We live in a remote German location, we equate it to witness protection as it is such quiet & quaint village life. English is not spoken here and as an extravert living in this introvert world the first 6 months here for me as a CAF spouse was a struggle. My dad always said that as human beings we are meant to give back wherever we live. After 6 months of struggle and processing everything in my own head, a dangerous thing for an extravert lol, I knew that I needed to make a change.
As luck or fate would have it, it was around this time of year that I met a vendor who spoke English in our small town. He shared with me that the community had a food bank that was called Die Tafel and that they were always looking for people to volunteer their time and talents to help give more than 100 local families the opportunity to feed their families. Things happen for a reason and its about saying yes to opportunities when they present themselves.
So, armed with google translate and a pen, paper and all the courage I could muster, I went to the location that the vendor gave to me and asked if I could volunteer for die Tafel. Uta was the first person that I met, and I soon learned that none of the staff spoke a word of English. We communicated with google translate and I was asked to come on the following Saturday for training. We worked hard like ants with strength, speed and a system with a hard work ethic, which transcended beyond language in this international community. If you see a job, do a job.
That was 3 years ago, at the time I did not understand or speak German and one of the volunteers was clearly not happy to have me there. While I did not understand her words, her actions were undeniable that she was never going to speak English to me and that I would have to figure it out on my own. She has since come around and we are one very strong community.
This group of women have not only taught me to speak and understand German, they have also taught me the importance of community and that, as human beings, where ever we are living, giving back to our local community changes our perspective. What a fabulous posting this has been and I give some of the credit to our local Food Bank and the love & passion they have for their community. Thanks for letting me share, in the hopes that others will have the courage to volunteer in their local communities as well. As Canadian ambassadors it is important to give back. It takes a village!