Nowler
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Hey folks,
As some of you know, I went out to Sri Lanka in 2016 as a mental health volunteer.
I cannot express how much it meant to me!
Not just because it "made me feel warm and fussy inside", but because I could see a genuine improvement to the society of people who now mean so much to me.
We ran programs teaching English to students, including monks.
We ran programs teaching arts/crafts to the young children in schools, and therapeutic exercises to those in mental health institutes...
Additionally , I shadowed an addiction counselor, which for me was for a very insignificant amount of time. I also paid extra to shadow an inspirational psychiatrist in the Tamil north ("Dr. Jegan"), which was also a very short period, but his work left an ever lasting impression on me. - I can tell you a story of a mother who lost her son to the military men who stormed her home and took him... who seeks Dr Jagen's voluntary psychiatric help in the war torn north... who hopes that one day her son returns... but we all know he lays in the ground... with many others who fell victim to the conflict.
Her tears will forever flow in my memory... for her son will never return home...
I felt then, and I feel now that I have a lot more to give to them.
As the financial debt I incurred for that trip is 2 weeks from being paid off, I asked about going back, but the group I went with no longer have projects in Sri Lanka due to the attack in April 2019.
When I went in 2016, it was with SLV (now SLV Global), who are lead by psychology graduates, but unfortunately, as a result of the attacks, they suspended all the projects - they could not risk the lives of their volunteers.
As most of the regulars here know, I have a strong appreciation for your opinion, But what you might not know is I have this bond with those wonderful Sri Lankan's who I worked with, and for at the projects. Those who greeted me and helped me help them... those who acknowledged me at ends of the country I visited where we had no projects... right down to that one service user who I swapped an Irish bracelet for the one he made out of elastic bands.
To be honest, the attacks over there make me want to go back even more, as I feel I owe it to them. While this wasn't specifically the reason... this fits the criteria of why I live my life the way I do. Why I refuse to have children. I want to be able to be so flexible that I can just do things like this.. without such responsibilities holding me back.
I am telling SLV Global that I dont want to take part in the projects in other countries... that Sri Lanka is imprinted on me and is forever in my heart. It is the only place I want to go back to, and that I am willing to waive any liability in order to get the ball rolling on restarting the projects there.
Clearly going back flies in the face of a lot of my goals...
Going back slows down my progression to higher roles in work, it slows down my wealth accumulation, and generally speaking, it reduces my opportunities to reach my over all financial goals.
Does anyone have anything to say on the matter?
Anyone care to advise me either way?
Am I being short-sighted?
Foolhardy perhaps?
As some of you know, I went out to Sri Lanka in 2016 as a mental health volunteer.
I cannot express how much it meant to me!
Not just because it "made me feel warm and fussy inside", but because I could see a genuine improvement to the society of people who now mean so much to me.
We ran programs teaching English to students, including monks.
We ran programs teaching arts/crafts to the young children in schools, and therapeutic exercises to those in mental health institutes...
Additionally , I shadowed an addiction counselor, which for me was for a very insignificant amount of time. I also paid extra to shadow an inspirational psychiatrist in the Tamil north ("Dr. Jegan"), which was also a very short period, but his work left an ever lasting impression on me. - I can tell you a story of a mother who lost her son to the military men who stormed her home and took him... who seeks Dr Jagen's voluntary psychiatric help in the war torn north... who hopes that one day her son returns... but we all know he lays in the ground... with many others who fell victim to the conflict.
Her tears will forever flow in my memory... for her son will never return home...
I felt then, and I feel now that I have a lot more to give to them.
As the financial debt I incurred for that trip is 2 weeks from being paid off, I asked about going back, but the group I went with no longer have projects in Sri Lanka due to the attack in April 2019.
When I went in 2016, it was with SLV (now SLV Global), who are lead by psychology graduates, but unfortunately, as a result of the attacks, they suspended all the projects - they could not risk the lives of their volunteers.
As most of the regulars here know, I have a strong appreciation for your opinion, But what you might not know is I have this bond with those wonderful Sri Lankan's who I worked with, and for at the projects. Those who greeted me and helped me help them... those who acknowledged me at ends of the country I visited where we had no projects... right down to that one service user who I swapped an Irish bracelet for the one he made out of elastic bands.
To be honest, the attacks over there make me want to go back even more, as I feel I owe it to them. While this wasn't specifically the reason... this fits the criteria of why I live my life the way I do. Why I refuse to have children. I want to be able to be so flexible that I can just do things like this.. without such responsibilities holding me back.
I am telling SLV Global that I dont want to take part in the projects in other countries... that Sri Lanka is imprinted on me and is forever in my heart. It is the only place I want to go back to, and that I am willing to waive any liability in order to get the ball rolling on restarting the projects there.
Clearly going back flies in the face of a lot of my goals...
Going back slows down my progression to higher roles in work, it slows down my wealth accumulation, and generally speaking, it reduces my opportunities to reach my over all financial goals.
Does anyone have anything to say on the matter?
Anyone care to advise me either way?
Am I being short-sighted?
Foolhardy perhaps?
