 Team Reports |
Tips from a Novice Travelling VolunteerMarsha Hardy — Toronto, ON
As one of the novice travelling volunteers on this year’s Mumbai distribution I would like to offer some suggestions to help future novices have an outstanding distribution and a memorable personal experience. Reading country specific books and watching culturally relevant movies before going can help enrich your appreciation of the host country’s culture and peoples. Bring along a sensitivity to others, and a sense of openness to new opportunities and adventure. The following practical procedures, preparations and items may also be useful to help ensure success. Include a passport, relevant country VISA stamp, and a credit card — and don’t forget to notify them of your travel plans. Obtain relevant out-of-country health and trip cancellation insurance, a starting amount of cash in the local currency and some internationally recognized currency such as US dollars or Euros, because ATM’s can be difficult to find. Photocopies of your ID, credit cards, and extra passport pics, as well as copies of emergency contact numbers are important to include. Leave a copy with a family member too. Complement your necessary pre-travel inoculations for the relevant country with a selection of health related items, such as sunscreen, an effective insect repellant (containing Deet), an anti-diarrheal agent, a rehydrating agent, Tylenol, polysporin, and bandaids (just in case).
Mumbai dust also required throat lozenges. Other useful items include: a travel alarm clock, a small flashlight, voltage converter and wall plug adapters, writing materials (journal/diary, pens), permanent marker (used for identifying your daily water bottle), calculator, etc. Small Canadian flags to give to special people, such as the interpreters, are appreciated by the recipients. Bring a couple of rolls of toilet paper, and a copious supply of wet-wipes to clean your hands after working in the hot, sunny, often dusty environments that are frequently our site locations. Because the volunteers pay their own way, accommodations can be modest at times. It can be helpful to take your own bed sheet (or sleeping bag liner), pillow case, small towel and facecloth, flip-flops, usual complement of toiletries, shampoos and soaps, and if necessary, a hair dryer. In clothing, modesty is a must, and in this regard, capris or long pants are suitable for women, and shoulder covering shirts. Men tend to wear long pants. Our usual work attire included matching SCAW tee shirts. Durable, comfortable closed toe shoes are recommended, as is a sun hat. Take a sweater or shawl for the cooler evenings and one slightly dressier outfit (e.g., business casual) for evening functions. Include laundry soap, a stretchy clothes line with pegs, a universal sink plug and plastic hangers for those nightly laundry tasks, or alternatively (for Mumbai distributions), send your laundry through the hotel to the local dhobi-wallah (washer person), who will hit your clothes against rocks, and will return them spotlessly cleaned and ironed, for a very reasonable price. A supply of high protein/high fibre snacks (bars, nuts, etc) can be useful for when those hunger pangs strike. A backpack, to stow your daytime needs while at a distribution is a key item.
The youngsters receiving the bedkits at a distribution site love to have their photographs taken. The children smile, laugh and point at their image when they see themselves and their friends on the digital screen. So be sure to take several gigabytes of memory and an extra battery, to satisfy all the requests. Take along your enthusiasm for greeting hundreds of eager, smiling faces and be ready to shake hands with everyone. Take some little games, such as puppets and marble games, to entertain the children as they wait for their official photos. They also love to practice their English with us and to hear us make our feeble attempts to count in their native language. A willingness to learn basic practical commands (e.g., wait, come, go, sit, stand) in their language is appreciated. With both a well-packed suitcase and an open and curious mind, the travelling volunteer will be assured of a highly memorable and humbling adventure into the human spirit and the unity of mankind. |
