Brad in Scotland

Getting involved with a sports team or other club outside of your placement is a great way to meet new people and learn more about the local community. Many Volunteers have joined outside activities on arrival in country once they are aware of their timetables etc and placements are usually keen to encourage them to take part.
Here are some photos of Brad from Oamaru, New Zealand who is a volunteer in Scotland, playing for his rugby team, Strathmore RFC at Murrayfield in the Scottish hydro bowl final.

For more information about Lattitude you can visit our website here and visit The Lattitude New Zealand Blog here

News from Sam in the UK

Hi Everyone
I spent my first half term up in London with two other gappies, Pip and Kate. It was a good week and we did lots of sightseeing. We went and saw the Abercrombie and Fitch store, the Changing of the Guards, the National Portrait Gallery, Hard Rock Café, Harrods (a department store), British Museum, Abbey Road, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Imperial War Museum, Kensington Palace, Tower of London, London Bridge, Royal Bank, The Monument, Greenwich, Shakespeare’s Globe and St Paul’s Cathedral. We also went into Madame Tussauds (the wax museum.) I also did the London Eye which is really awesome being able to see all over London, but the best was London Dungeons. So that was basically my week in London.

I then came back to school. I am still working Yr3/4, Yr6 and Yr7 Science, along with Yr7, Yr5/6 and Pre-Prep PE and Manor and Prep Games and now Yr6 English, where they read to me and one Yr7 Math's, so I am keeping myself busy.

Once the term finished we had a 3 week holiday. I started off first by going to Belgium. My first day there I went to Ypres which is where there are a lot of war graves. I hired myself a bike and biked around the cemeteries. It was an amazing experience. It was also very cool to see F.C Bakers grave, his name is the first name on the Whangarei Boys’ High School roll of honour, so it was a very cool experience. Well the next day I saw Grote Market in Brussels before heading out to Liegge and catching up with Chase for the afternoon. The next few days I was in Brussels and saw the Manneken Pis, Jubel Park, Notre Dame Church, The Atomium, The Palace of Justice, The Synagogue and The Cathedral. I also tried Belgium waffles and chocolate, they are amazing.

Well from Brussels I flew out to Edinburgh and spent a week in Scotland with Lucy another Gappy. While in Scotland we saw The Castle, Edinburgh Zoo, Murrayfield Stadium, The Aquarium, Greyfriar Bobby’s grave. We then went to Glasgow for a night and saw The People’s Palace but unfortunately it rained. However Scotland was really nice and reminded me of home. I flew back and managed to get back to Seaford for a day to do some much needed washing.

After being back for a day I flew out again this time to Denmark. Whilst in Denmark I saw the old family home called Marienborg. It was really cool to see and something I won’t forget. I also spent a lot of time in Copenhagen seeing the Botanical Gardens, the Royal Guards, art museums, Rosenborg Castle, St Paul's Church, the Museum of Danish Resistance.

Well I have been back at school now for 3 weeks. We had a bank holiday weekend, so went and had a night out in Brighton, and last week I spent a few days helping with exam supervision. But apart from that not much has happened. Hope all is well back in NZ and I will be in touch soon.

For more information about Lattitude you can visit our website here or visit The Lattitude New Zealand Blog here

Outdoor Education Placements in Scotland

Here is a photo of Lattitude Volunteers who are working in Outdoor Education Camps in Scotland.
Scott Holland, Alysha Simensen, Robbie Robinson, Courtney Reynolds, Nick Porter, Tristan Menzies

For more information about Outdoor Education Placements with Lattitude click here

Volunteering in NZ

Time is flying and it’s already May. Joe and I have been in Whangarei as Gappers since August 2009 and all I can say is that we’ve had such a great time so far. Apart from all the travelling, sky diving, bungee jumping, rafting, hiking… one of the main reasons why this year was so amazing is Trish Holloway our boss at the Whangarei Boys’ High School Hostel. She can be strict, and I have to admit it might be with reason every now and then, but she also supports us whenever and wherever we need help – no matter if it’s a friend who needs a place to sleep or advice in female affairs…
That’s why I would like to take this opportunity to thank her representatively for all the people that make experiences like ours possible: Cheers guys!
Max-Bastian Horn

For more information about Lattitude click here

Grace in Poland

Dzien dobry Lattitude!
I am placed at "Klasztor Siostr Niepokalanek" aka "Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady" in Jaroslaw, which is in South East Poland. I am living with another volunteer, Georgina from
Melbourne, in a Convent with 34 nuns (that wear habits and all!)
Poland is (in as few words as possible) simply amazing, charming and beautiful! I have been to
Warsaw, Krakow, and the Tri-City (Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot) so far and have been amazed at the amount of hidden gems this country has. From the quaint and beautifully preserved Old-Towns and Church's to the extravagant Castles, like Wawel, this country does nothing but impress. The same goes for it's people too. The Poles are... different, but delightful! And the other
volunteers, Kiwi's and Aussie's, are priceless. The trips with them have been beyond memorable! The other NZer's, Suzanne, Johanna and Charles are quite amazing. I am so lucky to have met them and to have become so close with them. They're Family, minus the bloodline.
The fact that we, especially coming from little wee NZ, are surrounded by History every day (some of Jaroslaw's buildings date back to the 13th century) is probably one of the most incredible parts of this experience for me. Especially this week, and in particular this weekend; Poland is mourning and grieving for their President, his wife and several other leading members of their Government, and we (the
volunteers), are experiencing this with them. History is taking place right before our eyes and I am
learning so much as it happens!
I am so pleased I am here and chose to take a year "growing up" rather than another year with my nose in books! The members of staff here laugh at Georgina and I on a daily basis, because we look like Cheshire cats; always smiling and overly enthusiastic, but it’s hard not to be. After all, WE ARE IN POLAND! The language can sometimes be a small barrier, but also highly
entertaining. Many memories have been made with our Polish skills, or lack of, but in the end, the meaning or main gist, usually gets across with the odd phrase.
Anyone that is second guessing a gap year in Poland shouldn't. Maybe easier said than done, but of all the doubts or second thoughts I have had, I can firmly say, that now, I have none. I am so happy where I am, what I have seen and am yet to experience. There is nowhere else I would rather be right now. Poland and its People; young, old and nuns, have found a very firm and cosy spot in my heart!
Grace

For more information about Lattitude visit our website here