One of the hardest things working as a volunteer here is that the turnover rate is high. And that is inevitable. After all, we are volunteers, aka work for free, and not many of us have the luxury to be jobless for long term. Many of the volunteers usually come here for their long term vacation usually for about a month. During my first month here I've already seen six volunteers go. But I feel that I must dedicate a post about a recent volunteer Cecil who recently made his departure from the organization.
A proud Northern Irish man in his sixties, Cecil has been the backbone of all the volunteers. As I've mentioned a few times, our organization is under major reconstruction and there have been lots of chaos and disorganization. At first, the Foreign Language School that he had put so much work into was in derelict condition with a meagerly cobbled together curriculum. It was him that pulled the straps of the monks in charge, and worked with them to reestablish the institution.
It was also him who had taken on the leadership and brought the volunteers together for regular meetings and outings. His voice and presence had great clout but with a good sense of Irish humor. When I first arrived and was confounded about my role in the organization, he has kindly offered his support and advice. He has helped me give advice to some of the proposals I have made and also helped coordinate meetings with me and the other LHA staff. He almost conjures a father-like yet lofty figure. If it were not for him, I would've been completely lost not knowing what to do or who to go to.
We had our last dinner with him and it's still unbelievable that he is going to be gone. My days here would never have been the same without him. I wish him the very best! And he is my model for what an ideal volunteer/NGO worked should be
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