Personal Narrative: How Volunteering Changed My Life

Two summers ago I found myself in Redlake, Minnesota. On that Indian Reservation, I became awakened to the idea that helping others is not selfless, which is contrary to society's perception that volunteering is strictly beneficial for only those helped. In my personal experience, I have gained just as much or even more than the people that I had the privilege to spend time with. My natural instinct has always been to assist people without even thinking about it, and I had been completely blind to the fact I was also helping myself. My confidence, my mental health, and my sanity were all affected by the seven days I was in an unfamiliar state.

My confidence was never a strong trait, all I had on repeat in my mind were negatives since seventh grade, and these negative thoughts have put me in a …show more content…
In this world of bad news, I was expecting to go insane with all the new sights of poverty I would be exposed to yet, the opposite actually happened. People we helped came to the elementary school that my church and others were staying at to worship alongside us. Seeing all the smiling faces walking into the gymnasium, I felt my heart healing from the tears that the sad sights from that week created. For the duration of the week, different groups did different tasks like painting a house or building a deck. I didn't see that as helping that drastically, but here were all these people so grateful they had tears welled up in their eyes. I was sane again; I felt innocent to the wrongs of the world.

When signing up for this new experience, my only expectation was strict to be a saving grace to the people of the reservation. Yet, I went back home both changed, and more myself than I was before. This shift was something that let me find myself, and know what I stand for by having a better understanding of me. Now, in my everyday life, I look back to this week to remember who I am, and who I want to