My first blog entry talks about Returned Volunteers Weekend Conference which shall be held at Binangonan, Rizal on August 1-3, 2008. It is a time for returned Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) volunteers to come together and share experiences in developing countries where we breathed for 6 months, one to three or even four years. We must have loved staying in our placements having went beyond our initial contracts.
Now comes this RV Weekend. I find this exciting! And I look forward to see and listen to every returned volunteer with all their experiences! It is a time to renew faces and memories in places we’ve been to. Questions come easy. How are you. Where are you now. Have any job? Still searching for a job? Still single? Got married?
Before everything else, let me introduce myself.
I am Gina Dizon from Sagada, Mountain Province. I went to Bangladesh on March 6, 2006, came home for a vacation March 2007 which reached till August 2007, and went back to Bangladesh to continue my placement till May 2008. I am the first VSO volunteer from this tourist town north of the country.
I just served as an Advocacy and Networks Development Adviser for an NGO called Adivasi Unnayan Songstha for a two-year placement in northwest Bangladesh.
With the above, one will generate some questions. For one, What is this NGO called Adivasi Unnayan Songstha? What do those words mean? What did you do as an Advocacy and Networks Development Adviser? For whom? These and many other questions.
Nevertheless, more interesting questions to ask would be, how was it working in Bangladesh? How was it working with VSOBangladesh? What were your joyous moments? Low moments? How did you cope? Was there a brotherhood/sisterhood among Filipino volunteers? With other Vols? (Pic shows Filipino vols with Afrikan and Canadian Vol-friends in Bangladesh).
Was the volunteering experience worth it? What did you gain? What have you learned ?Was it helpful for personal and professional growth? If not, why is volunteering not helpful at all.
In much the same way, I will ask the same questions when I see you during the RV Weekend.
Meantime, you may want to log in your comments here.
Cheers! Have a nice day and see you during the RV Weekend.
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