Introduction to my Musings

Greetings from Buenos Aires!

So, who am I and what am I doing living abroad?

For the past 6 years since I finished grad school, I’ve worked in a variety of managerial roles in academic medical centers in New York City, most recently as the administrator for a large pediatric cardiology program that cares for a predominately underserved community.

I’ve been badly bitten by the travel bug though. Three community service delegations (two international and one domestic), several vacations, and other local volunteer projects later, I recently left my job to explore a growing interest in international community development and social welfare. Sans spouse, children, mortgage, and other significant financial obligations, I decided there’s no time like the present to make this kind of work the focus of my daily life rather than my extracurricular activities.

I’m currently in Buenos Aires, where I’m halfway through a 6-week program working with a variety of social service agencies. Although Argentina is beginning to recover from the economic collapse of 2001, many families remain vulnerable and are still early on their path towards financial independence.

After a two-month stop back in New York to refuel and satiate my craving for real bagels and cheap sushi, I’ll be going abroad again, this time to southern India, where I’ll be volunteering with a women’s rights non-governmental organization (NGO).

In contrast to the projects in Buenos Aires (helping in a day care for underprivileged kids, teaching English, working in a clothes distribution center), the project in India is more closely aligned with my professional background. I’ll be with the NGO for about 4 months helping with general operations and process improvement.

I have some initial ideas about what I’d like to do after India (namely to, ahem, earn an income again) and remain optimistic about where life will take me!

So, you ask, what will I be talking about here?  My purpose in writing “A Broad Volunteers” is to supplement existing Wanderlust and Lipstick blogs with the musings of a newbie to extended international volunteer service and the life of an expat.

I’m not setting out to be an authority on this topic by any means and, in fact, there are already many great websites and resources available. I hope that sharing my experiences, challenges, and lessons learned will perhaps encourage those of you considering short-term or more significant volunteer experience (whether in your own communities or abroad) to take the plunge.

Now it’s time for me to humbly embark upon my journey.  Feel free to comment on my posts and share your ideas, experiences, and/or requests for topics.  I’m excited to have this forum to share my musings with you.  Hooray for wanderlust!  And yes, I remembered to pack my lipstick.  :)