I have been thinking about the time I’ve spent down here in Latin America volunteering over the past five months, and I understand it isn´t a sacrifice everyone can make. Those who have children or grandparents they need to care for, a job whose security cannot be jeopardized, or too much d[...]
Archive for October, 2009
October 30th, 2009 - 12:56 pm § in Bolivia, Good Ideas, In the Field, Peru, Tips & Resources, Volunteer
The Biggest Mistake Volunteers Make
October 29th, 2009 - 10:43 am § in Nicaragua, Tips & Resources
Challenging Cultural Norms
I think that all of us as individuals have the natural tendency to believe our own way of doing things is the correct way. After all, if we thought otherwise we would most likely modify our methods. Those of us who feel most strongly about how things should be often live our lives trying to [...][...]
Putting the UNITY in Community
Last week, I introduced that Catalytic Communities is running in the Ideablob contest. We’re running out of time, so please vote for our idea! We would like to use the $10,000 in prize money to help give community residents of Rio a voice during the process leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games. It[...]
Romanticizing Ecuador, But Aware of It
Living in Buenos Aires is great. There is always something going on, there are a million things to explore and figure out, and the food is delicious. There are definitely drawbacks and problems, like in most places you go where you are a foreigner, but all things considered, it could be much worse. [...]
October 27th, 2009 - 11:26 am § in In the Field, Looking for Opportunity, Tips & Resources, Volunteer
Make It Happen
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 [...][...]
October 23rd, 2009 - 3:58 pm § in Around Town, Guatemala
Culture of the Shaman
What interests me these days is the number of people in San Pedro I run into who were told at birth that they have a gift - a “don” – and will become a curandero/a or shaman to serve their communities. Shamans are discouraged by tradition from accepting pay for their work, and thus were [...]
The Story of the Stove
I often say it takes many drops of water to fill a bucket. My story today – about how different people in a couple of countries came together to help fill a need for the Holy Cross feeding program – illustrates just that. Preparing and serving breakfast, a fruit snack and lunch everyday [...]
Encouraging a Powerful Voice
Catalytic Communities is currently competing in the Ideablob contest. This contest allows anyone to submit and vote for their favorite innovative idea. The idea with the most online votes by October 31, 2009 will win $10,000. Our idea is called “Rio Olympics: Ensuring a Powerful Legacy for Rio[...]
5 Surprises About International Volunteering: #5 – We’re All Connected
Over the last several weeks, we’ve been writing about the things that we didn’t quite expect as international volunteers: disorganized organizations, language non-barriers and living with less. This week, we’re getting into the biggie – the most profound “surpriseR[...]
