*VSO Penguin:

This is linked with an analogy VSO gave us about culture at one of our training sessions back in the UK.  We were given this diagram;

In this analogy the iceberg was the culture – most of which is unseen to most people who are visitors. The fish represented the locals - native to the waters, immersed in the culture and with a perspective that is submerged.  The seagulls represented volunteers who fly in and are able to fly out again and interact with the place while they are landed a bit like a bird, picking up what they want in a potentially selective and superficial way. However, like birds we have the choice of the extent to which we wish to make the land our home. The penguins represented someone who is able to relate to the birds and the fish, normally a local with local knowledge but who has had experience of Western culture too (maybe in schooling) – Penguins have the ability to dive into the waters, or local territory and are very familiar and comfortable with the environment and culture.  They can also move around on the land and relate to the birds who come in to land.

The key message at the training was to find your penguin fast!  I’m lucky, I’ve got penguins for different situations… I’m a very lucky seagull.