The Nature of Things

These past couple of weeks have been interesting…I kept on going back and forth in my mind about whether “I have a lot of work to do at my site” to “I have no work to do at my site.” The truth is that every site is unique in its own way. Some sites get very specific direction and the supervisor has a program for the volunteer to work on, others doesn’t have a specific program but the people of their site are eager to have them there and pull them in all sort of different directions. Being a second volunteer in my site, I decided to concentrate about my actual job description and not give in to other demands such as teaching English. Many volunteers use secondary projects in order to get integrated into their community when they first arrive; however, I feel as though my integration process is easier since I am being introduced to the community by an existing volunteer.
One of my major dilemmas was that it didn’t seem like people were seeking me out for the purpose I am here for. Everywhere I go I see opportunities and a million things I could do, but no one with an interest. I have come across a few projects that were funded by foreigners; some seem great on the surface like creating libraries at school. But in reality, those libraries are now used as teachers’ room; the books are collecting dust on the shelves and are a mere decoration. I concluded that no project will be sustainable and particularly beneficial if the initial motivation would not come from the community.
I had to step back from those discouraging thought and figure out how I can reach the community.
I figured out that although I would like to make my projects sustainable, the less “in-between” people I have, the more information is actually going to reach my target group. I though that working my way from the bottom to the top might be more proper for my site, rather than training the top and hope it will get to the bottom somehow. I’m hoping to start small and spread.
So that is the work related update, otherwise my house remodeling is still going well but slow. I have received my first piece of furniture last week; it looks good and makes the house homey (it’s in the living room). I’m hoping to get the other piece by the end of this week (which will go in the bathroom). I am also looking for fabrics to recover my sofa and make curtains.
Ok, thanks for reading! Until next time,



-May.