I was volunteering in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia as an English teacher from November 2017 to January 2018 through AIESEC’s Global Volunteer program.
I’ll most likely write about my entire journey in a dedicated post one day. For now, this is a copy of my story submission to AIESEC Singapore.
Hopefully, it’ll encourage or clear any doubts you might have if you were on the fence about volunteering through AIESEC.
AIESEC Singapore Exchange Story Submission
Dear Exchange Participants, welcome back from your Global Volunteer. Hope you really saw a different world in the past 6-8 weeks, got to know yourself better and developed leadership, made new friends and created positive social impact. We can’t wait to hear your stories, so please share them with us! Your story will be the source of inspiration to encourage more youth in Singapore to go and explore 🙂 If you are interested, we also sincerely invite you to join us at our info talk sharing and national exchange preparation conference (November) sharing.
Your LC
Singapore Management University (SMU)
Which Country/City did you go?
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Project LC
Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST)
How did you develop yourself personally through your Exchange?
Through getting out of my comfort zone by volunteering in a field I wasn’t very confident to begin with, I’ve learnt to embrace failure and to take each failure as a learning opportunity. I never expected myself to enjoy my volunteer project so much. Thus, this will always serve as a reminder to myself if fear ever holds me back in future.
Additionally, after observing how others can get by with a lot less than what we have in Singapore, I’ve learnt to be less materialistic and found contentment in a minimalist lifestyle.
What was the impact which you created during your exchange?
Instead of purely imparting the knowledge of English, I would say the main impact was giving the students a worldly view. I’ve introduced the students to Singapore and our culture. In time to come, I hope the knowledge of Singapore that I’ve given them coupled with those of future volunteers from other corners of the world will make them world citizens as well. And through these knowledge, they might help contribute to making the world a better place.
On the teaching front, I believe I’ve made their learning much more interesting and fun through our interactive games.
What was your most impactful moment which you have experienced while on your exchange?
I’ve never been great at interacting with kids and that was one of my main worries since the start. Up till my final week of teaching, I had doubts whether I was doing a sufficiently good job at connecting with and imparting knowledge to them.
When the time came, I was so surprised when notes conveying their heartfelt appreciations started pouring in. Having helped some of these students through their home work the past couple of weeks, I appreciated how much time and effort it must have taken them. The younger ones innocently asked me to extend my stay and when I will be back again.
If you had to tell a story of your Exchange experience to a friend, what would you say?
On my second last night, I went to meet some of the AIESECers for “dinner” at the office. Turned out they had gathered there for a farewell gathering. They then played a very touching video with personal messages along side footages of my time there. I’ll never forget my 7 weeks spent there and will definitely return in future to visit them again.
Was your project well organized?
Yes. The tasks that I undertook as an English teacher was close to my expectations and similar to what was mentioned in the project’s description.
1 week before the start of my project, I was introduced to the school, its staff and teachers whom I would be working alongside during my time there.
The ongoings at the school was very structured. Classes were held every weekday sans Wednesday, which we used to work on the lesson plans for the following week. I would take turns and discuss with each teacher on how best I can be incorporated into their plans, which topics I will be teaching and how I would be doing it. The lesson plans would then be compiled and sent to the school’s principal.
Were you satisfied with your accommodations?
Yes, it actually exceeded my expectations. My accomodation was located inside the school itself. As such, I didn’t had to worry about commuting to work at all.
The room was very spacious. Bedding set was comfortable and clean. There was even a mini refrigerator provided for me inside the room.
As I was there during Winter where the temperature drops as low as -30s degree celsius, two of the most important factors was that the room’s heaters worked perfectly at keeping me warm and there was hot water in the shower.
The shower room had a washing and dryer machine where I could do my laundry easily.
Was your AIESEC overseas responsive and engaging?
Absolutely. From the moment I exited the arrival hall till the day I entered the departure hall, there was never a lack of AIESECers I could turn to or call upon for assistance or just to hang out with.
I was invited to their networking events, given the opportunity to give a talk to their prospective oGVs, brought around their city, taught various local traditions and welcomed the new year together.
Although it was just a short 7 weeks, many of the Mongolian AIESECers have definitely became lifelong friends of mine.
Will you recommend your GV destination to your friends?
Yes!
Please upload 5-8 high definition pictures of you while working at your project or any photos that showcase a beautiful local encounter or impactful moment.
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Farewell video from AIESEC Mongolia
My Global Volunteer Journey in Mongolia