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.

Though often this is a valuable skill that lets my overworked brain have a little break, it is not without its dangers. For example, I was having dinner with several friends (none were native Spanish speakers) and the waiter was very friendly and talkative. At one point, he went off on a tangent about some friends of his and I lost track of what he was saying. When he finished, we all laughed and nodded our heads. He laughed in a conspiratorial manner and walked way. At which point, we all turned to each other and asked “What did he say?” Not a single one of us had actually understood the whole story, but we had all known exactly how to respond. Problematic to say the least.

Meg Gray is currently a Kiva Fellow in San Jose, Costa Rica. Follow her or La Vida Idealist on Twitter.

Instead I’m relearning how to live without a cell phone. Overall, it’s been easier than I thought. I have to make plans and stick to them. There is no calling a friend to say “Actually I’m going to be 30 minutes late” or to ask “Where is your office again?” The Ticos definitely make it easier, too. They seem more accustomed to people not having phones. For the most part, people show up where and when I’m expecting them, though to be honest I never really know what time it is, so it’s hard to tell if people are on time. I got a watch after I realized I wasn’t going to get a phone, but the battery died three days later and I gave up.

In the end, I’m actually kind of enjoying not having a cell phone. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be glad to have one again. But for a few months, it’s a nice break. It slows everything down a little and forces me to prioritize my plans in a different way. So if you end up without a cell phone because of regulations or lack of service, embrace it. It’s really not so bad.

Meg Gray is currently working as a Kiva Fellow with Kiva.org partner Fundación Mujer in San Jose, Costa Rica. Learn more by following her or La Vida Idealist on Twitter.