Internship with a Purpose

What a whirlwind 2020 has been! Many of us have been forced to see the world from a completely different perspective. Many of us have had to spend a lot of time indoors, almost doing nothing and have craved experiences with the outside world! If you’re reading this, you are probably looking for a remote internship or vitrual volunteering job, in which you can make our world a better place!

At times it can be difficult to have enriching experiences when routines have become quite mundane in the household. There have been many teens and college students who have been seeking volunteer opportunities abroad and online volunteering programs. But how can we get the inspiring educational experiences of internships abroad in rural and faraway lands from our living rooms?

Holistic Approach to Education

Well, in today’s day and age we can reach far and wide with the amazing little contraption that is sitting on our laps, wherever we happen to find ourselves. But along with amazing potentials for volunteering organizations and virtual volunteer services worldwide, it can be difficult to know which ones to choose. 

There’s no doubt that we are absolutely spoiled for choice in this world! In a lot of ways that can lead to less fulfillment and satisfaction, in my experience. Personally, I have lived in rural Cambodia for the past seven years and as an American ex-pat my views and approach to global issues has been completely transformed. You see, I live in a world where gratitude is instinctual, acceptance is key, humility keeps us bonded and sharing is our nature. In many ways, we have been led astray from our basic human instincts with the programming of fear from media in the western world.

The Remote Internship

Luckily for us, there’s so many virtual volunteer opportunities and remote internships. The craziest part about them is that we can have these experiences from our own living rooms! We can actually interact with cultures across the world in little tiny villages and go on the greatest journey of all, the journey within!

But with the various online volunteering opportunities and remote internships abroad, how can we know that the opportunities we find will meet our needs? Not something generic but a ultimate learning experience that is filled with self-exploration and first-hand experience with other cultures? As a person who runs these programs, I will tell you that it’s not necessarily an easy thing to accomplish! Small logistical things like getting Internet out to these rural communities has proven quite difficult… But it’s these places that are off the grid and away from all the ads and social expectation. I have found the most beneficial and thought-provoking stimulation for my own personal development. 

It is in the small and ordinary responses that I get from our Cambodian students that can send me into two days of reflection. The interaction that I get from this culture mixed with gurus of science and spirituality has led me down a path of self-awareness that has molded me into the kind of leader that our world needs. 

Servant Leadership & Remote or Virtual Development

I am the kind of leader that holds collaboration as sacred. I am the kind of leader that doesn’t force my views on others but helps to guide those seeking personal empowerment to find the truth in their hearts. 

When people live in a way that stems from their own inner knowing, their passion, skills and talents outflow from them effortlessly. It is from truly knowing our own true nature that we can find ourselves in alignment. This alignment sends us the perfect opportunities and networks to further our personal missions and foster collaborations for the betterment of our world. 

It is these types of remote internships and virtual volunteering that I find truly life-changing. So, I stay in a place of gratitude and abundance where I get to experience rural cultures filled with humility and gratitude. We then love to empower our volunteers and interns from western cultures who are seeking knowledge and satisfaction in the realm of sustainability for a better future.

Learn More About Our Program ​

Click Here

The post Remote Internships & Virtual Volunteering Jobs appeared first on The Red Road Foundation.

Of course, there are geographical differences that affect how strong you may feel this. It is in its purest form when you get to the rural countryside. It definitely doesn’t take long to get into the countryside from a metropolitan area… Sometimes you simply drive a few minutes from the city and see yourself surrounded by rice fields or mangoes. When you get there, there is something so genuine and pure about the way the villagers go about life. Even in the smaller cities you can still feel it in all day to day errands and stops at shops and at the market. It is a contagious, joyous, accepting nonchalance. It is a refreshment from the hustle and bustle of western civilization. This is why in the major cities, it is not the same. The big cities are highly influenced by western civilization, culture and some societal pressures. Many Cambodian people who live in the city have been pushed into one-room shacks to build multimillion-dollar buildings. For this reason, some jaded ways of viewing the world are creeping into the city. Though not everyone has been swept away by all the changes… There is still a multitude of gems and genuine smiles at every corner.

So, when you submerge yourself in this culture, you are able to learn more about the art of happiness. Rural Cambodians live for the day. It is apparent that they work hard, rest hard, party hard and spend a lot of time with the people they love. Every interaction is looked upon with the spice of curiosity and the simple innocence of experiencing a new situation for the first time. How wonderful would western people feel if they were able to live with this perspective? It is a gift for our consciousness! To have the opportunity to emerge in a place where people simply do not stress the small stuff, they innocently laugh off any stress or sense of urgency, don’t spend countless hours of time asking why, when something bad happens they just move forward and accept. These teachings are so simple, but sometimes they cannot be fully understood unless you can see them in action.

When we are able to incorporate these viewpoints into the way we live our day to day life, we can feel joy much easier. It is easy to believe these concepts, but it is far harder to adjust your mindset in the day to day affairs. In so many instances, people may believe that they live like this until they see others who are truly living this way. Even spending one afternoon, sitting in the rural countryside and having a picnic on someone’s bamboo table will help you to relax into the joy of being that s living underneath all of the expectations, perceived urgency, fear and stress. They will teach you that Joy is not something to reach for or find, it is something that we can feel in each moment if we can learn to let go and unlearn the mindset that we were raised amongst.

From the times, countless times, I’ve been broken down on the side of the road with a mechanical motor issue, I have always been picked up by a local, taken to the nearest mechanic, given mango with chilli and charged a few dollars if that! And many of these cases, they have actually driven out to my broken vehicle and fixed it there on-site for less than five dollars. I will be sitting with their family, having a laugh and watching the kids and animals in the field. Honestly, some of my favourite memories have happened while waiting for my motorbike to get fixed. Cambodian people have taught me so much about being present, not stressing the small stuff and being generous. We all know that life has its ups and downs and things go sour, but why do we spend so much time asking, “why me?”.” We all have our struggles, we are all human and wasting our time on thoughts like “why?” or “how?”, is not making us any more content. There are no reasons for any of it besides the fact that we are all on a personal journey of spiritual growth in our lives and learning to have a bit more compassion, the innocence of experiencing a fresh moment, humility and gratitude could take us far on the road to peace! So, if you are curious about new perspectives that bring a newfound feeling of simple Joy, come visit Cambodia! Rent a motorbike and go into the country! When you return from an adventure there are beautiful hotels with modern-day luxuries for a fraction of western prices! When you get back to your beautiful hotel room at the end of the day, you will have far deeper gratitude for things like hot running water. Life is all about perspective… How do you frame yours?

The post Change Your Perspective, Change Your Life appeared first on The Red Road Foundation.