Today I visited La Juanita for the first time... this is where I'm volunteering. It was incredibly overwhelming, and it's taking some time to sink in.... kind of like how everything has been so far. It is very far out of the city-- it requires a van for 1 hour, and another bus for another 1/2 hour. It's a little confusing for me now, but everyone else has figured it out and seems cool with it.
The community is very poor, but they stress the importance of being independent and not reliant on government assistance. This community works with a micro credit system-- For instance, the bakery was the first business to be set up here. Everything used to be done by hand. From one donation of an oven, they were able to increase the productivity, hire extra workers, and keep the prices really low for everyone. There is also a tailor shop, and a center to recycle and repair old computers... Here they also give classes to teach basic computer skills. There is also now a kindergarten, where I will be helping out with the teacher. This is all so new to me, which makes it scary but exciting too.
Today the mothers (and 1 dad) of the kids came to have a meeting with the supervisor to go over all the details, rules and general values of the school before school starts (May 4th). La Juanita strongly stresses the importance of the parents being involved. If the parents didn't show up today, they don't have their kids in this school. This is going to be really challenging for me- since I'm not a teacher, never wanted to be... but here I am in this situation. And all of it in espanol which is even MORE confusing. Tomorrow at my spanish class, I'm going to request a lesson on various phrases like: "Don't throw sand", "Don't hit him", "Give me that stick". Wish me luck friends.
Mas La Juanita
td, you can do it!
ReplyDeletei am sure the estudiantes are going to love you and learn from you, in return they are going to give you an amazing gift of love.
sorry it takes so long to get to la escuela, it will get easier...
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ReplyDeleteheres my contribution to one of your requests.
ReplyDeletegive me that stick: damelo *snag*(con un accento y en voz alta) and im assuming stick is masculine... :/
thanks mom & miley! it will get easier, the more I'm there, the more I learn, and the better it will be. But wow, such a difference from Buenos Aires. Can't wait to see what happens!
ReplyDeleteLUCK! You'll do great! And you already have practice from when we lived together..."Murphy, watch where you're going!" "Murphy, clean that up!" "Murphy, give me that back!" See! Now you just have to say those things in Spanish...minus the Murphy. :)
ReplyDelete