Not Exactly Retired

david jarmul

Hello All! In this time of the Covid 19 pandemic, when we are personally distancing and limited in our ability to travel, it is a good time to reflect on our interests and abilities and plan for future volunteering missions. Reading about the travel and volunteering experiences of others is an engaging way to gain …

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Volunteer Medical Missions to Rural Guatemala

Colonial architecture in ancient Antigua Guatemala city, Central America, Guatemala

Hello All! Peace Corps Volunteer Todd Peterson, while serving in a remote area of Guatemala, saw that the villagers in the area had a need for surgical care but were unable to obtain it. When his father, Frank Peterson, visited Todd, he noticed the lack of a framework between the remote rural communities of and …

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Traveling With Your College-Aged Granddaughter

In 2017, my Granddaughter Sutton, and I, took a delightful trip to Europe together. I wrote about the trip recently in Transitions Abroad. The article is below: I have a tip for how to bond with your college-aged grandchildren: travel to Europe together. In the summer of 2017, I took such a journey with my …

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A Temporary Farewell to Nepal

Mike Rosenkrantz and Friends

I’m writing this final article in Nepal, sitting at Pappaz Bakery in Dhapasi, one of my favorite hang-outs in Kathmandu, a place where I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the apple pie, veg burgers and momos and more recently mint lemonade.  After almost 4.5 years in Nepal and three years in India, today I’m leaving this part of …

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Beginning International Volunteering Over 50

Volunteering in Bangladesh

When we first start thinking about devoting some of our time to international volunteering we usually don’t have any idea of where to start.  We might have talked to a friend who just returned from an inspiring volunteer assignment.  We could also have been motivated by reading an article about humanitarian problems in the world …

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Observation of Local Elections in Ukraine

John Dwyer - Ukraine

One of the great personal returns of international volunteering is the friends one makes. Late last week I returned from Ukraine where I was an observer to the local elections.  It was an interesting and satisfying mission. A lot of new friends were made (see photo of our team in Poltava) and many old acquaintances …

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International Volunteering – Online!

Did you know that you can volunteer internationally online?  You can.  Consequently, it is the perfect way to begin your international volunteering career.  Also,  when you are in a position where travel is out of the question it is also a great way to contribute internationally. The United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme has an Online …

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A Better Life for Half the Price

To be able to cut one’s living expenses in half seems like the impossible dream. How would you like to go from paying $1300 per month to share a small, cramped two-bedroom apartment with two others in a major city in the developed world to a spacious 2 bedroom apartment in an Asian capital city, …

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Living In A Village in Nepal

Mike Rosenkrantz and Friends

Photo © Michael Rosenkrantz I’m experiencing something that I never have before; living in a village, not necessarily how most people live, because I’m living in the hostel of a hospital with A/C in my bedroom, although with cement floors in my bedroom, but nevertheless I’m living in a village. Karjanha lies in the Terai …

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NGOabroad: Frugal, Customized International Volunteering

  “NGOabroad is well suited to people over 50. Why? Because NGOabroad places so much emphasis on utilizing the work or life experience that the volunteer brings,” Ann McLaughlin explained to me in a recent interview. McLaughlin, founder and principal of NGOabroad,  has been involved in providing international volunteer opportunities and international career counseling since …

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