We woke up and had breakfast in the hotel. Then we walked to the Colegio. We walked to the principal’s office where we were greeted by Karen. She took us around to each classroom and answered all of our questions. After we saw the classrooms, we moved on to the farm. We saw the dairy […]
For the first day of class we started off by introducing ourselves. Shortly after, the kids learned to spell their names on construction paper. Then we played a picture game that was very interactive where the kids came to the board one by one and drew a picture. The class then would say what the picture […]
Community is what comes to mind as I reflect on our first day in Greece. Our team leader Sam has created a community among us and for us. Our stay is at a hotel owned by a local family Greek family, Dimitris and Suzanna Tsalopoulos. They put out love and generosity by their presence, food, […]
The day started as would any other. The billowing clouds packed the sky and the sound of rain dancing around us stifled our mixed emotions. The now normal routine laid itself out. Ryan got us going with his favorite quote, “Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, […]
By Tuesday, our team had fallen into a comfortable morning routine of navigating the showers, having breakfast together, and assembling our brown-bag lunches of peanut butter and/or jelly sandwiches. After receiving our assignments in the morning, we headed off in several different directions. Many in our group stayed at the Blackfeet Community College to work […]
Who knew we’d be exposed to Blackfeet culture immediately on our first work day? In preparation, one of our team members, Julie, started us off with an emotional historical message from Chief Seattle: “How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. Every part of this […]
When we signed up in for this project, I wondered if three weeks was too long. As Sylvia knows, patience is not one of my virtues and I have never tolerated boredom well. I can truthfully say, with these precious children, I have practiced patience with joy, and I have not experienced one moment of […]
I’m in love! In love with a wonderful group of Cook Island children who meet me every morning with bright smiles and warm “Papa Bob” greetings. They don’t know where I’m from, could care less about what I do or what I’ve done. They care because they sense I care. A group of strangers on […]
Interview with Giovanna Luna Victoria, Director of Puericultorio A. Perez Aranibar (PPA) Q: What is your opinion of Global Volunteers’ work at the PPA? First of all, I would like to thank Global Volunteers for helping us greatly since 2004. We have a totally vulnerable population and I have seen a lot of social sensibility from […]
Today was a bittersweet day. It was our last day in Santa Elena working with the students. I am excited to be going home, but it was really hard knowing I probably won’t see any of these students or teachers again. We started the morning off with one last delicious breakfast from the Mar Inn. […]