During the orientation week, I met some of the other new VSO volunteers. Nikki and Ben would be working in the same role as me but in different provinces, Jane would be staying in Madang in another HIV/AIDS position, and Deb, David and Dave would all be heading up to the Highlands for various placements in Education. We all got on wonderfully well and it was exciting to hear about some of their previous experiences working abroad – PNG, Nepal, Ethiopia, Nigeria - there was undoubtedly a wealth of experience in the room. On a personal note, I have to say that I was most inspired to realize that there are people working in the development field who share some of the same attributes as climbers trying to make their passion their lifestyle – the willingness to trade money, work stability, and that house with the white picket fence for a way of living that never ceases to yield new experiences, and that keeps us genuinely happy, without the external pressures found in city-life in the ‘real world’. Over the years and across some of the people I have met on climbing trips (and now in the development sector), it sparks hope and optimism in me to see older people and couples managing to have that unbiased and uninhibited happiness that this kind of lifestyle can provide.
No comments:
Post a Comment