
Volunteering, helping people, using your skills for good, all those things sometimes get a bad name because it's being branded as cliché at best or described as voluntourism, or even white-saviour complex at worst. Many times I also get challenged with an argument, whether it's about my volunteering or country A sending aid to country B, that charity should start at home. They're right but only to an extent. I have been sick of people constantly criticising those who decide to help elsewhere. Who are those people to judge? Help is help and just because you have a secondary reason, for example to do it in a place you've never been to, doesn't make it lesser. There are people who decide to help in their hometown, and then there are people who decide to help in another country. What's the difference? NONE! As long as you help, you give your time and effort to a different cause than yourself it doesn't matter where you do it.
Why am I venting? Because I consciously decided to go abroad for my volunteering trip. It has been a while since I thought about possibility of working for an NGO or at least in some kind of capacity in non-profit sector. But let's be honest, without a degree in International Development or Social Sciences, or contacts it's very difficult to get into that sector. In 2015 I met the person who would have the biggest impact on my life so far - Mei Yee Chan. At the time of having met her for the first time she worked for a small organisation called WTO (World Toilet Organisation) and that sparked a lot of interest. 2015 was still a good year at SaleCycle, but the greatness faded and I realised that the change I've been dreaming about might actually be possible.
In 2016, when my idea of non-profit work became a serious thought in my head, Mei and I talked about it for hours and she always said I could do it, that I can transform my skills and make them fit into that sector as NGOs also need people like me. All I needed was one door opened to prove myself, lots of positive thinking and some kind of a plan to make it happen. And of course somebody to believe in me, which thanks to her - I had it covered.
I didn't know anything about how NGO work, so I decided to look for an opportunity and found Developing World Connections and there I saw trip to Nepal in October 2016. After few weeks of considerations and financial planning I made the decision. Even though it was very expensive, I wanted my first trip to be taken care for me, whether it's transportation, accommodation, or food. 6 months of waiting and I arrived in Kathmandu

The day after everybody arrived we had our orientation meeting with the organisation we would be supporting Creating Possibilities Nepal, we met the Director - Dinesh Raj Sapkota and few people closely related to the organisation: Dorinda, Nura, Manoj, and Rupesh. The smile throughout the presentation we were watching about where and who we're going to help says it all. Even though at that time I didn't know that the people in the room would change my life but I knew the trip would definitely change who I was.







After I returned to my normal life I felt so out of place and I knew that everybody feels this way when they come back from such different world like Nepal. But weeks have gone and I still felt like I'm in the wrong place. I was happy as long as I was talking about Nepal and people I met there, I am pretty sure people at work were sick of me talking about it all the time :) But I just couldn't stop because I didn't want it to stop and also the more I talked about it the more details I remembered.
Samjhana, Niraj, Rene, Jen, Geri, Joe, Vida, Hasti, Dinesh, Rupesh, Dikshanta, Manoj, Dorinda, Russ, Jim, Danielle, Bri, Penny H., Penny G., Bob - all of you, in some degree, pushed me closer towards my dream by being who you are and I guess the vibe we had as a team made me feel so special that it enhanced the feeling and purpose for which we all came there. In December, or within three weeks from coming back, I decided it's time to make a leap and start living again. The machine started turning, ever day I was working on something else and making more and more decisions. On 6th January 2017 I gave my notice and the rest is history. The history I'm writing about here now..
Now I am on a verge of making another leap and this whole trip made me remember and believe in very important quote:
Sometimes happiness doesn't come from money or fame or power. Sometimes happiness comes from good friends and family and the quiet nobility of leading a good life. (...) So take a look in that mirror and remind yourself to be happy because you deserve to be. Believe that. (...) And believe that dreams come true every day. Because they do.