EPTlife has been good to me. I'm reasonably healthy, I have never had to hunger and in 25 years, have experienced no great tragedy.
Whenever I feel glad, I also feel the urge to give something back. As a student, I'm unable to give money to good causes, so I'm trying to figure out what to do. Maybe you guys have some tips on how to "give back" to society.
Here's what I've tried so far:
Being pleasant to people
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Well, that's sort of an everyday thing, but other than being polite to strangers, there's not much I can do and I never had the feeling people really cared anyways. A lack of social interactions makes this even less significant.
Working to feed the hungry
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In most German towns, there's an institution that's called "Die Tafel", collecting food past the expiration date, day-old-bread and fruit from supermarkets and redistributing it to homeless and needy people.
I've worked for the Tafel quite a long time, but the experience was really frustrating.
Not only did my Jabba-the-Hut-esque overseer eat everything her monstrous arms could reach (exactly like in that Southpark Episode), but also were the poor treated like scum and most volunteers took the prime foods for themselves.
I've worked for the Tafel quite a long time, but the experience was really frustrating.
Not only did my Jabba-the-Hut-esque overseer eat everything her monstrous arms could reach (exactly like in that Southpark Episode), but also were the poor treated like scum and most volunteers took the prime foods for themselves.
Free guitar lessons
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That went well for a while, I put up an add at a local blackboard, offering free guitar lessons to as many people I had time for, and I've even got approached by a local school, offering me a room.
I had a blast for a while, but albeit expressly saying in the add I won't teach kids without a guardian around, parents either wanted to get rid of their kids for an hour or two, or felt entitled to dictate my exact schedule and "curriculum". If the kids were really reluctant to learn and I felt the parents just forced the instruments upon them, it was usually me they were being mad at, which I didn't understand. I then had to move for school and didn't take it up again at my new place of residence.
I had a blast for a while, but albeit expressly saying in the add I won't teach kids without a guardian around, parents either wanted to get rid of their kids for an hour or two, or felt entitled to dictate my exact schedule and "curriculum". If the kids were really reluctant to learn and I felt the parents just forced the instruments upon them, it was usually me they were being mad at, which I didn't understand. I then had to move for school and didn't take it up again at my new place of residence.
Free German lessons
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That was the most fun experience. I was "employed" by an institution that helped Muslims and Eastern Europeans who come to Germany and don't speak a word of German. The lessons were really cool and rewarding and the foreigners either seemed annoyed and never showed up again, or grateful and eager to learn. Had the institution not been shut down due to a lack of funds, I'd probably still be working on that.
Now I'd like to get your advice on what could be next.
The problem is, that I'm kind of socially awkward and easily disgusted, or else I would work for the Red Cross, so that's not working for me.
I've approached a local pastor, because there's so many church driven charities, but since I'm not Christian he was somehow reluctant to give me any advice, insisting that the Catholic community would rather find volunteers out of their own ranks. Then I called my mom and she suggested volunteering at an animal shelter, which to this point is the only decent idea I have.
So I'd really like to get your advice regarding what else there is. Obviously most of you don't live in Germany and can't name specific institutions, but I'm always amazed about what TL can come up with.
Cheers guys and have a nice weekend!
k.
