Madelene Lees Female San Rafael, CA United States: Share

Blog Posts
Discussions
Events
Groups (1)
Photos
Photo Albums
Videos

Madelene Lees's Apps

Madelene Lees's Friends

View All

Madelene Lees's Groups

Dharamsala

93 members

View All

Madelene Lees's Page

Latest Activity

Madelene Lees left a comment for Christina Chu

July 1

Christina Chu left a comment for Madelene Lees

June 30

Jera left a comment for Madelene Lees

March 25

Madelene Lees left a comment for Jera

March 25

Jera left a comment for Madelene Lees

March 25

Madelene Lees left a comment for Jera

March 25

Jera left a comment for Madelene Lees

March 25

Madelene Lees and Jera are now friends

March 24

Profile Information

About me:: My nickname is Maddy. I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel to some amazing places. Hiking to the top of Huayna Picchu at Macchu Picchu, going on safari in Zimbabwe (when that country was the safest in Africa) and traveling by boat up the Amazon River. Three years ago my sweetheart and I went to Peru to celebrate my five year anniversary of being cancer free from breast cancer. Yeah! There I met a fearless young girl who had taken a year off to volunteer in Costa Rica and travel all over Peru by herself. I’d been thinking about giving back and volunteering for a long time and I poked around on the web and the first site that came up was CCS. I took a look and said that’s what I want to do. So here I am. I’m excited about the possibilities ahead and a bit apprehensive about the unknown. So drop by, visit or comment. I’ll be volunteering in Dharamsala India for four weeks in April 2009.

CCS Volunteer Status:: Enrolled Volunteer

Length of Volunteer Program Stay:: 3-4 weeks

Date I Volunteered or Will Be Volunteering: April 18, 2009

Region/s of Interest: Brazil, Costa Rica (Puriscal), Costa Rica (San Carlos), Costa Rica (Cartago), Ghana, India (Dharamsala), South Africa, Tanzania (Kilimanjaro), Tanzania (Rural Kilimanjaro), Tanzania (Bagamoyo), Thailand (Bangkok), Thailand (Trang), Multiple Regions

Volunteer Interests:: Caring for Infants & Children, Teaching Children, Teaching English, Assisting Teachers, Caring for the Elderly, Working toward Women's Empowerment, Sharing Professional Skills/Experience

Occupation:: Associate Creative Director at Charles Schwab

School or University Attended:: Art Center College of Design

Comment Wall (12 comments)

You need to be a member of CCS Community to add comments!

Join this social network

At 8:33pm on June 30, 2009, Christina Chu said…: Hi Madelene, How was Dharmasala? Are you back yet or still there?

At 6:37pm on March 25, 2009, Jera said…: Yeah, once we get there it will be so much easier because we will hear it and use it every day! Phrase books do miracles though! :)

At 4:11pm on March 25, 2009, Jera said…: You will love it! I have volunteered with many different organizations and they have all been experiences I will carry with me for the rest of my life. You meet some of the most incredible people. I volunteered with CCS back in 2006 and it was an amazing experience. Can't wait to head off to India! Have you learned any Hindi?

At 1:51pm on March 25, 2009, Jera said…: Can't wait to meet you!
What made you decide on Dharamsala?

At 1:55pm on February 18, 2009, Christina Chu said…: Wow, talk about timing and coincidences. i'm in zimbabwe right now. economy is hurting but it is a beautiful country.

At 7:27pm on February 17, 2009, Corinne said…: Hi Madelene- The travel agent in Mcleod Ganj is:
Ways Tours & Travel Pvt. Ltd.
waystour@vsni.net
website- www.waystours.com
They also have an office in New Delhi. They are on one of the main roads & easy to get to. Once you get to Dharamsala, the CCS staff can give you directions.
The staff at Ways Tours speaks English & was very helpful to many of the volunteers in my group- with travel within India as well as to other nearby countries.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Enjoy! Corinne

At 4:08am on February 16, 2009, Christina Chu said…: Hey Madeline,

I'm so envious you're going to Dharmasala. That is next on my list. Although my CCS ended in December, I am still traveling africa. I'm in Namibia right now. As for a laptop, I wouldn't bring one, but that is because i'm traveling so long haul... going on now for 4 months. Plus in africa, it could easily be stolen. There are abundant internet cafes.

As for cameras - bring a cheaper digital one. One memory stick in the camera is enough. You can always buy USB sticks as you go. For quick pictures find a computer with microsoft picture manager and compress the pictures down so that you have a backup copy that can be quickly uploaded to flickr.com or picasa.com. This is in case you lose your high res pictures on USB sticks.

Since you're in india technology access will be substantially easier in major cities as you have hyderabad in the south - tech capital.

I have been living out of one bag - 65 Liter Osprey backpacker for the last couple of months. When i run out of room and i want to keep things, I go to the post office and ship it home. It really is a great experience - using the post office because you really get to learn how things work there -- you'll see.

I brought my iphone - indispensible. If you have a USB charger that is all you need. It is more of a pain to use wall chargers and these take up more space, since i've been going through so many countries, but a USB phone charger wil work on every computer you run into, which is fantastic.

Don't need water purifiers. Just malaria tabs if you are in the region. Pack warm clothes and light weather clothes. Close toed shoes and open. EVERYTHING else, you can buy as you go, unless its prescription like contacts. Of course this is personal because I can live without my entire makeup bag, no problem. The 3rd world is more developed in commerce than we think they are, which is amazing.

Hope to see you in san fran. please drop me an email or comment on my blog sometime, i hope to hear from you.

At 9:27pm on February 15, 2009, Sarah Jamison said…: Thank you! I really want to go to India as well. I have a close friend who is moving to North East India with her husband (who is from there) so I may wait to go and stay with them. My time in Tanzania was absolutely amazing and life changing. I am sure you will have a similarly rewarding experience. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

At 6:50pm on February 15, 2009, B, Annapurna and Emerson said…: Oh one more thing Maddy, I see you are in San Rafael. If you want to get together, let me know. I am in Mill Valley.

At 6:49pm on February 15, 2009, B, Annapurna and Emerson said…: Hi Madeline, Dharamsala was great! The staff there is very friendly and willing to work with the volunteers. When are you going? Just check for weather on the web. Also, be sure you have a flash light because the power does go out. Also, don't expect to have wireless access at the home base. You can get it sometimes but it is spotty. The dogs are sweet but some can be a bit sketchy so be aware of that. ATM's-one in town and one in McCleod. They are also not altogether dependable. Enjoy your time in Dharamsala. We fell in love with the place and the people. Please send my love to the staff.

No comments yet!

View All Comments

Welcome to
CCS Community

Sign Up
or Sign In

CCS Community Tools

Meet or Find: members
Interact: discussions, groups
View or Add: photos, videos
Read: blogs, experiences
Spread the word: invite others

Bookmark this page: