My twin 8-year olds, Zoe and Aiden, and I visited Santiago shortly after school got out with our offer to Amanda to use us in whatever way she saw fit -- we were open for anything. What that turned into was a whole host of small jobs spanning a week. My kids were mostly engaged in the preschool half of La Puerta Abierta during the mornings, assisting the 18 preschoolers with morning activities, preparing paints, singing and dancing with the group, helping clean up, and generally supporting the teachers in whatever way was helpful. They shifted between being participants (in songs, games, and even a parade) and being helpers for the little kids, and got to use the Spanish they have learned during their 4 years in our public Spanish immersion school. During class time, I was often in the library next door helping Chonita prepare materials for the week (LPA makes all their own educational materials, such as a poster on "los 5 sentidos" (the five senses) or "ninos del mundo" (children of the world)), or gluing in new activity sheets into the preschoolers' workbooks, or drying dishes from snack time. The separation was good, in that it helped my kids to act more independently and better focus on the needs of the kids and ways they could help.
We also had lots of chances to get out into other schools. LPA supports 8 other schools with supplemental materials and drop-in teachers. A typical "bolsa" contains several Spanish reading books for the teachers, plus some related enhancement activity for the local teacher to use in his/her class -- those bags rotate on a regular basis. Many of the materials we collected and donated as a school (Spanish books, school supplies, etc.,) find their way into these bags, and into the community beyond the four walls of LPA. We visited four of the 8 schools -- two in Santiago, and two outside in more rural areas -- for a few hours each with teachers Candelaria and Mildred. In both cases, we were invited to assist handing out materials or lead small group activities. My kids were often happiest when there was time to just play and kick the soccer ball around with the other kids.
Particularly in these rural schools, we all got a sense of the very basic conditions under which most Guatemalan students are learning. Classrooms are modest, materials are few, but the desire and the energy levels of the kids to learn is strong. In every case, Candelaria and Mildred were greeted with joy and lots of hugs by the kids. They represent a chance to have some fun with learning, by reading "Los Huevos de Dora" for example, and then painting their own eggs, which Candelaria posted onto "baskets" taped to the wall. Mildred brought puppets to bring life to the story of "Que dices tu?", engaging the students in figuring out which animal is making the "muuu" sound. Songs and active play are a big part of the LPA approach, and it is clear that it is a big part of what helps to excite the students about learning.
One of the classes we visited was one which had, some months earlier, prepared a "caja de tesores" for our elementary school. The treasures they sent up not only taught our students about life in Guatemala, but helped to facilitate an exchange of goods, so that when we came down in July with our donated treasures (assorted pencils and Silly bands and such from our school's 3rd grade Girl Scout troop), we were able to reciprocate their generosity. It was a true blessing to be able to deliver those treasures -- along with several materials that our students had prepared to describe life at our school and life in America -- to the kids in person.
We lived with a homestay family, which was wonderful. My kids adapted quickly to the food, the local transport, the modest conditions and lukewarm showers, and the work. This is the second such volunteer experience we have done overseas in a Spanish speaking country, and in each case, I have seen the kids grow and mature, and show sides of them that are not often evident to me in the craziness of our daily lives.
We lived with a homestay family, which was wonderful. My kids adapted quickly to the food, the local transport, the modest conditions and lukewarm showers, and the work. This is the second such volunteer experience we have done overseas in a Spanish speaking country, and in each case, I have seen the kids grow and mature, and show sides of them that are not often evident to me in the craziness of our daily lives.
With any luck, we'll be able to return to LPA in the future and/or find other organizations in the future that are as willing to accept us as volunteers as Amanda and her staff have been. Amanda was conscious of ensuring that we had a good volunteer experience (that comes from our shared experience as Peace Corps Volunteers, I think...), and yet didn't go out of her way to entertain us -- which I respect, particularly given the many many hats she wears. That gave us a sense of autonomy and freedom that we used to explore Santiago. I would encourage anyone with the means and opportunity to do so to find their way to Santiago to spend some time with Amanda, Chonita, Candelaria, Mildred and all the other wonderful teachers at La Puerta Abierta. You'll come away inspired and changed, and with the knowledge that you have indeed have an "open door" waiting for your return.
