La Vida Idealist

My short professional resume consists almost entirely of work in community relations. Throughout college I spent several years as an intern running around the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services. When I graduated, some of my City Hall contacts kindly set me up in one of the City’s newest public affairs firms. My work in both these capacities helped me achieve an awareness of community and relationships. I was proud of becoming such an able liaison of public interest. Naturally, I assumed my experiences in San Francisco, California might have prepared me for my current endeavors in San Francisco, Peru…

Community relations are a rarely discussed yet incredibly relevant element of working and volunteering abroad.  International volunteers enter into settings where languages, customs, schedules and priorities are different than those they may have known or expected. Oftentimes when volunteers arrive ready to implement their long lists of initiatives and priorities, host communities are baffled.

Little in the way of preparation can help the prospective volunteer fully understand the nuances of the culture they are set to engage. The first weekend my fellow volunteers and I arrived, we were greeted with a surprise visit from the Peruvian gentleman who serves as our in-country liaison. Over breakfast on Sunday morning we shared a lengthy but informal conversation about potentially constructing toilets as a community project. Our liaison loved the idea and immediately ran off to present it to the entire community. Without consent, he proceeded to promise anyone listening that we would purchase them toilets in the near future. The town was ecstatic, and almost instantly began arranging shipments of bricks and concrete. In the end, a conversation over fried eggs resulted in mass anticipation over a project for which we had not yet even confirmed a budget. Three weeks later we are still trying to slow down the initial excitement of ‘toilet mania madness.’

Anecdotes like this help exemplify perhaps the greatest challenge for volunteers working in new locations: meeting expectations. Individuals, communities, organizations and volunteers all have priorities. Though it seems easy enough, being clear with yourself and those with whom you work is as important as anything. What seems like a well intentioned project to some might appear unfair and illogical to others. For those, like me, who speak the local language conversationally but not necessarily professionally, things are often lost in translation. Cultures are diverse, people work on different timetables, and not every population has the same needs, no matter how good your intentions are.

Patience is the key. Take the time to build your relationships. In the end, this is the only way to ensure that everyone’s needs and expectations will be understood.

Latest posts by curtisfox

• Hunting for Jobs in Buenos Aires - March 15th, 2010
• Making It Happen For Yourself - February 5th, 2010
• Left My Heart in San Francisco - January 29th, 2010
• Peru: Most Romantic Place on Earth? - December 28th, 2009
• Could You Pick Up Some Milk and a Second Language While You're Out? - December 7th, 2009
• What Your Language Teacher Doesn't Want You to Know - December 3rd, 2009
• Going Into the Wild? *Almost* 10 Things You Should Take - November 23rd, 2009
• Thinking as a Nation - October 26th, 2009
• Your Friend, the Poncho Guy - October 19th, 2009
• Direct TV to Your Adobe - October 13th, 2009