Sometimes you need to leave the place where you feel most familiar to discover who you really are.
When people think about volunteering or interning abroad, they often think about gaining experience, helping others, discovering a new country or meeting people from all over the world. And of course, those are all important parts of the experience, but there is another side to going abroad that is sometimes talked about much less. The way it can change you as a person.
Going abroad takes you away from your normal environment. Suddenly, the routines you are used to, the people you normally see and the things you usually take for granted are no longer around you. You find yourself in a completely different environment, surrounded by a different culture, different ways of living and often people you have never met before. At first, that can be exciting, but it can also be challenging. You may feel uncertain, overwhelmed or even a little lost. You have to find your way in a place that doesn't feel like home yet.
But that is also where something beautiful can happen.
When you are no longer surrounded by everything that is familiar, you are given the opportunity to look at yourself from a different perspective. You start making decisions for yourself. You discover how you respond when things don't go according to plan. You learn to ask for help when you need it, but you also discover how much you are capable of doing on your own. Little by little, things that seemed difficult at first become normal. You gain confidence, not because everything is easy, but because you realise that you can handle things even when they aren't.
For me, this was one of the most meaningful parts of my experience in Tanzania.
I didn't simply discover a new country. I discovered a different version of myself. Being in Tanzania gave me space that I hadn't realised I needed. Being away from my familiar surroundings allowed me to step back and really think about what I wanted, what made me happy and what was important to me. I had the opportunity to experience a different way of life, connect with people from a different culture and spend time doing things that felt meaningful to me. Somewhere along the way, I started to understand myself better.
I discovered what made me feel alive. I discovered how much I value connection with other people. I discovered how much I enjoy learning from different cultures and how much meaning I find in being able to contribute to something bigger than myself. But perhaps most importantly, I discovered that I didn't need to have everything figured out. I simply needed the space to listen to myself.
That doesn't mean that going abroad is always easy or that every day feels like an adventure. There are difficult moments too and I think it is important to talk about those honestly. You can miss your family and friends. You can experience culture shock. You can struggle with language or communication. You can find that your project is different from what you imagined, or have days where you feel lonely and wonder why you decided to come in the first place. Being in a completely different environment can confront you with parts of yourself that you might normally avoid.
But those challenges can be valuable too.
When everything is going well, you don't always notice how much you are growing. It is often when something feels difficult that you learn the most about yourself. You learn to be patient and flexible. You learn that things don't always have to happen in the way you expected them to. You learn that it is okay to ask for help and that feeling uncomfortable doesn't necessarily mean that you have made the wrong decision. Sometimes it simply means that you are doing something new.
An internship abroad can have a similar impact. Of course, you gain professional experience and develop skills that can be valuable for your future career. You learn how your profession works in another country and experience a different working environment. But you also learn things that cannot be taught in a classroom. You learn how to communicate with people from different backgrounds, how to adapt to situations that are unfamiliar and how to work together even when you don't always see things in the same way.
Volunteering can teach you something similar. When you become part of a local project, you are not simply there to give something. You are also there to learn. You learn from the people around you, from the community and from a way of life that may be very different from your own. You start to understand that there isn't always one right way of doing things. There are different perspectives, different priorities and different ways of living, and experiencing that firsthand can change the way you look at your own life.
Another beautiful part of volunteering or interning abroad is the people you meet. You may arrive in a country not knowing anyone and leave with friendships that you never expected to make. You meet other volunteers and interns from different countries, but you also build connections with local people and the community around you. Some of those relationships may only last for a short period of time, while others may stay with you for years. Either way, the people you meet become part of your story.
For me, Tanzania became much more than a destination. It became a place where I could slow down, experience life differently and discover what truly mattered to me. I came to Tanzania wanting to learn and experience something new, but I ended up learning much more about myself than I expected. Being away from my normal environment gave me the freedom to think differently about my life and my future. It showed me that happiness can sometimes be found in places and moments you never expected and that sometimes you need to step away from everything you know to realise what you actually want.
I think that is one of the most powerful things about going abroad. You don't necessarily come home as a completely different person. Instead, you may come home with a better understanding of who you already are. You may discover interests you didn't know you had, realise what kind of life makes you happy or find a new direction for your future.
And you don't have to know exactly what you are looking for before you leave. You don't need a perfect plan or a five-year vision. You can simply go with an open mind and a willingness to experience something new. You can allow yourself to be challenged, to make mistakes, to learn and to grow.
Maybe you'll discover a new passion. Maybe you'll gain experience that changes the direction of your career. Maybe you'll meet people who become important to you. Maybe you'll see the world differently when you return home.
Or maybe, like me, you'll discover something you weren't even looking for.
Maybe you'll discover yourself.
That is why I believe that volunteering or interning abroad can be so much more than simply spending time in another country. It can be an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, experience another culture, contribute to something meaningful and give yourself the space to grow.
At Volunteer Travel Experience, we want to create experiences where you can do exactly that. We want you to experience Tanzania, connect with the local community, gain valuable experience and make memories that stay with you long after you return home.
Because sometimes the most important thing you bring home from travelling isn't a souvenir, a photograph or something you can put on your CV.
Sometimes, it's a better understanding of yourself.
And perhaps that is the most meaningful journey of all.