I have a non-technical mind and am always impressed to see the results of human ingenuity at work. The ability of humans to both define a need and to create a gadget or machine that satisfies that need is exciting to witness. On my recent trip to Central America I came across an organization that …
One of the rewards of international volunteering is returning to a place where you once volunteered to visit old friends. I am currently on a trip to Guatemala where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1991-1992. I spent some time over the past two days in Jutiapa, Jutiapa Guatemala the capital of the …
In June of 2011, sitting at dinner with friends in an outdoor restaurant on the banks of the Axios/Vardar River in Skopje, Macedonia, I began reflecting upon my life over the past twenty years. I had just finished up an assignment as a long-term observer to the Macedonian elections. In January I had returned from …
There are many opportunities for non-medical and non-teaching professionals to volunteer internationally. This article outlines some of the organizations offering such opportunities.http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/volunteer/articles/professional-service-volunteers-over50.shtml
It was past midnight and I couldn’t sleep. A cold wind rapped at the leaky windows, and what little heat there had been in the small fourth-floor apartment of my school had long since departed. The building was like a fortress, almost 100 years old, now empty and locked for the night. In a few hours a torrent of 650 adolescents would be roaring through the halls below. I was feeling restless and edgy. It had been my worst day. Going through my mind was what to do about the noisy and disruptive behavior in one of my classes. I was still having trouble keeping this class quiet during lessons, and my patience was weakening. I hadn’t yet figured out what I was doing wrong. I was thinking of going to the director, but what would I tell him? After six weeks I was having doubts about teaching for two years in this foreign land 3,000 miles from home. From under my covers I stared into the darkness and wondered what I had gotten myself into.
Beggars always make me feel uneasy. Especially young beggars. My mind is filled with conflicting thoughts when they approach me. Are they really needy or are they scamming? Should I give them something or shouldn’t I? Passing them by without giving is worse – I feel guilty.
I remember when President John F. Kennedy announced the formation of the Peace Corps in 1961. I thought it was a wonderful idea that arrived too late for me. I was married and had a young family and responsibilities at home. Thirty years later on October 24, 1991 I found out I was wrong. I …
A few years ago, in San Francisco, I attended a book-signing and lecture by a well-known travel writer. After the lecture a member of the audience asked the writer how he felt about traveling in a country where he did not speak the language. The writer replied that it sometimes leads to experiences because it forces one to be inventive to communicate. He said that in such circumstances people often use exaggerated gestures and facial expressions. He believed that the humor in such expansive expressions can break down barriers and lead to a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
TravelMag.co.uk
The anticipation of landing at a strange foreign airport brings a bundle of conflicting thoughts to the mind of the traveler. At least it does to this traveler. When I am a passenger in an airplane on a final approach to a foreign airport I experience a feeling of both the excitement and uneasiness of looking forward to the unknown.
Sxirine.com
Camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Herat, Afghanistan, have been in existence since the mid-1990s. Because of the long drought that beset Afghanistan, IDPs were flocking to urban areas and it was for those IDPs that the camps were formed. Subsequently, victims of destruction caused by the chronic wars and those who had fled their villages because of ethnic tensions, arrived at the camps. All were poor and most were landless.
