Keep one of these on hand!
Last week, we started our series on surprises in the world of international volunteering. Our goal is not to provide an all-inclusive list, but rather to share some of the things we found most surprising in our experience. Hopefully these tidbits will address some of the issues that you might be concerned about as you piece together a volunteer journey of your own.
In the last post, we got into the importance of accepting uncertainty and having a positive experience despite the fact that you may find yourself far from home assisting a disorganized organization. A volunteer’s feeling of discomfort can often be exponentially intensified if there is a language barrier.
Surprise #2 – Language Non-Barriers
A while back, Emily wrote about being a successful tourist and learning a bit of Spanish before heading to Latin America. Great advice! The key is to learn some Spanish. Many people we talk to about our experience say things such as “That’s so cool that you taught English. I didn’t know you were fluent in Spanish.” You don’t need to be fluent in Spanish – or even close – to have a meaningful volunteer experience in Latin America. Surprise! Be wise enough (and respectful enough) to learn enough of the language to have some sort of foundation for communication. Beyond that – don’t worry.
Remember last week when we talked about being thrust into teaching English with no training? It was a rough experience, but we knew enough Spanish to make it work. More importantly, we knew enough Spanish to establish a tremendous amount of credibility. The students saw that we were trying; that inspired them to do the same.
Not fluent in Spanish? Don’t hit the panic button.
Next up: Living With Less.
Latest posts by wearekandc
- Reality Check Via a Credit Card - January 15th, 2010
- Here's to Courage - December 11th, 2009
- International Volunteer Day - December 4th, 2009
- From South America to Samoa - November 27th, 2009
- Take Action in NYC: Mercy Corps - November 6th, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #5 - We're All Connected - October 21st, 2009
- Help Keep the World Amazing: Blog Action Day 2009 - October 15th, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #4 - "Wow" Moments - October 13th, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #3 - Living With Less - October 1st, 2009
- 5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #1 - Disorganized Organizations - September 18th, 2009
