Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
One summer, my mom learned about a volunteer project with Dharma Publishing Company. The company printed religious texts, then bound and wrapped them in a traditional Tibetan way for free distribution among monks participating in a ten-day ceremony/prayer for world peace. Approving of the cause, she promptly called the director of the project and managed to volunteer my services for the summer without my consent. Telling me about it only hours before I was supposed to start, I found myself stranded in front of an unfamiliar building as she sped off to work.
Being painfully shy, I was terrified to be stuck with a group of strangers. I walked in and out of the doorway several times before a woman appeared. With a thick German accent, she introduced herself as Stephanie, the director of the project. She guided me into a room, sat me down at a workbench, and proceeded to teach me how to bind and wrap the books. After confirming that I could do both tasks correctly, she left me happily working at my relatively isolated bench.
When I reached for another wrapper one hour later, I panicked when I realized I had run out. I had no idea where to get more, and there was no way I could pretend that the small stack of books I had wrapped took me four hours. I built up the courage to approach the nearest volunteer and timidly ask her where I could get extra wrappers. She kindly pointed out where the extra wrappers, extra books and the extra bands were, and once I had grabbed what I needed, she proceeded to join me at my bench. She chattered constantly and I soon found myself growing more and more comfortable in her presence. When lunch time came around, she introduced me to all the other volunteers, and by the end of the day, with her help I had managed to form a tentative acquaintance with everybody.
I continued volunteering there five days a week, and soon each day became something I began to look forward to rather than dread. The work was soothing, the atmosphere friendly, and I got to meet people from all around the world. I even found myself being the one to approach and introduce myself to the new volunteers on occasion.
Looking back on this experience, especially on that first day, I can't help but be proud of myself for sticking it out and overcoming my fear of strangers or of being the first one to make an approach. I sacrificed my time and stepped out of my comfort zone, but what I got in return was more than I could've imagined. I got the opportunity to try new foods, learn about different cultures and parts of the world, and I made a ton of new friends. This experience helped me find an inner confidence and gain a more open perspective of the world, both of which I now use in all walks of life.
One summer, my mom learned about a volunteer project with Dharma Publishing Company. The company printed religious texts, then bound and wrapped them in a traditional Tibetan way for free distribution among monks participating in a ten-day ceremony/prayer for world peace. Approving of the cause, she promptly called the director of the project and managed to volunteer my services for the summer without my consent. Telling me about it only hours before I was supposed to start, I found myself stranded in front of an unfamiliar building as she sped off to work.
Being painfully shy, I was terrified to be stuck with a group of strangers. I walked in and out of the doorway several times before a woman appeared. With a thick German accent, she introduced herself as Stephanie, the director of the project. She guided me into a room, sat me down at a workbench, and proceeded to teach me how to bind and wrap the books. After confirming that I could do both tasks correctly, she left me happily working at my relatively isolated bench.
When I reached for another wrapper one hour later, I panicked when I realized I had run out. I had no idea where to get more, and there was no way I could pretend that the small stack of books I had wrapped took me four hours. I built up the courage to approach the nearest volunteer and timidly ask her where I could get extra wrappers. She kindly pointed out where the extra wrappers, extra books and the extra bands were, and once I had grabbed what I needed, she proceeded to join me at my bench. She chattered constantly and I soon found myself growing more and more comfortable in her presence. When lunch time came around, she introduced me to all the other volunteers, and by the end of the day, with her help I had managed to form a tentative acquaintance with everybody.
I continued volunteering there five days a week, and soon each day became something I began to look forward to rather than dread. The work was soothing, the atmosphere friendly, and I got to meet people from all around the world. I even found myself being the one to approach and introduce myself to the new volunteers on occasion.
Looking back on this experience, especially on that first day, I can't help but be proud of myself for sticking it out and overcoming my fear of strangers or of being the first one to make an approach. I sacrificed my time and stepped out of my comfort zone, but what I got in return was more than I could've imagined. I got the opportunity to try new foods, learn about different cultures and parts of the world, and I made a ton of new friends. This experience helped me find an inner confidence and gain a more open perspective of the world, both of which I now use in all walks of life.
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