Volunteering at WaGaLiGong

With the end of my three weeks volunteering in Dulan approaching, I am starting to get the feeling that I always get when I leave a place that has managed to capture my heart. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t almost agree to stay in Dulan for two more months. I always struggle leaving places that I really connect with because I don’t know when I will be back. With the lifestyle that I have chosen, it is not always guaranteed that I will return a place, no matter how much I absolutely adore it.

When searching for a place to travel I started my research looking at places that provided accommodation in exchange for work. I applied to several different surf-related places all over the world, including one in Taiwan. I told myself that whoever responded to me first, would be where I went.

WaGaLiGong Surf Hostel in Dulan, Taiwan responded to me first. I arrived here in Dulan exactly three weeks ago to begin my work. I originally was placed in the hostel department, where I was helping to check in guests, clean the hostel, and provide assistance in any other way that I could. 

After a week of working in the hostel department, I got moved to the surf department. I could not have been more stoked on this transfer. This meant that not only did I receive free accommodation and NT 100 (3USD) a day, but I got transportation to go surfing, and also free rental for any board I wanted to ride. It was the absolute best possible gig I could imagine.

The South African owner, Mark, and his Taiwanese wife, Yong Yi, truly made me feel apart of the family from day one. They were there for me in every way possible, with any and all of the questions I had. Trust me, I had a lot. They managed to make Dulan feel like my home away from home, and that is very important to have that feeling when you are traveling alone in a foreign country. 

When working in the surf department, I would assist with the surf lessons when needed. This was an incredible part of the job. There is nothing better than sharing your passion with people and watching someone else enjoy it as much as you. For all the fellow surfers, think about your first wave, and how insanely hooked you were after it.

Now imagine watching someone get that feeling, and seeing the fire being sparked inside of them.

If I wasn’t needed in the lesson, I would take the guests surfing. I showed them where to surf, what rocks to stay away from, and even got to paddle out with them. This was another awesome part of the job because I got to surf with people from all over the world. Even if this meant having to squeeze three people on a scooter, we always had fun getting to the beach and did whatever it took to surf. 

When I wasn’t surfing with the guests or driving them to the beach, I was doing other jobs to help out. Whether it was cleaning the old wax off the boards or replacing fins/leashes, I was always doing something surf-related. A lot of the time, my job consisted of checking the surf. When I was able to surf, this was fine. But when I was on duty and couldn’t surf, I hated this part. There were a couple of times when I had to drive guests to go surf, and it looked so clean and was breaking perfectly, but I couldn’t surf with them because there other tasks I had to do. Those days were the worst, they would go by so slow and I would spend my entire shift hoping the waves didn’t turn to shit by the end of it. Other than that, it was a really enjoyable job.

One day, I even got to help out in the land. Mark bought a piece of land and planted many plants and trees in it. I had the exciting opportunity to help with the care-taking of the trees and plants. It wasn’t easy work though, don’t be fooled by my excitement. I was whacking away at weeds and ripping roots out of the ground. It was pretty empowering though  But I was extremely stoked on it because I love planting.

When I arrived to the land, Mark told me to put on some rubber boots. Yellow crab boots; that’s what I called them. I can’t escape these things no matter where I go. He tells me to put them on because of the snakes. I freak out, obviously. I am deathly terrified of snakes. I used to have a reoccurring dream of snakes slithering into my bed as a kid. They are no joke for this gal.

Luckily I didn’t see any snakes, but Mark was shocked that I didn’t. He informed me that people always see snakes when they are cutting down the weeds.

Later that night, I had that reoccurring dream that used to haunt me as a child. In my dream, I woke up in the hostel staff room that I was actually sleeping in that night, to see hundreds of snakes. Snakes slithering in my bed, coming from every direction. I totally thought the dream was real because the setting was the same. My dream took place in the actual room I was in.

Another volunteer walked into the room (in real life, not my dream) and I woke

up and loudly yelled “No! Watch out!! Those are all snakes!” She scurried out of the room so fast; fast enough for me to realize I just actually yelled that there were snakes

in our room to another volunteer, and that I was no longer in my dream. It was quite embarrassing considering I woke up the other two volunteers as well. I never heard the end of that one.

Aside from causing my reoccurring snake dream, working for WaGaLiGong was the best experience I could have imagined. Between the guests and the other volunteers, I

met the most incredible people. I created relationships with wonderful people and made memories that will last a lifetime. It was so nice to have a home-base, and I will miss it so much. I met people from all over the world. Many of them invited me to their country and told me I will always have a place to stay when I visit. That is what life is all about, the people and the connections you make. I am so grateful for the amazing opportunity I got to have at WaGaLiGong and cannot wait to return in the future.