VOLUNTEERING IN ASIA

Hill tribe child carrying his sibling & fetching water Laos.

Volunteering in Asia is rewarding & life changing. And in the best possible way.It's impossible to return home with the same view of the world that you left with. All the trivial things that use to annoy you become even more trivial but less annoying. And a new appreciation developes for hot & cold running water and flushing toilets. And a realization of how many litres of fresh drinking water we just flush down the toilet!

The reward in volunteering is many times more than the effort of giving. The gratitude is humbling. And for something as simple as speaking English which is the only language l can speak anyway. How wonderful it must be to have a skill or a degree in medicine that can really help their health & welfare. l remember how good it felt to take soap, panadol & antiseptic to an isolated village in Cambodia.

Firstly it is very important to find the right place to spend your time. It should be somewhere or something that you feel passionate about. l have et people who have unfortunately left Asia feeling disappointed with their volunteering experience. Mostly because the organization they have been involved with were merely milking them for money. Sadly this happens. So before you commit your hard earned money that you have already spent a big chunk of time accumulating, and before committing another big chunk of time in volunteering, lots of research & responsibility is required.

Personally l have the time to go where l am passionate about & research it first hand. l have no special skill just the ability to speak English (with an Aussie accent) & the desire to immerse myself in a different culture. Community schools are excellent for this and l have several favourite places that I attend & return regularly. But if time is limited, the internet offers lots of information, recommendations & feedback. I have never paid for the privilege of volunteering & I am in two minds about organizations that charge. Sometimes it is legitimate & it's a form of fundraising. But I am also a bit wary because l have seen so many Lexus cars being driven by NGO personnel. And l have seen orphanages that allow 'sleep overs' for a price!

The best organizations require a police clearance if it involves children. And usually require a commitment of a reasonable amount of time. If you only have a few days here & there on an extended holiday, or even an hour or so, the community schools are the best. And a great opportunity to learn about their culture as well. Also some Buddhist monasteries encourage Westerners to help with conversational English and that's an awesome opportunity to learn about Buddhism & their lives as monks. Of course there are a few rules if you are a woman, like not touching them or their things. I kept forgetting & kept picking up their pens & books. But it was ok.

I have formed heart warming friendships in many countries & thankfully through the internet & facebook, l have managed to stay in contact with them & their families. So if anyone is interested, please contact me. I cannot recommend it highly enough, there is no feeling comparable. I volunteer mostly in Laos & Cambodia. But l have volunteered in lndia, Sumatra, Thailand, Myanmar. Philippines & Kenya. And l also have alot of contacts if that can help.

www.shakespearestravels.com