The team I'd really like to join is a volunteer mountain rescue team that operates in the hills about two hours from my home in Almaty, in Kazakhstan. I work as an IT support technician, so it would be a big change from my day job.
I first heard about them last winter. A friend of mine, Arman, twisted his ankle badly on a hiking trail, and it was this team who carried him down. When I went to thank them, I got talking to one of the members, Dana, who's actually a schoolteacher during the week. She explained that most of them are ordinary volunteers who train every weekend. To join, I'd need to pass a first aid course, prove I'm fit enough by completing a timed hike with a heavy pack, and then do six months as a trainee, mostly carrying equipment and learning how to use ropes and radios. I've already started going to the gym three times a week to get ready.
There are a few reasons I'm keen. The obvious one is that it's meaningful. My job involves fixing printers and resetting passwords, which is useful, but nobody's life depends on it. Being able to help someone who's injured and frightened would feel completely different. I'm also drawn to the people. When I met them, they had this relaxed trust in each other, which I suppose comes from relying on each other in dangerous situations. And selfishly, I love the mountains, so it would give me a reason to be out there every weekend instead of scrolling through my phone. I'm hoping to apply in the spring.