Why Tanzania?

I have wanted to do an international volunteer experience for many years. Kind of ever since I visited my cousin Aimee on her Peace Corp tour in Cameroon. I have too many jobs and too many anchors to join the Peace Corp or anything else with that kind of time commitment. So I started investigating my options. Through my professional organizations, NANN and NAPNAP there are many healthcare providers who do international volunteer work. I found most of the healthcare volunteer organizations not quite as structured or supportive as Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS). CCS mostly targets college aged students who want or need an international volunteer experience to enrich their education in their chosen career field or need college credit or have a need to do something enriching like volunteer!

I have attended a couple info sessions about CCS and found out they actually have quite a broad cross section of age groups who volunteer including whole families. What a great experience for a whole family to share! One of the rising groups of volunteers is the "50+" age group (that would be me).

I had been asked to participate in a medical education mission to Uganda where I was going to teach Neonatal Resuscitation and Pediatric intubation along with being the healthcare provider for the teenagers also volunteering on the trip. But the funding fell through. I had already blocked my calendar and started to budget for the trip so I went back to investigate CCS.

I was concerned about possibly not being able to volunteer in healthcare but I have led such a varied life and am pretty flexible/adaptable that I thought it doesn't matter what I do when I volunteer. I am volunteering for the sake of helping others help themselves, what does it matter what role I am in as long as I can help.

Some of my friends and family are concerned I should focus my volunteer efforts here in the USA, I do. International volunteerism is different and rewarding in a whole different way. I am not only helping another culture, another group of humans improve their lives through their own actions but I reap the benefits as well. Every time I leave the USA, I appreciate our country all the more. I know we have our problems but they do seem so trivial compared to the strife other people, other countries have to endure. I love having flush toilets, hot showers, Tillamook cheddar cheese and Diet Pepsi. It is not until one does without their favorite vices, things, places and comforts that one finally appreciates them. I like the feeling of helping others help themselves and they are grateful about it. I know my part in the volunteer work will be trivial but coalesce with others to have a great impact in the end. How powerful is that!

I leave in a few days. I am nervous, excited and calm all at the same time. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers while on my journey! Thank you everyone for your support and interest.