"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal"*
Things that we think that we do for others
offer end up being things that we do for ourselves, and volunteering might just
be one of those things.
Everyone seems so grateful and impressed with
our work as volunteers, but they can’t even being to understand how much these
experiences do for us too. There are so many things I never thought I would do…
even less enjoy, and yet here we are. The experiences, the challenges, the
opportunities to face our fears and succeed… being able to learn through life
experiences what can’t be taught in books.
Seeing how others live, observing the
differences, take what’s best from each environment and learn to understand the
worst. Learn to look for the story before jumping in with judgmental comments.
The chance to develop your skills, find new
talents and be appreciated for doing what you like. Feel the gratitude and
allow it to feed your dreams of doing something bigger.
People don’t understand why someone would work
for free, but that’s only because they can’t see that rewards don’t always come
in the form of money. We’re getting something in return, in fact, we’re getting
so much in return that often I wonder who’s benefiting more with this project.
I don’t work for free, I work for the learning and the challenge, the
adventures and the smiles, I work for the chance to make a difference.
You learn to learn. To pay attention, to
participate, not because they made you, but because you want to be more, to
evolve.
There’s so much to be explored, and sometimes
you just need the time and tools to do it. You learn to be responsible for your
own path, or at least you should. It doesn’t matter if it’s always fair, if you
work harder, if you give more, because at the end of the day it all depends on
what your goals are. You give as much as you want based on what you want to
achieve.
Some people claim they don’t like to think, but
to me, reflecting about what we’re doing and where we’re going helps me to
focus, to keep motivated.
There are so many different stories, different people,
different backgrounds, different experiences and expectations, and by talking
and sharing we may discover different perspectives and reasonings.
“What’s the meaning of EVS?” they ask, and I
don’t really think there’s one answer to that question. I think EVS means a lot
of different things, and what really matters is what it means for you now, when
you are living it.
People will see your EVS differently, depending
on their knowledge and their perspectives, and that’s alright. The important
thing is that you keep true to yourself and don’t forget your goals.
There’s so much I’ve achieved with EVS so far,
and sometimes it’s hard to believe that you’ll keep changing, but I don’t want
the progression to be over. We’re halfway there and though I feel I’ve
accomplished a lot so far, I still want more. I will always want more.
I’m learning how to be proud of myself… I never
really felt I deserved all the credit for my Au Pair year. It was, without a
doubt, the best experience of my life, but it all started because I was too
scared and had to run away. It worked out great, but in a way I was choosing
the easiest road. With EVS is different, I didn’t have to put myself through
this, I had other options, I had safer options, and yet here I am, because I
wanted to go further, because no matter how much I hate to leave my comfort
zone, what I hate even more is to feel stale, to feel that I’m not learning,
that I’m not doing something for people, for myself.
I keep looking for something I’m not quite sure
what it is, but along the way I found a way to make the journey more interesting
and memorable.
*Albert Pine Quoted Mandy Patinkin as Jason
Gideon In Criminal Minds S01E02
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