On July 4, I celebrated the independence of my country. Five days later, I left for a country that knows too well about the struggle for freedom.

While Northern Ireland' s future remains uncertain, my goal was to help out in some small way with the peace process by volunteering my time and funds in Ireland at the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, just south of Dublin. Glencree is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to building peace by bringing together citizens from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for intensive workshops where people of differing viewpoints are able to reach a higher level of understanding. Why Volunteer?

Before I embarked on my journey overseas I was asked the resounding question "Why would you spend your money and your time off from work to volunteers?" My response? That I didn' t want to travel as a tourist. I wanted to live and work with the local people. Volunteers at Glencree work on maintenance and gardening projects that allow the Centre' s staff to spend their time and resources on the peace process.

This project also allowed me to learn more about the struggles or "The Troubles" as they are called. Of course, I also wanted to see, firsthand, the beautiful country of my ancestors.

I chose to work with Global Volunteers, an international service learning organization. Each year Global Volunteers sends 150 teams of volunteers to countries around the world to "wage peace." My group was fascinating because it was made up of people of all ages from all over the United States. I also worked with the Centre's international long-term volunteers and staff.

First Trip Overseas I was one of the few in my group who had never been overseas, but I didn't need to worry. Global Volunteers made the transition process easier for me, as they took care of most of the details. I was single, female and traveling alone. Naturally I worried about foreign currency, passports and customs. Everything was literally "foreign" to me - including the cars driving down the opposite side of the street - but part of the fulfillment was gaining knowledge from the challenge of a new experience. In addition, the Irish people were so friendly and spoke English, so I really didn't feel like an outsider. Ireland was as green and beautiful as I expected it to be, and it was so peaceful at the Centre.

I had tried to prepare for my service by reading the suggested materials and buying everything on the list from Global Volunteers. I had signed up for the program well in advance, eagerly anticipating my departure date. But how does one prepare for volunteer work until you actually immerse yourself in it? Lessons Learned

At first I felt a little lost in the atmosphere and with what I was doing. I had never worked in a garden before! But after awhile, I fell into a routine and had suddenly learned new skills that I could put to use.

I considered the two weeks a great introduction to overseas life because it was the opportunity of a lifetime to do something more meaningful than simply study or be a tourist. I learned a valuable lessons from the Irish locals - to live a simpler way of life and enjoy it. Possessions are just things we set store on. We should instead focus on earning richness from the relationships we have and strive to make this world a better place for others, rather than on what success we can achieve for ourselves as individuals.

Of course, the program is not only about work, meetings and workshops. There was also time for leisure activities in the evenings and on the weekends to experience the local culture. I especially appreciated the outings to Belfast in Northern Ireland and Dublin in Ireland. In this way, we were able to see both sides of conflict - Catholic and Protestant.

Any preconceptions my friends and family may have had about me spending time and money to volunteer or traveling to Belfast disappeared when I returned. They were full of praise and stated that I was actually "glowing" as I passionately related my experiences to them about how this service program changed my life forever.