First Day of Service in Lima!

Monday, January 17, 2011

** La Molina **

Quote of the day: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~ Maya Angelou

The day began with anticipation as we headed off to our assignments with Jorge at the wheel of the van. Traffic didn't seem too bad as we headed to PPA and our group meeting. After a quick tour of that campus and a short lesson in Spanish we left for La Molina University.

Upon arrival we entered through locked gates and were greeted with graciousness by Consuelo, Claudia, and Martha. The campus is beautiful with much foliage and a peaceful atmosphere. Gorki, Maria del Carmen, and Olenka joined us in a welcoming room where we shared a glass of wine and toasted the success of our endeavor and the success of our partnership. In Gorky's welcome he indicated his pleasure in having us on campus. On the table in front of the room were examples of the beautiful produce of Peru; textiles, potatoes (417 varieties), chilis, maize, chicha morada (purple corn), clavo (cloves) and cinnamon. The pepper, aji colorado, a long dark pepper was given special recognition as the pepper used in many delicious Peruvian dishes.

We were given a packet, which included the list of our students, the schedule and the number of our classroom. Theresa and Jan will teach the beginning class, Greg and Marcia intermediate and Arturo and Pat advanced. A walk up the stairs to the teacher room introduced us to our lockers, bathroom, a small kitchen area, and a table around which we will be able to plan our lessons.

Each of our hosts is warm and welcoming. We have a good feeling about the time we will spend here even though the exact work we will be doing is yet to be determined. So much depends on the wants of the students and the degree with which they understand and use the English language.


Martha informed us that our task is threefold:

*provide an opportunity for the students to learn from a native English speaker

*encourage student learning and participation without a final evaluation from an instructor

*provide an enriching cultural exchange


We gathered with the Peruvians for lunch at one of the two restaurants on campus for chicken, rice, salad, and French fries.

After lunch our team took some time to brainstorm possible activities for the first day, which would encourage participation by the students in order to maximize the short time we will have together. Our first class will begin tomorrow - 1:00- 3:00 with conversational focus and the second class 3:00-5:00 and will include grammar, idioms, and other areas that will enhance understanding and proper use of the language.

Before leaving for home, we walked the campus enjoying the beautiful setting and the friendly people. Jorge picked us up at 3:45 and took us home in only 35 minutes, as the traffic at that time was light.

We rested and then met at 7:20 for a walk to the Italian restaurant and good conversation before meeting with Guillermo in the lobby for a short presentation on 2011 Peru.


Peace,
Volunteer Marcia

Reflections from a PPA Volunteer!

Written by Mary Ann Combs

I worked in the toddlers section in the mornings and in the siblings program in the afternoons. I surely enjoyed working with Carmen Montes in the toddlers section! She is a wonderful and caring person who gave the children much love along with needed discipline. We enjoyed getting to know each other despite the language barrier.

I spent my time with a very small (15 pound) 2 year old who had been at the PPA less than a month - and just seeing him make some emotional adjustments each day was very gratifying. He, Sebastian, was rather listless the first few days, so to finally see a few smiles and hear him utter a few sounds felt like great progress!! When you see the children, many of whom have no parents, it puts a perspective on the lives of abundance we have in the U.S.

When I consider how my work with Global Volunteers effects "waging peace through understanding between cultures," I must say: It is truly the only way to achieve a real and lasting piece.

Mary Ann

We Have Been Challenged, We Have Grown!

Wednesday, December 29th

Quote of the Day: "Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Our week at PPA has been one filled with great adventures and many moments which have pushed all of us out of our comfort zone. We have seen so much and done so much with the Children at PPA.

So off we went to our tasks of holding and playing with babies and doing crafts with the older kids. We found that we all worked seamlessly as a team today and managed to shuttle ourselves and any books, games or crafts to the various groups throughout the day. There were moments of sheer joy as the kids came running to us and requested games and crafts we had done with them the day before. There is something unique and special about being in a foreign country and being welcomed and recognized by children with expressions of joy in their face and their arms opened wide.

We have been challenged, we have grown as a result of this experience. In our hearts we can leave knowing that we brought a lot of love, care, compassion and joy into the lives of children who need so much and have so little.

Written by Julie Deignan

Today's Mission: Paint, paint, paint!!

Thursday, December 23rd

Quote of the Day: ¨It´s not the number of years in your life that count, but the life in your years.¨ - Abe Lincoln

Myrian started our team meeting around 9am. Addy and Judith delivered a remarkable account in our team journal. Mary added a tender message from her friend in Daytona, FL, who is an orphan. We were given information about our Christmas celebration for the next day and our flight plan logistics for the airport. Unfortunately, we´ll miss our team members, Elizabeth, Cammy and Missy who leave Friday a.m. After breakfast our traveling troup left for CDLN.

The mission today was - paint, paint, paint! We did manage our mission well, consequently, the San Antonia and the San Martin pavillions are better - with colorful aspects. At the end of the day, we were in agreement that our highlight today was finishing our project.

We participated in the CDLN lunch routine. Most of the volunteers sat individually with the boys at their group tables. We talked and listened to the children. At Lane´s table, the question was asked, “Who is your hero?” From the group of four boys, one said his mother, two said Jesus and one said himself. Although the the English-Espanol was broken, the conversation remained interesting.

We experienced relating to the boys more in depth, but we as team members experienced relating with each other. For example, it was mentioned that Mary is an absolute astute Foreman or rather Forewoman. She is el jefe!

Connections become important. We learned that Millie, one of the CDLN office workers and previous GV staff, is going to Dallas, TX in order to study for her Masters in Social Work. We saw the children connect with some of our team members in a special way. They made pictures with messages thanking them for their service.

At 5pm we returned to our vehicles for the trek back to our "home away from home," the Torreblanca Hostal.

Written by Lane York

Day One of Our Journey

12.21.10 Journal Entry

Thought for the day: "To whom much is given, much is expected." - John F Kennedy

Day one of our journey began with a great sense of easy and comfort with our group of volunteers. We were eager to begin our work with the children. the trip to CDLN was an eye-opener for all of us as it was our first real look at the economic situation on the District where CDLN is located.

When we arrived on site, we received a tour of the campus and Brother Hugo distributed our assignments in each of the Pavilions. We then observed the Christmas celebration in the cafeteria and much to our surprise Barney was the center attraction for the children. The boys were so excited to see Barney that they pinned him to the wall while attempting to hug Barney in a way which resembled mauling him.

As we went to our individual assignments, we were all so excited to be of service to the children. At 5pm, feeling exhausted and in need of showers, we headed back to the hotel with a palpable sense of pride. Tomorrow several of us are likely to be very sore when we get out of bed.

Written by Melissa Walker

"Spring into Service" in Peru!!

“Spring into Service” with Global Volunteers to receive a special limited discount offer for our March and April teams!

Four or more volunteers who apply by January 31 for any of these 28 teams in 16 countries will receive a discount of $200 off our standard service program fee, per volunteer, for one-, two- or three-week international programs or $100 off our standard service program fee, per volunteer, for USA programs. No other discounts apply.

Please encourage others to volunteer in our five fundamental project areas: education (especially promotion of girls education), labor and community infrastructure, health care, child care, and food and nutrition.

Call us at 800-487-1074 for details and we'll assist you every step of the way. Our worldwide host communities can’t wait to welcome you!!

Check out this link for more details & service program dates: http://globalvolunteer.org/special/springspecial.asp

Peru Service Program Dates, March & April Teams:
12-Mar-11 to 26-Mar-11
26-Mar-11 to 9-Apr-11
23-Apr-11 to 7-May-11

Vote for Global Volunteers this Weekend!

From November 15 - November 21 the Star Tribune newspaper is holding a contest entitled 'Full Page Project' amongst MN non-profits and the winner will receive a free full page ad in the paper!

Please vote for us this week ~ you can vote once per hour!

Here is the link where you can register and then vote for Global Volunteers (please copy and paste the link): http://startribune.upickem.net/engine/Registration.aspx?contestid=22815

We would also encourage you to pass this link along to your family and friends, and post it on your personal Facebook page. Let us know if you have any questions, and remember voting goes until 5 p.m. Sunday!

Thank you for your support.