Comments | turquoiseflea: Culture Shock, Courage, and Too Many "Ands"

turquoiseflea

Culture Shock, Courage, and Too Many "Ands"

Oct 21, 2006 21:05

I've been looking at all kinds of volunteering projects lately, especially in Romania. I want to go work in an orphanage, work with little kids, or toddlers, or teach English, or nature conservation. I have no idea if I'm ready for it, which is frustrating. Can you feel totally scared and still be a perfectly adequate volunteer? Or should you wait ( Read more... )

fear, future, courage, volunteering, culture shock

Comments 5

sirdentofdoom October 22 2006, 04:33:51 UTC

First, I adore the descriptions of spain, they're mindshattering ( ... )

healthnut22 October 22 2006, 06:00:40 UTC

I do too. I would love to go to Spain. Wow. And Italy.

healthnut22 October 22 2006, 06:02:59 UTC

I love the gift of faith you bring to conversation with people on the brink of something they know they want to do but are afraid they won't.

It's helped me personally. ;)

rynmorianqueen October 22 2006, 05:22:07 UTC

Beautiful entry, especially near the end.

I don't know when fear is okay and when it's a sign not to jump in yet. I usually wait until it feels "right," and I've gotten to know myself and my feelings enough to know when it's really right and when I'm fooling myself because I want it to feel right.

For me, Cairo in a few years feels really, really, really right. I requested the brochure along with others for programs in Washington, DC (political studies), Los Angeles (film studies), and England (Oxford program). As soon as I saw the brochures, the ones I thought I would love faded beside the Middle Eastern Studies one. I really feel God is leading me to this program. When I think about other travel, it feels like I want it to feel right, but it's not right. I know this one is one to follow through on.

That's probably not very helpful to you, so sorry. Keep me posted about what you're thinking about opportunities abroad!

healthnut22 October 22 2006, 06:13:27 UTC

I agree with Elizabeth. It's so hard to know what fear or stumbling blocks mean- to proceed, or to not. My best intuitive feeling (and intution is what I work off of the best) is to just keep proceeding and keep your feelers out. If something feels suddenly not right, or you find a new approach and abandom the old, then do that. If everything seems A-OK, you keep going. And that's what usually works for me ( ... )