In the first half of October I signed up to volunteer at an English language school. I was thinking of what I could do after my year in Portland was up and teaching over seas was still on the top of my list. I thought it would be good to get some experience to a) make sure I like it and b) to have some good experience to add to my resume.
I signed up to volunteer on Monday nights. The Friday before my first Monday, I get an email that Monday night was canceled. The next Monday was a Halloween get together and we carved pumpkins with the students, this being their first time carving pumpkins. Some were very creative. Anyways, the next Monday canceled. The following week I get an email that students just did not want to come at night and they would let me know if anything changes.
As I mentioned earlier, the Peace Corps has a position in China to teach at a university. I met with a Peace Corps rep at PSU to learn more about the program. I quickly remembered how painful and aggravating the process was during the last time I applied to the Peace Corps. After the meeting, Peace Corps was crossed off my list. Just not worth the hassle for me.
So, between my volunteering and the Peace Corps not working out I decided that it was time to look for something else. I decided to check out volunteering at Free Geek, which is “a non-profit community organization that recycles and refurbishes used technology. Free Geek happily provides computers, education, and job skills training to volunteers in exchange for their service.”
I have worked two shifts so far. One shift was spent trying to get the platters out of the hard drives for an artist wanted them for something. This was a pain for there was always at least one screw that would get stripped out thus preventing me from getting at the platters.
The second shift was spent breaking apart computer cases into plastic, steel, aluminum, circuit boards, cables, etc. I thought that this would be no prob for I have taken several computers apart. Hah! The first case I picked off the pile was an old Power PC and I could not figure out how to get the darn case off. I finally asked the guy next to me for some help and he said something like the following:
Him – You see that long screw driver in your toolbox?
Me – Yeah.
Him – We call it the crowbar. Just pry the case open. Everything is going to be recycled so it is ok to break things.
Me – Oh, cool!
Once I had that mentality, things went much better. Overtime, I started to think of a way to advertise what I was doing.
Do you like puzzles? Do enjoy taking items apart without regard for putting them back together? Do you need a way to relieve stress? Well, do we have a position for you!
If I was able to get a job at this organization or one similar, I would be a very happy little boy. One, I get to use my hands and play with tech all day. Two, you can either break things apart or put them back together to build new computers. Three, anything that is not re-usable is properly recycled using certified companies. Tech and recycling – very fun and rewarding.