November seems to be the month when we actually start to think outside of ourselves – giving.
PHOTO WENDY HUNGGrowing up, I never thought I was a very pretty child. That’s because, I wasn’t. Big glasses, knee-high socks, unforgiving perms…did I mention I spoke broken English and was still trying to learn French? Being the prettiest girl in school was never in my prospects, but looks stopped to matter when I was 26. Feeling emotionally unfulfilled from a glamorous job, I volunteered at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Being in pediatrics where special bonds between patients and I preciously formed, I realized what truly mattered to me. Without sounding banal or redundant, November seems to be the month when we actually start to think outside of ourselves – giving. When I started Jetset Times, it came natural to me that “Givers” would be just as important of a category as “Foodies” or “Travelers.” To foster culture within our own selfish micro-bubbles is to know the more you give, the more you receive, and the more you can give…again.
Traveling does wonders to boldly show in our faces that we’re simply not shelling out enough. Just when you’re asking questions starting with “why”; dry lands, bodies of bony children, roadside shacks are audacious answers. Again, right in your face.
In the past, we’ve tirelessly featured our contributors’ philanthropic experiences from abroad. Rebecca Peters who worked at Fundación Cántaro Azul, a Mexico based non-profit that improved community health through access to clean water. And Drisana Misra, who urged travelers and animal lovers to “Give and Volunteer at the Puerto Rican Manatee Conservation Center.” Today, I received an email from a newer Jetset Times contributor, Schuyler Arakawa, who volunteered in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. Did I mention these extraordinary women are under the age of 25?
Last week, we released the second Jetset Times Guide to Getaway – Budapest. While creating the guide, memories reeled back to my summer trip to a rustic yet awe-inspiring European city. Emese is a friend I’ll always associate with Hungary. This gorgeous girl and I met years ago at a dinner party in San Francisco. We spoke for no more than 20 minutes, then exchanged contacts on Facebook. Fast forward to a few years later, Emese sent me a message asking if I was also in Hungary. I will write in further detail in weeks to come, but Emese and her family opened their cozy home to me. She introduced me to a group of charismatic locals in Kismaros (north of Budapest), with a fantastic night of dancing, singing in a tiny little village with a population of 2,000 Hungarians who rarely meet Americans, let alone Asians. In midst of a group of strangers (or new friends,) I felt deeply loved.
PHOTO WENDY HUNGThis is what it means to give, and traveling forces you to ask these questions. If a stranger came to your home, would you be just as kind? Just as sincerely generous? Just as eager to share your world? This month, we, at Jetset Times, are on a mission, to show you stories of good will from around the world. Our own experiences, our own “Tales of Giving.” Every week, we’ll feature a contributor’s encounter of benevolence abroad. This is how we should come to close 2013, this is also how we should move forward. Always.
Since that year of volunteering in a San Franciscan hospital, I’ve made a point to devote parts of my life to charity, regardless of busy travel schedules. It’s evermore prevalent on every birthday, as my life turns another chapter. When I turned 28, I wanted to show my friends a Taiwanese HIV/AIDS shelter in a country where such conversations are still considered big taboos. When I turned 29, I was alone in Paris and spent it in a homeless shelter passing out food items to people who could barely feed their families. This year, I was literally flying from Europe, America to Asia, and didn’t have time to plan any special event, so I chopped off my hair for Locks of Love. Many were shocked, “I can’t believe you did it.” I thought, “It’s just hair!”
Really, it’s just hair.
I wish I knew this when I was younger, that looks honestly don’t matter. Now I know, fashion is fun, but it’s simply an added bonus. Real beauty and unwavering confidence comes from appreciating how much we have, how blessed we all are. The greatest possession in life is the power of giving. It all comes right back, crossing language and cultural barriers, in massive volumes. Upon receiving, our job is to give again. And again.
Love and giving thanks to you,
