- 李敖 vs方舟子 [2008/11]
- Puppy Love? [2008/10]
- Did they have a choice? [2008/10]
- A hospitable northerner [2008/10]
- Volunteering at a shop [2008/09]
- 氣功 or 氣攻? [2008/10]
- China VS US government cabnet [2008/10]
- No ordinary driver [2008/10]
- the Shop and the Chinese [2008/09]
- Is it fair? [2008/10]
- An unwanted phone call [2008/09]
I』ve
been working as a volunteer for a local charity shop for nearly one year and
I』d like to touch on some of my experiences
and observations during the period.
No, there have been no dramatic or spooky events or incidents, in fact,
most young people would find it a bit boring to work there. Nevertheless, I enjoy working there precisely because of the peace and
tranquillity permeated in the shop
It』s just a small shop specialised in Buddhist artefacts, e.g. incenses, Buddha statuette and prayer cushions etc. I』m just one of the 7 volunteers who are doing morning or afternoon shift 7 days a week. We (including the manager) are all unpaid volunteers taking care the shop and a meditation room attached to it. As the rents for the shop and the meditation room are waived by the owner of the shopping mall (and the patron of our shop), there』s very little admin cost involved in our shop, so every year we can contribute around £7,000 to good causes.
Our customers are primarily middle-aged and elderly people, who are not necessarily devout Buddhists but are very keen to explore Oriental spiritual world. Occasionally, we come cross some New Age youth (those most noticeable for piercings & tattoos all over their body parts or faces), who are hunting for eccentric or talismanic objects. In fact, it』s often this group of people who are the most generous when it comes to buying expensive goods, e.g. jewellery (made of animal bones or from other unknown material). Naturally, they』re warmly welcome in our shop. However, they』re often too cool to utter what they want clearly and slowly, which proves a bit too difficult for the older generation and an Non-native speaker of English.(me).
In contrast to New Age youth, Old Age Pensioners (OAPs) often show the greatest enthusiasm and appreciation for our new stock, always asking a lot of challenging questions about the sources or history of a particular object, but they tend to leave the shop with a pack of incense (£1 each) or even empty-handed. Nevertheless, we don』t dismiss them as 「time-wasters」 because they talk us out of boredom and bring us some laughter. For me personally, the bonus is to enrich my knowledge of local people and culture while practising my spoken English. I can』t complain about such a job that can offer me a good chance to」 kill two birds with one stone」. (to be continued)
- [09/18]None of your business
- [09/18]An unwanted phone call
- [09/27] Volunteering at a shop
- [09/30]the Shop and the Chinese
- [10/02]Puppy Love?
- [10/13]Did they have a choice?
- [10/13]A Talented Cock
- [10/15]Is scholar-bashing the way forward?
- [10/15]Is it fair?
- [10/21]A hospitable northerner
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- 綠水潭: It sure is an interesting job, when you work for your heart.Thanks for your encouragement. The job in itself might look very simple and less challenging. But I can see the fun and rewarding side of it: being able to get to know new things and to help underprivileged children.
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- 散落的雪: There're things in life more valuable then only making money.Yes, you're abolutely spot on. Is that the reasons why we are blogging here rather than taking a pt job to make a few more bobs?
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