through my head when picking a program, but I ultimately ended up picking this particular one because I knew I wanted to work in special needs support as it relates so much to OT, and living in Croatia provided just the right amount of challenge I was looking for as it was my first time flying and traveling solo. It also happened to be one of the only places that was accepting US citizens. Traveling during a pandemic wasn’t easy, there were many hoops I had to jump through and a lot of Covid tests to take, but I was really excited to volunteer and truly live in a country so different from my own.

              Once I arrived I was connected with a local volunteer organization called ImpacTrip which partnered with IVHQ to place international volunteers at local nonprofits. I was placed at a nonprofit called Udruga Zvono Split whose goal was to help adults with special needs in the Split area with a variety of life skills like cooking, cleaning, technology, crafts, and exercise as well as physical and social needs with a goal to increase independence. This program created a support system for these adults and taught them skills (like going to the local grocery store or riding the city bus) that were pertinent to independence in their everyday lives. My role as a volunteer consisted of giving short, basic English lessons and in return being taught some Croatian as well as helping with crafts and cooking activities. My favorite moment from my time there was leading the exercise portion of the day where I taught the group a couple of different American dances including their favorite – the Cotton Eye Joe!

                Outside of my volunteer work with the special needs organization I also had the opportunity to get my scuba diving certification and volunteer on ocean clean-ups along the coast of Split and Omiš. In my free time, I learned so much about Croatian culture and history, visited a couple of different national parks, and tried as much food as humanly possible!

I know it’s cliché to say, but I truly cannot begin to put into words the impact this trip had on me. One of my biggest struggles throughout my time abroad was the language barrier I faced at my volunteer placement. The adults there spoke very little English, and the only Croatian I knew was how to say “good morning.” I had to learn different ways to communicate and how to adapt a variety of activities to help those I was serving. Traveling and volunteering solo pushed me way beyond my comfort zone and gave me a sense of strength and independence I didn’t know I had before. I lived and worked with people from all over the US and all over the world most of which I still keep in contact with. Traveling during a global pandemic gave me a very realistic view as to how a country so drastically different than my own dealt with such a global public health crisis. I had the chance to experience and compare politics, infrastructure, and healthcare firsthand from a country with a smaller population than New York City, and I’m so thankful I had the chance to do so. If anyone is looking for an opportunity or a sign to do something different or get an educational experience unlike any other, then this is me telling you to go and do it! You absolutely will not regret it.