volunteer where and why

It is interesting traveling here after working in Tanzania. I was in shock after walking through the orphanage in Peru for the first time. Issues in Tanzania are things the children here, at the orphanage i work at, don´t have to think twice about. Running water, food, shelter, disease, and education all taken care of. I am actually relieved to be working at an orphanage like this because it is have been great for me to see opposite ends of the spectrum. Now with that said, there are still many things that children here need. Some of the orphans here come straight from the street. One young boy lived with his parents and they had him take drugs so he would´t be hungry all of the time. this is one extreme example and not all the children here have lived like this. What i knew, but now can see, is that there are people in need wherever you go.

I have been asked in the past about why i have chosen to volunteer abroad and not so much at home. For me, i don´t like to look at the world in terms of countries or lines on a map. I used to be someone who wanted to fill my entire passport with stamps but the more i work with people the more i don´t see that as a need for me. Taking the time to live in three extremely different cultures (Wisconsin, Tanzania, and Peru) have helped to not only realize, but feel that i don´t need all those stamps. Although the cultures and languages have been very different, i have learned in my heart that all people are the same. We all want to laugh, love, and live. You will find that is a commonality wherever you go. Borders and boundaries don´t change that fact that we all are the same and that we all live on the same earth. I guess I have wanted to travel and volunteer abroad because seeing that we are all the same is something that I have wanted to experience in my heart.

Does one person need to travel to see that we are all the same? I do not think so. Maybe that was a fault of mine, having to travel to fully embrace this concept. Reading a book about a new culture or life, introducing yourself to a complete stranger for no reason, and giving a hand to someone in need are all things someone can do to see this equality. And these are things that i will continue to do when i arrive home. In the USA, homelessness and poverty are a great concern to me. There is a reason why an international aid organization, like Save the Children, has given attention to places like Appalachia and others. So where will i go next? I´m not sure, but, at the moment, i´ll give a hand where ever it is needed.