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September 11, 2024 • 17 mins

This episode I am taking you back to the beachside surf town in Weligama on the South West coast of Sri Lanka and back to Conny's dog and cat shelter where she hosts Workaway Volunteers. This time I am chatting with a couple of the current volunteers, Courtney from England and Neomi from Switzerland, they will share a bit of insight into their Workaway volunteer experiences here.

If you would like to hear more about Conny's journey running non-profit animal shelters in Sumatra and Sri Lanka then listen to Episode 4 of the podcast.

If you want more information about the Workaway volunteering concept and platform, I introduce this in episode 3 of the podcast. I hope you enjoy hearing from the lovely Courtney and Neomi.

If you have any feedback about the episode, would love to hear your thoughts!

If you are interested in supporting what Conny is doing, please share this podcast episode. If donating resonates you can do this online: https://tierheim-sri-lanka.de/en/donate/

General Website:

Lokkus Dogs and Cats Care Sri Lanka Website: https://tierheim-sri-lanka.de/en/

Sumatra Dogs and Cats Care Website: https://www.sumatradogsandcats.de/

Youtube:

Youtube Channel 'Dogs and cats care Sri Lanka & Sumatra: https://www.youtube.com/@lokkusdogscatscaresrilanka6230

Facebook:

Lokkus Dogs and Cats Care Sri Lanka Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Connypoponny?_rdc=1&_rdr

Sumatra Dogs and Cats Care Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/groups/934897313650422/

Instragram

Lokkus Dogs and Cats Care Sri Lanka Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lokkusdogsandcatscare

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello and welcome to Ripples of Humanity.

(00:08):
I am Rachel Thompson and I've started this podcast to share interesting stories along
my travels of people and things I have discovered that are creating positive ripples throughout
humanity.
In this episode I am taking you back to the beachside surf town in Weligama on the southwest
coast of Sri Lanka and back to Connie's Animal Shelter where she hosts work away volunteers.

(00:30):
This time I am chatting with a couple of the current volunteers, Courtney from England
and Naomi from Switzerland.
They will share a bit of insight into their work away volunteer experiences here.
If you would like to hear more about Connie's journey running non-profit animal shelters
in Sumatra and Sri Lanka then listen to podcast episode 4 and if you want more information

(00:52):
about the work away volunteering concept and platform I introduce this in episode 3 of
the podcast.
For now I hope you enjoy hearing from the lovely Courtney and Naomi.
So I am here with Courtney who is one of the lovely volunteers here at Connie's Animal

(01:13):
Shelter in Weligama in Sri Lanka.
Thank you so much for joining Courtney.
I wanted to chat with you today about your work away experience but we will just backtrack
a little bit to how did you first find out about work away?
I think just researching how to travel cheaply.
I found like how sitting and volunteering and things and that's how I came across work

(01:39):
away just through research and Google and things.
And is this your second work away I think you said?
Yeah my second one.
What was your first experience?
It was in Australia and I was just looking after a pug, a dog and just did a bit of housework
for a lady and that was it.
It was really really easy.
Where was that in Australia?

(02:01):
That was in the Sunshine Coast.
Okay so you were just house sitting, pet sitting, a pug and two weeks and was it a nice experience?
It was yeah.
She would come home from work every day and cook me dinner and we just hung out in the
evenings and it was good.
What a lovely experience.
That's so nice.

(02:21):
And so tell us about this experience.
How long do you plan to stay here at Connie's shelter?
I leave in a few more days so my total stay here would be two weeks.
Two weeks that's nice.
And how's the experience been?
It's really good.
I've loved it.
When I first arrived I was a bit nervous you know getting to know the animals and you don't

(02:44):
know what they're going to be like but they're all so friendly and so nice and yeah we get
so much free time during the day so I barely feel like I work and yeah I've really enjoyed
it.
I'm really glad I've done it.
And when I've come here it's been like helping out with walking the animals and yeah so you're
actually just taking animals for walks and feeding them and giving them love and that's

(03:04):
the work.
Yeah it is good work.
It's easy in terms of you know it's not there's not loads to do but then sometimes on dog
walk when there's the stray dogs that's a bit stressful but yeah most of the time it's
fun, it's good work.
Yes walking with the sticks has helped.

(03:25):
Yeah and it's very like calm and chilled and Connie's really nice she just lets us kind
of get on with it.
Yeah that's beautiful.
So you do two shifts in the day don't you?
Yeah we do 7.30am till about 9.00, 9.30 and then we have free time all day until 4.30pm
and then that's when we do all the feeding and walks again until about 6.00, 6.30 and

(03:49):
then we will have dinner and go to bed really early.
That's so nice and we're in a beautiful spot here out in nature and it's very peaceful
so that's lovely.
It is.
I do love doing the morning walks especially.
It's really nice watching the local people work in the fields and there's loads of animals
and things around.
Nice.

(04:10):
Yeah I do like that.
And what part of it has brought you the most joy?
I think I like just hanging out with the animals.
I like the we've got two paralysed cats and I like going to hang out with them because
they just want love.
They just want to snuggle right into you and all they want is love.

(04:34):
Yeah so I've enjoyed exploring the area.
We've rented scooters so we get to on our time off we get to explore the towns and go
to the beach and things so that's fun.
It's just been a nice relaxing good time.
That's so good.
And what are your plans next?

(04:56):
You mentioned to me that you've got a couple of other workaways that you're doing after
this so what have you got in store?
In a few days time I leave Sri Lanka and fly to Thailand to go and volunteer in an elephant
sanctuary.
I'm going to be a tour guide around the park and there's five elephants there I think.

(05:19):
That's exciting.
I'm doing that for a month which hopefully that'll be really fun and I kind of once in
a lifetime experience.
Yeah that sounds amazing.
And then so after Thailand I'm going to Taiwan to volunteer again in a Buddhist academy.
I think it's just where they teach kind of younger people about Buddhism and you know

(05:43):
spirituality and things so yeah I'll be going to volunteer there.
Do you know what you'll be doing there?
I think it's lighthouse work kind of cleaning things like that and helping out with translating
texts into English just to make sure you know they've got it all right, the grammar, the

(06:05):
spellings, things like that.
What a unique opportunity.
I know.
That's so cool.
I know I just I really wanted to do things that I would never get to do.
Just all working in a Buddhist academy isn't something I would do in my daily life so I
just wanted to try something completely new, completely different and just yeah just see

(06:28):
how it goes.
So you're from the UK originally.
Do you have plans of when you're going to go back to the UK?
No not really.
I'm going to go home for Christmas just for two or three weeks and then fly back out to
Australia in January to work but yeah home permanently I have no idea.

(06:51):
I think I'll be travelling for a few more years.
Wow that sounds amazing.
So it's going to be fun.
And through doing the workaways how do you feel like this has impacted you or changed
you in a way that you wouldn't have experienced if you were back home doing day to day life?

(07:12):
I think it's made me come out of my shell a bit more.
At home I feel like quite a nervous shy quiet person but travelling in general and doing
the workways, meeting so many people and doing different jobs and just new lifestyles it
just makes me feel just more yeah confident and I just love change.

(07:38):
I don't really like routine.
I like changing things up.
Yeah I think this has just really made me realise what I can do especially on my own
as well.
And did you get the you always wanted to travel or did something change in your life that
made you?
I think when I was younger it was kind of a thing I wanted to do but it was kind of

(08:02):
like oh I'll never actually do it.
And then when I was 19 I travelled South East Asia for three months and then since then
it's just been a constant thing in my life that I want to do.
I always go on European holidays being from England it's easy it's just you know spend
a few days in France, Spain, Germany but yeah doing a big trip like this and having no kind

(08:26):
of end date is always something that I've, since I was 19 it's something I've wanted
to yeah just go out and do.
And now I'm 26 so it's time to you know actually make my dreams come true and do it.
That's so amazing.
While you've been here at the shelter what's been the funniest thing that's happened to

(08:47):
you?
Yeah so there's been a couple of times where Ravi, one of the dogs, has a pee on my legs.
He has no control of his back end but he has only his two front legs so when he sits in
front of you and you look in the cage sometimes he lets out a little excited pee.

(09:11):
Yeah he's done that a couple of times.
He also needs to be carried from the cage when he needs to go for a walk to put in his
walker and I've seen you carry him and have him pee all over you.
This morning when I took him out I carried him facing away from me and he peed all over
the floor in front of me so that was nice.

(09:34):
At least you have to wash your clothes.
Yeah it was much better.
That's awesome.
What would you say to your younger self who is deciding whether to travel or not on this
big trip?
If you could say something now and look back what would it be?
What advice?
I would tell myself not to wait for other people and just go and do it.

(09:57):
I spent a long time waiting for my friends and then you know life happens and things,
plans change so yeah I would just tell myself just book it and go and do it and you'll be
fine on your own.
That's a beautiful way to end.
Thank you so much Courtney.
Thanks for having me.
Okay so I am here and I know I'm going to get this name, pronounce the name wrong but

(10:23):
it's Naomi but the proper way of pronouncing it is?
No-ay-mee.
So thank you so much for taking the time to have a chat with me today.
Thank you for the invitation.
And I just wanted to say that I really appreciate you doing this because obviously English is
not your first language and so I know it's probably things you want to express in your

(10:45):
own language that you might not be able to but I really yeah thank you anyway.
Thank you for the invitation it's very fun to do.
Cool.
So you've been here at Connie's Animal Shelter in Weligama in Sri Lanka.
How long have you been here for?
For now three weeks.
And you're staying for a total of?
I think for the total it was for a month and I still have like one week and a half something

(11:10):
like this.
Okay nice.
And this is your first work away isn't it?
Yeah it is.
So how did you find out about work away?
I found out about work away during my travel.
It was three years ago now so I traveled for four months and I met a lot of people that
was doing work away stuff so I knew from there and it was very interesting so I think I have

(11:35):
to do this once in my life and it is now.
Awesome.
And what led you to do it now?
What was happening back?
So where are you from?
Switzerland.
Yeah in the French part.
Yeah okay.
So what led you to from Switzerland to come to Sri Lanka?
Yeah I was doing some high degree studies and I just it was for two years and I just

(11:56):
finished it and I needed to go away and feel useful so that's why I wanted to do a work
away.
Awesome.
What did you do your studies in?
In art and design.
Okay wonderful.
So now so you finish your studies and then you've got a bit of time so you wanted to
come and do this.
Exactly.
That's awesome.
And how was your experience being here?
Oh that was very nice actually.

(12:18):
I really love animals so I feel very comfortable here.
Yeah you feel just useful so it's very nice for yourself as well and it's just beautiful
here in Sri Lanka so I cannot complain.
And what's been the part that's given you the most joy about being here?

(12:38):
For sure the cuddling time.
With all the cats and the dogs yeah.
I'm more a cat lover than dogs.
I was a bit stressed about the dogs but everything is fine.
They are lovely.
So yeah I'm happy to be here.
And has any particular cat or dog taken your heart?

(12:58):
For the dogs it was Mia for sure but now she's in Germany and Heidi.
Mia got adopted to Germany.
Yeah exactly.
A few days ago and there is Heidi she's so lovely I love her.
And for the cats it is Tofu.
She reminds me so much my last cat and she just disappeared.

(13:19):
So yeah I'm so attached to her.
So Tofu has come back to you.
That cat has come back to you in a different form.
Yeah exactly the same and she looks like she's really similar to her so yeah I just have
to bring her home.
Oh that's so nice.
Yeah she's cute.
And with your experience doing a work away what do you feel like you've gained from it

(13:42):
that you wouldn't have been able to if you had of maybe taken a different holiday and
or not come at all overseas?
For sure it is a different kind of holiday.
It's a good mix because you can still travel in the country but you still have to work
as well.
So I feel like it's the first time I can do like a half-half vacation and so unpredictable

(14:10):
situation can happen very fast here with animals so you need to react very fast to have an
appropriate behavior.
So yeah this is very sometimes stressful and you have to react very in one's event.
Yeah so it's teaching you like problem solving.
In the moment problem solving skills.

(14:31):
Exactly and not go away and yeah I would say that.
Yeah cool.
What's been the funniest moment that's happened here?
For sure it was a time where we walked the dogs outside everything was so beautiful the
weather was nice and in one second again everything turned out so bad and it started to rain so

(14:55):
much so so much so we just run with the dogs under the rain it was so funny so dramatic
but very nice at a time.
That happens here the rain just comes out of nowhere and then it will just be a massive
downpour and then it's always sometimes at the right at the wrong moment.
Exactly all the time in the wrong moment but that's nice as well it's very warm.

(15:20):
And if you could say something to the younger Naomi or previous Naomi before you decided
to come on the work away what advice would you give to her?
Bring very bad clothes because everything is going to be dirty for sure.
Yeah whenever I come here you all look so clean and lovely.

(15:45):
No I don't I have a lot of poo on me and dirt and yeah just bring bad clothes and sleep
before because my nights here are not very chill like yeah it can happen the dogs can
just start a fight during the night you don't know why.

(16:11):
And then what's next for you when you go back?
I go work.
Have you got a job lined up?
Yeah already so I think I go back to home I mean first I'm going to Albania with my
mother for one week and then Albania.
Albania in Europe yeah exactly.
Would you ever do another work away again?

(16:32):
I would love to yeah I would love maybe I would love to do work away during traveling
more than because I just came here for the work away not for traveling but maybe next
time it will be when I do like a whole long travel and then I can do a few works away
would be nice.
Amazing cool anything else you wanted to share?

(16:56):
Just take care of animals they're so lovely and it's all.
Thank you so much.
It's been so lovely to chat with you.
Thank you.
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