Name: Gretta Howard
Country: Australia
Age:29
From which veterinary school did you graduate? Sydney University
Current/most recent professional post ? Gordon Veterinary Hospital, Sydney
What type of practice? Small animals
Project Name: Vets Beyond Borders SARAH Program
Project Location: Gangtok Sikkim, India
Have you volunteered before? Sikkim was my first volunteer experience in the veterinary industry. I have volunteered as a tutor for secondary school students struggling with their studies while I was at university.
Tell us about your volunteer experience?
It was a little daunting at first, but being able to live, work and communicate with the local people and get everyone involved in a positive way towards building a healthier, happier community was a great achievement. I particularly loved to interact with the children on my walk to and from work in Sikkim. They always asked me “What is your name?” and “How are you?”. It was also quite amusing squashing into a “taxi” in the morning with other locals to travel the windy road up the Himalayan mountains.
What do you think is the best aspect of the program?
Being able to interact with and teach skills to a different culture. I learnt a lot about the Indian/Sikkimese people by directly working with them. It is an experience I will never forget.
Country: Australia
Age:29
From which veterinary school did you graduate? Sydney University
Current/most recent professional post ? Gordon Veterinary Hospital, Sydney
What type of practice? Small animals
Project Name: Vets Beyond Borders SARAH Program
Project Location: Gangtok Sikkim, India
Have you volunteered before? Sikkim was my first volunteer experience in the veterinary industry. I have volunteered as a tutor for secondary school students struggling with their studies while I was at university.
Tell us about your volunteer experience?
It was a little daunting at first, but being able to live, work and communicate with the local people and get everyone involved in a positive way towards building a healthier, happier community was a great achievement. I particularly loved to interact with the children on my walk to and from work in Sikkim. They always asked me “What is your name?” and “How are you?”. It was also quite amusing squashing into a “taxi” in the morning with other locals to travel the windy road up the Himalayan mountains.
What do you think is the best aspect of the program?
Being able to interact with and teach skills to a different culture. I learnt a lot about the Indian/Sikkimese people by directly working with them. It is an experience I will never forget.
What do you like most about being a volunteer?
It was tiring work, but overall, it was the remote location of being amongst the Himalayan mountains and the extremely delicious and tasty food that I enjoyed the most.
