How many 20-somethings wake up every morning actually looking forward to work? Judging from the constant grumbling coming from my former classmates a few months into their lives in the “real world”, not many. They have to wake up before sunrise, dressing themselves in the uncomfortable attire that is “business professional”, cramming into hot and crowded subway cars and buses, only to sit at a desk from 9 to 5, counting down the seconds until Friday….. starting on Monday.
Well, the mood is quite different for the 20-somethings here in Honduras. We roll out of bed around 8 or 9 only to enjoy our morning coffee while discussing new fundraising initiatives, or first-time Canadian and UK groups coming down this winter. Our days are spent on Facebook and Twitter attracting new students to the GB movement or on the phone with tech-support because there’s a glitch in the new open-MRS database. Lunch breaks aren’t a time of rest, but rather the perfect opportunity to discuss the idea of surgical brigades. Our work day passes right into the evening, as we enjoy the view of Teguc from our roof and ponder the day’s triumphs and the future of Global Brigades.
Indeed, our jobs are time-consuming and even stressful–possibly more so than our peers on Wall Street –but we allow it to consume and welcome the stress because our work is our greatest passion. It is why we put up with internet working at a snail’s pace and year-round mosquito bites that keep us up at night. The eleven of us are fortunate enough to have jobs that constantly inspire us to do more and to do it better. Global Brigades sunk its hook into us long ago and I don’t think it will be released any time soon…
