V is for Volunteer

Last year, I spent a bit of time in a small village on the Indonesian island of Lombok.  The tiny hamlet of Sembalun is at the base of Mt. Rinjani, the 2nd largest volcano in Indonesia and is one of the most off-grid places I've ever been. I had a ball teaching English and computer skills to super-eager kids and adults and when I roll back to Indo this time around, I plan on heading back for a re-group and total follow up to the joy.

After I left, I found out about some little babies in the village that needed cleft palate surgery.  None of the families could afford to get the operations done and I simply mentioned it to a few pals here in Chicago and before I knew it, the money had been donated to get all of the surgeries done.  The cost was less than what most people spend on a weekend out in the big city and when I got these pictures, it was pretty overwhelming.  Literally, a child's life has been totally altered with the transferring of some money and some caring individuals on both sides of an ocean.  I truly believe that people want to give, sometimes they just need a little guidance from someone whose been to the front line and can intimately vouch for the need.

I can't wait to return to see firsthand how everyone is faring after a big-time surgery like this.  If I'd never gone over to volunteer, I'd never have become aware of the need.  You know, you can traipse thru these 3rd world villages--hiking volcano's, snorkeling coral reefs, eating delicious food, drinking exotic drinks, meeting fellow travelers, etc...and never once get into the true grit of the world.  If that's the way you like to roll...but the smartie traveler does it both ways.  Lives lean and good; gives back hard; and then, ultimately, shares the knowledge.

And, once you lend your time and energy volunteering, well...let's just say you're a different person--on the inside, where it counts the most.  Live in a homestay.  Get to know the locals.  Shadow a day in their life.  Play their games.  Learn the language.  Eat the home-cooked meals.  Rise when they do, and crash alongside them.  Travel in their shoes for a spell and you will see the struggle, the joy, the heartbreak, the family dynamics, the simplicity, and the overall scope that makes up life around the world.  The big picture is not just you--your life, your issues, your success, your failures, your insight, your thoughts and demands...that's not what being a global citizen is all about.  The river runs way deeper than that.

Until you reach further out there than you even thought was possible, how do you begin to know what you are capable of?  What you are made of?  I came back from Indo last December and felt more in tune with my future than ever before.  Of course, life got hectic for a minute (due to the demands of work), but now that I'm "off again"...well, things are starting to clear up.  The murkiness fades and the lights shine again.  At least some of the time...and when I reach out to my pals in Bali and get a whiff of how excited they are to have me back to teach English, or get news of a puppy getting adopted from a animal clinic I volunteered at in Mexico, or hear that a little girl I sponsored for English studies now has a great command of the language, well...all the BS in life just fades out and everything is one again.