52 Days To Your New Life Overseas

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Day 47: Step #18, Your First Month

52 Days To Your New Life Overseas Day 47: Step #18, Your First Month

Volunteer

Dear Student,

Another great way (in addition to making local and expat friends, as we discussed yesterday) to begin to assimilate into your new community following your arrival in your new home overseas is to volunteer.

No matter where you land, there will be organizations, big and small, international and local, in need of a helping hand. Some may offer reimbursement, but this isn’t about the money (at least not in the context I’m discussing here). This is about meeting new people in your new home, giving something back to the community that has welcomed you, and creating an opportunity for you to practice the new language you may be struggling to learn.

Well, that’s what I imagine this is about. The truth is, volunteer opportunities could be a driving agenda. You could pick where you’d like to reinvent your life overseas by identifying a particularly appealing volunteer opportunity somewhere… and following it. That’s probably not what you want to do, but I can imagine the appeal of that approach.

Some volunteer positions require little to no skill, while other groups seek professional volunteers. The CDC, for example, offers positions to expats interested in using their professional skills in a job overseas. Say you’ve worked at a chemical company all your life. Through the CDC, you can volunteer your skills in a country that needs assistance in that area.

Or, volunteering can be a chance to develop a new skill. UVolunteer.org has positions in Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, and Nicaragua, for example, that are a chance for volunteers to teach while they learn and study Spanish.

Most volunteer positions are offered through sponsoring companies, typically non-governmental or religious organizations. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, for example, Helping Hands (which provides support to the Thai hill tribes), Huen Nam Jai (assists street children), and Vieng Ping (orphanage and nursing home) are always in the market for new volunteers. Depending on the organization and the program, you usually must commit to anywhere from a few weeks (Cross-Cultural solutions offers short-term volunteer positions) to a few years. Often the longer you sign on for, the more interesting the work you are given.

Probably the best-known volunteer organization is the Peace Corps (www.peacecorps.gov), through which volunteers can serve in one of 77 countries and live, learn, and work with a community for up to 27 months. Peace Corps volunteers provide technical assistance in six program areas: education, youth and community development, health, business and information and communications technology, agriculture, and environment. Most participants stay the full 27 months and receive US$6,075 readjustment allowance upon completion of service. To apply for the Peace Corps, you must be a U.S. citizen, over 18 years old, in good health, and have education and/or experience relevant to the program you’re interested in.

Here are other ideas to get your imagination working…

You could:

  • Work with marine life conservation in the Seychelles (www.gviusa.com)…
  • Teach terrestrial wildlife preservation in Kenya (www.gviusa.com)…
  • Join a wildlife conservation effort in the Ecuadorian Amazon (www.gviusa.com)…
  • Assist at daycares to provide academic and emotional support to children (www.uvolunteer.org)…

For other ideas, take a look at the Directory on International Voluntary Service (www.avso.org); the International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) (www.volunteerinternational.org); the South American Explorers Volunteer Opportunities (www.saexplorers.org); and How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Abroad (www.volunteeroverseas.org).

Or keep this low-key and very local and ask around when you arrive in your new home. Here in Panama City, for example, I’ve become involved with the Fatima Parish in San Felipe (the on-the-fringe neighbourhood near Casco Viejo). This long-established Catholic parish operates an orphanage, a daycare, and before- and after-school programs intended to help keep the local kids off the streets. They’re always looking for hands to help.

A friend, a retiree with a long career in the music industry, is volunteering in local Panama public schools, teaching the kids to play musical instruments he imported to the country with him…

Tomorrow, we’ll begin to address the more practical challenges you’ll face trying to settle in your first month in your new home overseas…

Kathleen Peddicord Signature
Kathleen Peddicord
Your New Life Overseas Coach

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