I have a dream
Whenever some asks me what it is I like about my job my instant reaction is "I like to help people".
Working in technical support does allow me to help people solve problems. I find that very gratifying. It's kind of like being a doctor but if my patient "dies" I can bring it back to life.
Knowing this about myself I wonder what it is that I'm truly suppose to do with my life. I've thought of various roles I could play, my strengths and weaknesses, experiences. But I still haven't determined what my life's work will be. I imagine myself out in the world helping where help is needed, inspiring where inspiration is in short supply.
With this in mind I've decided to explore "voluntourism" as a way to see if I have the right stuff it takes to make this world just a little bit better for someone. Voluntourism is basically you spending money (flight, program fee) to go somewhere and volunteer your time on community projects. Apparently the expense incurred can be tax deductible.
So, I thought I'd take some of my sad two-weeks a year vacation time and try one of these programs. Some of you might wonder why I'd pay an organization to volunteer. Well, I view this as an opportunity to see what it's like to be in, what could possible be classified as, a "third-world country" and working with the locals to build or educate. Will I be too shy to actually get to know the locals, will the work be too exhausting, will I miss home badly, will I be miserable, will I fail?
I can't think of any other way to explore this side of myself without giving up my stability until I KNOW that being a volunteer is what I want to do with my life.
While I'm in the planning phase of this adventure I'd like your input and suggestions. I also plan to document, photograph and blog about my adventure. Of course I will post links to organizations of interest.
Do you have any personal experience with this kind of thing?
While researching I came across this article:
Thank you for reading!
Erin
Working in technical support does allow me to help people solve problems. I find that very gratifying. It's kind of like being a doctor but if my patient "dies" I can bring it back to life.
Knowing this about myself I wonder what it is that I'm truly suppose to do with my life. I've thought of various roles I could play, my strengths and weaknesses, experiences. But I still haven't determined what my life's work will be. I imagine myself out in the world helping where help is needed, inspiring where inspiration is in short supply.
With this in mind I've decided to explore "voluntourism" as a way to see if I have the right stuff it takes to make this world just a little bit better for someone. Voluntourism is basically you spending money (flight, program fee) to go somewhere and volunteer your time on community projects. Apparently the expense incurred can be tax deductible.
So, I thought I'd take some of my sad two-weeks a year vacation time and try one of these programs. Some of you might wonder why I'd pay an organization to volunteer. Well, I view this as an opportunity to see what it's like to be in, what could possible be classified as, a "third-world country" and working with the locals to build or educate. Will I be too shy to actually get to know the locals, will the work be too exhausting, will I miss home badly, will I be miserable, will I fail?
I can't think of any other way to explore this side of myself without giving up my stability until I KNOW that being a volunteer is what I want to do with my life.
While I'm in the planning phase of this adventure I'd like your input and suggestions. I also plan to document, photograph and blog about my adventure. Of course I will post links to organizations of interest.
Do you have any personal experience with this kind of thing?
While researching I came across this article:
» Voluntourism trips for do-gooders - Active- msnbc.com
Thank you for reading!
Erin
I think this is a cool idea, kudos to daring to dream, and for being pragmatic enough to want to try it first. If I were in the same position, I'd probably wonder most if I really had something useful to offer...I hate the idea of being a non-contributor. If I do know that I can contribute, then a lot of the other fears go away I find. Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing!
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