International Volunteer

We all consider volunteering abroad as a noble cause and recognise that it’s a win win situation for everyone. Students learn things they would never learn in school and they become an important part of a local society who really needs the help. But the following story goes far beyond all of this.

A Palo Alto High School senior called Tess Pang is going to execute one of the noblest causes I’ve ever seen. The youngster will pass her next year 5.000 miles away and travel to the Philippines and Malaysia. These are two countries which are suffering from a crisis at the moment.

In doing so, the young girl wants to help her homeland but of course there are some concerns that have to be kept in mind. Although the fact that she will be at risk in these countries, the brave girl says that this is the least of her concerns. She says that she is more worried about the possibility that she wouldn’t even be possible to help just one person.

Pang will work for the Presidential Advisor for the Peace Process in the region of Mindanao, with an uncle of hers, for the organization Philippine Projects and more. She says that when she goes to college, she wants to be able to argue with her professor and challenge her peers by talking about subjects that they have never experienced before.

This is a brave girl who is willing to make a difference and give a meaning to her life at a very young age. She is on a mission and this mission is helping the people of her homeland. She gets the opportunity to travel abroad, explore, see the world, learn new things and help a local community by going on this volunteer travel.

I have been reading the news headlines and peruse over stories and news of the day. I am touch by the stories I read in the newspaper. The stories that connect two races; stories of how human kind can be good if not all times then most of the times; stories that made me weep silently; stories that touched my heart.

One outstanding story I read is about Nada Luthfiyyah and Maggie Hamilton. The two correspond with each other as Maggie volunteered to help Nada- a tsunami victim in India. Imagine when two different races and two different perspectives meet to share and help each other. The news article was written in way that touches every crevice in my heart. I wept.

Another story that caught my attention is the concern of an organization that is looking for host families that would receive volunteers. And concern for the low economy indeed affects them so few families are volunteering to host volunteers. It can not but prods me to thinking that yes it is difficult to accept strangers but what is more difficult is when you wanted to accept one and yet you can not because of economic reason.

Though stories like that of Jennifer Le Messurier- a recent graduate of a bachelors of Science degree major in biochemistry and nutrition directly volunteered in a local hospital in Peru- encourages everyone that even though life is hard, we can make it lighter with volunteerism.

And lastly I would like to mention about Olympic bloggers and volunteers. Nate Cooper, Elizabeth Tuttle and Erica Petterson have shared their experience in Beijing Olympics. The different views shared by these three give a glimpse of what it is like in a different culture. What it is like to be in Beijing Olympics. To understand the Chinese and its actions and decision making; to grasp a little of the ‘whys’ of the controversy of the Beijing Olympics; that made the world focus on just one culture. A culture that ones closed to the eyes of the world; but there is only one thing for sure.

Volunteerism is very much alive in the Beijing Olympics.

With the opening of China to the world, lots of Chinese speaking people al over the world has come to answer the call of volunteerism. So many people indeed has flown half way around the globe to be part of the 70,000 volunteers that would try to cater to the needs of the tourist that flocked to China for this worldwide event- The Olympics.

The stories of the volunteers have been plastered all over the newspaper to be read by millions of people outside China eager to read stories of the Olympics held in this country.

Stories of how people have got a job to be a part of this prestigious event are just to be expected. All bilingual speakers are hired. From French speakers to Japanese speakers are needed to bridge the communication gap.

Volunteers from United Kingdom are also hired. Those Chinese speaking people who are adept with the English language are hired around the globe. Some also came from USA, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and more of countries.

There are who paid there own ticket to be able to volunteer in the Olympics. Chefs, translator and just somebody who can lead the tourist on the right way are hired by the government to be volunteers.