(From a UP Volunteer)

I can’t believe that 3 months has come and gone and while so much happened in between, I feel like I have just had an extended dream. It is a good thing that I took notes while I was there because I might not believe that I even went at all:)

Peru was incredible, and I am so thankful that I had this opportunity to travel and learn about and from another culture in this extremely diverse world. The people I have met, the experiences I have had, and the passion I felt will forever stay etched in my mind and my heart. My host mom told me at the airport that I little piece of her heart was going home with me to a country that she had never visited and to a family that she had never met…. but that’s the incredible part about traveling…. we build bridges between two cultures that might never have been made otherwise. And, just as part of her heart comes home with me, part of my heart has remained there and will remain there forever.

It was not always easy being in Peru. Although most of my e-mails were always focused on the benefits of traveling and meeting new people/cultures, my journal also recounts many hard experiences as well…loneliness, frustration, the realization that life is not, and will never be, perfect, the feelings of guilt as you remember all of the incredible blessings that we enjoy everyday here in America, confusion, and helplessness, etc. Even though these were hard experiences, they made this trip real, and I will choose to remember these experiences as well now that I am back. I sincerely hope that I have come back a different person and that the good times and the bad in Peru will continue to shape me and mold me into becoming a citizen of humanity…not just citizen of the United States of America.

When I was in college there was a man I knew, a dentist, who regularly made volunteer trips to other countries. He would take exotic journeys up the Amazon or to the Far East, and help people out of pain, help educate them, and simply provide compassion to those that would otherwise not have received it.

From this inspiration I made the decision to go to dental school, and someday follow in my mentor’s footsteps. Of course dental school was demanding and difficult. Graduation, starting up in practice, building a new life with my family, teaching, and worrying about patients, kids and money, made me lose site of my original goal.

It wasn’t until several years later when life started to stabilize that I remembered my role model and the inspiration he gave me.

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege to meet and study with another role model, a National Geographic photographer, who happened to be associated with an organization called United Planet.

At the time, United Planet was just starting to offer volunteer opportunities to Asia.

Armed with a background in Asian Studies, a duffel bag of dental supplies, and a camera, I boarded a plane for Cambodia. Three days later I arrived at Siem Reap International Airport. I was greeted by 90-degree heat and a never-ending flow of beautiful smiling and welcoming faces. Two escorts with a private car drove me to my hotel and graciously introduced me to Khmer culture.

One of our first stops was a quick tour of the Angkor Hospital for Children where I was scheduled to work for the next 10 days. I was told to report back promptly after lunch as the dental team was going out to the countryside to provide care in a small village. After an arduous ride over dirt roads, we arrived at a small cement block building. Outside there were about 20 people lined up waiting. Inside, I found a single table and chair, no electricity and no running water. Using flashlights and natural light from high overhead windows, we extracted teeth all afternoon until we ran out of sterile instruments.

The rest of the trip was spent treating children at the hospital dental clinic. Luxurious by comparison to the first day with the fully equipped clinic, I was able to give over 125 children their smiles back and relieve their pain.

Many nights after returning to the privacy of my hotel room, I sobbed with disparity realizing both the pain and suffering of these beautiful children, and the intense and profound satisfaction I was feeling from helping them.

Traveling in this way, as volunteers, place us in an environment that the average sightseer would most likely never experience. We are able to connect with a culture in a simple, transparent way by sharing our time, and, avoid the pomp and circumstance of buses, tour guides and souvenir shops.

I was able to spend time with people in their homes and share a meal, or, go swimming and play with kids I treated in the clinics. I watched the sunrise and breathed in the sandalwood incense as I walked with the Buddhist monks on their morning alms quest. I spent a lazy afternoon practicing the Khmer language and laughing out loud while it rained so hard we could barely see the surrounding rice fields. I experienced unbelievable sights, such as the Angkor Wat temple complex, and an entire village that floats, and moves with the floods and draughts, on the largest lake in South East Asia.
And most importantly, I realized the magic of empathy and compassion.

Since that first visit, I have returned to Cambodia 7 times. I have made life-long friends, joined the boards of local NGOs and Universities, and helped found a non-profit organization that provides education and basic life support to street children and the very poor.

With the core support of United Planet, dozens of professionals have contributed to improving the educational, agricultural, and economic systems in developing countries. United Planet provides almost unlimited volunteer opportunities for anyone that wants to make a difference in someone’s life.

Anyone can help anyone. We all have a talent, skill, or passion that can be shared with those less fortunate. And believe me, there is no greater feeling of satisfaction and sense of appreciation than making that magic connection with someone that needs you.

Right now, today, there are over one billion people living around the world in terrible poverty. They are living without clean water, without decent food or shelter, without regular access to education or health care, and without hope. We are the world’s most privileged. It is simply our responsibility to extend help and compassion if we are able.

The Buddha said, “If you are pointed in the right direction, all you have to do is start walking.”

United Planet is pointed in the right direction. Now, all we have to do is take the first step.

A 23-year-old member of the Springfield, Massachusetts’s community, Erin Duffy, is currently volunteering with United Planet to provide invaluable support to a community in Ecuador, while immersing deeply in Ecuadorian life and culture.

Erin Duffy left the United States in April 2006 in order to spend a year to work in an elementary school in Tonsupa, Ecuador. She teaches English and cultural fisica (physical education). For grades 2-7, there are a total of three teachers, each in charge of a pair of grades in one classroom. The walls of the school are made of bamboo with dirt floors and an outhouse for a bathroom. Before her trip, Erin was fortunate to gather four large boxes full of donations, which she recently distributed to her students.

Here is what Erin thinks about her experience in Ecuador with United Planet:

“This is absolutely a once in a lifetime experience. I really wanted to do something for someone in the world who wasn’t born into the same fortunate circumstances as we were. Nobody asks to be born into poverty. As much as we like to think we are giving something to the people here, we are receiving so much more. We have been welcomed with open arms and are absolutely enjoying every minute.”

What has she learned so far? First of all, Erin improved her Spanish right away! Working with so many children, she has also learned to be much more patient. In Ecuador, people live at a different pace than in the United States… Her host father says “time is not running,” and that is certainly the case according to Erin. Erin has learned so much about the culture and the people of Ecuador as well as the intricacies of how to teach English as a foreign language in Spanish. Most of all, she has learned that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.

Erin had to face the challenging cultural differences, especially related to the language. This experience is important to her because she is gaining more perspective on her own life every day, while being able to give something to the people here. She was greeted with smiles everywhere she went. “There’s so much more to life and happiness than I ever could have imagined before this trip.”

Come and meet United Planet at this coming fairs :

- C.O.O.L Idealist National Conference in Chicago : March 22, 2007 to March 25, 2007

- NAFSA Annual Conference in Minneapolis : May 27, 2007 to June 1, 2007

We can’t wait until meeting you guys !