The defining moment in my life that shifted the way I was thinking...and brought me to ubuntu.
Great question. Tough to answer.
In the sense of living and breathing and working and playing.Remember this song? An oldie, but a goodie. Good travel song.
Oh, there’ll be love, love, love
Wherever you go
There’ll be love, love, love...
Oh, there’ll be love, love, love
Wherever you go
There’ll be love, love, love...
Showing posts with label volunteering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteering. Show all posts
October 03, 2011
October 02, 2011
This time next week I'll be somewhere over the ocean...
Tonight is my night to pack. It's somewhat comical watching your life come together into a backpack when you have no idea what you are going to be wearing or what you'll need to survive for seven weeks. However, I must say this is much easier then trying to pack for Africa and Europe and that complete contrast in one pack. So hey, my optimism is up.
This week promises nothing but hectic activity. Work, more work, lots and lots of work & tidying up loose ends with projects like Habitat, Bolton Place library, plus trying to spend a bit of time seeing family and friends, having an early Thanksgiving dinner (thanks sista) and getting to Calgary and onto my plane.
I don't have an adapter.
I want to bring about 12 books with me. Where in the world do I fit those?
This is not going so well.
Thus, I sit down and blog instead. At least my procrastination skills are developing.
I'll take an interlude here to procrastinate even more and blog about my weekend. We landed a client in Saskatoon and the company chose to send me there, making sense with my virtual role and because of my family. I drove down Thursday night and my sister came down with Kason, so there was a house full of two brothers, two nephews, two sisters, a cousin and a girlfriend.
A lot of McLellan blood.
Result?
The usual laughing,spilling,games,zombies,eating,drinking,enjoying,picturetaking,football,ruckers.
My sister & I also got out to see my Gma & Gpa Giesbrechts grave. We reminisced about them (Oh but!) and laughed and cried and introduced Kason. It was beautiful.
We had an actual fall photoshoot with the six of us Saturday morning. But here are a few candids from the gorgeous weekend.
Ohh the family. 'twas the best weekend in a long time. They lift my spirits and melt my heart those guys.
So where was I? Oh right. Packing. I guess it's time to get back to that. Procrastination over.
Tonight is my night to pack. It's somewhat comical watching your life come together into a backpack when you have no idea what you are going to be wearing or what you'll need to survive for seven weeks. However, I must say this is much easier then trying to pack for Africa and Europe and that complete contrast in one pack. So hey, my optimism is up.
This week promises nothing but hectic activity. Work, more work, lots and lots of work & tidying up loose ends with projects like Habitat, Bolton Place library, plus trying to spend a bit of time seeing family and friends, having an early Thanksgiving dinner (thanks sista) and getting to Calgary and onto my plane.
I don't have an adapter.
I want to bring about 12 books with me. Where in the world do I fit those?
This is not going so well.
Thus, I sit down and blog instead. At least my procrastination skills are developing.
I'll take an interlude here to procrastinate even more and blog about my weekend. We landed a client in Saskatoon and the company chose to send me there, making sense with my virtual role and because of my family. I drove down Thursday night and my sister came down with Kason, so there was a house full of two brothers, two nephews, two sisters, a cousin and a girlfriend.
A lot of McLellan blood.
Result?
The usual laughing,spilling,games,zombies,eating,drinking,enjoying,picturetaking,football,ruckers.
My sister & I also got out to see my Gma & Gpa Giesbrechts grave. We reminisced about them (Oh but!) and laughed and cried and introduced Kason. It was beautiful.
We had an actual fall photoshoot with the six of us Saturday morning. But here are a few candids from the gorgeous weekend.
 |
| The scenery from their plot. I believe they were looking down on us.. How can you not with this beauty? |
 |
| Telling Kason about Grandma's cooking and Grandpa's teasing. How we call him a 'Vrigglevrips' because Grandpa would. Oh but. |
 |
| The super happy dudephew with Uncle Greg |
 |
| The other dudephew by the river on picture day. |
 |
| We got to see Ry's football game. Notice dad hovering closely. |
 |
 |
| Fans! |
 |
| Cheering section. We were like the paparazzi. |
 |
| Pretty sure Ry had a diving tackle before this shot. |
 |
| I wonder what position this critter will play someday. |
So where was I? Oh right. Packing. I guess it's time to get back to that. Procrastination over.
Helpful strategies from IDEX for my trip:
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”– Mother Teresa
Flexibility: Volunteering in India is full of miscommunication, false starts and constant adjustments. In negotiating these hurdles, flexibility is crucial. Whether this means shifting work assignments, adjusting to the needs of your fellow volunteers or abiding by certain local customs, flexibility will help you learn the invaluable lesson of operating successfully outside of your “comfort zone”.
Humility: Accepting that you cannot change the world or even your place in the world in two months can be a liberating insight. By abandoning the more fantastic versions of your dreams and aspirations, you can more easily focus on the tangible opportunities that daily present themselves to you.
Perspective: Maintaining perspective will go a long way towards keeping you happy and energized for work. Perspective can mean many things: remembering that you are in a developing country where life in many ways is more challenging and less comfortable; remembering that though the possibility for contribution exists, you are still just one volunteer on a short-term placement; remembering that, just like at home, some days will be better than others.
Communication: Whether dealing with IDEX staff, other volunteers or members of the community, always try to keep the lines of communication open. If you see something that could be done more efficiently or effectively, tell us (nicely); when cultural differences occur, ask questions; when other volunteers do things that bother you, politely inform them. As long as it occurs with a certain level of diplomacy and respect, communication makes everybody’s lives easier.
Teamwork: While it is our job to support them in every respect, volunteers are often closer to the problems they face than we are. Try to think of yourself less as an IDEX customer and more as a part of our team. Take ownership of your experience and try to engage with and improve it whenever possible.
Excellence: While sensitivity to the cultural setting at your work placement is important, it is also important to retain some sense of personal standards. Whether in matters of inter-personal interaction or institutional policy, IDEX encourages you to strive for excellence in everything you do, avoiding the subtle ethnocentrism of low standards. When they arise from a genuine compassion and solidarity, high standards of excellence benefit everyone.
Non-Attachment: For the Buddha, it was the realization that everything is transient (sabbam annicam), for Arjun in the Gita, it was Krishna’s advice to dedicate the results of his actions to God. In these and other cases, India truly is a land where the practice of non-attachment to desire and aversion has been cultivated. During the inevitable ups and downs of the experience, it will do well to take such locally resonant messages to heart.
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”– Mother Teresa
Flexibility: Volunteering in India is full of miscommunication, false starts and constant adjustments. In negotiating these hurdles, flexibility is crucial. Whether this means shifting work assignments, adjusting to the needs of your fellow volunteers or abiding by certain local customs, flexibility will help you learn the invaluable lesson of operating successfully outside of your “comfort zone”.
Humility: Accepting that you cannot change the world or even your place in the world in two months can be a liberating insight. By abandoning the more fantastic versions of your dreams and aspirations, you can more easily focus on the tangible opportunities that daily present themselves to you.
Perspective: Maintaining perspective will go a long way towards keeping you happy and energized for work. Perspective can mean many things: remembering that you are in a developing country where life in many ways is more challenging and less comfortable; remembering that though the possibility for contribution exists, you are still just one volunteer on a short-term placement; remembering that, just like at home, some days will be better than others.
Communication: Whether dealing with IDEX staff, other volunteers or members of the community, always try to keep the lines of communication open. If you see something that could be done more efficiently or effectively, tell us (nicely); when cultural differences occur, ask questions; when other volunteers do things that bother you, politely inform them. As long as it occurs with a certain level of diplomacy and respect, communication makes everybody’s lives easier.
Teamwork: While it is our job to support them in every respect, volunteers are often closer to the problems they face than we are. Try to think of yourself less as an IDEX customer and more as a part of our team. Take ownership of your experience and try to engage with and improve it whenever possible.
Excellence: While sensitivity to the cultural setting at your work placement is important, it is also important to retain some sense of personal standards. Whether in matters of inter-personal interaction or institutional policy, IDEX encourages you to strive for excellence in everything you do, avoiding the subtle ethnocentrism of low standards. When they arise from a genuine compassion and solidarity, high standards of excellence benefit everyone.
Non-Attachment: For the Buddha, it was the realization that everything is transient (sabbam annicam), for Arjun in the Gita, it was Krishna’s advice to dedicate the results of his actions to God. In these and other cases, India truly is a land where the practice of non-attachment to desire and aversion has been cultivated. During the inevitable ups and downs of the experience, it will do well to take such locally resonant messages to heart.
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