What makes you feel that you are part of a community rather than just a visitor passing by? My answer is “When I contribute to the community through my work.” For me, working to contribute to the community me reminds me that I am needed by others, and building relationships with the people around me makes me feel that I am not a “visitor” anymore.
VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), a volunteer organization authorized by the IRS (the Internal Revenue Service), is set to aid low-income individuals and international residents who have language difficulties to file income tax returns.
It took me one week to take the required certificate tests before becoming a volunteer at VITA. Even though I studied federal tax before, the tests were still challenging. However, that is what made me more committed.
Work started in February, and our services were highly demanded at this time, which was cool. Before I started, I thought that working with my clients (taxpayers) might be difficult since I was an apprentice. However, my first client, who was kind and talkative, was far from what I imagined. When I made mistakes, he reassured me by telling me to “Never be nervous in front of him.” When I worked well, he just chatted with me. We hugged each other when I finally finished his tax return. He asked me for my name, and said that he would remember me since he was my first client. To this today, I still remember his name.
I have gradually gotten accustomed to this work. Every Friday from 2:00pm-6:00pm, I will be there serving my clients. They are all different: some are retired veterans who live alone, some are teachers who teach kids and have two Master’s degrees, and others are people who are younger than me but have three jobs. Every time I leave this work, I feel fulfilled by my interactions with these people, who make me feel like I am part of this community, rather than just a visitor from far away.
