Volunteering Abroad -- Meri OBARA

 As we watched the clips, Olena, who volunteered in Morocco, said that she was able to get to know the culture deeply and meet many people. Another person, Carmen, who volunteered in Costa Rica, explained that she could be dedicated to self-growth, pursuing her interests, and matching her talents with people’s needs. I suppose that these experiences wouldn’t only give them wider and broader perspectives, but would also build their confidence, and eventually enrich their lives.

In terms of the lives of those they were working amongst, I think that they might have helped children in each country to develop their English skills and grow mentally and physically in a healthy way by using their skills and talents. Besides, they probably also gave their colleagues inspiration in their work.

To be honest, I don’t like the word “volunteer” because it separates “receiver” and “giver.” However, in the future, I would like to do something like volunteer activities to gain new insights and knowledge, and meet new people. And, of course, I would love to provide anything that I can share with communities. After studying agriculture at university, if I have opportunities, I would like to share my skills or knowledge about adapting to climate change or farming sustainably with farmers in Southeast Asia, such as in Indonesia—I love Bali :) Moreover, I may learn a lot from farmers too.