For Volunteers : Volunteer Stories
FIAT
Learn about what it’s like to be a volunteer by reading current volunteers’ stories. Each month we feature a new story from a volunteer. Featured Stories"Me blind, but me can still see" The simplicity of her statement and the coyness of her remark left me thinking. I had only been in Jamaica three weeks at that point, the first two had been a crash course in everything Jamaican, including hurricane season. We learned how to quickly pack and unpack and repack all of our belongings. Bringing the first epiphany of simplicity - material possessions are overrated, especially when you have to lug them up and down stairs. Elevators were an anomaly here- but sheer strength was in an abundance, something we’d develop throughout the year in physical and mental bouts of determination- a mere emulation of what the Jamaican people demonstrated day in and day out. read more » Poverty: Striving for Riches On a Tuesday in January, the San Miguel School of Tulsa went on a field trip. As a result, there was a schedule change. While explaining the alterations to my students, they became upset because it appeared they would miss their weekly swimming lesson. When I asked, “Do you really think that 30 minutes in a pool is more important than my English class?” one girl commented, “Yeah, we pay the swim people money and you just work for free.” This response contains a not-so-uncommon attitude among my students, that is, that money dictates all forms of wealth, be it swimming or education, and everything in life can be broken down into dollar signs. read more » Spiritual – Somewhere beyond Physical Spirituality is how we care for our spirit, how we relate to the spirits of our neighbors and how we open our spirit to the Divine Spirit that pervades throughout. Like the flame of a candle or a campfire, our spirits are greatly affected by the environment that surrounds us. Wind, rain, calm skies, passing objects or people have their effects on specific moments and become a part of our worldviews. read more » Isaiah Volunteering The night before I said good-bye to my students at Santa Maria Adolorata Elementary School, I made forty-eight chocolate chip cookies. I knew my students would enjoy the treat but in part it was more for me. I wanted to give my kids something tangible because often what we worked on wasn't and I wanted to feel like I was able to give them at least one thing. read more » |
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