Big Event Goes International

How cool is it that even though I was an ocean away from the Big Event at Texas A&M I was still able to volunteer, but from an international perspective. My heart is so full and I feel so blessed that AIB allowed us the opportunity to spend a Saturday helping around the city we've been blessed to reside in for the past four months. 

I volunteered at Altenzentrum Haus am Redoutenpark (a Seniors' home) in Bad Godesberg. For the most part, we planted flowers in small baskets for each of the balconies in the residents' rooms and cleaned out the flower beds in the sitting area outside. It involved a lot of weed pulling and patching back up, but it was a pretty easy job. I was able to make small talk with some of the residents. For the ones that could speak well, I asked them to pick out which flowers they wanted for their rooms. I could tell they were really happy I involved them in such small decision making. And as soon as they discovered I spoke English (which became obvious as soon as mispronounced most of my German words) they were so delighted to practice and speak English with me. I enjoy getting opportunities to practice German, but of course I didn't mind speaking English because I could tell it made them happy. 

Often, I think people view Big Event as hands-on volunteering that requires manual labor and getting your hands a little dirty. Until this year, I viewed volunteer work the same way. But this isn't so true as I realized volunteering just means spending your time in a way you normally wouldn't. And although it doesn't seem like much, and you can't visually see how I volunteered my time and the impact it did, the people I spent my time with will remember. I walked with a couple residents outside and talked with a few in their rooms just engaging in conversation. Some wanted to talk more than others, but I think a lot of them just enjoyed a new face and a little company. It was a win win, because I enjoyed talking with them too. Elderly people are full stories and love to talk about them from time to time. 

So I didn't get my hands that dirty, but I did spend my time in a place I normally wouldn't and it felt really good. And that's what volunteering is all about right? Well, at least I hope it is.