Earlier this week I was in my room, working on my computer, when I noticed a little boy sitting on my bed smiling at me. Although I wasn’t totally sure who he was, I quickly figured out he was our cleaning woman’s son who had been brought along for the day. In typical kid fashion, [.[...]
Archive for January, 2010
The Perks of Being a New Volunteer
I’ve been at the Tashirat orphanage just outside of Tepoztlan in the state of Morelos, Mexico for about a week and a half now. Tashirat is a very interesting place, because not only is it an orphanage, it’s an ashram and a school as well. They are also beginning an ambitious garden/greenhouse pr[...]
Redemption for Our Hearts, for Haiti
Last Saturday in my humble studio apartment in Santiago, I couldn’t think about much except Haiti. After spending the day in thought, I concluded Haiti has traumatized me personally as it probably has many of you. We cannot begin to comprehend the images of bodies being buried and never iden[...]
Yeah, Yeah, Right Now…Project Management Abroad
After three month’s time at Ya’axché Consevation Trust, I have found versatility and patience to be the two most valuable qualities of an international volunteer. Being brought down to Belize under the title of Sustainable Land Use Management volunteer, my role has danced around between Co[...]
January 27th, 2010 - 6:10 pm § in Ecuador
From College to Crisis and Back: Starting Again in Ecuador
Saludos desde Ecuador! My name is Dan Malin, I am 22 years old and a recent graduate of the George Washington University with a B.A. in International Affairs. I am also just starting out as the new intercultural coordinator at the Intag Spanish School, one of several projects managed by a nonprofit [...]
January 27th, 2010 - 11:41 am § in Costa Rica
Now What?
When I travel, I feel like I always have a moment (often just after baggage claim) where I pause and think to myself, now what? Usually the next step is clear- look for my dad/friend/brother on the curb or go to the hotel- but it is usually still overwhelming. Yesterday I had another “now what?”[...]
How I Came to Be a Volunteer
I’d like to be straightforward with you from the very beginning and tell you that I’m no volunteering expert. In fact, I’m quite the novice. I’ve only volunteered once before and that was for one week during my freshman year of college. I had an incredible experience and left intending to do[...]
