A Korean Man's Volunteering Experience in the UK /151004

Before I knew it, more than a month had passed since I settled into life here. But since I tend to keep my distance when it comes to actually looking back, I think it would be good, as a friend advised, to leave a record of what kind of work I do and how I get by here. It may still be too early to forget the hardships, but I felt the need to record the things I have been thinking about while living here.

0. Before I begin.

There was no particular trigger that made me decide to do volunteer work, and in the UK at that. In truth, the biggest purpose was to bring a little change to my university life. The military is one of the biggest changes a person goes through, but I think this kind of volunteer work also counts as such a change. The completely different living conditions are the biggest reason, and it is clear that my memories here will be ones I carry for the rest of my life. (Only the good memories, that is) When I compressed my university life, what remained for me was: having seen a lot of exhibitions, having taken part in club activities, having come to write a lot. The military is something most men go through, so it doesn't seem like something worth singling out, and so those three are all there is. Ugh, I did not want this kind of ending. I wanted something to be in my hands when I finished university. That is why I came here. This place belongs to a Camphill community. To be honest, it is hard to explain exactly what kind of community a Camphill community is, but I think it is most appropriate to see it as a special-education institution.

Here I received a one-year visa and began volunteering. Because I had absolutely no experience with the British social system, I came without any idea of how things worked. Among the other people who came here, a friend named W seemed to have done quite a bit of research, but I came with none of that at all, just showed up. In truth, no expression fits better than 'utterly unprepared,' but apart from that, I had fortunately done a little research on the culture beforehand, so I think my discomfort was comparatively small.

As the saying 'Manners maketh man' goes, the UK is a country of 'manners.' In a way, this etiquette feels somewhat similar to Japanese etiquette. But it is not the same, and the key point seems to be that, overall, great value is placed on 'asking for understanding.'