As always, I feel I have too much going on and too little time to write about it. This week has been particularly notable, so I'm glad I have the chance to sit down, reflect, and share. I'm still figuring out the balance of work, productive time, me time, and social life, but hopefully that shall improve as my time here progresses.
Work is going well. A couple weeks ago I was able to meet with the Red Cross' International Department and I find the work they do really interesting. The Benelux Red Crosses (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg...aka all the random countries in which I have chosen to live) have a Shelter Research Unit that researches the way shelters are/should be built in the most disadvantaged and vulnerable countries in order to compile information that assists NGOs, governments, and other organizations who want to construct shelters after disasters. They do awesome work that should be helpful all over the world to many people, however they have no native English speakers to look over their all-English work. They are very happy to have my help! It's an awesome feeling that I can, in some small way, help those who need it most. Additionally, in reading over these reports and translating presentations into English, I'm learning a lot about what they do and what is required in humanitarian aid. Not bad for volunteering.
Working for the Red Cross reminds me of people in need all around me (yes, even in Luxembourg), and it's a wonderful feeling/blessing to know that my work assists them, even if my part is ever so slight. In helping the International Department, I've found that my appreciation for my blessings has increased, or at least been on the forefront of my mind more. I spend all week reading about the very basic structures that people are happy to call home in poor, disaster-prone parts of the world, and see pictures of what people use as houses before they are given a proper shelter. It not only breaks my heart, but it makes me so much more appreciative for what I have. My landlord might be a few weeks behind in fixing the drain in my shower, but I have plumbing (and electricity) so I really can't complain. I may have gotten a roommate this week (to my chagrin, but he's quiet and clean so far), but we aren't living in a one- or two-room home.
Furthermore, I was reminded this week how precious life is. I learned that my best friend from 8-11 grade (13-17 years old) passed away over the weekend from oral cancer. I didn't even know she was sick. One year ago life was fine and normal by her, and then last June she learned she had stage 4 cancer. How cruel. I hadn't really talked with her for about ten years, but she was a big part of my life; we became teenagers together. We went to the mall to try on dresses, did each others makeup for homecoming, wrote letters all summer long while we were at different camps, and argued over who got to be which Backstreet Boy when we sang their latest hit. We gushed about our first boyfriends, shared Seventeen magazines, and obsessed over Dawson's Creek. She was the first best friend I ever had. She didn't make it to 27.
It's easy to forget how much different people shape your life and to take them and their role for granted. I don't think she knew what she meant to me because our friendship disappeared, and we probably hadn't thought about each other much over the past decade. It's not like we as humans sit down and think of who was a part of our lives and what that has meant to us. But now I'm in a very reflective place where I'm thinking to all the good friends I had, all the people who I grew up with and had some sort of influence in my life. I count them as blessings because for better or worse they're a part of who I am today. I'm going to visit the States in a few weeks, and I think instead of trying to actively avoid most people I know there (which is my mission when in Detroit), I might take the time to see and talk to some people. Even if we're not friends now, we've made a difference in each others lives.
People are blessings, life is precious, and I just pray for her family. May she always be in peace.
xoxo
VB
Work is going well. A couple weeks ago I was able to meet with the Red Cross' International Department and I find the work they do really interesting. The Benelux Red Crosses (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg...aka all the random countries in which I have chosen to live) have a Shelter Research Unit that researches the way shelters are/should be built in the most disadvantaged and vulnerable countries in order to compile information that assists NGOs, governments, and other organizations who want to construct shelters after disasters. They do awesome work that should be helpful all over the world to many people, however they have no native English speakers to look over their all-English work. They are very happy to have my help! It's an awesome feeling that I can, in some small way, help those who need it most. Additionally, in reading over these reports and translating presentations into English, I'm learning a lot about what they do and what is required in humanitarian aid. Not bad for volunteering.
Working for the Red Cross reminds me of people in need all around me (yes, even in Luxembourg), and it's a wonderful feeling/blessing to know that my work assists them, even if my part is ever so slight. In helping the International Department, I've found that my appreciation for my blessings has increased, or at least been on the forefront of my mind more. I spend all week reading about the very basic structures that people are happy to call home in poor, disaster-prone parts of the world, and see pictures of what people use as houses before they are given a proper shelter. It not only breaks my heart, but it makes me so much more appreciative for what I have. My landlord might be a few weeks behind in fixing the drain in my shower, but I have plumbing (and electricity) so I really can't complain. I may have gotten a roommate this week (to my chagrin, but he's quiet and clean so far), but we aren't living in a one- or two-room home.
Furthermore, I was reminded this week how precious life is. I learned that my best friend from 8-11 grade (13-17 years old) passed away over the weekend from oral cancer. I didn't even know she was sick. One year ago life was fine and normal by her, and then last June she learned she had stage 4 cancer. How cruel. I hadn't really talked with her for about ten years, but she was a big part of my life; we became teenagers together. We went to the mall to try on dresses, did each others makeup for homecoming, wrote letters all summer long while we were at different camps, and argued over who got to be which Backstreet Boy when we sang their latest hit. We gushed about our first boyfriends, shared Seventeen magazines, and obsessed over Dawson's Creek. She was the first best friend I ever had. She didn't make it to 27.
It's easy to forget how much different people shape your life and to take them and their role for granted. I don't think she knew what she meant to me because our friendship disappeared, and we probably hadn't thought about each other much over the past decade. It's not like we as humans sit down and think of who was a part of our lives and what that has meant to us. But now I'm in a very reflective place where I'm thinking to all the good friends I had, all the people who I grew up with and had some sort of influence in my life. I count them as blessings because for better or worse they're a part of who I am today. I'm going to visit the States in a few weeks, and I think instead of trying to actively avoid most people I know there (which is my mission when in Detroit), I might take the time to see and talk to some people. Even if we're not friends now, we've made a difference in each others lives.
People are blessings, life is precious, and I just pray for her family. May she always be in peace.
xoxo
VB
Hi Val,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this. It is simply beautiful.
Sincerely, Jane