I have completed my 10 volunteering hours and with finals coming up I dont think I will be volunteering any more this semester. Meleah asked me whether or not she should take me off her emailing list and I said no. I do not really know why I did that because I doubt I will go again even next semester just because I doubt I will have time. Then again I feel like I got something out of it and that maybe I should do it again. I think the mere fact that I was helping other people and getting a view of what is going on at the MCC affected me positively. It was actually the first time I volunteered in a clinic and probably one of the first times volunteering in general. I think it increased my social responsibility feeling. By that I mean that I became more aware of the fact that as being a member of society I have a responsibility to help the ones in need. Before I felt like that was not really my problem but now I feel like its part of leading a good life to help others.
I think that was my main gain from this whole project. I really did not learn anything new about biology but I guess I was not expecting to after I made the decision to volunteer at the MCC. The problems treated there are more psychological or social problems.
I also enjoyed working together with Devin, Heavenly and Misbah. It makes the experience even better if you can share it with someone. I only think that maybe I should have gone with them more often.
I have to make some critical observations however about this project. The main one is the time aspect. I had a difficult time trying to incorporate the volunteering into my schedule. I know its only 10 hours and that should not be very hard but at the same time I feel like 10 hours of volunteering is not enough to help properly or really get a good experience. I felt bad doing the mere minimum but at the same time I just did not have enough time so that I ended up volunteering but still feeling like "a lazy bum". Maybe one could give us more time(e.g. christmas holidays) and increase the amount of volunteering hours or just drop it completely. These are my thoughts on it, yet without it being required I know I would not have done anything and I would have missed out on the earlier described experiences.
Therefore all in all I think I gained something out of it.
I am so glad that you volunteered at MCC. It is a difficult place to volunteer but you and the rest of your group did a fabulous job. I'm also glad for your critique of the experience. It is always good to find the good in a situation and acknowledge the less than desirable parts. Good luck in everything! Dr.r.
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