Mathilde Hartvig Munk
My name is Mathilde and I’ve spent the last two months volunteering here at YCM. My stay has definitely been a very exciting, inspiring and educational experience! I am impressed by how much life, spirit and energy you find here. Everybody is so enthusiastic and committed to learn and share and become better human beings, which affects me in the most positive way.
I primarily have English classes which I really enjoy. The atmosphere is always relaxed and we laugh a lot. The fact that YCM doesn’t have any curriculum has both been challenging but also liberating as I have been able to share the things I find interesting. I have for instance had a theme about intercultural understanding and one about Danish culture with the pre-intermediate students.
Because the culture here is so different from my home country (Denmark) it definitely took some time for me to adjust. In the beginning everything was quite overwhelming. The food was more spicy than I am used to, the traffic more chaotic, there were so many new faces and the conception of time was a lot more loose which sometimes lead to frustrations. But everybody
has been so welcoming and sweet to help so I pretty quickly felt at home.
One of the things that has made the biggest impact on me so far is to hear the students and tutors share their stories of how YCM has given them a new opportunity in life – a new future. It has definitely put a new perspective on my own life as well.
Sadly now I only have a couple of weeks left here which is way too short. I am looking forward to going on a trip to the Baduy-tribe with Bogor Tours and on a camping trip with the YCM-family and otherwise I’m just trying to enjoy the rest of my time here as much as I can at this lovely place.