Why am I in Greece for 10 weeks?
To start, here’s a short FAQ based off of some real-life conversations that I’ve had in the weeks leading up to this journey:
What are you doing exactly? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?
I’m taking a leave of absence from my Masters of Urban Planning program this quarter to volunteer in Greece with various organizations in refugee camps and/or community organizations in Greek cities.
Wait, but why are you doing this?
Long story short, I’ve been rethinking if the UW MUP program is the right one for me. I’ve made friends with an excellent cohort, been taught by some good instructors, and built up valuable skills, yet, what I compromised in choosing UW was a program that more directly addresses the intersections of international development and humanitarian work with urban planning. After talking with department staff, friends, and family, I made the decision to take spring quarter off to pursue something that I actually wanted to do, but didn’t think the program could help me study — that is, urban planning in quasi-temporary contexts.
I’ve been invested in the plight of refugees since I watched a TED Talk back in fall 2014 by Melissa Fleming, UNHCR Head of Communications. I went into urban planning with the explicit goal of wanting to see how principles of community engagement and placemaking could be implemented in quasi-temporary contexts, such as post-disaster (i.e. Tohoku region in Japan) and post-conflict (i.e. refugees and internally-displaced populations). As she puts it in the video, it’s not about just helping vulnerable people survive on a day-to-day basis, but about enabling them to thrive, thereby encouraging instead of stifling current and future generations.
I’ve been wanting to volunteer for almost three years now but have felt insecure in my abilities to contribute. While that’s still true, I realized that if I maintain this mindset, I’ll never head into the field because I’ll always use the fact that I have more to work on as an excuse to stay comfortable.
What organization are you going with?
I’m not actually ‘going’ with an organization per se. I’m here independently and have been contacting organizations since before I left to apply to volunteer with them! To start, I’ll be with Project Elea in Athens for at least three weeks.
Of course, I have my own personal agenda for doing this (learning more about urban planning in the context of supposedly short-term camps) but am volunteering in whatever capacity organizations need. Whether that means serving food, teaching English, helping with construction, cleaning, or playing with kids, I aim to be helpful. Today was my first day, and I’ve already been a part of so many different activities!
Ahhh, you’re so brave! I wish I could do something like that…
I definitely don’t consider myself brave, just driven. I want to emphasize that because this act of service is not about me, but about the people that I will be serving and learning from. You could say that my decision to go on leave knowing that I’m forgoing my graduate scholarship is irrational and therefore somehow ‘brave’, but to me, following my calling is as rational as it gets. Yes, I know I’m placing myself in potentially volatile situations, but I’m eager to help, learn, and listen. If I don’t go, I’ll never get to personally experience and internalize certain realities that film and articles alone can’t capture. For me, this is also a justice issue. As a Christian, I’m called to love and serve the vulnerable, as they are made in God’s image. I encourage you to keep up with news about the ongoing crisis, engage your local refugee population (International Rescue Committee and World Relief are great places to start), and follow along with my journey here!
I plan on blogging not just about my experiences as a volunteer, but perhaps other experiences that I’ll have as a guest of this beautiful country in the coming weeks. I’ll try to write well, but don’t expect professional writing out of me, as I’m just treating this platform as a host to brain and photo dumps! Also, many organizations have strict policies regarding photography within their camps, so I will only take/share photos when I have the permission of the organization (which will likely not happen). You’ll just have to trust my word that I’m actually volunteering!
-R
