QUESTIONS ABOUT SERVICE
- How can you educate others or raise awareness about this group or social issue?
- I believe there are many ways to raise awareness about our group to outsiders. Even by simple acts of servitude, I believe we are constantly getting our name out there and bringing attention to our group, SERVE, and bringing a positive notion to our group. It also lets people to be aware of the social issue that we are focusing on, service learning, simply because we are constantly performing acts of service. Now why we were focusing on the issue, that brings a whole new idea to the table because we would then need to actually get ourselves known to others by communicating with them instead of just showing them through our actions. I think we can also educate others about our social issue by addressing the issues themselves that we are progressively working on. That way, people can know exactly what we are doing, at the same time, why we are doing it, and the difference it would make.
- Do you see benefits of doing community work? Why or why not?
- There are nothing but benefits of doing community work. My prime reason being I cannot find any claim that would counter my argument, but if I had to give reasons, it would be because of the mail following: people come together for a common purpose, therefore building a community in themselves, the community is benefitted from whatever the project may be given that no project would be done to adversely affect a community, and it builds great character. My definition of community is that is it simply a result of people coming together for a common purpose. In doing community work, like-minded people come together to focus on solving a problem or addressing a problem. In this way, a community is formed within the volunteers themselves that leads to building relationships and social skills that are beneficial in everyday life. There is also the simple task of solving a problem in a community while partaking in a community effort that also makes community work beneficial. Whether it be a park clean up or addressing a reoccurring issue in a small town, no effort is adverse. Community work especially benefits the earth in terms of clean ups and restoration projects. Picking up trash might be a tedious job, but with a community effort, the task becomes much less exhausting and a lot more meaningful. This is one thing I learned while taking part in Renew the New. Canoeing down a river with just two people, trying to clean all the trash seems impossible, but with a large group of people, the task becomes much less intensive.
- What institutional structures are in place at your site or in the community? How do they affect the people you work with?
- Here at SERVE we are blessed to have other service groups on campus such as VT Engage that allows us to learn about more service projects and ways to get involved while living in the living learning community. Due to having other service programs, I am able to expand my connections and learn about new programs and efforts that are taking place. In summary, having other service programs on campus allows me to better get myself involved with a new group of people and learn about new ways to get engaged in service.
- What did you do that seemed to be effective or ineffective in the community?
- The most effective thing that one can do in the community is to take initiative. I learned this the hard way. After locking myself in my dorm and holding myself from meeting my new community and getting to know the people who I will be serving with, I found that I was only hurting myself. Recently I have been trying to break out of my shell and starting up new conversations with people and that seemed really effective in building my community. Something as simple as a “hi” when going down the hall or just checking in on someone who has their door open goes a long way from my experience.
- What are the most difficult or satisfying parts of your work? Why?
- The most satisfying part of my work is just doing the work itself but also seeming how people appreciate what I do. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and gratitude and eagerness to continue what I do. In terms of the most difficult part of my work, I could use the same argument and say that my work becomes tiresome when I find that people do not really care about my efforts. Although it is hard at times when people criticize why I am putting efforts into an issue when there are bigger issues that need the support, I just remember to carry on with what I have been doing thus far and hope that there is someone out there who appreciates what I do.
- How are your values expressed through your community work?
- I value selflessness and living in humility. Most of my work expresses my values because I choose to do work that does not put me in the spotlight but rather it puts others or different issues in the spotlight. Never am I doing service for my sake but simply for the sake of others. Also I take on jobs that others might find humiliating, such as cleaning toilets and things of the like. I strive to live a life of humility so that I may stay humble and grateful for what I have.Because of my service learning, I am a better person today than I was yesterday.
STRENGTHS
Every individual is different. That is precisely what makes each and every one of us an individual. Uniqueness. Personal attributes are key factors of a community. If a metaphor was made of a community being a body, every member of a community must be a different body part. No body can function with only an arm or a leg. Everyone’s attributes and interests are essential to a living, functioning community. That being said, I must now ask myself: what do I bring to the table? What can I offer to my community that will benefit the community?
Let us start from the smallest community I am currently a part of: SERVE. In SERVE, diversity is key, along with open-mindedness. A personal attribute of mine is open mindedness; there is no bias for me in terms of difference in cultures and backgrounds. I believe open-mindedness is important to the community as well as myself because there are people from backgrounds coming together all to form a community, and also because I come from a different descent than the majority of the people in serve. Coming from a minority background, being open-minded has helped me in understanding people at a personal level, which is something that I believe is essential to SERVE. Another personal attribute that I can offer to SERVE is my ability to build very close relationships with an individual. The thing that I would like to highlight about that asset I vulnerability and trust. Although some might consider this a weakness, I consider it a strength. To make myself vulnerable to others, I am able to connect with them on a much more intimate level. There is nothing I dislike more than a superficial relationship, so I put time and effort into getting to know a person beyond the line of just borderline friends. Lastly of course, there are different interests and passions that I bring to the table, whether it be my interest in environmental sustainability and conservation or resolving food deserts and helping impoverished areas. These interests can help stark ideas for new service trips and even opening other’s eyes to things they might never have thought about.
I think one of my biggest strengths is being able to maintain my composure in high risk situations or settings with a lot of tension. This is one strength that I think is really important in any community I find myself in; whether in the walls of SERVE, Virginia Tech as one big community, or even with community partners, keeping one’s composure in stressed environments can help deescalate a situation and calm people down. High tension environments can be a common problem where people of different backgrounds and ethnicities come together, be it in school or during a service event. No relationships can be built in an ill environment, so allowing people to see eye to eye is a strong asset to have when trying to build communities.
When I got the results of my StrengthsQuest assessment, I must confess, I was not too sure about the results. Looking at the strengths I could not find myself fitting into most of them. As time when on however, I found that the strengths were very apparent in my everyday life, and I began to focus more on building my strengths. From my list of strengths, the one I could not connect to the most was Relator. I never thought that I was one who could form meaningful, deep relationships with an individual, but when I began noticing my demeanor around people and how people interacted with me, I found that I very much was a relator. After seeing that those few whom I held close to me were able to trust me and be vulnerable in front of me, I became aware of what is now one of my greatest attributes I have to offer. The other strengths are a bit more relevant to me. Connectedness: to be able to draw conclusions between things. Being someone who is much more of a thinking than a speaker, I found this strength really insightful and encouraging because I have always been told I should talk more and that I think too much. This strength tells me however, that all my years of thinking and drawing lines between things add up to more than I ever thought. This strength helps me a lot when I am out in the field doing community work or other jobs because I am able to think critically about different issues and hopefully will be able to help communities that have a problem with no definitive solution. Another strength that goes hand-in-hand with connectedness is deliberative. I also find myself being quite deliberative throughout most of the day, even when I daydream. Making rash decisions that could potentially effect someone else is one of my greatest fears so I often look at all of my possible choices and consequences before making a decision. Responsibility is seen quite often in my life because my life motto is to always finish what you start. The one I am most proud of at the end of the day is ideation. The common theme around most of my strengths I found, had to do with thinking. Ideation really hits home with me because I like to think of myself as a creative person, whether it be when I am in my own creative square drawing or painting, or when I am fixing a problem. I found ideation really encouraging because often times a find a solution to a problem that is unconventional and people have taken notice of that. To be told that my ideation is a strength of mine rather than just a waste of time wandering in my mind is a real encouragement.
Every individual is different. That is precisely what makes each and every one of us an individual. Uniqueness. Personal attributes are key factors of a community. If a metaphor was made of a community being a body, every member of a community must be a different body part. No body can function with only an arm or a leg. Everyone’s attributes and interests are essential to a living, functioning community. That being said, I must now ask myself: what do I bring to the table? What can I offer to my community that will benefit the community?
Let us start from the smallest community I am currently a part of: SERVE. In SERVE, diversity is key, along with open-mindedness. A personal attribute of mine is open mindedness; there is no bias for me in terms of difference in cultures and backgrounds. I believe open-mindedness is important to the community as well as myself because there are people from backgrounds coming together all to form a community, and also because I come from a different descent than the majority of the people in serve. Coming from a minority background, being open-minded has helped me in understanding people at a personal level, which is something that I believe is essential to SERVE. Another personal attribute that I can offer to SERVE is my ability to build very close relationships with an individual. The thing that I would like to highlight about that asset I vulnerability and trust. Although some might consider this a weakness, I consider it a strength. To make myself vulnerable to others, I am able to connect with them on a much more intimate level. There is nothing I dislike more than a superficial relationship, so I put time and effort into getting to know a person beyond the line of just borderline friends. Lastly of course, there are different interests and passions that I bring to the table, whether it be my interest in environmental sustainability and conservation or resolving food deserts and helping impoverished areas. These interests can help stark ideas for new service trips and even opening other’s eyes to things they might never have thought about.
I think one of my biggest strengths is being able to maintain my composure in high risk situations or settings with a lot of tension. This is one strength that I think is really important in any community I find myself in; whether in the walls of SERVE, Virginia Tech as one big community, or even with community partners, keeping one’s composure in stressed environments can help deescalate a situation and calm people down. High tension environments can be a common problem where people of different backgrounds and ethnicities come together, be it in school or during a service event. No relationships can be built in an ill environment, so allowing people to see eye to eye is a strong asset to have when trying to build communities.
When I got the results of my StrengthsQuest assessment, I must confess, I was not too sure about the results. Looking at the strengths I could not find myself fitting into most of them. As time when on however, I found that the strengths were very apparent in my everyday life, and I began to focus more on building my strengths. From my list of strengths, the one I could not connect to the most was Relator. I never thought that I was one who could form meaningful, deep relationships with an individual, but when I began noticing my demeanor around people and how people interacted with me, I found that I very much was a relator. After seeing that those few whom I held close to me were able to trust me and be vulnerable in front of me, I became aware of what is now one of my greatest attributes I have to offer. The other strengths are a bit more relevant to me. Connectedness: to be able to draw conclusions between things. Being someone who is much more of a thinking than a speaker, I found this strength really insightful and encouraging because I have always been told I should talk more and that I think too much. This strength tells me however, that all my years of thinking and drawing lines between things add up to more than I ever thought. This strength helps me a lot when I am out in the field doing community work or other jobs because I am able to think critically about different issues and hopefully will be able to help communities that have a problem with no definitive solution. Another strength that goes hand-in-hand with connectedness is deliberative. I also find myself being quite deliberative throughout most of the day, even when I daydream. Making rash decisions that could potentially effect someone else is one of my greatest fears so I often look at all of my possible choices and consequences before making a decision. Responsibility is seen quite often in my life because my life motto is to always finish what you start. The one I am most proud of at the end of the day is ideation. The common theme around most of my strengths I found, had to do with thinking. Ideation really hits home with me because I like to think of myself as a creative person, whether it be when I am in my own creative square drawing or painting, or when I am fixing a problem. I found ideation really encouraging because often times a find a solution to a problem that is unconventional and people have taken notice of that. To be told that my ideation is a strength of mine rather than just a waste of time wandering in my mind is a real encouragement.
A Single Story.
When I told my parents that I wanted to focus on studying the Japanese culture, their reaction was not quite along the lines of what I was hoping for. Living in a Korean household, I grew up hearing about the horror stories of the Japanese occupation and our constant tension with them. Although I wanted to learn more about the Japanese and their culture, I was unable to pursue my passions while living under the same roof as my father due to the stigma he had of the Japanese people. Now, my father is not the only person who harbors such intense distaste for the Japanese. The Japanese and Koreans alike, both harbor intense dislike for one another.
The story that set the stigma for the Japanese in my house, was of the horrors of the Japanese occupational period in Korea during World War II. Most nights, my father would discuss in great detail, of the savage, barbaric acts of the Japanese towards comfort women as if he personally experienced it himself. His feelings resonated within my family and eventually, I could see a division forming amongst those who hated the Japanese, and those who were not particularly against them. It hurt me to see the divisions form even within my own house because my parents were basing their bias off of a single story that has been institutionally implemented into the minds of the Korean people. Of course, I am not arguing in this essay that the Japanese were nowhere in the wrong in all that they did. Whether they committed an act or not is irrelevant to the point I am trying to make which is, that forming a preconceived notion towards a certain group of people due to one viewpoint of a story leaves a trail of miscommunication and misinterpretation.
The example with the stigma that the Koreans have against the Japanese is personally, very important to me due to the fact that I hope to be able to mend the Japanese-Korean relations someday. The degree to how much influence a single story has is clearly shown in the example I mentioned, because they not only effect the superficial, broad communities, but can also effect even a single family home. A single story left my family unwilling to understand and learn about the people who have caused them so much distress. A single story can change the relations of nations.
I wished it ended there, but there is more to it. When I told my friends that I was interested in learning about the Japanese culture, I was hit by a different stigma that is more commonly known by millennials. Their preconceived notions of the Japanese culture led them to think that I was only into Japanese animations otherwise known as “otaku culture.” This is another perfectly good example of how viewing a story, or in this case, a culture that a community associates themselves with, in one light can elicit many misinterpretations and negative stereotypes about a certain group of people. I have dealt with occurrences while volunteering with the Japan-American Society of Washington, where people would spur racial stereotypical remarks such as “ching chong” and at the worst, telling me to go back to my own country. I have also met several Japanese people who testified of their hardships living in a community that is constantly trying to kick them out. Some have told me about how their family members had to deal with people constantly harassing them due to the notion of the Japanese being spies during internment of the Japanese during World War II. While I am not Japanese, my heart sympathizes with them because I have faced the same stereotypes due to the ignorance of some people.
The negativity that can be stirred from one single story spreads like a ripple effect. The same could be said, however of the opposite. There could be occurrences where a single story could put something in a very positive light and bring a lot of appeal to a community. Although I have not dealt with this situation personally, the possibility is always there. From what I have learned however, a single story surely has its dangers.
When I told my parents that I wanted to focus on studying the Japanese culture, their reaction was not quite along the lines of what I was hoping for. Living in a Korean household, I grew up hearing about the horror stories of the Japanese occupation and our constant tension with them. Although I wanted to learn more about the Japanese and their culture, I was unable to pursue my passions while living under the same roof as my father due to the stigma he had of the Japanese people. Now, my father is not the only person who harbors such intense distaste for the Japanese. The Japanese and Koreans alike, both harbor intense dislike for one another.
The story that set the stigma for the Japanese in my house, was of the horrors of the Japanese occupational period in Korea during World War II. Most nights, my father would discuss in great detail, of the savage, barbaric acts of the Japanese towards comfort women as if he personally experienced it himself. His feelings resonated within my family and eventually, I could see a division forming amongst those who hated the Japanese, and those who were not particularly against them. It hurt me to see the divisions form even within my own house because my parents were basing their bias off of a single story that has been institutionally implemented into the minds of the Korean people. Of course, I am not arguing in this essay that the Japanese were nowhere in the wrong in all that they did. Whether they committed an act or not is irrelevant to the point I am trying to make which is, that forming a preconceived notion towards a certain group of people due to one viewpoint of a story leaves a trail of miscommunication and misinterpretation.
The example with the stigma that the Koreans have against the Japanese is personally, very important to me due to the fact that I hope to be able to mend the Japanese-Korean relations someday. The degree to how much influence a single story has is clearly shown in the example I mentioned, because they not only effect the superficial, broad communities, but can also effect even a single family home. A single story left my family unwilling to understand and learn about the people who have caused them so much distress. A single story can change the relations of nations.
I wished it ended there, but there is more to it. When I told my friends that I was interested in learning about the Japanese culture, I was hit by a different stigma that is more commonly known by millennials. Their preconceived notions of the Japanese culture led them to think that I was only into Japanese animations otherwise known as “otaku culture.” This is another perfectly good example of how viewing a story, or in this case, a culture that a community associates themselves with, in one light can elicit many misinterpretations and negative stereotypes about a certain group of people. I have dealt with occurrences while volunteering with the Japan-American Society of Washington, where people would spur racial stereotypical remarks such as “ching chong” and at the worst, telling me to go back to my own country. I have also met several Japanese people who testified of their hardships living in a community that is constantly trying to kick them out. Some have told me about how their family members had to deal with people constantly harassing them due to the notion of the Japanese being spies during internment of the Japanese during World War II. While I am not Japanese, my heart sympathizes with them because I have faced the same stereotypes due to the ignorance of some people.
The negativity that can be stirred from one single story spreads like a ripple effect. The same could be said, however of the opposite. There could be occurrences where a single story could put something in a very positive light and bring a lot of appeal to a community. Although I have not dealt with this situation personally, the possibility is always there. From what I have learned however, a single story surely has its dangers.
Criticisms of Volunteer
Volunteering at first glance, might seem to be nothing but good. Upon deeper investigation however, it is clearly evident, the number of faults of volunteer. That is not to say all these arguments against service are concrete in that they cannot be moved or beneficial for the community of volunteers. All these arguments should be taken with a grain of salt, considering there is a lot of generalizing with the criticisms and these criticisms should be taken in a constructive sense in order to changes one’s approach/view of their, or others’, service work.
One of the most important points of service that I would like to address is service abroad, or more correctly said, “voluntourism”. This is the idea that most foreign service volunteers commit to doing service abroad, enticed by the propaganda of businesses who feed off of international service volunteers, and end up “touring” rather than “teering “. Many critics say that voluntoursim is more for the self-fulfillment of westerner’s than the needs of developing nations. In some cases that is true; when volunteers interact with underprivileged children in third world countries, they focus more on their development of character and reflect on how the experience was beneficial to them, rather than the community. Now, before you start seeing this essay as highly critical, I have to point out that the blame does not go entirely on the volunteers. Much of the blame is to go to the big business who feed off of innocent volunteers who aspire to make an impact on the world. With some critical and systematic thinking, it becomes very clear, the main problem of this issue. When businesses are making millions of profit off of voluntourism, there is clearly a problem that needs to be looked at. First of all, how much of the volunteer’s money is going towards the business, and how much is going towards the actual effort? And speaking of effort, does the service trip even have a set social issue that is being addressed? Or are volunteers just spending a couple days playing ball toss with said “orphans”, who are left with nothing but emotional trauma from seeing so many of the same volunteers come and go like changing seasons? Having no set issue is the first sign that the organization that volunteers might be looking to volunteer with has little interest in helping the communities with building an asset based community. If they worked themselves out of the job, they would need to find a new source of income. Along with this issue is the issue of the impact that these volunteers have on the community. It is almost degrading in my book, the regard to how the actual communities are treated by ignorant volunteers who think their efforts are being of any help to the community. This especially applies to volunteers who go to orphanages and play with orphans for a week or so. There are many problems concerning this. First of all, the emotional impact that is left on the children. Within a week, children form emotional bonds with these volunteers, and if they really are orphans, it becomes all the more difficult for them once the volunteers leave. Having to go through the same cycle over and over again can leave children emotionally traumatized and depressed. Then comes the problem with people trafficking. Unfortunately, most of the children in orphanages are not legitimate orphans, many still have one or both parents alive and well. These organizations traffic the children however, in order to provide the volunteers with the amazing experience they hope to get, playing ball toss with a boy or reading an English children’s book to a bunch of non-English speakers. If my sarcasm did not get to you, I will make my point clear: no service is fruitful if the volunteers put their own experience before the community’s needs.
With that criticism, there is a lot to be learned. Although it sounds bad, prospective volunteers can actually do something to make their service impactful. First of all, do your research. Find out if an organization is nonprofit and look up their mission statement and how they resolved to fighting their set of social issues. Being informed is one of the best things volunteers can do, whether it be about the organization or even about the community itself. Be educated and find out which organizations really want to help a community rather than monetizing it. While in the field, it is also noteworthy to understand how our actions might affect the community itself. How will it affect the community to form a very close bond with one person and promise to see them again? It is very crucial to be wary of our actions, especially when working with a completely different culture.
Volunteering at first glance, might seem to be nothing but good. Upon deeper investigation however, it is clearly evident, the number of faults of volunteer. That is not to say all these arguments against service are concrete in that they cannot be moved or beneficial for the community of volunteers. All these arguments should be taken with a grain of salt, considering there is a lot of generalizing with the criticisms and these criticisms should be taken in a constructive sense in order to changes one’s approach/view of their, or others’, service work.
One of the most important points of service that I would like to address is service abroad, or more correctly said, “voluntourism”. This is the idea that most foreign service volunteers commit to doing service abroad, enticed by the propaganda of businesses who feed off of international service volunteers, and end up “touring” rather than “teering “. Many critics say that voluntoursim is more for the self-fulfillment of westerner’s than the needs of developing nations. In some cases that is true; when volunteers interact with underprivileged children in third world countries, they focus more on their development of character and reflect on how the experience was beneficial to them, rather than the community. Now, before you start seeing this essay as highly critical, I have to point out that the blame does not go entirely on the volunteers. Much of the blame is to go to the big business who feed off of innocent volunteers who aspire to make an impact on the world. With some critical and systematic thinking, it becomes very clear, the main problem of this issue. When businesses are making millions of profit off of voluntourism, there is clearly a problem that needs to be looked at. First of all, how much of the volunteer’s money is going towards the business, and how much is going towards the actual effort? And speaking of effort, does the service trip even have a set social issue that is being addressed? Or are volunteers just spending a couple days playing ball toss with said “orphans”, who are left with nothing but emotional trauma from seeing so many of the same volunteers come and go like changing seasons? Having no set issue is the first sign that the organization that volunteers might be looking to volunteer with has little interest in helping the communities with building an asset based community. If they worked themselves out of the job, they would need to find a new source of income. Along with this issue is the issue of the impact that these volunteers have on the community. It is almost degrading in my book, the regard to how the actual communities are treated by ignorant volunteers who think their efforts are being of any help to the community. This especially applies to volunteers who go to orphanages and play with orphans for a week or so. There are many problems concerning this. First of all, the emotional impact that is left on the children. Within a week, children form emotional bonds with these volunteers, and if they really are orphans, it becomes all the more difficult for them once the volunteers leave. Having to go through the same cycle over and over again can leave children emotionally traumatized and depressed. Then comes the problem with people trafficking. Unfortunately, most of the children in orphanages are not legitimate orphans, many still have one or both parents alive and well. These organizations traffic the children however, in order to provide the volunteers with the amazing experience they hope to get, playing ball toss with a boy or reading an English children’s book to a bunch of non-English speakers. If my sarcasm did not get to you, I will make my point clear: no service is fruitful if the volunteers put their own experience before the community’s needs.
With that criticism, there is a lot to be learned. Although it sounds bad, prospective volunteers can actually do something to make their service impactful. First of all, do your research. Find out if an organization is nonprofit and look up their mission statement and how they resolved to fighting their set of social issues. Being informed is one of the best things volunteers can do, whether it be about the organization or even about the community itself. Be educated and find out which organizations really want to help a community rather than monetizing it. While in the field, it is also noteworthy to understand how our actions might affect the community itself. How will it affect the community to form a very close bond with one person and promise to see them again? It is very crucial to be wary of our actions, especially when working with a completely different culture.
Times I felt Alive
I was immediately captivated. The difference was so distinct; the air had a clean smell that seemed to wash the filth of forced expectations and anxiety from my lungs. When I arrived at the village, the dirt road, rigid hills, and barefooted children running eagerly along the side of the road elicited a new feeling within me, almost as if a flame was set inside of me. “Perhaps it was just passion” is what I thought, but the feeling was so new to me, so raw and unknown that I had a hard time understanding it at the time, but looking back, it became clear to me that I was feeling it for the first time; I was feeling alive.
Of all my service projects I have been a part of, the one that made me feel most alive was my service at the Dominican Republic. There are many elements to why my trip to the Dominican Republic connected to me the most, some emotional and others spiritual. During my stay, I was able to connect to both the people and the environment, which I think, was one of the biggest reasons why I felt such a deep connectedness to my inner self. With my projects in the states, I was always doing service in an urban setting, always surrounded with noise and distractions. That’s not to say I did not like those projects or events, I very much did. The difference was however, that the projects did only that; they did not provide a deeper level of connection for me with the community. The juxtaposition between the two environments, I say, provided the greatest impact on how I grew internally during my stay there.
At the Dominican Republic there was a strict implementation of a “no phones” policy (not that we would have been able to use them, given the village was fairly remote compared to its neighboring villages). This gave me a chance to break away from first world social media with all of its distractions and constant notifications about absolute nothingness. It was hard, very hard, and during the first two days I remember feeling a strong yearn for any cellular device, but gradually, with reflection, I found that much of the technology I used on a day to day basis was absolutely unnecessary. The lack of modern day devices and technology allowed me to view the world around me and see what I was missing that life had to offer. Other than the lack of technology, spending time with the people of the village, mostly the children, allowed me to experience a newfound joy and hope that the previous, cynical me had not felt in a long time. The people who I worked with were all very genuine and actually cared about executing the project as a community and made sure that the volunteers were not the only people working on building the garden (our main project) but that community members also came out to help with the effort. I think I was able to feel so alive then because I had grown so accustomed to ingenuity and people having no passion for a project, to people who volunteered just to get a signature for their class. Having this juxtaposition in the overall morale of the people I worked with almost felt rejuvenated, like I went back to my childhood days where I couldn’t see the ingenuity of people and thought that everyone was innately good. I felt alive because I had something to look forward to, and people who I wanted to see the next day, and a project that so many people were excited and willing to complete. Getting dirty in the mud from all the rain and feeling the sweat on my neck made me feel I was actually making an impact on the people’s lives there. Even with all the dirt and grime, there were community members who sang songs while working and tried to teach us the lyrics, although our Spanish was not elegant enough to sing as wonderfully as they did. While working on the garden, I was able to feel the rush of my blood pumping throughout my body and the beads of sweat trickling down my forehead, but I did not feel tired. I remember feeling all the more energized to go out the next day and work harder to finish the community garden that everyone was looking forward to. Working with the earth, and changing it in a way to provide a benefit for people without harming the earth itself made me feel connected to nature and I felt truly thankful for earth and nature during my stay there.
One other important reason why I felt most alive with this project was due to the fact that there was a lot of nature surrounding me. There were dirt roads and wilderness not too far off from the village. Being in a place surrounded by the scenic outdoors provided me with a feeling of harmony with nature. I began to understand the beauty of it all, and sound solitude in the sound of the orchestra of insects and animals crawling around at night (it was very loud). Being able to experience nature in the environment that I did really helped me to appreciate the glories of nature and understand my place in the world.
Overall, working at the Dominican Republic helped me to feel alive and living, instead of just surviving. I realized that I felt most alive and awake in the silence of nature and that being with the earth allowed me to see things and understand things in a completely different way. Not only did I feel the goodness of feeling alive, I also became more aware of my surroundings and became more critical on my impact on the earth. Now, whenever I need to feel that sense of “living”, I know exactly where I can find it, in nature herself.
I was immediately captivated. The difference was so distinct; the air had a clean smell that seemed to wash the filth of forced expectations and anxiety from my lungs. When I arrived at the village, the dirt road, rigid hills, and barefooted children running eagerly along the side of the road elicited a new feeling within me, almost as if a flame was set inside of me. “Perhaps it was just passion” is what I thought, but the feeling was so new to me, so raw and unknown that I had a hard time understanding it at the time, but looking back, it became clear to me that I was feeling it for the first time; I was feeling alive.
Of all my service projects I have been a part of, the one that made me feel most alive was my service at the Dominican Republic. There are many elements to why my trip to the Dominican Republic connected to me the most, some emotional and others spiritual. During my stay, I was able to connect to both the people and the environment, which I think, was one of the biggest reasons why I felt such a deep connectedness to my inner self. With my projects in the states, I was always doing service in an urban setting, always surrounded with noise and distractions. That’s not to say I did not like those projects or events, I very much did. The difference was however, that the projects did only that; they did not provide a deeper level of connection for me with the community. The juxtaposition between the two environments, I say, provided the greatest impact on how I grew internally during my stay there.
At the Dominican Republic there was a strict implementation of a “no phones” policy (not that we would have been able to use them, given the village was fairly remote compared to its neighboring villages). This gave me a chance to break away from first world social media with all of its distractions and constant notifications about absolute nothingness. It was hard, very hard, and during the first two days I remember feeling a strong yearn for any cellular device, but gradually, with reflection, I found that much of the technology I used on a day to day basis was absolutely unnecessary. The lack of modern day devices and technology allowed me to view the world around me and see what I was missing that life had to offer. Other than the lack of technology, spending time with the people of the village, mostly the children, allowed me to experience a newfound joy and hope that the previous, cynical me had not felt in a long time. The people who I worked with were all very genuine and actually cared about executing the project as a community and made sure that the volunteers were not the only people working on building the garden (our main project) but that community members also came out to help with the effort. I think I was able to feel so alive then because I had grown so accustomed to ingenuity and people having no passion for a project, to people who volunteered just to get a signature for their class. Having this juxtaposition in the overall morale of the people I worked with almost felt rejuvenated, like I went back to my childhood days where I couldn’t see the ingenuity of people and thought that everyone was innately good. I felt alive because I had something to look forward to, and people who I wanted to see the next day, and a project that so many people were excited and willing to complete. Getting dirty in the mud from all the rain and feeling the sweat on my neck made me feel I was actually making an impact on the people’s lives there. Even with all the dirt and grime, there were community members who sang songs while working and tried to teach us the lyrics, although our Spanish was not elegant enough to sing as wonderfully as they did. While working on the garden, I was able to feel the rush of my blood pumping throughout my body and the beads of sweat trickling down my forehead, but I did not feel tired. I remember feeling all the more energized to go out the next day and work harder to finish the community garden that everyone was looking forward to. Working with the earth, and changing it in a way to provide a benefit for people without harming the earth itself made me feel connected to nature and I felt truly thankful for earth and nature during my stay there.
One other important reason why I felt most alive with this project was due to the fact that there was a lot of nature surrounding me. There were dirt roads and wilderness not too far off from the village. Being in a place surrounded by the scenic outdoors provided me with a feeling of harmony with nature. I began to understand the beauty of it all, and sound solitude in the sound of the orchestra of insects and animals crawling around at night (it was very loud). Being able to experience nature in the environment that I did really helped me to appreciate the glories of nature and understand my place in the world.
Overall, working at the Dominican Republic helped me to feel alive and living, instead of just surviving. I realized that I felt most alive and awake in the silence of nature and that being with the earth allowed me to see things and understand things in a completely different way. Not only did I feel the goodness of feeling alive, I also became more aware of my surroundings and became more critical on my impact on the earth. Now, whenever I need to feel that sense of “living”, I know exactly where I can find it, in nature herself.
What does it mean to be an Active Citizen?
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