The Culture of Volunteering Abroad

Dear Internet

I have been busy.

Okay, not actually "busy" but more "busy doing other things instead of blogging". I have no excuses for my long absence but something has made me want to write again and so comes this sporadic blog post.

Moving on, it has come to my attention that many a millennial has been volunteering abroad. I have actually been involved in helping others find volunteering opportunities because of my extracurricular at University. There many students who have pure intentions to volunteer and I love that.

Unfortunately, I find that some kids are interested in "volunteering abroad" but have some questionable intentions.

First of this isn't a "you should focus on your own country before you go volunteer overseas". I do respect that opinion because we should all look at helping within the community; but I also think that there's a lot to be learnt from travelling and living in another area. Whether you live with a host family or student house you look at that country differently as opposed to a tourist. This is one of the merits I find in volunteering abroad.

My problem with volunteering internationally is two-fold: 1) The self-social awareness created by the likes of social media and 2) [forgetting and] finding yourself.

Kids preaching about their global charity work on insta with their Nike free kicks got me like 👐 #thisisnotokay #nike

— Haseena (@haSeena95) April 15, 2015

I'm okay with the odd photo shared from your volunteering experience. But that's where the line is - social media sharing and volunteering do not go hand-in-hand.  Whether you're teaching English or building a house (something else which bothers me), I think I would feel more enriched reading a final overall facebook/blog post as opposed to multiple fractions daily. I am sure it's amazing but documenting your day-to-day activities kind of extract from the overall experience, don't you think?

[Disclaimer: Not my video]

My second problem with potential volunteers is the high expectations of self-enrichment. I partly blame the "find yourself" mantra movement that should have anything to do with expensive extensive travelling. Volunteering abroad is not an outlet for your emotional imbalance. If you're coming out of a relationship I suggest you volunteer at home first before travelling. Your experience abroad will not be as fulfilling as you want it to be.

You also may disappoint yourself if you're looking for something culturally and/or spiritually uplifting. Whether you want authentic naan or you want to live the life of a Khaleesi and try out that fresh, bloody horse heart; volunteering abroad might be lacking. You will probably go to a more westernised region of the country so that communication isn't a problem.

I don't want to discourage anyone from volunteering abroad but please remember the reasons why you choose and spend to do it.

Yours sincerely
Searching for hope in my generation

Robert Doisneau Appreciation

Robert Doisneau was a french street photographer.

He started working as a photographer from the 30s.

I find his photos quirky and inspiring because they depict human nature in an unexpected and quaint way.

Here are some of the images I found off google (please note I do not own anything - I'm just sharing it for your pleasure ;] ):

His most famous picture was
Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (The Kiss)

He also had a google doodle dedicated to him last year.

I'm not a photography expert, but these are very artful. What do you think of his work?

White Ink Tattoos

So my friend showed me this picture of a  white ink tattoo:

I think it looks really beautiful, something personal which isn't visible to everyone out there. Many people seem to be getting them on their wrists, arms, back of the neck and shoulders with emotionally significant words/symbols. 

(I absolutely adore the Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland references)

So I've been doing research on the net and these tattoos are basically made out of white ink. Simple, right?

Unfortunately there's a lot of problems that can arise with white ink tattoos:

1) They're harder to see on darker skin tones and so they can't really work out for everybody.

2) They fade easier in the sun as they are almost colourless.

3) Depending on which ever the way the tattoo artist draws it, there are always certain problems which may arise:

• If the tattoo artist uses a purple stencil to draw the design then there's a chance of the edges having a hint of grey. 
• If you choose to use your bloodline for this tattoo then your blood may mix with the tattoo and there will be a permanent pink stain (unfortunately, that seems to have happened to the above 2 pictures).
• If the tattoo-artist decides to go free-hand, then he/she is more prone to errors because he/she will not be able to see the ink properly.

4) Even after healing your tattoo could appear raised and/or almost yellow - or it may not even be visible enough to be seen!

So there's a whole lot of potential for things to go wrong, but the end result can be very attractive.

  I, unfortunately, don't contain the pain threshold to undergo the whole tattoo-ing process, which is sad because they have such an alluring element of mystery. But for those of you who decide to do this -

 all the best of luck and I hope it looks amazing! (Just remember it's permanent.)

  Peace, Love and Happiness x

Let's Begin with a Bang!

Literally...

Like the Big Bang Theory! (No, not the show.)

 Let's hope this was a great ice-breaker and I continue to write.


 I like writing. This is the place for me to voice my opinions, right?

*Presses enter and runs off to create even more epic posts without using Sheldon Cooper's face.