Next adventure!

Still I'm on the subject of what to do during the Christmas and New Years Eve week that I'll have off. But where? what? Remember a month or so ago I talked about finding that next adventure and not just any ol' vacation.

Well, I think I found it.

Its not a new idea, its actually something that I've wanted to do for quite a while now. I want to do a volunteering trip. I've looked into many different ones. But did you know, some are pretty expensive, not to mention require a commitment of at least two weeks. For example you can scuba dive for sea plants of the coast of Brazil with a group lead by a scientist. You can preserve dolphins or turtles... or forests... You can build a house in Costa Rica. Opportunities are endless. As for me, I'd do them ALL if I had the time. If I win 50 million dollars tomorrow, I will quit my job and just go do volunteer projects all over the place. You get to travel AND feel like you're doing something constructive.

This winter I want to go volunteer at an orphanage. But wait, before you run to call the Vatican telling il Papa' to sanctify me... (hmm... Santa Alessanra?)... I got to say that I have selfish motives for going on the trip. Furthermore, I believe that everything we do, we do with selfish intentions. Oh, but its NOT a bad thing at all. If our attempt to make ourselves happy, in turn makes others happy as well, than its a perfect situation! So yes, honestly I think I will be the real beneficiary from this volunteer project. The kids will probably end up baby-sitting me I'm sure.

Why specifically go to an orphanage? Well, I'd love to one day open one. Not because I want to sacrifice my life bla bla bla, but I feel that would actually be gaining BACK my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on being poor, but I believe helping children would be more fun for me than a career in making more money for Mr (or Ms.).X. (By the way, do you know how much non-profit directors makes!!! I had many non-profit organizations as clients an they're suprisingly pretty set*.) They travel all over the world participating in meetings and events, throw parties... Plus, whenever it is that I decide to have a family, I would love to adopt. This trip, could be in a way a "research" trip.

*browse the salaries of some non-profit directors.

This weekend I already looked up some orphanages and emailed a few of them. Hopefully I will find one, and will be able to organize everything. I'll also have to get some shots, maybe even a visa... we'll see. I wanted to go to Haiti actually, but after learning more about it I realize that the little issue of political unrest... is not a joke after all.

This was the appoitment I went to on Saturday. Really last minute I decided to take a drive over just to ask some questions even though I may not be going to their orphanage (in Haiti). It was interesting to learn about some of the ways they conduct their fund raising and how they got a pretty famous architecture firm to build a brand new school campus for the orphanage. This is a lesson for me, if I want to "get involved" with the kids issue, I need not wait for a week off to go volunteer somewhere far away... there are ways to actually do something from the home front. The volunteer trip however was what got me inspired and thinking.

I'll keep you all updated, and if anyone has done any volunteering overseas or is involved in some projects currently - tell me everything! I know that Miss Vesspa Roso does some projects for Habitat for Humanity, is that correct? And Dcver volunteers over in Portugal with Boy Scouts.

Lesson kids: selfishness is not necessarily a bad thing, it can help you preserve the amazonian forests and feed the children!