Annie, 19 years old from Wisconsin, USA
I chose to volunteer because I had always wanted to see Europe (Italy in particular) and I figured that the INN would be a great way to give back while getting to see a new country! To be completely honest, before I left for Naples, I had read a lot of blogs and heard from other travellers that Naples was pretty dirty and unsafe. I was expecting to want to leave the city every chance I had!
I can now say that Naples is by far my favourite city in the whole world. Almost immediately upon my arrival, I knew that the 'rumors' I had heard about Naples were completely wrong! As it turns out- Naples is an AMAZINGLY beautiful city that has so much personality to offer and so many loving, wonderful citizens. Whenever I travelled to a different city on the weekends, I always looked forward to coming back "home" to Naples on Sunday night!
The best part of volunteering was without a doubt having the privilege to be immersed in such a fun-loving, full-of-life culture. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to give back to a culture as wonderful as the one in Naples.
On the last day at my volunteer placement (La Tenda in Saníta), the kids and teachers all surprised me with a going away party and adorable thank-you card. It truly made me realize the difference I had hopefully been able to make in those kids lives in the 2 months I was there-- and the difference they FOR SURE had made in mine.