We spend our lives stepping one foot in front of the other. Sometimes we don’t question where our path is going and we go with the flow which leads to emotional and satisfaction flux. Humans are task oriented, we complete one thing after the other. Without questions, we live our lives until something inside of us wakes up. School, chores, work even friendships. And we are surrounded by people doing the same tasks. Sometimes we are unproductive together and it feels ok because everyone else is doing it. Do you ever feel anxious because you’re not exactly sure what is coming next?
Through volunteering, I am better able to understand myself and my needs. I don’t just do, I experience my life. While committing my time to AMURTEL Romania I am exposed to situations never available to me had I followed my foot-in-front-of-foot routine. I studied marine environmental science but here I am, the farthest from the ocean in my whole life. The projects Didi manages are nothing short of inspiring. From kindergarten to the children’s home, to the holistic center, to an after-school center. A couple of times a week I spend the morning at the kindergarten helping the teachers and children. I love to see the way the children behave, kids are kids no matter the culture and their sense of curiosity and unique personalities surface every day. I use hands-on practices to show the students the value of sustainable practices. Last week I showed them the stages of compost. I’ve never had the chance to work with children, Gradinita Rasarit, a morality and spirituality based kindergarten helped me develop alongside the 5-year-olds as I reconnected with my inner child.
Growing up is hard, and it never really stops. I am 24 years old and I learn every single day. The experiences I grow from the most are the ones when I’m engaging with people and working for communal benefit. This translates to how I behave in my “real job”, a job in marine environments. From my volunteering experience, I connect more to the people around me, to the job at hand and I recognize that no matter what I do or where I end up I am here to serve. An instrument for the wellbeing of the planet and that sometimes means flipping compost or changing diapers, free of charge.