Michael

Name	Volunteer Year	Placement	Country
Micheal	2010	Don Bosco Technical College, Alafua	Samoa

Describe the work you did during your placement:

While at Don Bosco, Alafua I mainly taught Business Studies and Mathematics and also assisted in general school administrative work. I would have to say though, that the bulk of my time was spent interacting with the staff and students at Don Bosco and the community members in Alafua and getting to know a considerable number of them on a personal level.

Describe some of the best and most challenging aspects of your placement:

In retrospect, I would have to say the best aspect of my placement was meeting and getting to know the staff, students and community in Alafua. They have such big hearts and are very warm and cheerful. The most challenging aspect was that as I adjusted to a 'new home', I missed my family. Keeping in touch with my family via email and phone calls did make it better.

Explain how your volunteer experience impacts your life today:

Having been a volunteer in Samoa with the Cagliero Project I am more aware of social justice issues. In particular, that God created us human beings as social creatures, that is, we are inter-dependent on each other. We all need each other to truly flourish and I can only truly flourish if other members of society also flourish. Currently, I am a research student at Australian Catholic University and I am also teaching undergraduate units on Ethics and the Common Good in the University.