Antananarivo, Madagascar - sprawling, unique, dusty, life-changing, lovely people
 

I worked as a volunteer spent four months working as a volunteer English teacher for the Dodwell Trust. This was set up twelve years ago by Madagascar aficionado, Christina Dodwell after she visited the island whilst researching one of her books. It is a small charity, therefore the costs are not huge and most of the money that the volunteers pay goes directly back into the projects. The costs include accommodation, transfers to and from your placements, teaching materials and a daily food allowance. I had four different placements over the time I was in Madagascar, with teaching groups varying from children age 4 to English teachers aged over 50. I taught approximately 25 hours per week, with some occasional private tuition on the side, which we would teach in our garden. Arriving in Madagascar can be a massive culture shock especially if, like me, you have never been to a third world country before. As one of the poorest countries in the world, you would expect the people to be very deprived. There are many people who do struggle, however as the country in general is poor and not just the people; there is less of a divide between the extremely rich and the extremely poor. I had an absolutely amazing time there and was really touched by all the experiences that I had, the people I met and the incredible places that I saw. This island is truly unique and I would highly recommend it!