Advertisement
Published: November 18th 2010
Edit Blog Post
[youtube=0ot67FOOccY]
Sorry for the delay! Been overwhelmed and couldnt be bothered to update, but here it is! I was there on Tuesday and today: these are my first impressions.
Its a 1 to 2 hour ride to Soacha on a 'casual bus', buses that have a route but will pick up and drop off people anywhere along the way. Soacha is a reservation for displaced people from all over the country due to the ongoing war against the local guerrilla groups.
The bus ride there on Tuesday was my first actual look at the city in all its glory and it was also the first normal working day since i arrived. Looking out the window, the scenery steadily declines from a thriving city into a ghetto. There are businesses and shops but they become more and more dilapidated and uninviting. The gravel roads regress into non existence and with the steady rainfall become little mud hills making the bus ride into a roller coaster.
First impression was that of a standard school layout but very small and rundown. Connected to it was a construction area where a new section was being built with the help of the volunteers. There was lots
Window of one of the schools
Are they trying to get in or out?! of work to be done.
We got a tour of the premises while there was class and waited for lunch time for the kids. The kids ranged from 2nd grade to 9th grade but were put together in terms of abilities not age, so it was pretty mixed up. When class ended and they were let out, we were rushed. They first all ran to the veteran volunteers to say hello and then began enquiring about the new ones, including myself. It was all hugs and kisses and you could feel how much they loved and appreciated the new company. One of the other volunteers showed me photos of his most and least favourite kids before we went so i had a rough idea of some of the characters. It was truly a moving moment as what seemed like hype in the program brochure became reality.
After lunch, I sat in on one of the classes where the 4th graders were to sing 'somewhere over the rainbow'. It was a slow task but the kids were pretty enthusiastic and couldnt wait to chat. Musically, there was no hint of notes or timing. It was more everyone shouting out the words
they had written on their lyrics sheets. That was ok though, it was not a competition.
Afterwards, we headed to the second grade class and I was put in charge of teaching. It was just as simple as writing the alphabet and making the kids pronounce it and recognize it. They did pretty good and I got away without having to speak much spanish. Right after the class, I played with the kids until school was over. At one point, i picked one of the kids up and swung them around for a bit. Again I was rushed by a wave of kids all asking to be picked up. They quickly organized into a line and waited their turn. I could only do about 15 minutes of picking them up and throwing them in the air before i was exhausted. It was the good kind of tiredness.
Afterwards we went for lunch at a local restaurant which had an arrangement with the organization to feed us daily for free. It was in character with the rest of the neighborhood: a rundown crack in the wall. The food consisted of soup, pasta, rice, a chicken leg, and a potato. It was
pretty scary looking and had no taste, like almost all the other food i've had so far in colombia, but after an intense session with the kids, i would have eaten a shoe. After lunch we went back to the school for a couple of hours to help them with homework and play some games. We played soccer with something that might have been a ball a long time ago but not anymore and played jump rope to the music of queen. the kids were truly grateful for anything they could get to play with and company who were willing to indulge them.
The bus ride home was under heavy rain which only cleared up by the time we got home. Fortunately the shops were still open and I got a chance to go look around. i happen to live next to the street where all of the musical instrument shops are so i had a lot of eye candy that evening. I might get my hands on an acoustic guitar soon. I'm sure the kids would love it.
Today, I went there again and it was a pretty similar timetable, but a much shorter day (no after school
School courtyard
Its a work in progress... activity). I had to leave early as I had a spanish lesson early in the afternoon. the bus ride took a strange route and took 2 hours, making me late for the lesson. Lessons are very basic vocab and grammar with a great teacher and I hope to be adequately versed by the end of this trip, but its hard to be patient with not being able to communicate now...
Sorry I had to rush this post as I am going to dinner with the others now, but I dont like to fall behind. I have yet to write about yesterdays experience at the orphanage which i will get onto as soon as possible. Stay tuned...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.055s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 5; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0253s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb