“So… when are you going to get a real job?” I think many people, especially of my parents’ generation, see working abroad as a filler for the time period between college graduation and the entry into the American professional world, as a way to productively delay the start of adulthood. [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Volunteer abroad’
December 18th, 2011 - 6:00 am § in Careers, Guatemala, Looking for Opportunity, Volunteer, Volunteer Spotlight
Trabajo: Job Hunting, Working Abroad, and “Real World” Work
Trailblazer: Creating Your Own Opportunities
I am a trailblazer. What does that mean? I call myself a trailblazer because I have created my own path in Guatemala- I am a co-founder and ongoing developer of G22 Green Connect, a Guatemalan based organization which is dedicated to environmental education and is still in its development phase. Whe[...]
Why I Volunteer Abroad
Before I volunteered as a Kiva Fellow in Sierra Leone (May of 2011) and Bolivia (September 2011), I was living in Santa Barbara, California. Imagine: Santa Barbara beaches saturated with color, mansions with the smell of jasmine twisting through the air, and a pace of life only to be set by the sun[...]
How to Choose a Volunteer Placement Abroad
I was thinking about what made me decide to volunteer as a Kiva Fellow in Peru and Bolivia, and I thought it would make sense to share some of those thoughts with potential volunteers. Here are some of my considerations (grouped into the categories professional and personal): Professional Employmen[...]
Ready to Teach Abroad? Be Ready for Anything.
Most nights end with me covered in bugs. They stick in the hairs on the back of my neck, fly in my mouth when I talk, and buzz around my students, creating unbeatable competition for their attention. Admittedly, it’s kind of fun to watch the teenage girls freak out: “Ai, teacher! Bichos!” [...]
Reading List
For those of you about to leave or in the middle of your adventures, the following is a quick list of some of the books that have been helpful or have provided interesting perspectives to contemplate during my Kiva Fellowships in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The first three are development economics bo[...]
Volunteering Does Not Equal Vacation
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 amou[...]
