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The content of each post is solely written by that contributor and only expresses the contributor's personal views. Each post does not represent the views of all the contributors or Women of Color Living Abroad as an organization. Each contributor is speaking from their own person experiences and/or perspective.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Scared Traveler: Trying to Make the World a Better Place

Have you ever wanted to do something great, because you heard, read or watched someone somewhere in the world making a difference. In an instant you are filled with a need to contribute just a faction of yourself to the world. Somewhere in your mind you want a sincere feeling of having done something great to make the world a better place. That being said, you go out to find a cause that would be worthy of your time and energy. Something that would make you want to fight for the greater good. I, myself felt this feeling quite recently, and decided to become a better citizen of the world. It took me some time to figure out what truly would be the cause that’s worthy of my time and energy. I scoured the internet looking for worthy causes preferably within the vicinity of my home. Luckily for me, I didn't have to look too far to find a cause I would be comfortable with.

Thanks, in part to the ingenuity of Facebook allowing me to read posts of people I have befriended. Normally, I'm not into OPB (Other People’s Busy), but I happened to see a post about an article about foreigners volunteering on a “friend’s” page. The article was about volunteers coming from Seoul (South Korea) to Asan (South Korea) helping at an animal shelter caring for dogs that otherwise would have been euthanized. They dedicate their time, energy and money assisting the owner with cleaning, feeding and adopting these animals into safe environments. I felt this cause would be something I would enjoy doing, because I'm an animal lover. I was able to contact the person who wrote the article, and set a date and time for when I will come and help out with whatever is needed on that day. 

Foster Poodle (play time)
While I have plans to help out at the shelter I took it upon myself to help a friend who fosters and helps cats and dogs find good homes. My first foster pet was a cute poodle I took into my home for a few days, in which I learned a great deal from this particular dog. It was abused and in need of love, and when I wasn't there it showed its’ true colours.  It reminded me that people need to be more responsible towards GOD’s creatures, because like themselves they would never want to be abandoned by no one.

For those that find themselves with down time in your temporary home country, and want to volunteer. Here are a few steps to get you in the right direction for doing something good.

1)    Internet Search: The internet is a great place to start, because it has connected the world in such a way that information has become easier to access. There are many articles, blogs and social networking sites to get you started.

A.     Facebook: For those with Facebook pages the best place to start is by looking at group pages you joined. See who has posted information about volunteering or just make a post yourself.

B.     Local on-line news websites in a language you understand: There may be an article there about a person who’s making a difference through animal or child welfare. You can contact the author of the article about getting into contact with someone to volunteer your time to help.

C.    Volunteer Organizations: These organizations offer short and long term tours for people to participate and there may be a chance for you to do something local in your region.

2)    Ask a friend in the same country: It’s hard not to make new friends or acquaintance in a foreign land. Being assertive when meeting new people and asking the right questions could yield great results. When you are meeting new people it’s easy to get to know their hobbies or their passions. You will find they can be involved in various projects that sometimes need help.

3)    Contact your local Embassy: Sometimes the people that know best can be your home country local embassy. The people working there could have information pertaining to various volunteer services that take place within the country you are residing. These could be from language exchanges to helping out in a devastated area.

For those that are looking to do a holiday volunteer gig I have added a few links below for the ultimate volunteer. I hope this helps you in getting started if you want to dedicate your time in doing your part to help a person or animal in this world. I believe we need more good people to show their kindness to others. Please take a step in making a difference no matter how small to someone in need.

Note: I did notice that i-to-i.com is a paid volunteer service with activities built in for those interested in that kind of service.

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