Interested in Volunteering Abroad?

Interested in volunteering abroad?

I just spoke with a group that was visiting Chab Dai last week. They were a small group of 2 leaders and 4 students who were spending 3 months living in Vietnam and taking short trips to other nearby countries to learn about the different ways that they could live overseas. As part of our chat, after talking about what Chab Dai does, and the usual presentation, they asked about what my recommendations were for an individual looking to spend time overseas.

Since a lot of my interactions with expats is with volunteers, I thought I’d give a couple of points on how to get the most out of your overseas volunteering – from my own experience, obviously.

First, do something you’re good at. At Chab Dai, we’ve had two highly skilled volunteers this year, one retiree who worked with our staff on leadership and mentored our managers, and one young man who decided to volunteer with us before starting his PhD who has focused on various research projects. Both of these individuals came to us and asked if we could use their skills, and in both cases they have made a giant impact in our projects, simply because they asked if they could use their skills with us.

Secondly, stay a while. The biggest factor I’ve seen in generating interest about a volunteer has been  how long that person is willing to stay. Many people want to volunteer in the 1-3 month range, and while some of these people can have a positive effect on an organization, having someone come for 6 months is often far more appealing. The learning curve can be easier, the chance of burnout is probably lower, and it just gives the hosts a bit more wiggle room.

Finally, create a relationship. One big reason for hosting a volunteer is the hope that the volunteer will continue to spread news about the organization, stay in contact with them, find ways to fundraise, and to send other, worthwhile volunteers. The more you know an organization before you go abroad, the easier it will be to stay connected with them down the road. As a volunteer coordinator, I’ve developed a couple of key relationships with churches and volunteer organizations that have led to some fantastic volunteers, and I’m always looking for more ways to partner up.

So that’s my initial thoughts on things to consider if you want to go volunteer somewhere. Got any questions?

Charlie

Rainy Season is Upon Us: Learning the Hard Way

Although we've been getting the occasional afternoon thundershower since the end(ish) of hot season, this week there was no doubt in anyone's mind that rainy season has commenced!

Buckets of rain + Phnom Penh infrastructure = FLOODING!!!

Of course, we though it was a good idea to go out for supper. We had an excuse, our good friend was leaving and we wanted to go out for a final farewell meal.

I now believe home cooking is underrated.

So agreeing to meet at the restaurant, I ventured out in my wellies (thank goodness for wellies! I literally wouldn't have made it past my driveway without them) and with my yellow polka dot umbrella. Within ten feet of my house I was calf high in water and trudging down the street in search of a tuktuk.

Forge ahead, or turn back?

A couple blocks from my house, there was not a tuktuk on the horizon, so I stood in the middle of the street, being stared at by a number of people (foreigner, wellies, umbrella: not such a common sight), and contemplated my options. Just as I was about to dial Charlie and say, "Forget it, bring home takeout," an empty tuktuk appeared!

And thus began my half hour commute of 2.5 kilometers. Because as soon as I got in the tuktuk the rain itself stopped, and it was very nearly 5:00, and everyone decided it was safe to venture out to go home. EVERYONE. So bumper to bumper, swishing in the street rivers, we all proceeded forth. Slowly.

The water creating waves against the sidewalks on a main boulevard.

We finally did spiral into the neighbourhood where I was going and I arrived relatively unscathed. The same could not be said of my tuktuk driver, who was wet and dirty from head to toe, so I sheepishly thanked him and gave him a generous tip.

We had a lovely meal. And Sam was extremely excited about all the chaos the rain and flooding had caused. And she does look incredibly adorable with an umbrella.

How cute is that?

Well. If I thought the ride there was long and tedious, I didn't know what was coming. It took 50 minutes to get home. And I think I got poop on my foot. Let me explain.

There was even more traffic at this hour, and the water had not receded at all in some streets, which our tuktuk driver decided was the best route home. People were turning back at all corners, moto drivers were walking (knee high in water, of course) their motos because they'd gotten water in the engine, and at some points the water was so high we almost started floating.

I swear this is a street, not a river

Ahoy!

As we inched our way into our neighbourhood, it seemed inevitable that we would have to cross Street 105 to get there. Except no one calls it Street 105; they call it the Stinky Canal Street (other names I have heard are the Black River or Shit River). It is basically a large open sewer that, yes, stinks to high heavens... on good days. And that day it was overflowing.

As we headed into the rising water of the Stinky Canal, I was a nanosecond too late to lift up my feet and my toes got splashed!!

Shit River overflowing into the street

We were traveling after dark, so I've included a picture of the Stinky Canal overflowing from earlier in the day, when it was just starting to rise above street level.

Care for a swim, accompanied by some giardia?

We finally arrived home, where I immediately scrubbed my feet and legs vigorously with antibacterial soap (even though the "water" only touched my toes, you never know how fast crap travels!) I still cannot think about it without shuddering.

In the end, we survived! But I definitely learned my lesson, and next time I'll stay in.

Sometimes Cambodia looks like Hawaii

A friend recently made a comment on a picture we posted of us having some weekend pool-side family time that went something like, "You sure look like you live in luxury over there in Cambodia."

And, I have to be honest, it hurt.

First, it may have sounded, and maybe even been intended, as an offhanded "funny" comment, but there is judgment behind it.

It assumes that, for some reason, because we are called to work overseas, we should be living in, or close to, dire straights, and that we should always be focused on our call and work here.

It assumes that we do not take our work here seriously because we take some time to relax, or, God forbid, go on vacation.

It assumes (well, outright states) that we live opulently, which hurts because we actually try to be really intentional about simple living and being good stewards of our resources.

It assumes, and this one really hurts, that because part of our salary is supporter-dependent, we owe them all our time, all our possessions, and should not give the impression that we are ever wasting a penny of the money they are sending us.

Because taking a couple hours by the pool on a weekend would be wasting money, because it doesn't have anything to do with fighting trafficking.

Don't get me wrong. I believe wholeheartedly in accountability and I am every day incredibly grateful that we have such a wonderful community of financial supporters who donate to our work, and we hope that in some way they feel part of our work by supporting us.

We work hard. We work 30-40+ hours per week. And we like relaxing by the pool on weekends. Our pictures on Facebook may reflect more of that because, well, pictures of us doing our work looks kind of what pictures of you doing your work look like. And we just don't think of taking pictures of ourselves at meetings. And pictures of us hanging out with our daughter are fun and we like bragging about her, and there are palm trees in the background because we live in a tropical climate.

This is us working. Pretty boring, right?

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