where art thou, volunteer opportunity?

First day back to work this week, so I didn't think I was going to do much for my goals. Apart from earning a salary, that is ;o)

It turns out though that the señorita that I take the train with knows a thing or two about volunteering in Bochum - which is currently my home town.

So far, I haven't really put that much thought into giving to a charity, to be honest. There are enough bills to pay as it is. But I figured I could throw in some of my time. Back in 2005, I took part in a volunteer camp in England, situated beautifully in the Peak District National Park, with grit and lime stone formations, rolling hills, endless blue skies... I loved it there! For two weeks, I was part of a group of internationals that were shuttled around Peak District to different work locations, building bridges, fixing gateways, cleaning footpaths, clearing thickery. I don't think I ever felt more alive than during those two weeks. Of course, the weather was mostly miserable, some days were freezing cold, and sore muscles were just part of the day - but that's what I loved about it. At the end of the day, I was totally exhausted while knowing exactly what I had achieved that day. As my dad frequently says: if you want to be happy, be a gardener.

Anyhow, I was listening to the radio and surfing the web, when some news came on about a new German agency (Bundesfreiwilligendienst) which was called to life to fill in for the previously mandatory civil & military services. I think last year, German politics decided to cancel the mandatory youth services, so the system is now gradually switching to a volunteer-based approach.

I even found some interesting projects on there. The only draw back is that these positions are supposed to be full-time (or at least 20 hours a week), for a minimum of 6 months straight. Great in theory but not feasible for me at the moment.

My commuting partner then mentioned that she is newly involved with a group of kids to teach them about animals and the environment - once a month, for a couple of hours on a Saturday. Now that sounds like a time frame that I could work with.

That's were my next research will be taking me :o)

If I don't find anything right now, there are always other ways of giving back that can be integrated into daily life without major changes, and even at no expense to you. For example when ordering from amazon, you could use the link amazon.mpconsult.eu (to order from amazon.de) or from amazon.com to have Amazon pay a part of your shopping expenses to Sarnelli House, an orphanage for young kids in thailand that have been infected with HIV upon birth. If you would be interested in learning more about Sarnelli, let me know and I will connect you to the people who can give you the information you are looking for.

If you happen to know of any volunteer opportunities that involve outdoor activities, please drop me a line in the comments - I'd love to hear about them!

That's it for tonight, sleep tight!