22 Nov - Smiles & Gestures

Last night we refugee resettlement volunteers got to meet the families we will be helping. Sitting and chatting was severely hindered by the language barriers. I managed my "ming ga la bah" greeting in Burmese and someone managed a "thank you", but after that we were reliant on the cross-cultural interpreters floating around the room. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but we had to try and get a few paperwork issues taken care of and that was hard enough. Both the families I met were so lovely. They are all Burmese but speak two different languages, and have very different needs. I have lived in a foreign country where I didn't speak the language before, but at least I could read the words and sound things out. I cannot imagine how daunting it must be for these families to start their new life here. Simple tasks like getting a phone number are just as overwhelming as trying to find medical care for their children. I am so glad to be able to make it a bit easier for them. To experience a little of what they are going through, try reading a bit of Burmese news site Kwe Ka Lu . I'm working on podcast #2 for December, which will have some sound bytes from last night's meeting and some of my volunteer team members.

15 Nov - Encouraged & Inspired

I've been scouring the web to find out what's happening in the world of volunteering and I am just amazed at the large numbers of opportunities out there, and thoroughly inspired by what other people are doing. I've started a list of links to share my favorites with you and highly recommend you take a look or have a listen. It's not important to have an original idea, and if you hear something you like, make it happen in your area.

Several cool things have happened this week:
1. These beautiful "Serenity" posters were donated by LA artist Anthony Satori as an incentive for people to donate $25 or more.

2. I was inspired by the Big Vision podcast interview with Kiva.org and now your donations will be twice as effective. There will be times (like now while we're fundraising) that donations will be accumulating, so rather than let them sit there I'll be putting most of the money through the Kiva micro-loan program before using them for Volunteerevolution.

3. Due in part to some comments on my mention on the Grassroots Channel I'm cutting my personal fundraising target in half, and I'll be doing the work whether the money arrives or not. I will also continue to look for more creative ways to use the donations to get the most benefit from them.

It's great getting your emails, and I'd love to see some comments on the blog. Positive feedback is always encouraging and less-than-positive feedback is what keeps me accountable and improving on the ideas here.

9 Nov - What a Great First Week

Wow! This week was launch week. I have been so busy making sure the details of the website were all in order, that when I finally got ready to push the 'send' button on my first email I was suddenly nervous. Is everyone going to think I'm nuts? Will anyone visit the site? etc.

The response has been wonderful. We've had our first donation and received some much appreciated emails of support. I've got a spot on the Million Campaign Homepage , and am really learning how big the volunteer community is. Now the job is to keep the word moving.

I've had some questions about what I'm doing right now so here's some more info. I've launched the site and will gauge what kind of support I can expect in the short term, which will help me plan the countdown to the day I quit my job. I'm just finishing up a 7 week training program with the local refugee resettlement program and will be meeting my refugee family. I'll be volunteering with them for 6 months to help them learn English, adjust to a new culture and build ties to the community. (Learn more about why refugees need our help). I'm also researching some volunteer opportunities in South America to gain some exposure to third-world level problems and challenge my comfort zone.

Thanks to everyone who has responded in positive ways. I'm excited to see what happens next.