Being an International Volunteer

Hello My Dear Family and Friends!

WARM greetings from Namibia! As you approach the coldest, darkest day of the year in the northern hemisphere we get just the opposite! Yes, it was almost 100 degrees today! Wheee! Wish i could send you some of our sunshine as i ride my bicycle and teach tennis and soccer to the kids!

First of all, enormous thanks to Victoria Mead and all the families in the Portland schools who have donated children's picture books! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! there is such a need for story books, many of the kids have NEVER seen one, let alone been able to sit and hold one in their hands and try to read it!! The books will be sent all over the country to people who have begged me for them! So, on behalf of all the kids, i thank you immensely!

Just this week I got an email from a high school student in my home town of Ossining, New York. She was doing an assignment and asked if i would answer some questions about my profession. I thought, "Wow! I am a PROFESSIONAL VOLUNTEER!" Her questions were very thought provoking, so i reflected on them for a few days then sat down to reply. Apparently I said all the right things, because now she wants to come here and volunteer! So, with that sort of response, i thought, "Hey! Maybe if i post the questions and answers on my Blog it will inspire MORE people to become International Volunteers!"

So, without further ado, here are Erica's questions and my answers!!

1.) What is your career?

I am an international volunteer. My specialty is community development in the area of elementary education and after school programs which include: sports, crafts, music, educational games, art & drama.

2.) What is your salary?

I do not receive a salary. I get a stipend which pays for my rent ($150.00 per month) and my food & personal needs ($100.00 per month).

3.) How and why did you get into this career?

I graduated from college with a B.A. in English. Right after graduation i joined a volunteer organization and taught in a poor, inner-city school in California. i loved it so much i stayed there for 10 years and got my teaching credential. i then joined an international volunteer organization and have spent the past 10 years in Bolivia, El Salvador, Bangladesh and now Namibia. I work in communities with very little resources and develop programs for the children using natural and recycled materials. i also depend heavily on donations from family and friends!

4.) What is your biggest source of satisfaction and joy from this work?

Definitely being with the children and seeing them grow and develop in an environment of love and encouragement! most of the kids are abused physically, emotionally and sexually, so i provide programs for them where they are safe and happy and they learn so much by positive interaction with their peers and with all the educational games we play and the activities we do! the children are so full of love and they appreciate even the littlest things! seeing them grow into responsible and mature individuals just fills me with joy and pride!!!

5.) What is your biggest source of frustration and upset from this work?

Frustration comes from the grown ups who abuse the kids and meddle in the programs and destroy what i am trying to create. frustration comes from the corruption in the governments when they steal the soccer uniforms and cleats that have been shipped to us and they put such a big import tax on the donations that i cant afford to collect them to give to the kids. Frustration comes from the construction of a new president's mansion which costs billions of dollars while the kids have no health care, no food and cant afford to go to school. Frustration comes from the injustice which keeps these kids from ever having a chance at an education, employment or a brighter future.

6.) What skills do you need to be successful in this line of work?

You need a great sense of humor, tremendous flixibility and the ability to live as the people live no matter what the conditions. you need to be able to adapt to any environment and always see the brighter side of life, no matter what happens. you need to give up your ego and be humble, you need to teach and be taught, you need to love and be loved, you need to be able to listen to others, be fair and just, and live in harmony in a community where chaos and disorder rule. you need to communicate clearly, live what you preach, and be responsible and trustworthy. you need to be honest, hard-working, self-motivated and thoughful. you need to forgive. you need to be sensible and you need a good network of people near and far who love you, support you and to whom you can turn when you need guidance and encouragement.

7.) What did you want to do when you were 17 or 18 years old?

I didnt really ever have a single career in mind. i never said, "i want to be a teacher, or i want to be a doctor." i was so busy in high school with sports, after school activities and delivering newspapers that i didnt really have any career chosen! even when i went to college, i had no career path! i only chose to be an english major because i enjoyed the english classes the most and i loved to write! i graduated from college and STILL had no career chosen! i signed up to volunteer in the USA and told them i would go anywhere and do anything! it was the volunteer organization that decided to put me in an elementary school, and i loved it!! you see, my career found me and i never even had to look for it, nor did i ever take any courses to prepare for it!

8.) If you had to do it over again, would you pursue the same career?

YESSSSS!!!! absolutely!!! i love what i do and would not change places with anyone! and i can say that about every day i was teaching in California and for my time in Bolivia, El Salvador, Bangladesh and now, NAMIBIA!

9.) What degree is needed to pursue this career?

To be an international volunteer you dont need a specific career, and in most cases it is better to just have a general knowledge of all academic areas and be willing to learn as you go!! a medical background can always come in handy or social work skills if you want to work in community development, but really, no matter what degree you pursue, you usually end up doing something that is completely unrelated to your field of expertise!! that is the joy of being a volunteer, people ask you to help them with what they need, you dont just come in and tell them what you THINK they need! it actually helps NOT to have a specific degree because you discover that you can do far more than you ever imagined!!

10.) Is there anything else you would like to share about your work? A book about the profession? Trade papers?

Funny you should ask! i have been asked to write a book on making educational games out of garbage, and will have it to the editor by jan 31, 2007. the reason for publishing it is to share all these ideas with the volunteers all over the country who are working with children and have no background and who are crying out for assistance! it is a way to continue teaching even when i have left the country!

Then Erica wrote:

As college draws closer and closer, I find myself becoming more nervous because I have no concrete idea of what I want to do with my life. All I know is that I want to help and make a difference, and be able to put smiles on people's faces the way you do in Namibia. I find myself wishing I were there with you when I read your blog and look at your pictures! Do you have any advice? What I can be doing now? An idea of something to concentrate on in college? Do you know of any organizations that might be accepting of an intern, or specific places you think might be worth looking into?

And I replied:

After reading all my answers to your questions, i am sure you now know what i will say about all this! just enjoy college, dont worry about a career, follow your heart, make good choices and happiness will guide you to a career that delights you and rewards you and which makes our world a better place. you are already asking all the right questions, and you have a desire to DO something!! that right there puts you ahead of 99.9% of your peers who are out drinking, partying, obsessed with their appearance and their material possiessions and who their next boyfriend/girlfriend should be. you are already mature beyond your years, and that will serve you well in college when others act irresponsibly and selfishly. if there is something in particular that you enjoy, share that in the community as a volunteer! take your interests and talents and use them in your home, school and community! if you want to travel, you can look into domestic volunteer organizations or international ones! find out what it is that brings you joy and share that! you can do it short term or long term! you can surf the internet or just walk to a local organization and speak to the director! see what the local youth groups are doing, or start up your own group with like-minded friends! speak to your parents and see what suggestions they have! their loving guidance and support will be very important if you decide to go far, far away!!! :)

So my friends, as we enter the holiday season, I thank God for all of you. I can only be a volunteer because YOU support me. Without your financial donations, your in-kind donations and your emotional support I would NEVER have been able to do this for 10 years! Your outpouring of love is the greatest gift of all, and with the blinking of the christmas lights and the twinkling of the stars in the Namibian sky, my heart is filled with the light of hope for a brighter future for the children of our world.

Love, prayers and gratitude,

xoxoxoxoxox

mb :)

Comments

[Hans, Kathy and Clemens Metternich]

You are so great - we have lit a candle for you during the holdiay season, but think about you often and pass on your works to others. It is probably important to mention how people can send donations or contact you. I don't see that on your blog. Please - tell people how they can help. They will. Lots of love - with huge HUGS AND KISSES... AND BEST WISHES FROM OUR FISHES.... Hans, Kathy and Clemens

[Janet King]

Marybeth, you might suggest to your high school friend Erica that she check out the Friends World program of Long Island University, a four-year program that is international -- the first year now is in Costa Rica -- and fairly experiential. It will offer her the opportunity for amazing experiences ...she might even be able to structure a learning segment working alongside you, for academic credit!

Janet