通过国际志愿者活动，改变你和他人的生活

来自Nerdy Nomad网站的Kirsty Henderson，他是《国际志愿活动地下指南》的作者。我非常乐意宣传这个帖子，因为自己也曾经是国际志愿者组织的一员，这种工作也永远地改变了我的生活。我的故事改天再讲，现在我们还是集中精力关注Kirsty的大作。请大家欣赏 ，并下载她的电子书。没有会员链接，因为这是一项神圣的事业。                             _________________________________________

Travel doesn’t have to be about rushing around  trying to see as many famous sights as you possibly can. In fact  it doesn’t need to be about seeing things at all. For many people  its the people you meet and the experiences you have along the way that become the highlights of a trip  not the major monuments or countless churches and waterfalls you might see.

旅游并不只是四处奔波，尽可能地看到更多著名景点。事实上，旅游可以不必去看什么，而是要在所到之处，接触不同的人，获得新的体验。正是旅途中的细小体验，而不是你可能看到的重大场面和数不清的教堂与瀑布，最终成为你旅途中的亮点。

Travel for me is about slowing down and giving myself the time to have authentic experiences and form meaningful friendships. I’ve found that one of the best ways of connecting with people and communities as I travel is to stop for awhile  unpack and get involved as a volunteer. In fact  there are a bunch of reasons to volunteer on your travels. Here are a few:

对我而言，旅游需要慢下来，给自己一些时间以获得真正的体验和友谊。我发现，在我的旅途中，与人们沟通的最好方法，就是停下脚步，打开行囊，参与一些志愿活动。事实上，旅途中的志愿活动有很多好处，下面简单列出一些：

Get involved in the community – As a volunteer you’re able to get involved with the community on a more intimate level and experience things that a traveler passing through would never see.

参与到社会团体中。作为志愿者，可以更近距离地接触社会团体中的人群，体验到一般旅行者很难体会到的经历。

Make new friends – Working and living alongside other volunteers for an extended period of time allows you to form friendships that really last.

结交新朋友。长时间与其它志愿者一起生活和工作，让你可以很快获得友谊。

Become more socially conscious – Living in a way that’s so different from your day-to-day life at home could cause you to reassess your priorities and become a more socially conscious person.

拥有更强的社会意识。以一种与平日大相径庭的方式生活，会让你重新评估自己的生活重心，变得更有社会意识。

Gain work experience – If you’re a recent graduate with no work experience  volunteering will give you some pretty amazing things to put on your resume.

获得工作经验。如果你刚毕业，没有工作经验，志愿活动可为你的简历增加非常引人注目的内容。

Learn a new language – Volunteering usually involves close contact with the community you’re working in which means you have a great opportunity to pick up the language and practice with locals who are eager to teach you.

学习新语言。志愿活动往往需要与相关社区的成员密切接触，这就意味着你有很多机会来学习对方的语言，并不断与热情的当地人互相切磋。

Learn new skills – By volunteering and doing work you might not be familiar with  you will learn a lot of new skills that could come in handy when you least expect it.

学习新技能。参与志愿活动和完成一些你可能不太熟悉的工作，能让你学会大量的新技能。这些日后可能在你意想不到的时候帮到你。

Extend your travels – If you’re able to find a free or cheap volunteering opportunity you will spend a lot less than you would as a backpacker and will be able to use the money you save to travel – or volunteer – for longer.

延伸你的旅途。如果能够找到一个免费或低成本的志愿工作机会，就会比自己背包出游节省很多开支。省下的钱既可以用来进行更多的旅行，也可以用来从事更多志愿工作。

Get fit – Many volunteering opportunities  like relief work or construction  involve a lot of physical activity which will get you fit in no time.

保持体型。很多志愿活动，包括救济或建筑工作，需要大量的体力劳动，这些能够帮你快速打造更好的体型。

Have a base for more traveling – Stopping to volunteer will give you a temporary home from which to explore other nearby areas.

为进一步旅行建立根据地。停下来从事志愿活动，会给你一个临时的家，让你能够以此为基础，探索周边的地区。

Spiritual development – Many volunteering organizations are faith-based and volunteers who are into that sort of thing are likely to gain something on a spiritual level.

精神上的提升。很多志愿机构都有自己的信仰，参与其中的人，在精神层面上也会得到提升。

While all of these are great reasons for volunteering  we can’t forget the biggest one of all – to help people. To have an opportunity to use your time to help others is a wonderful thing and your work will be appreciated by many people in the community which brings with it a warm  fuzzy feeling that you will probably become hooked on. I’m addicted to volunteering and can’t imagine a trip in my future without a stint as a volunteer.

尽管这些都是参与志愿活动的很好理由。但不能忘了最重要的一个，那就是：帮助他人。能够有机会在自己有限的时间内帮助他人，这是一种很好的经历。你的辛苦会被上的很多人所珍惜。这种温暖，模糊的记忆或许会让你永远也不会忘记。我已经迷上了志愿活动，无法想象以后的那次旅行会离开志愿活动。

***If you enjoyed this post  you may want to pick up a copy of Kirsty’s eBook The Underground Guide to International Volunteering. (No Affiliate Link)

******** 如果你喜欢这个帖子，也可能会喜欢作者的电子书：《国际志愿活动地下指南》。