San Isidro (Mornings ~ Sunday-Thursday): It is very hard to teach here. Here, the children will dance on the tables when I'm not looking, scream to their friends, and throw things at each other. Some come without shoes. Nobody brings their supplies (English notebooks, pencils, homework, etc.). And, immediately when I enter the classrooms, the teachers leave and go home. The director of the school is the only one who seems to care about the children, the educational quality in the school, and the future of the children. He was telling that it is so hard in San Isidro because these kids do not have any goals - no motivation to work hard in school. There parents have never instilled a sense of working hard, appreciation of education, or a sense of self-appreciation in their children. But there are a few (out of 120), who genuinely care and want to learn English. Do I feel like all my work is in vain? I've thought about this a lot, and not really. Because, while they may not be learning as much as I want, they are learning some. And most of all, to most of the kids, I'm a big brother figure - for some, the only adult that cares about them. I enjoy the work and I love the kids.
El Proyecto de Tarea (Homework Project) (Afternoons ~ Monday & Wednesday): While this project goes on all week, I can only go every Monday and Wednesday. The number of kids is steadily growing (this week we had 65). While all of us suffer explaining anatomy, math, and history in Spanish, it is ABSOLUTELY the best part of the day. I definitely have my favorites (Wilbur, Kevin, Liseth, Elmer, etc.).
Coporaque, Colca Canyon (All Day ~ Friday): This is by far the most tasking project. The bus leaves Arequipa at 1am on Thursday morning and arrives in Chivay at 4am. From there I take a taxi to Coporaque (another 30 minutes). I try to get a couple more hours of sleep before I wake up early to go to school. During the day, I travel from first grade all the way to sixth grade (40 minutes each and continuous. These kids are perfect. Like angels (except sixth grade - they are at the age where the boys and girls push each other and flirt in violent ways). They are completely prepared and utterly interested in learning English (there's 90 of them). Leonel, the president of INTIWAWA, tells me that they are so much better behaved than in San Isidro, because the indigenous culture is very macho and many times that children are beaten. In Coporaque, I stay with a local family who cooks for me and keeps me company. It is great to share meals with them. Very soon after, I hop on another bus at 4pm to arrive in Arequipa extremely exhausted.
At nights, it feels so good to take a hot shower, sit down, and read a book (in ENGLISH!) with the windows open. I've been here for almost two months, with more than two and a half months left. The work is hard and a lot of times - as a volunteer - you aren't very respected. You get little sleep and infinite setbacks. I find myself on my own a lot causing me to miss home a lot. Sometimes I think about what I'm doing, and what possessed me to travel across the globe to help poor children. But, every time that the children hug me, or when they ask me how to say a certain word in English, or tell me never to leave because they like playing soccer with me, I ALWAYS reach the same conclusion: it has absolutely been worth it. For them, simply my presence and appreciation of them is a blessing to them.
It will be VERY hard to leave this place.
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