Preparing for change

Our final pre-departure briefing at the VSO office in Manila

Whenever things get unbearable, I always remind myself that during our training we were told that volunteering was not a bed of roses.  The first time I complained about the food, my Japanese friend who felt the same way said that she just tells herself that she came to Africa not to eat a gourmet meal.

Lining up at the Bu. of Quarantine

At the face-to-face assessment for applicants, tough questions about the motivation to volunteer were asked.  It got me thinking why I was leaving my comfort zone.  But the most difficult stage was the training on Preparing for Change as it gave me a lowdown on the hardships volunteers

Yellow fever in Africa

experience.  It could be that locations are too remote from civilization, clean water supply is several hundred meters away, accommodations are in the midst of howls of wild animals, cash might be in the pocket but there is nothing to spend it on.  The images and stories can outweigh the boldest of intentions.  We were given access to the volunteers' website where we can contact VSO volunteers who have experience in the location;

Mendiola Bridge

they were generally very encouraging.   I had to narrate the lowdown to my family so they can play devil's advocate. What I find memorable during the preparations was my trip to the university belt where I have not been in more than 30 years to get certified true copies of my diploma and professional license.   Oh how the place had changed - or maybe I was just disoriented since I've spent the recent years in the concrete jungles of corporate business centers.