Beyond Volunteering: My 27 Days in North Sumatra
I spent 27 days in North Sumatra on what was supposed to be a volunteering project. But instead of structured tasks, what I found was something far more meaningful, the chance to truly connect with people. I listened to their stories, shared meals, laughed, learned, inspired, played and felt inspired in return. The work itself may not have unfolded as planned, but the friendships, empowerment, and human connection became the real gift of this journey.
8/20/20246 min read
A Different Way of Traveling
One of the reasons I choose volunteering is because it allows me to be needed in places that welcome an extra set of hands, whether through time, energy, or skills, good cause or for a business. It’s an exchange of energy: I get to contribute, and in return I experience a new country in a much cheaper and deeper way than just checking it off a bucket list. For me, it’s also the best way to connect with locals and see the reality behind the polished façade of tourism.
Working online already gave me freedom, but I wanted more than just moving from one routine to another. I wanted to give back. That’s when the idea of combining work with volunteering came alive.
I spent a month with Zsofia in Bali in 2024, then moved on to Vietnam. After a 21-day visa on arrival (that I mistakenly miscalculated), I had to leave the country. Those days weren’t particularly fulfilling, I still felt the urge to do something meaningful, something beyond work and routine.
When Zsofia decided to volunteer in North Sumatra as a yoga teacher, I followed.
My role was to support the resort with marketing, and to help teach English and yoga.
I was in awe the moment I arrived. I hadn’t looked into the details of the place beforehand, so I was surprised to find myself sitting right by Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake in the world. Each morning, I woke up to breathtaking views, surrounded by the sweetest young staffs whose warmth and kindness filled each day with light.
Structured Tasks
When it came to marketing and expansion, I quickly noticed that much of what the resort had to offer was outdated and needed more care and attention. I just cant help something that´s not even in reality. Since my intention in being there was to contribute meaningfully, I shifted my focus toward connecting with the staff and teaching them English.
Becoming an English teacher turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of my stay. I got to know Indonesians with such big hearts; hardworking, full of dreams, yet often held back by societal limitations. Along the way, I even found myself in an unexpected role as a tea-tasting attendant, learning about different teas and the art of serving them properly. It was surprisingly fun and grounding.
During those times of teaching and sharing, I heard countless stories about their daily lives and struggles. Some were hard to hear (things I sometimes wished I hadn’t known) but I’ve always had a tendency to dig deeper, to reach the root of things. I wanted to understand. These conversations opened my eyes even more, expanding my understanding of how people carry invisible limitations: beliefs, doubts, fears, and a lack of confidence in their own capabilities.
Traveling with Purpose
At some point, simply moving from one place to another stopped being enough. Taking photos and visiting popular spots didn’t give me the deep satisfaction I longed for. What I craved was connection, real, raw, human. The truth that lives beyond the façade I see.
That longing led me to volunteering. It gave me purpose and a way to step into the lives of locals, not just as an observer during my free times, but as part of their rhythm sometimes It is actually the main reason why I get to a place. In Copenhagen, I joined CPH Volunteers, helping disabled people step outside their routines and experience joy in the simplest gestures and facilitate public events that always ends up experiencing random stuffs that is out of the blue. In Amsterdam, I trained as a project coordinator, showing up each day to serve people and the environment often neglected. Then came Siargao Island in the Philippines, where I spent my days playing endlessly with the kids and picking up plastics by the beach. In those moments, I realized that volunteering had become part of who I am; where I feel valued, and where I can give back in my own small but meaningful ways.
Coming from a third-world country myself, these experiences planted a seed: How can I expand this work back home?
The truth is, I wasn’t ready yet. There were parts of myself that still needed strengthening.
There was a deep disconnection from my roots I hadn’t yet reconciled.
And so, I kept searching.
I kept volunteering elsewhere in the world.
Teaching, Listening, and Young Beautiful Indonesians
Every morning I was greeted with warmth, enthusiasm, and the sweetest energy from the young Indonesians working at the resort. They were content with what they had, yet I could sense that many of them quietly longed for more; dreams they were almost too afraid to name. What held them back was familiar to me: fear of disappointing family, doubt in their abilities, and the belief that certain paths were simply out of reach.
Teaching them English became more than just classes.
The lessons were small, informal, often full of laughter and mistakes, but beneath the grammar and vocabulary, what truly surfaced were their stories; hopes, struggles, and the weight of societal limitations.
I could relate deeply. Growing up in the Philippines, I had felt the same sense of limitation, that some doors weren’t meant for me, that I should just accept what was given. And yet, in those conversations, something shifted. For them, and for myself.
By simply being there, listening, and encouraging them step by step, I was able to reflect back a truth they already carried inside: Yes, you can.
“Sometimes the most powerful teaching isn’t about words, but about presence, the way you hold space for someone to believe in themselves.”
It may take time, effort, and even pain to shed old patterns, but growth always pays off. And witnessing their willingness to try reminded me of my own journey of becoming.
Fellow Volunteers
I wasn’t alone in this journey. Alongside the locals, I was joined by other volunteers, each bringing their own eccentric wisdom and unique energy.
There was an Argentinian sound healer and massage therapist, determined to settle in Indonesia and start a new life there. He often spoke about his upbringing, especially his father’s influence and how it affects his reaction to the world, and the ways he was carving his spiritual path. He had even published a book back in his home country, and though he was quirky in his own way, there was something inspiring about his determination to live life on his own terms. We went chasing waterfalls in the jungle, dipping into the cold streams, and had the best time singing jungle songs, even though it wasn’t really allowed. I only initiated it because I was too scared to do it alone. Lol.
Then came a Chinese-American woman, fearless and far more experienced than me in exploring the realms of spirituality. She helped me bring long-buried mother wounds to the surface, and through her guidance, I experienced plant medicine "playful mushrooms"
for the first time (beyond the microdosing I’d done in Amsterdam).
That journey cracked open the limitations I had been placing on myself, especially around creativity and self-belief. We went on a long hike at 4 in the morning to catch the sunrise in the mountains, where she somehow ended up climbing onto a boat perched on top of a hill, right above the cliff.
It felt as though every volunteer I met mirrored a piece of myself I needed to see; each encounter becoming another layer of reflection and growth.
Dreams and Self-Belief
What I carried away from North Sumatra was this:
We all live within limitations; beliefs, doubts, fears.
Sometimes they come from society, sometimes from family, often from ourselves. But they are not absolute.
Growth hurts. Shedding old skin takes courage. But every small step counts.
And sometimes, the courage to dream bigger comes not from within us alone, but from seeing our reflection in someone else’s eyes.
“The most radical act of love you can give someone is to show them that they can.”
Conclusion: Beyond Volunteering
When I first arrived, I thought I was coming to volunteer, to give my skills and time.
But what I truly gave and received was far beyond tasks: it was connection, encouragement, and belief.
Volunteering taught me that “helping” isn’t about fixing others, it’s about walking alongside them.
It’s about reminding each other of the possibilities we’ve forgotten to see.
And now I ask you, dear reader:
Where are you holding yourself back because of a limitation you’ve accepted as truth?
What would happen if you dared to step beyond it, slowly, gently, but surely?
Because sometimes, the real volunteering isn’t about serving others.
It’s about becoming an ally to your own becoming.
