I've started volunteering at a small local museum that has just reopened after being closed for 4 years. I'm not sure why they closed--it was before the pandemic--and we didn't live here then. In any case, it's open again now and I decided to volunteer for a shift each week. I did my second one today. It's going OK so far, but to be honest, I'm not sure how it will be in the long run. Everything seems very random, haphazard, and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. That's not how I roll. I have decided to wait and see how things go. I'm making conscious decisions to not jump in and try to do too much. As much as I am inclined to try to impose order on what seems to me to be a chaotic, disorganized situation, as I have done in the past (not always successfully), both in paid employment and volunteer gigs, I am going with the flow and accepting the way it is. This may mean that I eventually get so frustrated that I walk away or it may mean that I learn to comfortably operate differently. Time will tell. I remind myself that I am not in my own culture anymore and this is how things are here. It seems to work for them and whether it works for me doesn't really matter. I'm the one who doesn't know everyone in the town, the history, etc. So much is left unsaid because they seem to be used to dealing only with people who have been here for years. For example, I was not given any sort of instruction on what to do when I am in the museum--I still have not even had a chance to see all of it. Most of the exhibits are self-explanatory, but I had to ask for information on some things. Today a couple of people came in and I had to go downstairs to turn on the lights because it was particularly dark in one room. I went to the closet where the switches are, but I looked at the switch box in vain for anything that suggested which switch was for the downstairs front room. Finally I just turned all of them on to see what would happen. It was the last switch, marked 'audio-visual' that I needed. 😐😕 Communication is weird and via a What'sApp group where there are many conversations going on at one time and answers to questions are vague. Maybe this is typical of such groups--I am new to the whole What'sApp thing. In any case, the museum closes for the season at the end of September and I think there will be random events in the months until it opens again in the spring. I can decide what I want to participate in as they arise. In the meantime, I have learned more about the history and culture of the town, both of which I find quite interesting. In the process, I am observing myself, too, and noticing how I react to things, which is also good. More self-awareness is never a bad thing.
11 comments:
If it’s random and haphazard now, maybe that’s an insight into why it closed before. A museum is the last place that should operate without some kind of structure, and to engage staff, paid or unpaid, without adequate training seems like sheer folly to me.
I agree! I am wondering if they think there is a structure. Given that this is a village of 800 people, it's perhaps not that surprising that they drift along as they do. There is a kind of meandering quality to rural Irish life--at least it seems that way to me.
Enjoy. Paintings? Brenda. Wow Google is letting me comment amazing
I should have said--it's a history museum, although there are a few paintings there as well. Google was looking upon you kindly this time :-)
Sounds interesting but I like to be told when I start what my job duties include and how they do it there. Anyway, I hope you end up loving it!
I would have preferred that, too, rather than having to just wing it. So far it's interesting.
Something is working. Job sounds lovely.
Good for you for volunteering.
I hope things settle down and go well for you.
All the best Jan
Hopefully it will continue to work for you, Brenda!
Thanks, Jan!
Dear Shari,
my question right at the beginning, so I don't forget it: Is it possible that you answered my comment on your post of July 21st, but didn't approve it? Because your last answer would match my comment, but I don't see it.
Now about your volunteering - I think it's great that you started it. And I can understand why you're wondering if you'll make it long. I also often feel like I start with something that interests me in principle, but then everything seems disorganized or some of it is frustrating and I know I would do it differently. Not to interfere is something that is very difficult for me - I'm the kind of person who sometimes makes unbidden suggestions for improvement, which doesn't always go down well with the protagonists ;-) It's probably good to try out a different behavior - just to see how things develop...
Best wishes, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/08/ruckblick-auf-den-rostrosen-sommer-2023.html
🌼🪴🍀🌻❤️🌼🪴🍀🌻
I will check the comments folder or whatever it is. Blogger has placed you in spam in the past, even after I have approved the comment. Sigh.
I have had exactly the kinds of experiences you describe. I guess I am going to be grateful that I have learned from these experiences :-D I was careful to not bring things up, but rather to respond to certain aspects of what others talked about. I have now stepped back from even that and am simply going in and doing a shift once a week. I will be crocheting there for Heritage Day and will be repairing an old piece of crochet that someone donated--it's falling apart. But otherwise I plan to not get involved further. Once they close for the winter, I will decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not I wish to volunteer for each particular event. For now I am still finding enough interest to do that, but I suspect that this is something that will not last--LOL--it's just too disorganized and unstructured for me.
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