Envelope #6: Open on any day after the mid-point of your experience

Prompt: Consider the service you are currently doing. How does your current service align with the best practices and recommendations identified in class (UNIV 305)? What are further areas for alignment and improvement? How would you implement these improvements? 

I'm glad and grateful to have this service experience through a Loewenstern Fellowship and the framework it entails. Prior to the actual service trip, I was better prepared through the training which came in the form of a workshop given by FSD (Foundations for Sustainable Development), the weekly classes and discussions, the journal entries, and especially the independent study project, which was specific to my service trip and social issue. This training helped me prepare my mindset going into the trip and formulate a working definition of sustainable service and community-centered development. The journal prompts were an opportunity to reflect on what this might look like in practice and challenge myself to go deeper on topics relevant to international service. As for recommendations, I think it would be helpful to take time to better understand more of the country and the local community beforehand. This would allow for more insightful analysis while in the host community. For example, having done research for a CHIN 411 presentation about Western influences on fast food in China, I knew the Pizza Hut in China was entirely different from what we were accustomed to in the US. Thus, I made sure to try it out in the good company of my fellow Chengdu LW Fellows. On a more serious note, one conversation I had with my host mom was about retirement and nursing homes. There is a Chinese phrase ‘three generations under one roof,’ which has been a gold standard of sorts with respect to filial piety; children are expected to house and care for their retired parents. However, I learned from my host mom that cultural attitudes, at least for some, are shifting. To her and her friends, she would not consider it unfilial of her children if she and her husband did not live with them. In fact, she said she would much rather live in a senior residence with her friends. By having a solid foundation of background knowledge—knowing what matters to them and what differs from the US—one can have more substantial and engaging conversations. Nevertheless, no amount of preparation beforehand can fully equip you for your time abroad; the beauty of an extended service trip abroad is the continual learning and adapting it entails. Only upon arriving in Chengdu did I learn about the Uber vs. taxi predicament.

Additionally, based on my work with CURA, I would say it is also important to understand what skills, language or otherwise, are needed by the NGO or community. In most cases, any and all skills are welcome. For the health survey project I worked on while at CURA, there was definitely a language prerequisite as I translated back and forth between English and Chinese for myself and for my project leader. Good intentions and enthusiasm are not sufficient in the reality of limited resources. This was apparent in a discussion over the upcoming arrival of three FedEx administrators coming to volunteer with CURA for a month in the hopes of improving the delivery system of CSA (community supported agriculture) produce from Anlong village to Chengdu. While their skill set was relevant, the CURA staff was debating whether they had to turn them away because of the lack of funding to procure a full-time translator. Luckily, the issue was resolved as the NGO that matched the volunteers to CURA agreed to provide a translator.

Of course, there’s plenty more to say about the best practices that I think were met during my trip so far: providing long-term opportunities (6-10 weeks) and fostering of communication between the LW fellow and the local community. Even up to the day of my flight to China, the concept of a 9-week long service trip was both exciting and intimidating to me. At what point would the novelty of being abroad wear off, leaving me homesick? But that turned out to be a question I never had to answer. As I quickly adjusted to my new environment, I found myself seeing the 9 weeks I’d been granted in a new light. When measured by projects and goals, it was just barely enough, if not altogether too short. While each day in the office was productive, it would not have been very feasible to complete the health survey in any less time, especially considering the other mini-projects that came along as well. Developing the health survey entailed multiple drafts and numerous revisions, while implementing it required recruiting experienced volunteers and organizing various logistics. At the end of 9 weeks, there were still things to do and places to go, but I was glad to have been able to contribute during what now seemed to be my short time there. Nevertheless, 9 weeks left me enough time to form lasting memories and relationships with the people I had the pleasure of working alongside everyday.