Lauren Wool
Hello! I’m Lauren, and work in New York as Managing Editor of BioTechniques. I’ve been here for just under three years. As others have already said, the Overseas Initiative was not one to pass up, and I am pleased and honored to be able to take part.
I have a strong desire to travel in order to learn more about different cultures, social groups, and communities. I’ve visited Europe and the Middle East, and have undertaken volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica and Biloxi, Mississippi.
As an extension of my education about the global community and my desire to contribute my time and effort to communities facing challenges, I would like to visit Thailand to expand my horizons both geographically and interpersonally. I’ve never traveled to Asia and this is the perfect opportunity to contribute to a new community as well as positively represent the strong social responsibility and global outlook of Informa in a new, exciting setting.
I feel that my past volunteer experiences prepare me adequately for the cultural differences and hard work that this trip will comprise, and provide a broad skill set that will come in handy while working in childcare in Thailand.
End Goal
I hope to learn some of the language while working with children and teaching English, as well as to better understand community heritage by way of history, as well as musical and culinary traditions. Visiting and learning traditions will provide me with a comprehensive idea of the values that drive this community, but volunteering will further that understanding by enabling me to work closely on the issues and challenges that the people of Thailand face. This work will allow me to form a rich perspective of Thai society that further enables me to be an active volunteer not only in Asia, but around the world.
What can I do to achieve this goal?
By working together with my fellow colleagues to foster a perspective outside that of our normal 9-to-5 existence, I know we will have a strong impact on the community we visit. I aim to remain open-minded, and let any and all lessons teach themselves: though helpful to apply some sort of existing knowledge to the adventure at hand, there is just as much to be gained by being thoughtful and observant. And I know it’s only two weeks, but I’m really going to challenge myself to learn some Thai!