A Volunteer Commitment

Millions of people around the world get up, go to work and get paid for their efforts on a daily basis. And while people in paid positions help make the cogs of the daily grind go around, they don't do it alone. No, just as so many people get paid to work, millions also volunteer their time, energy and skills to complement paid work. In fact, so many organizations in our communities simply wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for volunteer efforts.

The tradition of volunteerism is really a way of life in America. So much so that a few years ago when I was asked to give a talk on "America" to high school students in Albania, my topic was volunteering. First some facts: in 2013, a total of 62.6 million Americans volunteered their time. This means that 25.4% of Americans give freely of their time each year. Their unpaid efforts annually equate to 7.7 billion man hours valued at $173 billion dollars. Imagine if all of these volunteers got paid in cash for their efforts. But these are simply statistics; what does all of this mean to each of us on a daily basis?

All I have to do is look around my own little military community and I see volunteers everywhere. There are parents volunteering in their children's classrooms, native English speakers running language groups so others can improve their language skills and pet lovers dedicating their time to local shelters. There are people volunteering to teach crafts, to organize trips, men and women leading scout troops and others yet collecting donations for orphanages. And lets not forget all of the youth sports programs that are the mainstay of after school activities for children everywhere. The coaches are all volunteers and as one of them, I can tell you both the importance of giving of my time and the real time it takes to make each practice a positive experience for everyone involved. As is the case with most volunteer activities you can't just show up and expect things to go smoothly; it takes pre-planning and organization for a practice to go off without a hitch.

All of this unpaid volunteer time is actually like....well....paid work. And for me, there lies the catch. I know first hand that volunteering takes time and it take commitment but all I ask is that if you are one of the people who steps forward to volunteer, you give it your all. Its as simple as that. People volunteer for a variety of reasons and I applaud them all. After all, for whatever reason they have decided that they want to give of themselves and give back to their community. And I know there are times when I have too much going on to step forward to volunteer so when that is the case, I keep my hand down and don't. But when I do, I view it as a job. That means being committed to the activity, showing up when I say I will and being mentally as well as physically present when required. Just as with paid employment, some days this is easier to do than others but slacking simply isn't an option. If only everyone felt this way.

In following with my theme of youth sports, when we sign up as volunteer coaches we are making a promise to our young players that we will be there. And at an age when youth athletics is as much about sportsmanship and skills that carry into life off of the field as it is about learning the intricacies of the game, keeping our promises is important. As a coach repeatedly canceling practices or simply not showing up is sending the wrong message. Would a volunteer behave this way if they were getting paid? Probably not; but then again, maybe they would.

Volunteers do help make the world go around but if we step forward to volunteer we need to be committed to our efforts. Anything else is simply unacceptable. Don't you agree?

Talking About America

U.S. Embassies around the world provide a variety of services in the countries in which they have a presence.  There are the programs that immediately come to mind when we hear about the roles of embassies--consular services for American citizens, the issuing visas to host country citizens wishing to travel to America, and of course working with the local host country governments and militaries to implement U.S. foreign policy.  There is a lesser known, but equally important, component to the work U.S. Embassies do in each of their host countries that gets to the heart of what America is all about.  The Public Diplomacy division of the State Department operates a program that sends Americans out into their host country communities to talk about American culture and share what it means to be an American.  The Speaker's Bureau program reaches beyond the typical politicians, diplomats, and business leaders who interface with the international community by allowing Americans the opportunity to meet with the ordinary citizens of the country. Through this program Americans from the Embassy, employees and spouses alike, go out into local schools and community groups to share a bit of their homeland.   Discussions may focus on American specific holidays and traditions--Independence Day, Earth Day and President's Day are popular topics but educational opportunities in America, popular culture, business and economics, and the electoral process are other popular issues host country residents want to hear about.  Volunteers may speak on these standing popular topics but any aspect of American culture that they are knowledgeable about and excites them is up for grabs as a discussion topic.  The Speaker's Bureau seems to be especially popular here in Albania where every aspect of American culture is observed and emulated by ordinary Albanian citizens.  I've known about this program since we arrived in Tirana and this past week I finally joined the ranks of a Speaker's Bureau speaker.

As a part of their international week, the Memorial International School of Tirana, housed in a former Communist-era school building, was looking for speakers to come talk to their students about their home cultures.  Not feeling excited about any of the potential topics that were timely (I loved the idea of talking about women's history but since this isn't women's history month the subject felt a bit out of date), I selected my own that is near and dear to my heart.  My presentation on volunteering in America would not only discuss the importance of volunteering for both volunteers and recipients but would also discuss how our Embassy personnel has volunteered in Albania and provide my audience with a list volunteer opportunities for them right here in Tirana.  I was excited about my topic and I hoped my audience would share in my enthusiasm.  After all, regardless of where I have been living, I've always made an attempt to volunteer and I'm not alone in my efforts.  In 2011, over 64 million Americans volunteered the equivalent of $171 billion in U.S. dollars in time and in-kind donations to their communities.  Now that is giving back!

I used to speak to large groups on a regular basis but it had been a long time since I spoke formally in front of a group and much to my surprise, I found myself a bit nervous at the prospect of addressing my audience.  The forty or so slouching youth sitting in front of me wearing bored expressions on their faces did little to ease my discomfort.  I opened my presentation with a YouTube video which seemed to reel in my audience -- or at least earned a round of applause.  Most of the audience seemed to warm up to the topic as my presentation went on. Of course there was the group of boys sitting in the back of the room who made faces and threw things at each other for the duration of the entire presentation.  (I guess this behavior is not unique to American culture; boys around the world strive to look cool and disinterested when there are girls present).  I received a few questions and some polite applause as my presentation concluded so all in all I'm going to assume I did alright.

Did what I say make an impression on my audience?  I'm not sure.  What I do know is that I shared a little piece of America with this group of teens and perhaps one or two of them will in turn volunteer in their own communities.  And if they do, my message was a success.

On Work

The NaBloPoMo theme for the month of December is work.  On the surface this seems like a simple enough concept but the more I think about it, the more I realize it is actually a very complex word.  There are so many definitions and understandings about what work is and isn't.  Paid or unpaid, physical labor or mental workouts, alone or in a group, in public or the privacy of one's own home; these are just a few of the many types of work.  The meaning of work varies amongst cultures, countries, and for some, individual households.  Work's value--in monetary, social, and political terms- is just as varied as well.  It just might be one of those concepts that we may all need to agree to disagree on. 

For many, saying they are "going to work" means they are leaving their house and commuting to their office or other paid work place.  I find myself using this phrase on a regular basis to explain to Sidney why his father isn't always home when he wakes up in the morning.  "Daddy eshte ne pune" has become a daily refrain for explaining Glenn's absence.  And Sidney has learned that it means Glenn is not at home.   In doing so, however, I feel as though I am playing right into the stereotype that one must be leaving the house and getting paid in order for them to be working.  I want to make sure Sidney understands that work takes place at home as well; whether I am cooking dinner or calculating our monthly expenses on the computer, I too am working.

Regardless of one's familial or paid employment status, I think work begins and ends at home.  Whether it is making coffee and getting breakfast on the table, watching your children, walking your dog, or washing the dishes, all of these tasks must be recognized as the work that they are.  These tasks are more likely than not unpaid--unless you hire someone to do these chores for you--- but that doesn't make them any less important or significant.  (Every once in a while statistics pop up laying out what the cost of unpaid work is really worth.  One can argue about the reliability of the figures but their overall message is clear).  In fact, I would argue that it is this unappreciated and unpaid work that makes the world go round.  Regardless of nationality or socio-economic level the work that takes place inside of one's house is what makes it possible to leave the house and go onto paid work in the first place.  Even after paid employment ends, whether by choice or by circumstance, work inside of the house continues until our last dying breath.

My own concept of work has evolved over time.  Prior to getting married and having a child I viewed legitimate work as paid employment and work inside of the house as a necessary evil.  I volunteered at a local women's shelter and donated my time on several non-profit boards but I didn't think about my efforts on these projects as having a dollar figure attached with it.  In my arrogant, just out of college view, I didn't understand how someone could chose to stay home and "not work" all day.  We're they bored?  Oh how naive I was.

My first long stretch of unemployment was the five months between the time I moved to Norfolk and the time I found a less than exciting, underpaid job.  My first few weeks of not working felt like a vacation.  After all I was busy settling into a new house and learning my way around a new city.  Soon my days were filled with the mundane tasks of cleaning, shopping, and turning what had once been a bachelor's house into a family home.  I did this while applying for numerous jobs and going on too many interviews to count.  The first fight Glenn and I ever had was over my "work" status.  After a long day he had cavalierly made a comment about how it must be nice to not be working.  Mind you this was after a day where I had gone on a horrible job interview (for the job I actually got), grocery shopped, made dinner, and reupholstered several dining room chairs.  Whoa!  I may not have gone into a office for the day but I had certainly been busy.  Maybe I didn't earn any actual money that day but I hadn't been sitting around twiddling my thumbs.  It took being confronted with it head on for me to realize that a lot of work is unpaid (or underpaid which might be even worse).  In the months following Sidney's birth, in my sleep deprived haze, I realized that going to a job outside of the house might actually be a better deal.  It is much easier to get up and leave the woes of your job in the office.  When your work is caring for your family who lives under the same roof as you do, it is virtually impossible to escape that work.  (During this period I considered going to the store alone to do our weekly grocery shopping as my down time).  In reality, there aren't any off hours, lunch breaks, or vacation days.  When you are caring for children, you are always on the clock.

Fast forward several years and I'm not working part time for the Embassy, volunteering with a non-profit, raising our son, and serving as a "volunteer" for Glenn's office.  My days fly by and in reality I only get paid for a small portion of the hours I put in each day.  After earning a paycheck each morning I spend most afternoons planning, shopping, and cooking for the various dinners and receptions we host each month.  And since everything in Albania is more difficult and time consuming than it would be in the U.S. these simple tasks take a lot of time and effort.  I may not receive a physical paycheck for each canape or cookie I serve but that doesn't make my efforts any less valuable.

The moral of this is that all work needs to be valued.  Whether paid or unpaid, in the home or outside of it, all work is important and helps make our worlds function.  Our workplaces function because employees come in every day to do their jobs.  Charities, churches, and NGOs are able to provide help to those who need it because volunteers give their time --i.e. work-- to make the services happen.  Children are cared for everyday, pets are walked, and households maintained because people are working.  Just imagine what would happen if I decided to go on strike at home?  If I stopped grocery shopping, menu planning, and cooking dinners, I know there would be at least two very unhappy males in the Brown household.

Knitting for a Cause

Regulation colored caps

I don't consider myself to be a crafty person; my one attempt at scrap booking resulted in a sticky mess that would have embarrassed a pre-schooler.  After years of trying and failing, I've come to terms with the fact that my one crafty outlet is knitting (and yes, this was before the resurgence of knitting as a hipster cool hobby).  I grew up watching my mom knit but first lesson came in first grade when my Brownie troop was making acrylic potholders.  This was in the late 1970s so acrylic, and garishly colored acrylic at that, was all the rage. I'm not sure who thought acrylic was an appropriate fiber to place on a hot object but my little troop toiled away in the school cafeteria learning this ancient craft.  I gradually moved onto scarves which after all, are potholders on steroids.  I continued to knit off and on over the years and with time the sophistication of my projects, both in style and materials, increased.  During college I spent two summers working in a now defunct yarn shop where I became even more proficient in complex designs.  I also spent a ridiculously large portion of my salary on yarn since I learned early on that half of the fun of knitting is buying and collecting yarn for my "stash.   While living in D.C. I discovered the oh so cool Fiber Space yarn shop in Old Town Alexandria where I spent money we didn't have on yarn for future projects.  A few years ago I learned about Ralvery, an on-line database that allows me to keep track of my projects, yarns, and supplies with the click of a mouse.  For a database junkie like myself, this discovery seemed too good to be true.

Two years ago, with my closets crammed full of sweaters I came to the realization that by knitting socks, I could complete projects quickly and that as a project, a pair of socks was a lot more portable than a full sized adult sweater. I personally don't wear socks but my friends and family did so away I went with my knitting until even they were running from my hand knit creations.  In a attempt to find an appreciative audience for my socks, I stumbled across Socks for Soldiers.  This not-for-profit organization that is run out of a single woman's home in Ohio sends hand made regulation socks (and other essential items) to American soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan- or any other location where American troops are deployed.  At last I had found an outlet for my hobby, and vast yarn stash, while supporting a cause (the soldiers, not the war) that is personal.

Colorful socks to brighten up one's day

Like so many organizations these days, Socks for Soldiers is run completely online.  I've never met any of the other knitters and my only contact with them is through occasional updates on their online forum.  By posted comments and email signature lines, I suspect that I am a good two to three decades younger than most of the other knitters, I am one of the few people whose military connections are though an officer rather than enlisted personnel (this is abundantly clear through written comments and asides) and my politics and (lack of) religious views would cause their yarn to jump into knots.  Regardless of these factors, we are all happily supporting a cause that we believe in.  Just like the military, the rules for knitting socks are strict; colors, patterns, and sizes must be uniform and the regulation olive drab knee high socks are tedious to knit.  We are allowed to knit leisure socks which can be brightly colored and fun and this is where I focus most of my energy.  Its fun, it empties my stash (which allows me to replenish) and it supports  those in need.

Since arriving in Albania the pace at which I knit has decreased.  I'm busier than ever and the long hot summers just aren't conducive to sitting around with a pile of wool on your lap.  Without an outgoing mail service sending in my completed projects becomes a project unto itself.  During a recent trip Glenn visited another Embassy that has the ability to ship outgoing packages.  He brought along my most recent pile of completed socks, a year's worth of knitting, and sent them on their way back to the United States. Within a few short months they will be headed back overseas to be worn by some young soldier posted far from home.  These socks may not make a difference in terms of changing the political environment or ending the war, but I hope they remind at least one young man or woman that people back "home" are thinking about them and the sacrifices they are making.  And that is why I do it.