<p>We recently moved to a new country overseas and DD attends a very small school without any extracurricular activities. I'm still learning where things are and how to get there. I hope that by December 1st, I will have enrolled my dd in Fencing- she's going to try it this Wednesday for the first time. </p>
<p>The other activity and this is what I'm really writing about is volunteering at an orphanage. We go there once every two weeks. What do we do? Bring games and play with the older teenage kids. It doesn't sound like much but they get visitors and we do a small amount of English. It is a very small amount of English. (We speak the language of the host country.) She's in 6th grade now, and we will live here until she finishes 8th grade. Is playing at an orphanage something to mention as an extracurricular activity?</p>
<p>Maybe it’s just me, but I’m finding what I perceive (on the forum in general, not in your post in particular) as an obsession with EC’s a bit offputting. I think the significant distinction is between a child who sits in her room and does nothing and a child who has interests and activities. Yes, it would be wonderful if it at least one of those activities were something where the child could demonstrate her commitment to practicing and improving her skill - but the boarding school application shouldn’t define all the child’s activities for the years preceding boarding school.</p>
<p>If your daughter finds the time she spends at the orphanage meaningful, then she should absolutely write about it. But three years in a foreign country should give her plenty to write about! Maybe she’ll write about the time she took the bus for the first time and got totally lost - or her first New Year’s celebration in this country - or her visit with the family across the street. It could be anything - as long as it is something that’s meaningful to her.</p>
<p>If there aren’t a lot of EC’s available to her, she can explain that in her application. Or you can explain it in your part of the application. In the meantime, let her make the most of her stay in this country, without worrying about how it will “fit” in the application.</p>
<p>Fencing sounds wonderful, by that way - I hope she enjoys it!</p>
<p>I agree with dodersmom, it seems that parents/kids think that you need to have tons of EC’s and 8 sports. This is just not the case. </p>
<p>My d did only dance, maybe 10 hours per week, and volunteered there. I believe she made a good candidate because she was committed to dancing and enjoyed it. Showing passion and enjoyment is what is most important. Have your d journal about her experiences abroad. She has experiences than most kids never have and that is something that can be shared with others.</p>
<p>My d constantly admits she enjoys the variety of her bs community and the interesting students she gets to go to classes with, live with and just hangout with.</p>
<p>On a good note: She can use that experience in her essays as “What is a challenge you have faced, and how have you overcome it?” is a common prompt.</p>
<p>I get what the OP is asking. I too lived in that part of the world and spent a lot of time at orphanages. As a little kid, I used to visit orphanages when my family would drop off our outgrown clothes. These visits had a profound effect on me. And I<code>m happy to say, I continue to visit these same orphanages today.
I</code>m passionate about this charity work and I hope to share this passion w/ my new school mates.
I spoke a lot about this in my BS interviews. I think it helped me stand out a bit. At least I hope they will remember me. One of my interviewers actually teared up when I explained the conditions of the places I visit.
One other thing I want to mention to the OP. What you are giving to those children is sooo big, and you wont really realize it until you go back to your own country and reflect.
These experiences are beyond good essay material because you`re making a difference.</p>