another step

lately i've been looking into another volunteer opportunity...instead of applying for jobs.  sigh. i had contacted a hospice a few cities away, who had advertised a volunteer opportunity doing similar things i'm doing now at the club. they haven't emailed me back yet.  so i kept looking for other volunteer gigs. today, i came across a few more organizations in need of help in the office. most are too far away though. then i came across this nonprofit not too far away that need help sorting through donated medical supplies. this time i got a glimpse of their mission statement and it turns out a lot of the supplies that need to be sorted are to be shipped off to developing countries. it was then i realized this is the volunteer opportunity i should be doing.  in addition, this nonprofit also offers internships in a few areas i would love to participate in, one of which is logistics (i will come back to that later).

before i go on, i have to back track.  in the summer of 2010, i was looking at the posting for the volunteer opportunity at the club.  i didn't start volunteering there until april of the following year.  however, before i came across that opportunity i had stumbled across the volunteer opportunity for this nonprofit.  for some reason, i didn't read far enough in their mission statement. though at the time, i didn't know yet that i would want to work for an international nonprofit/humanitarian aid sector. i looked into this volunteer opportunity of sorting through things but it didn't seem a very good use of my time, the bus ride would be too long just to go sort through supplies. i ended passing this opportunity up and kept looking.

back to their logistics internship, i would love to learn this. if they tell me, i can't then i won't mind volunteering in their store or in the office.  either way i'm going to learn something.  i am pretty excited and i haven't even sent them an inquiry yet. why am i excited about a logistics internship.  awhile ago i was reading blogs from people who have gone to work on missions for the international red cross in different countries around the world.  it seemed like something i would love to do one day.  however, there are only a few positions that they recruit for:  medical personnel, admin/h.r., and logistics.  i am not a doctor, nurse, or surgeon. i'm working on my admin experience but have no h.r.  and logistics?  along with admin/hr, a logistics person is needed in most international nonprofits who deal with sending crews/supplies to foreign lands.

now the only thing i need to figure out is how many days do i want to go in.  the nonprofit might have a minimum service requirement per week.  then i still have to find a second job.  maybe this will just be like my experience at the club:  a job will come from volunteering.

hint, hint.

after making the last post, i've received a few signs regarding my future...

let me fast forward to today, first.  i went to the site for usaid.  usaid employs civil service and foreign service officers at home and abroad to carry out the government's international development missions.  positions are held in the fields of environmental, educational, project development and management, and crisis, stabilization and governance, etc.  awhile ago, when i last visited the site, working for usaid seemed out of reach for me.  i didn't have the credentials or experience to work there.  now that i'm looking into a master's degree in international development, it all seems attainable now.

knowing that working for usaid is still a few years in the future, i somehow redirected my research back to americorps which is basically like the peace corps but all the missions are done on u.s. soil.  that sounded a lot more  like me.  though i'm looking into a degree in international development, what i really want to do is help america first.  though we are a rich country, so many corners of our own country need help.  reading about previous volunteers' experiences, i became more and more interested.  volunteers only need to serve a maximum of one year, unlike the peace corps which is two.  after completion they are given an education award, a small stipend to pay off student loans or to help pay for future studies.

thinking about it, anyone would tell me i should just do it.  as always,  i have doubts and fears.  i recently spent six months living abroad.  almost a year and a half later, i am still unemployed.  taking another year off to do something like this will have to wait.  the more project descriptions i read, the more i realized it is not much different than what i am doing now at the club.  perhaps i should switch tracks and start tutoring kids with their homework or help them learn how to read instead.