This entry, written by Erin Barnhart, originally appeared on the La Vida Idealist blog.
By Flickr user hyperscholar
When I was a kid growing up in rural Oregon, I spent a fair amount of time pretending I was somewhere far more exotic. For example, my backyard was usually Australia and I was living off the earth out in the Bush, gathering supplies of grass and pinecones for my faux meals off the grid. I was also a bona fide globe and map nerd and spent hours memorizing capitals, population facts, and other snapshot details of countries around the world.
As I got older, I disappointedly discovered that the realities of work and paying for college can get in the way of travel dreams and the opportunity to spend several months traveling around the globe was simply never feasible. Instead, I began traveling for short periods of time, usually just one or two weeks, and over the past 15 years have spent time in twenty countries, slowly but steadily adding new locales each year to my been-there list and enjoying incredible albeit brief journeys in foreign lands.
So why am I telling you all this? Because while some of us are able to spend months if not years on the road, others just can’t do it – whether it’s because we have family obligations, a career we can’t step away from for extended periods, or even simply just can’t afford to go that long without a paycheck. This doesn’t mean though that international travel and rich cross-cultural experiences are out of reach for us. Rather it’s all about finding a way to make it happen.
Yesterday was my 34th birthday. I spent some time last night reflecting on my 33rd year and what I’d accomplished and was proud to count volunteering abroad as one of my major achievements. Sure, I wasn’t able to serve six months abroad, as extraordinary as that would be, but I did spend two amazing weeks volunteering in Jordan: living with a host family, learning a bit of rudimentary Arabic, experiencing the Middle East for the first time, unraveling and expanding my perceptions of life in the region – all while lending my professional skills and serving as a short-term partner with a local NGO. And while two weeks may be short, and thus my impact may have been minimal, I took pride in the fact that I am now one of the millions of people around the globe who have chosen to serve abroad. I’m part of that continuum of volunteers and my two weeks have been added to the collective investment of time, energy, and passion for greater intercultural understanding and global solutions to complex societal and environmental issues. That’s what I could do, so I did it. And it was well worth it.
Interested in volunteering abroad on a short-term basis like I did? Check out Idealist’s
International Volunteerism Resource Center for tips on how to determine your interests and availability as well as find global volunteer opportunities that fit the bill.
