[This was before]
Good day, people of Hive! Welcome to my blog.Today's topic is "Volunteering and Community Work", so let's dive in.
The last time I volunteered without expecting anything in return was last Wednesday, and here’s how it happened.
Ever since my brother, my roommate, and I started living in our compound, none of our neighbors have ever suggested that we all pick a day to clean the dirt around our surroundings. Instead, all they do is contribute to the mess.
Seeing that no one was willing to take the initiative, my brother asked my roommate and me if we were ready to volunteer to clean the compound and its surroundings. We both agreed. Since it was already Tuesday, and we had school the next day (Wednesday), my brother suggested that we wake up around 3:30 AM for our morning devotion, which would last until 4:00 AM. After that, we would begin cleaning.
The funniest part was that some of our neighbors overheard our conversation, so we assumed they would join us.
As planned, we woke up early, and by 4:00 AM, we started cleaning. On Tuesday evening, we had borrowed a cutlass, hoe, and rake from our next-door neighbor in preparation. First, we swept every corner of the compound. Then, we moved on to the surroundings, which were the dirtiest part. While cleaning, we kept expecting our neighbors to join us, but none of them did. So, we continued without waiting for them. My brother started cutting the grass while my roommate and I gathered the cut grass in one place. Then, we swept the areas my brother had already cleared. I collected the dirt and grass, placed them in a waste bin, and went to disposed them.
Since my brother and roommate had 8:00 AM lectures and I had a 9:00 AM lecture, we started rushing as time was running out. By 6:40 AM, we realized we had spent a lot of time cleaning. The most annoying part was that some of our neighbors had woken up and saw us cleaning, but instead of joining, they just ignored us. This angered my brother and roommate because we weren’t the ones making the surroundings dirty it was them.
After we were done, one of our neighbors had the audacity to say, Why didn’t we knock on his door so he could join us? My brother just smiled and told him not to bother, since we had already finished. After that, we quickly took our baths and started preparing for school, as we were already running late. I supposed to snap some pictures where I was sweeping but because it was still dark and secondly we are already late for school that's why I couldn't take a pictures.
[This was after]
What did I learn from the experience?
After volunteering to clean our compound and its surroundings, I took some time to think about the whole thing because volunteering isn't just about helping out, but it teaches a lot about life in general. Here are some of the things I learned.
(1) First, if we wait for others to take action, we might end up waiting forever. It's because my brother saw that nobody in our compound was going to suggest the cleanup, so he took the responsibility by organising it. That's what leadership is: seeing a problem and doing something about it instead of waiting for someone else to step up.
(2) Secondly, our neighbours saw us cleaning, but they didn't bother to join us. This made me understand that not everyone cares enough to contribute, even when they know it will benefit them directly.
(3) Even though it was just the three of us who did the cleanup, it made me realise that teamwork made things easier and faster. But honestly, if our neighbours had joined in, it would have been better.
(4) Because we had school that morning that we would clean, we had to plan our time wisely. Waking up early to get everything done reminded me how important it is to manage time properly.
When will I volunteer again?
I don't know when I will volunteer again, but I do know that whenever I see a need to volunteer, I will gladly help.
In conclusion, this experience showed me that not everyone will step up to do what's right, but that shouldn't stop those who care. Even though our neighbours didn't join, we still made a difference. And sometimes leading by example is the best way to encourage others.
Lastly, volunteering isn't about getting something in return; it's about making things better simply because we care and not expecting any rewards.
This is my entry for the Hive Learners Featured Content Week 152 Edition 01
Thanks for reading💞💞💞💞💞