Of course, I want to hang out at the beach. Who wouldn't? I just have to wait for the weekend.
There is a common misconception that volunteering abroad is the same as going on an extended vacation. This is especially problematic when people come to visit and want you to skip work for a week to climb a mountain, trek to a remote beach, etc. Granted, as volunteers, there is often a certain amount of flexibility to our schedules, but that doesn’t mean we can (or should) skip work whenever we feel like. A few thoughts on why not:
1) That’s not why we decided to come to Latin America in the first place. For whatever reason, we signed up to volunteer instead of deciding to spend the time and money just traveling from place to place. We made a commitment and should stick to it.
2) It sends the wrong message to the organization you are working for. Building relationships is one of the hardest aspects of volunteering. Treating your “job” as if it doesn’t matter, by skipping work and going on vacation all the time, is a quick way to devalue and thus destroy many of these relationships. If your coworkers or clients feel like you came for a vacation, they won’t take you seriously and you won’t be nearly as effective.
3) Volunteers are busy! Think of how much work it takes to prepare for a week of vacation from a regular job. It is the same for us volunteers.
So the next time a friend/parent/family member, tries to make you feel guilty for not being able to skip two weeks of work to go to the beach, have them read this or tell them that next time they should schedule a visit to coincide with one of the many Catholic holidays celebrated in Latin America (or at least in Costa Rica). I, for one, am very ready to take a break from my Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:00pm “job” and will be at the beach for Semana Santa (Holy Week) all week.
Meg Gray is currently working as a Kiva Fellow for Fundación Mujer in San Jose, Costa Rica. Follow Meg or La Vida Idealist on Twitter. Or support Meg’s work by making a loan on Kiva.org or joining the Friends of Fundación Mujer Lending Team.
Latest posts by mgray2noti
- Back in the USA - April 26th, 2010
- That is Not the Costa Rica I Know - April 14th, 2010
- Reading List - April 8th, 2010
- Things I Never Thought I Would Do At Work - March 24th, 2010
- La Lucha Para Ejercicio - March 18th, 2010
- When Body Language Goes Too Far - March 10th, 2010
- My Hips Just Don't Move Like That - March 3rd, 2010
- Life Without a Cell Phone - February 24th, 2010
- Safety Versus Freedom - February 17th, 2010
- Day in the Life: Elections in a Foreign Land - February 10th, 2010
