My Cuzco challenge: a Peruvian adventure

After being cooped up in a classroom all year Henry Holm longed for adventure, which is why he decided once Year 12 was over and done with, he was going to jet off somewhere exotic and take a GAP break.

After weighing up the countless options, Henry eventually found the perfect trip with Antipodeans Abroad, although it wasn’t what he’d always pictured himself doing. “Even before Year 12, I knew that I wanted to take a gap year but hadn’t considered getting involved in a volunteer placement”. Henry took the plunge a signed up for 3 months in Peru teaching English and doing some building work.

The teaching experience was a definite eye-opener for Henry, who soon understood the challenges faced by some of his high school teachers. According to Henry there's no question that being thrown in front of a class of 6 year old Peruvian children, and expected to help them learn English is difficult.

With no prior building experience, trying to coordinate the construction of a new computer classroom for the school community was a daunting task as well, but nothing Henry was ready to back away from. “While it’s a challenging program you have so many laughs along the way with the other ... volunteers that it makes it all worthwhile”. 

It wasn’t all hard work though, based in Cuzco, a hub for backpackers, there was never a dull moment. Weekend activities varied from paragliding to white-water rafting, horseback riding to kicking back with the locals. Volunteers enjoyed the hospitality of their host families who were more than happy to show their visitors around town and were very keen to involve them in daily Peruvian life.

Group adventures with fellow volunteers included trips to Lake Titicaca, and river boat rides down the Amazon which turned out to be great bonding activities, and prepared Henry for the independent travel he did after the placement was finished.

Henry says without question the biggest thing he took away from his GAP placement was a bunch of great mates. Being so far from home and in a place so different often forces you to forge deep friendships pretty quickly. Henry says even now he makes the effort to get together with his travel buddies every month or so, and having a close group of friends outside of his high school and university circles has been great.

As well as great friends, a camera full of photos and a head full of memories, Henry also brought valuable experience back with him from his GAP break in Peru. “It’s given me something to put on my resume that employers and universities really look favourably upon,” he says.

Having returned to Sydney and commenced university, Henry sees his GAP break as being one of the most worthwhile things he’s done. “It’s been a while now since I got home from volunteering in Cuzco, Peru and I still wish I was back there! Since I returned home I’ve seldom had any experience as challenging or as exciting”.