The course Service Learning 1000 was a
good choice I have made. I took this course last semester. Being in this class gives me the opportunity to learn
something I really like that is volunteering. I was so excited before I start
this course, because I heard so many positive things about it from my friends
and my adviser too. In the other hand, I was worried about which organization
that I am going to work with, because I wanted to be in a place that I feel
comfortable in. I also wanted to be with my friend so we can share the same
experience. In my opinion, the Kamloops Food Bank was a great decision to
volunteer. I got a very good experience and my contemplations were the same
even better. I choose the Food Bank because I it is an organization who can
take two volunteers so I can be with my friend. The second reason is to have a
new experience. I already work as a trainee in a bank, and I work as an organizer
at the Saudi school in the Saudi club. But this is kind a new place to work in.
However, this origination helps me to attain some achievements. . The organization helped me developing my personal
and educational skills. I also had lesson to take when I go to my hometown
because of being in the Kamloops Food Bank.
I can describe my experience as indirect service at the Food Bank.
According to the Service Learning Companion book, it says “ your experience
will focus less on working directly with individual clients and more working
with the community part-ner in a boarder ( Dunkan& Koppard, (2008), p.28).
Working in the Food Bank is indirect service, because I don’t see or give the
people who need the food. I used to work n the organization members only
without having any connection with the needy people. Even I do not communicate
with clients directly, but I know how my work is something important. Because
of working there, that helps them to feel better. Even we cannot see that, but
we can feel it.
Being in the food bank gives me the opportunity to achieve
some goals. I wished always to help people and to be in a group work even
without earning money or profit. Moreover, talking with the people encourages me to learn
English so I can develop my language in speaking and conversation aspects. Although,
making relationship with the people that I do not know, and sharing the
experiences and knowledge.
According to the “Service Learning Comanion” book “the service-learning
experience address two specific course objectives: to develop patient/client
in-terviewing skills and to become familiar with the aging process…”(Duncan,
Koppard. 2008. P.25) Being in this organization helped me to be more patient,
because I am not a patient person. Science we are working, we all should be
patient so we can work harder even if it is an easy work. For example, if we are doing hampers, we should do to
many bags. Sometimes I feel tired because of doing that much of bags. But at
the end of the day, I felt that I did something new that helped me and help the
people.
In my opinion, I think the Food Bank helped me developing my personal
and educational skills. Because of
this organization I become more social by talking with other people and knowing
new people. Sharing the experiences helped me in my personal skills. Moreover,
I took the advantage to ask the Canadian people about their life. From that
point, I got new information that helped me to know more about the Canadian
culture. Being in the Food Bank helped me also in my educational skills. For
example, by talking English all the time with the organization members and the
volunteers that gives me the chance to develop my English, which support my
studying in the university. I also got new vocabularies that I never heard
about. Learning new vocabularies helps me improving my English language, which
support my speaking aspect. That is the main thing that I want learn because I
cut a long distance to gain knowledge. By learning English I can study easier.
The life lesson I might take back to my hometown is that being able to
work with some people who have different culture. Some people think that it is
hard to work with people who do not have the same traditions or cultures. In my
opinion, it is a good opportunity to be with people who have different culture
so you can learn new experiences. In addition, the cultural differences will
give you new information about the place that you are in. For example, in the
Food Bank we were sharing our cultures and habits. By sharing the cultures, we
felt like we are one family in one place. Even when I describe my communication
in the Food Bank as a low-context. In p.26 from the Service-Learning Companion
book says “ If you come from outside the dominant cultural context and do
not share a deep understanding of the situation or the background,…
(Duncan&Kopperud,2008). There is a low-context, because of the cultural and
language differences. Traditions and customs are not the same is mine. By
talking with each other and sharing the cultures, we understand each other more
and more.
Volunteering is the most moral thing that can person do. Having the
experience in the bank, the Saudi school and Kamloops Food Bank gives the
opportunity to learn something new. Furthermore, making people happy encourage
me to work harder and to continue volunteering. From all these experiences, I
assume that one day I might make my own organization, because I can feel that
the person who volunteers has a good life. I do not have to give a person an
I-phone or a very fancy car to make them happy. What they need is a very tiny help,
at least a smile. I will try as much as I can to continue volunteering so I can
meet new people, learn from their experience and take the advantage to help the
people who need assistance. I already finished my experience in the Food Bank,
but the end of a journey is a start of a new objective.
