2012 has come to a close, and time for reflection has come again. Check off achievements and list out new resolutions. For some reason a lot of them seem to start the same way; this year I will exercise, eat healthier… For the year 2013 let’s spice up the list and get inspired. Let the New Year be a time to explore, discover and learn. The upcoming year can be the time that we start learning more from ourselves by giving back to others.
You can start with something small, trying different foods, exploring new music, attend cultural events in your area. Get to know your neighbor, maybe he has been meaning to introduce himself to you but shyness overcame. Sometimes it only takes a few seconds of confidence to break away from the routine. Let us be inspired by learning about new cultures, lifestyles and languages. It is time to learn from travel. But let us not be tourists; toss away the travel guide. To get the best out of your trip, you have to see the place in the eyes of the people, its residents, the locals. When you come down from that tourist cloud and walk where the locals walk and eat at those hidden places only they know about, that is when you know you have experienced another culture.
The easiest way to interact with the locals is through volunteering. They will teach you their ways, food, culture, language and all you have to do is give back a little. Look at that- we are getting all of our resolutions checked off just by helping others abroad. Have you thought of where you want to go? What you want to see? Is it about time to hike the Machu Picchu? To teach English to kids that want to learn, just by being there with them, they will probably will teach you more in a month than you could have ever imagined. Pick a place, or an objective for your travel. This would probably be the best investment you had ever made on yourself in a long time.
Ask anyone who has ever volunteered. They are probably already booking their next volunteering journey. Travel, culture, interacting with people abroad will give you more than you have ever expected. It will teach you more about yourself than you have ever thought possible. It will make you say, I did not know I had it in me. Volunteering will broaden your horizon, make you feel a sense of accomplishment and will make you a thousand times richer, because the wealth you will take back home with you is more valuable than anything money can buy. Make the upcoming year, a time for giving, seeing and learning. Get inspired.
Get more ideas to start the new year with a Huffington Post article by Dave Santulli, United Planet’s founder and executive director!
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
United Planet is an international non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. We connect people who want to make a difference in communities across the world through overseas volunteer travel programs, global virtual internships & volunteering, and project-based virtual exchange programs. With opportunities in more than 40 countries, you will learn, teach, work, engage and immerse yourself in a culture outside your comfort zone. For many, volunteering abroad is the most fulfilling experience of their lives!
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