When volunteering with ILP you will become attached to your students, and saying goodbye is going to be pretty rough, just so you know.
I didn't realize the kids I taught were going to be the part I loved the most about my time traveling around the world with International Language Programs. The kids I taught on my three ILP semesters have forever become a part of me and I think about them all the time.
Alyssa G. who volunteered with ILP in Lithuania also loved students she taught. Just read the following from a blog post she wrote and you'll be feeling all the feels.
"Dear Kids,
Today was my final day teaching you. I cried.
I think you know that I will miss you, at least I hope so. But I do not think you realize just how much you have impacted my life.
When I came here, I did not know what to expect. I thought that traveling and getting to see the world would be the best part of this experience.
I could not have been more wrong.
When I look back on these 4 months, I will think of your beautiful faces and contagious laughs. I will remember the endless paper airplanes flying around my classroom and your love of tickling. I will think back to your excitement over getting the prize you had been saving for and how much you loved to make food during lessons. I will smile when I think of when you learned something new like being able to tell me where your eyes were or how to write a new word. I will laugh when I remember the crazy ideas you had and all the crazy things you talked me into doing.
But most of all, I will cry because I will miss you.
Every single one of you made an impact on my life. You showed me how to find joy in the little things. You taught me how to laugh even when things are going all wrong. You showed me that bad days don’t last forever and the good days will be so so so so so so so so good. You taught me to see adventure in everything. You made the hard days bearable and the good days even better. You brought genuine smiles to my face and made me laugh harder than I ever have. You showed me that it is okay to be silly even if you are a grown up. But most of all you showed me what it really means to love.
I hope that each of you knows how much I truly love you. I hope that every one of you lives the best life possible. I know that you are going to have hard days, but I also know that you are strong enough to push through them and that the best days of your lives are still ahead of you.
This is the hardest goodbye that I have ever had to say and my heart is shattered into a million pieces right now. But I wouldn’t have traded these 4 months with you for anything in the whole world.
Thank you for making these past 4 months the best of my whole life. I love each and every one of you, I can’t say that enough. I will miss you more than words can say.
Love,
Teacher Alyssa"
Okay, stop, isn't that just the cutest thing? One of the hardest things you do during your semester is saying goodbye to your students — luckily you can always go back another semester!
Learn more about volunteering with International Language Programs
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