Natucate
Volunteering Canada – Anna
Volunteering in North America: Anna spent several months in Canada with us where she helped take care of horses in need on a ranch in Southern Alberta. Learn more
Profile
Name: Anna
Age: 24
Project: Horse protection in Canada
Location: Southern Alberta
Duration: Beginning of March until mid-August 2020 – 5 ½ months
Rating
Support from the Natucate team:
Arrival:
Partner on site:
Accommodation:
Animal welfare in Canada– Feedback: Seven questions for Anna
1) Could you give us a short overview of your tasks in the project?
I was able to carry out many different tasks, from feeding the horses to giving them medicine to assisting the blacksmith. I learned so many new things!
2) What were the biggest challenges for you during the project?
The extreme cold (it’s freezing cold in March!) and the physical work was quite unusual in the beginning but you get used to it slowly but surely. A few weeks after my arrival, I had gained way more power and stamina, and working became much easier.
3) Was there anything you liked in particular? Or something that you remember particularly negatively?
What I really liked was the fact that volunteers were involved in many different things that happened on the farm, for example vet visits. This gave me and the others the chance to gain a broad overview of life on the farm.
4) Did you have certain expectations before you travelled to the project?
My expectations were definitely fulfilled, if not exceeded! One reason to go on this journey was language improvement. I wanted to become a more confident English speaker – and it worked out!
5) Have you done anything in your free time that you can recommend to future participants?
I went for lots of walks in nature and enjoyed it to the fullest : )
6) What recommendations would you give to other participants?
I suggest collecting some information about the time shift before travelling to Canada. Even though I knew it is 8 hours from Germany, my body needed some time to get used to it.
7) Can you estimate how many additional costs you had on site?
I mostly spent money on groceries, around 100 dollar per week. However, it is no problem to spend less than that.
