As you might have noticed, I have one goal on my list that would usually not require a lot of work if any.
I'm talking about "growing out my hair".
As probably most women, I have a close connection to the growings on my head. I have heard numerous horror stories of people (well, women), who went to apprentice clippings and came back just sobbing in agony about the mixed salad that was left on their heads.
I believe that is because we as humans, and especially we as women, identify ourselves excessively with that person in the mirror. I used to think that any mishap that happened with my hair would automatically mean that the world and its people would gang up on me and deny me social living status. "What, with that thing on your head? Get the h.ll outta here."
As a kid, I had my hair sorta short, later it grew out, at one point down to my buttocks. Then I got sick of it (my hair is extremely straigt, from root to tip - many a woman envied me for it, but I just found it incredibly boring) and cut it. First to shoulder length, then successively further up the chinline, until I pretty much hit punk length. It has been meandering back and forth between mohawkish and shoulder-length ever since. Usually, I am quite ok with my hair, but there comes the point were it just starts growing too long, then I get nervous and then I find myself at the hair dresser's, explaining exactly what I want, I even bring pictures. The ladies are always very understanding, nodding, acknowledging. Then, once they start wielding their scissors, all I said seems to have blown straight out of the window.
More than once I have sincerely doubted my ability to explain what I want. Maybe I just don't use the right lingo. I must obviously be very badly trained in the correct language to be used in such occasions. The result is always the same. I walk out of the hair studio with hair a lot shorter than I anticipated, it always looks pretty good, even the cuts that make me look absolutely boyish, and curiously, the cuts always resemble one another. It seems that I have one of those faces that each hair dresser within a 200-mile radius just automatically assumes should have this certain look going along with it, no discussion.
Well, that's the reason why "growing out my hair" has made it as a separate goal to my list. I don't even want to get back to long flat-as-hell mats of ginger hair. I just want to have a chance of actually letting it grow in the sections that I think need more length, and having it short where it's getting annoying.
So I have decided to start experimenting. I will study hair, my hair. I will give DIY haircutting a try :o)
I found this lady who perfectly puts into words the feeling I have when I'm at a hairdresser's. There's also some pretty spectacular stuff out there on this topic. Mostly spooky ghost stories of what can go horribly wrong. Others just take up their set of scissors and go for it. Take a look at this fearless lady (with very forgiving hair :o)).
Hairfinder.com seems like a pretty good resource - so I don't see any reason for not trying this one out.
Does anyone have recommendations, bewares, anecdotes? I'd love to hear about them :o)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
You got........ MAIL!
I gotta tell ya, I LOVE getting mail :o) It's odd, even if I just receive pamphlets that don't really apply to me, I get mildly excited.
And today I had prime mail content (no, not the winning lottery ticket, but that would have been nice as well. I'd be available tomorrow...?).
I received:
- the confirmation for opening my state-backed retirement insurance (Riester)
- a reaction to the account clearing measures I took regarding my national retirement account two weeks ago
- an advertisement from ING DiBa (a bank) for a free checking account with a bunch of additional free features
This means that three of my goals have been tackled today, without me having to do anything for it! (well, today).
Point 1:
I am now waiting for one final document on the business retirement account that I signed up for, then I will consider myself thoroughly retirement-prep'ed. Ok, sure, I will have to check back in a while to see whether I'm on track, but I feel like now I can just let things run for themselves for a decent while.
Point 2:
That the agency that is taking care of my national retirement account is reacting tells me that my efforts to let them know about missing entries has worked (yay!). Two more files to fill out, and the reaching of goal "sorting out retirement account" is in very close proximity :o)
Point 3:
Receiving advertisements that are actually useful must be a clear indication that my goalsetting is being responded to by the universe (*^_^*) I LIKE!
So on top of receiving mail, I received USEFUL mail. GOAL Mail :o)
That just makes my day.
Good night!
And today I had prime mail content (no, not the winning lottery ticket, but that would have been nice as well. I'd be available tomorrow...?).
I received:
- the confirmation for opening my state-backed retirement insurance (Riester)
- a reaction to the account clearing measures I took regarding my national retirement account two weeks ago
- an advertisement from ING DiBa (a bank) for a free checking account with a bunch of additional free features
This means that three of my goals have been tackled today, without me having to do anything for it! (well, today).
Point 1:
I am now waiting for one final document on the business retirement account that I signed up for, then I will consider myself thoroughly retirement-prep'ed. Ok, sure, I will have to check back in a while to see whether I'm on track, but I feel like now I can just let things run for themselves for a decent while.
Point 2:
That the agency that is taking care of my national retirement account is reacting tells me that my efforts to let them know about missing entries has worked (yay!). Two more files to fill out, and the reaching of goal "sorting out retirement account" is in very close proximity :o)
Point 3:
Receiving advertisements that are actually useful must be a clear indication that my goalsetting is being responded to by the universe (*^_^*) I LIKE!
So on top of receiving mail, I received USEFUL mail. GOAL Mail :o)
That just makes my day.
Good night!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Heeeeello!
What a great day! I had a spectacular time at work today, made it to the train just in time before a huge downpour started, and kept reading in the entrepreneur magazine that I bought for an outraging 8,80€.
And I have to say - I LOVE IT! I get so many ideas from reading this magazine! Although there is so much info in it that I probably won't be able to finish any given edition that I am about to read, I have decided to go ahead and subscribe for a year :o) Now I'm very excited for the future issues to arrive! Being an international reader, I'll have to be patient for 10-12 weeks until the first delivery finds its way to my home, but the meantime will be filled with sweet anticipation :o)))
I was thinking about posting a bit of the article that I found so fascinating in the magazine but now I'm opting to update you on my kitchen greenery - or the partial lack thereof. Remember back when I planted onions and red pepper and mandarine seeds? Well, turns out I'm not being so lucky with the seedling part of the activity. Both of the mini greenhouses started producing bunches of fluffy mould today... not a good sign for the pepper seeds. And upon seeing the fluff, I checked on the mandarine seeds, and found itsy-bitsy pieces of fluff on there as well... I haven't given up on either yet, but it doesn't look too good.
The onions, however, are growing very happily :o) Already on the second day of being plunged into soil, tiny white roots found their way out of the pot to the puddle of water. Their greens have been "on the sprout" ever since! Not so much in height, but in number, firmness, and over all greenness :o) Those make me happy every morning!
Good night, Peopz!
What a great day! I had a spectacular time at work today, made it to the train just in time before a huge downpour started, and kept reading in the entrepreneur magazine that I bought for an outraging 8,80€.
And I have to say - I LOVE IT! I get so many ideas from reading this magazine! Although there is so much info in it that I probably won't be able to finish any given edition that I am about to read, I have decided to go ahead and subscribe for a year :o) Now I'm very excited for the future issues to arrive! Being an international reader, I'll have to be patient for 10-12 weeks until the first delivery finds its way to my home, but the meantime will be filled with sweet anticipation :o)))
I was thinking about posting a bit of the article that I found so fascinating in the magazine but now I'm opting to update you on my kitchen greenery - or the partial lack thereof. Remember back when I planted onions and red pepper and mandarine seeds? Well, turns out I'm not being so lucky with the seedling part of the activity. Both of the mini greenhouses started producing bunches of fluffy mould today... not a good sign for the pepper seeds. And upon seeing the fluff, I checked on the mandarine seeds, and found itsy-bitsy pieces of fluff on there as well... I haven't given up on either yet, but it doesn't look too good.
The onions, however, are growing very happily :o) Already on the second day of being plunged into soil, tiny white roots found their way out of the pot to the puddle of water. Their greens have been "on the sprout" ever since! Not so much in height, but in number, firmness, and over all greenness :o) Those make me happy every morning!
Good night, Peopz!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Business Bed Bureau
Phew, the weekend flew by like nothing! I got myself into mild trouble with starting to sort files - partly for straightening out the finances that haven't been included in straightening-outings yet ;o) And partly to start getting ready for filing my taxes!
It's still pretty early in the year, tax filings in Germany are not due until May 31st - but the earlier I file them, the earlier I have a chance of getting some of my payments back ;o) I guess that's universal for every country.
As I started thinking about tackling the business plan goal (you see? thinking about tackling... I'm still in the early stages :o)), I have decided to expose myself to fresh entrepreneurial thought. Ideally, I'd be mingling with a bunch of überhuman business magnates that managed to stay down to earth. As I am currently lacking such contacts in the business, I went for the next big thing. Buying a magazine in the field...
I am always amazed at the sheer size of the magazine market. And yet, I find it pretty difficult finding a product that is worth going back to time and time again, at least for a little while. Over the past year, I have been an infrequent reader of Business Punk. (Infrequent, because I only read 3 issues so far. On the other hand, as far as I know only 3 issues have been published until now, so maybe I am really more of a hardcore fan...?). That's a highly recommendable magazine for entertainment with a taste for business. I quite enjoy reading it, but it isn't entirely helpful for soon-to-be entrepreneurs.
Which let me to (*drumroll*) the entrepreneur! With that title, I had to be hooked. It took me three trips to the book store to actually buy it though. The cover looked great, the topics sounded interesting. Only one thing really annoyed me. The original US-version costs $4,99 as printed on the issue. The book store recalculated that into Euros - translating $4,99 to €8,80! OUCH!
Well, I guess book store owners have to carve out a living somehow as well... Conversions like that are a definite reason for just subscribing to the original though. Which I promptly checked out. I bought the magazine, I've read about a third so far and quite like it, found a gift coupon - and the coupon is for $9,99 - for 12 issues! Even better than the Kiplinger's deal! This one comes with a hook though - to include international mailing bumps up the price tag to $35,97 dollars. Which, of course, is still a better deal then 12x €8,80, but not as great a deal as I thought.
Soooo, as my final comment of the day - I spent the best 10€ ever today :o)))))))) I bought a portable bed bureau *grin* A wooden surface mounted on top of a textile bag filled with polyester bubbles - to set on your lap while sitting in bed, with your laptop on it! Here's a picture:
So what more can I say - Goooood night everyone :o)
It's still pretty early in the year, tax filings in Germany are not due until May 31st - but the earlier I file them, the earlier I have a chance of getting some of my payments back ;o) I guess that's universal for every country.
As I started thinking about tackling the business plan goal (you see? thinking about tackling... I'm still in the early stages :o)), I have decided to expose myself to fresh entrepreneurial thought. Ideally, I'd be mingling with a bunch of überhuman business magnates that managed to stay down to earth. As I am currently lacking such contacts in the business, I went for the next big thing. Buying a magazine in the field...
I am always amazed at the sheer size of the magazine market. And yet, I find it pretty difficult finding a product that is worth going back to time and time again, at least for a little while. Over the past year, I have been an infrequent reader of Business Punk. (Infrequent, because I only read 3 issues so far. On the other hand, as far as I know only 3 issues have been published until now, so maybe I am really more of a hardcore fan...?). That's a highly recommendable magazine for entertainment with a taste for business. I quite enjoy reading it, but it isn't entirely helpful for soon-to-be entrepreneurs.
Which let me to (*drumroll*) the entrepreneur! With that title, I had to be hooked. It took me three trips to the book store to actually buy it though. The cover looked great, the topics sounded interesting. Only one thing really annoyed me. The original US-version costs $4,99 as printed on the issue. The book store recalculated that into Euros - translating $4,99 to €8,80! OUCH!
Well, I guess book store owners have to carve out a living somehow as well... Conversions like that are a definite reason for just subscribing to the original though. Which I promptly checked out. I bought the magazine, I've read about a third so far and quite like it, found a gift coupon - and the coupon is for $9,99 - for 12 issues! Even better than the Kiplinger's deal! This one comes with a hook though - to include international mailing bumps up the price tag to $35,97 dollars. Which, of course, is still a better deal then 12x €8,80, but not as great a deal as I thought.
Soooo, as my final comment of the day - I spent the best 10€ ever today :o)))))))) I bought a portable bed bureau *grin* A wooden surface mounted on top of a textile bag filled with polyester bubbles - to set on your lap while sitting in bed, with your laptop on it! Here's a picture:
So what more can I say - Goooood night everyone :o)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Charitable Giving
Sometimes I wonder whether it's rude to just start writing a post without saying so much as a hello. Hey folks, what've ya been up to? Life's grand, cheers?
Anyhow. I just finished reading an article called "How to Give Like a Billionaire" by Dan Kadlec, published in the special outlook issue of MONEY magazine in December 2010. Dennis and I were on our way to Northern Michigan, USA, and I had stopped at an airport book store to pick up something to read. I ended up an issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance and aforementioned special outlook issue of Money. (As a side note, it is not unusual for me to buy a magazine somewhere, sometime, and only end up reading it a LOT later).
I was very impressed with Kiplinger's, liked their personal tone, broad range of financial topics, while using a language that was easy to understand for newbies. I was already regretting that we were living in Germany when I saw that their 1-year subscription only costs $12!! In our case plus $17 for shipping, but I was sold. We've been subscribed since November of last year and I am looking forward to each new issue.
With Money Magazine, it took me ages to actually read the issue. They have a lot more ads in the paper, but the content is pretty good as well. And to circle back to the beginning of this post, that was where I read the article on giving like a billionaire.
7 Principles:
Billionaires... concentrate on a few key causes.
You... can write bigger checks to fewer charities.
Billionaires... are businesslike about giving.
You... should plan out your giving for the year and take time to research charities.
Billionaires... take their wealthy pals on a weekend retreat and hit them up for pledges.
You... can round up your like-minded friends and pool your charitable resources.
Billionaires... establish lasting legacies.
You... can benefit by working giving into your estate planning.
Billionaires... donate the fruits of their wealth.
You... can give away highly appreciated assets.
Billionaires... have fancy foundations.
You... can open a donor-advised fund to spread your giving over time.
Billionaires... sit on non-profit boards.
You... can give your time to your favorite cause.
To read the entire article, go here.
So I figure I'm on a pretty good path here:
I don't have billions to give away yet, but I am making plans on what to give this year (check).
I am researching charities to choose one whose cause I can identify with (check).
Since I don't have heaps of money, I am planning on giving my time (check).
Conclusion: Sounds like a plan to me (pad self on the back).
To help out with (check) #2, the author of the article was friendly enough to list a number of links that I hope will turn out to be helpful:
- charitynavigator.org: lists information on more than 5,500 charitable organizations, with star ratings, financial health, and efficiency with donor funds
- Guidestar.org: has tax information on more than 1.8 million US charities to see where your money is going
- DonorsChoose.org: helps you find projects that you can fully fund, such as buying a drum set for a school band
There is even a note of a subsidiary of eBay's, called Giving Works - apparently it works just as ebay itself does, but no listing fees and commissions need to be paid as long as you agree to donate all of the sale proceeds to one of 18.000 charities. I'm slightly shocked that I've never heard of this before.
The only thing that I didn't find additional information on in the article is where a good place to start looking for volunteer opportunities would be. But then again, I will probably just have to ask that question.
Time to think about giving back! :o):)
Anyhow. I just finished reading an article called "How to Give Like a Billionaire" by Dan Kadlec, published in the special outlook issue of MONEY magazine in December 2010. Dennis and I were on our way to Northern Michigan, USA, and I had stopped at an airport book store to pick up something to read. I ended up an issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance and aforementioned special outlook issue of Money. (As a side note, it is not unusual for me to buy a magazine somewhere, sometime, and only end up reading it a LOT later).
I was very impressed with Kiplinger's, liked their personal tone, broad range of financial topics, while using a language that was easy to understand for newbies. I was already regretting that we were living in Germany when I saw that their 1-year subscription only costs $12!! In our case plus $17 for shipping, but I was sold. We've been subscribed since November of last year and I am looking forward to each new issue.
With Money Magazine, it took me ages to actually read the issue. They have a lot more ads in the paper, but the content is pretty good as well. And to circle back to the beginning of this post, that was where I read the article on giving like a billionaire.
7 Principles:
Billionaires... concentrate on a few key causes.
You... can write bigger checks to fewer charities.
Billionaires... are businesslike about giving.
You... should plan out your giving for the year and take time to research charities.
Billionaires... take their wealthy pals on a weekend retreat and hit them up for pledges.
You... can round up your like-minded friends and pool your charitable resources.
Billionaires... establish lasting legacies.
You... can benefit by working giving into your estate planning.
Billionaires... donate the fruits of their wealth.
You... can give away highly appreciated assets.
Billionaires... have fancy foundations.
You... can open a donor-advised fund to spread your giving over time.
Billionaires... sit on non-profit boards.
You... can give your time to your favorite cause.
To read the entire article, go here.
So I figure I'm on a pretty good path here:
I don't have billions to give away yet, but I am making plans on what to give this year (check).
I am researching charities to choose one whose cause I can identify with (check).
Since I don't have heaps of money, I am planning on giving my time (check).
Conclusion: Sounds like a plan to me (pad self on the back).
To help out with (check) #2, the author of the article was friendly enough to list a number of links that I hope will turn out to be helpful:
- charitynavigator.org: lists information on more than 5,500 charitable organizations, with star ratings, financial health, and efficiency with donor funds
- Guidestar.org: has tax information on more than 1.8 million US charities to see where your money is going
- DonorsChoose.org: helps you find projects that you can fully fund, such as buying a drum set for a school band
There is even a note of a subsidiary of eBay's, called Giving Works - apparently it works just as ebay itself does, but no listing fees and commissions need to be paid as long as you agree to donate all of the sale proceeds to one of 18.000 charities. I'm slightly shocked that I've never heard of this before.
The only thing that I didn't find additional information on in the article is where a good place to start looking for volunteer opportunities would be. But then again, I will probably just have to ask that question.
Time to think about giving back! :o):)
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Back to business as usual...?
Today is January, 11. Eleven days into the new year. That is 8 working days.
You know, I was just about to complain. Writing something like "we're just halfway through the second week at work, and already I am sleep-deprived. That's... not ideal" and so on.
But actually I don't really have any reason to be complaining, to be honest. I am having really great days at work at the moment. I am getting to speak tons of languages, get to structure and analyze things, and get to do a lot of thought-intensive work, which I find pretty stimulating creatively.
In addition, I somehow manage to be home earlier, or at least use my home-time in a more relaxing way than I used to. So it feels like I have more time. (hm, here's a thought - that might be in direct positive correlation with the fact that I stay up later, hence the sleep deprivation ;o))
Granted, I haven't done much goal-work in the past two days, but I think that's ok. I have more than 42 weekends left, plus VACATIONS :o) So no need to worry just yet.
Oh, and actually I did do some research for "writing my business plan" today! It turned out that a good friend of my lover's happens to be selling dental equipment online - very niche dental equipment :o) So I have found myself a life sample of how e-commerce can work. Well, according to his description, he currently thinks it's not (yet) working ideally, but I'm sure I can learn from that as well.
Not sure how familiar you guys are with e-commerce slang and internet marketing pass phrases. But I did, for a while, look more closely into dropshipping. Then I realized that US law is quite different from German law in some terms. I tend to get ideas and inspiration from American media / books / people, but frequently I stop dead in my tracks when realizing that some concepts are not as easily applicable to other markets. Which of course is an excuse, I am shamely aware. (Shamely aware? Is that even a word?!) Well, I am ashamed to admit. That's what I wanted to be saying. Moving on now.
I also went to a start-up counselling agency a couple of months back, whose folks warned me about the dire effect that German warranty laws can have on a small business. And this weekend, when speaking to a former (physical) business owner friend of mine, I heard the same sermon again. Which brings me to the conclusion that either German folks are willingly putting up with a lot more crap than other people do, or they are not aware of the differences - or, of course, haven't taken too close a look at what better ways to do business are out there. Well, that's what this whole business plan writing exercise is about - collecting ideas, information, facts & fiction, learning the rules (so I can break them properly ;o)), and - most important of all - figure out a business style that suits me and my lifestyle (desired lifestyle, that is - although I guess it will have to fit my current lifestyle first to be going anywhere besides nowhere...)
This is getting confusing, I'll stop now.
To leave you with a cheerful note, I have an announcement to make:
My onions are grabbing hold of their new habitat! The shoots are a bright green, have pulled themselves upright, and are now perkily finding their way into the sunlight :) Go, onions!
You know, I was just about to complain. Writing something like "we're just halfway through the second week at work, and already I am sleep-deprived. That's... not ideal" and so on.
But actually I don't really have any reason to be complaining, to be honest. I am having really great days at work at the moment. I am getting to speak tons of languages, get to structure and analyze things, and get to do a lot of thought-intensive work, which I find pretty stimulating creatively.
In addition, I somehow manage to be home earlier, or at least use my home-time in a more relaxing way than I used to. So it feels like I have more time. (hm, here's a thought - that might be in direct positive correlation with the fact that I stay up later, hence the sleep deprivation ;o))
Granted, I haven't done much goal-work in the past two days, but I think that's ok. I have more than 42 weekends left, plus VACATIONS :o) So no need to worry just yet.
Oh, and actually I did do some research for "writing my business plan" today! It turned out that a good friend of my lover's happens to be selling dental equipment online - very niche dental equipment :o) So I have found myself a life sample of how e-commerce can work. Well, according to his description, he currently thinks it's not (yet) working ideally, but I'm sure I can learn from that as well.
Not sure how familiar you guys are with e-commerce slang and internet marketing pass phrases. But I did, for a while, look more closely into dropshipping. Then I realized that US law is quite different from German law in some terms. I tend to get ideas and inspiration from American media / books / people, but frequently I stop dead in my tracks when realizing that some concepts are not as easily applicable to other markets. Which of course is an excuse, I am shamely aware. (Shamely aware? Is that even a word?!) Well, I am ashamed to admit. That's what I wanted to be saying. Moving on now.
I also went to a start-up counselling agency a couple of months back, whose folks warned me about the dire effect that German warranty laws can have on a small business. And this weekend, when speaking to a former (physical) business owner friend of mine, I heard the same sermon again. Which brings me to the conclusion that either German folks are willingly putting up with a lot more crap than other people do, or they are not aware of the differences - or, of course, haven't taken too close a look at what better ways to do business are out there. Well, that's what this whole business plan writing exercise is about - collecting ideas, information, facts & fiction, learning the rules (so I can break them properly ;o)), and - most important of all - figure out a business style that suits me and my lifestyle (desired lifestyle, that is - although I guess it will have to fit my current lifestyle first to be going anywhere besides nowhere...)
This is getting confusing, I'll stop now.
To leave you with a cheerful note, I have an announcement to make:
My onions are grabbing hold of their new habitat! The shoots are a bright green, have pulled themselves upright, and are now perkily finding their way into the sunlight :) Go, onions!
Monday, January 9, 2012
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
