Read the original post in German or click here for the English translation.

Wenn ich einen Arbeitstag mit nur einem Wort beschreiben wollte würde ich „kunterbunt“ sagen, denn man wird immer von neuem überrascht. Ich bin mit den Kleinsten von fünf bis sieben in „Grupo 1“ und habe mich schon jetzt in die Kleinen verliebt. Dabei hatte ich schon am ersten Tag mit einer 7-Jährigen zu kämpfen, der ich die Zukunftszeit in Spanisch erklären sollte, oder Stadt-Land-Fluß ohne jegliches Vokabular zu spielen. Einer 11 Jährigen sollte ich nebenbei dann noch Textaufgaben in Mathe erklären und sich bei all dem hoffentlich nicht blamieren oder frustrieren lassen. Meine Rettung: Das Wörterbuch! Ich fand mich selber immer wieder in der Situation, wo ich Wörter nachschlage und die Kinder ebenso interessiert an der deutschen Sprache sind. Man nehme etwas Geduld, Neugier, Adrenalin und bekommt einen grandiosen Tag. Trotz der Sprachbarriere, die es vor allem bei den Jüngsten am schwersten macht, da sie mal gern einige Silben weglassen oder alle Wörter verschlucken, die man gerade versucht zu lernen, geht man jeden Tag mit etwas mehr Wissen nach Hause.

Meine Lieblingsbeschäftigung ist momentan Malen. Die Mädchen lieben es sich durch Kunst auszudrücken und es ist eine nonverbale Kommunikation, die mir am Anfang vo rallem sehr entgegen kommt. Die Kinder malen etwas nach, ich lasse sie zum Beispiel ihre Lieblingstiere malen, und finde dadurch schnell heraus, was ihre Interessen und Lieblingsthemen sind.

In den ersten Tagen hatten wir noch mit dem temporären Trampolin zu kämpfen, das alle Aufmerksamkeit der Kinder beanspruchte und trotz allem Spaß auch zu vielen Tränen und Machtkämpfen führte. Ohne jegliche sprachliche Kenntnis sollte ich die Kinder auf dem Trampolin koordinieren: „Unmöglich!“ dachte ich anfangs, aber ein bestimmtes „¡Para!“ (Stop!) und etwas Einfühlsamkeit, indem man auch einmal mitspringt und herumtollt, hat es doch möglich gemacht, dass die Kinder auf mich hören, obwohl ich sie nicht mal wirklich verstehen kann.

Am zweiten Tag kam ein Mädchen weinend, empört und total aufgeregt zu mir, redete etwas in einer Sprache, die Spanisch sein sollte, und erwarte Hilfe. Ich hatte keine Ahnung was los war, ich habe nur verstanden, dass es um einen Streit ging. Was macht man in einer Situation, wo Wörter schlichten sollten? Ich habe sie auf den Arm genommen, sie abgelenkt, sie angelacht und gehofft, dass sie ihr Problem ganz schnell vergisst. So einfach war das natürlich nicht, aber dennoch: Nach ein paar Minuten schenkte sie mir ein Lächeln und wollte mit mir spielen. Natürlich nicht die beste Art einen Streit zu schlichten, aber in dem Moment hat es doch ein Lächeln geschafft, dass zumindest die momentane Düsternis aus ihrem kleinen Kopf verschwand. Das war für das Erste mehr als genug!

Meine erste Woche war geschmückt mit farbenfrohen Bildern, lachenden Gesichtern, herzlichen Umarmungen, anspruchsvollen Konversationen und Momenten, die ich nie vergessen werde! Sei es das kleine Mädchen, das mir ins Ohr flüstert, ich sei eine ihrer neuen besten Freunde, oder der kleine Junge, der ununterbrochen auf den Arm genommen werden will und „Te amo, Tía“ sagt. Es sind die kleinen Dinge und die kurzen Momente, die mich trotz aller Frustration über die Sprache schon jetzt unendlich glücklich machen. Es ist sogar einfacher als man denkt, denn Kinder brauchen nicht zu reden um zu kommunizieren. Es sind Spiele, Küsse, Umarmungen, lustige Grimassen, ein paar Wörter und ein warmes Lächeln das reicht, um in die Herzen der Kinder einzutauchen und sie verstehen zu lassen, dass man für sie da ist!

Nine more photos after the jump.

Read the original post in Dutch or click here for the English translation.

Op het moment dat ik dit schrijf zit de eerste oriëntatie week bij VE Global er al weer op. Een week die voorbij is gevlogen. Een week die ontzettend gevarieerd, interessant en leuk was, maar zeker ook overweldigend, druk en intensief.

We zijn deze oriëntatieweek gestart met een team van 8 vrijwilligers. 8 totaal verschillende mensen, met verschillende leeftijden, nationaliteiten en achtergronden. Met z´n achten representeren we maar liefst 4 verschillende continenten; Noord Amerika, Zuid Amerika, Australië en Europa. Ondanks al die verschillen vond ik het fantastisch om te zien hoe iedereen met dezelfde passie praat over zijn of haar motivatie om voor VE Global aan de slag te gaan.

De missie van VE Global geeft onze rol als vrijwilligers perfect weer: We foster the development of children at social risk in Chile by training and empowering volunteers to serve as positive role models, educators and advocates of social justice.

Ik, als Nederlander, nog maar twee weken geleden voor het eerst kennis gemaakt te hebben met de Spaanse taal, was al lang blij dat het grootste deel van de training in het Engels zou zijn. Alhoewel, de eerste activiteit op de eerste dag was een ice breaker in het Spaans. (Oh oh… is dit een voorproefje van de rest van de training?!) Maar gelukkig, “Me llamo Jacolien, soy de Holanda, me gusta chocolate:” dat lukt nog wel!

De oriëntatie dagen zijn, zoals ik al zei, ontzettend divers. Van luchtige topics over het eten in Chili (empanadas, heerlijke warme gevulde broodjes!!), tot informatieve lezingen over veiligheid in Santiago. Van praktische informatie als waar vind je de goedkope winkels (good to know!!), tot hoe werkt het metro system in Santiago. En, uiteraard, veel informatie over de instanties waar we zullen werken.

Het praten over de verschillende instanties is erg interessant en informatief, maar er daadwerkelijk op bezoek gaan is natuurlijk waar het echt om gaat. Halverwege de eerste week mocht ik naar Hogar San Fransisco, een opvangtehuis voor meisjes in de leeftijd van 4 t-m 20 jaar. Hier zal ik de komende maanden werken. Momenteel wonen er 29 meisjes in dit tehuis. De meisjes wonen hier omdat ze zijn misbruikt of mishandeld en niet meer thuis kunnen (of mogen) wonen.

Het was hier en daar wat overweldigend om hier naar toe te gaan. Uiteraard vanwege het rappe Spaans wat om me heen klonk, maar vooral vanwege het feit dat je weet dat deze meisjes hier niet voor niets wonen.

Terugkijkend op mijn eerste orientatieweek kan ik alleen maar zeggen dat we door de staff van VE Global erg goed zijn ontvangen, en dat zij een super job hebben gedaan in deze oriëntatie. Ik heb ontzettend veel zin om te gaan starten met mijn werk hier!

I arrived in Santiago, Chile in September 2011. Having made the minimum four month commitment with VE, I planned to stay until the middle of January. When that date was approaching, I decided to extend my stay until the end of February. And when February came and went, I was sure I’d be home by the end of March. Sometime during the month of April I told my family I’d be back in the US by the end of May, at the latest.

As I boarded the plane to move back to the US in June, nine months after I arrived in Chile, my mind was filled with thoughts of “How can I be leaving already?” I gave people plenty of reasons for why I decided to stay in Chile longer than I originally intended – I wanted to travel more, my Spanish wasn’t good enough, I didn’t want to move back home and look for a job, etc. – but really, what kept me in Chile was Promesa (the hogar where I worked) and the 18 boys who live there.

Previous volunteers had told me time with VE goes by incredibly quickly. It didn’t take long for me to realize they were not lying and that leaving, after only having spent a few months with the boys at Promesa, would not be an option. For me, the first four months were a whirlwind of adjusting to the culture, trying to understand Chilean Spanish, forming relationships with the boys and trying to figure out my role in the hogar. I don’t think there was an exact moment, but rather a gradual change, when I realized that walking into the hogar was no longer just walking into their home, but was like walking into my own home.

That’s certainly not to say I always got treated so warmly by the boys. Even during my final months at the hogar, I still faced some of the struggles I faced my first month at Promesa: getting punched and bitten, getting called ‘tía tonta’ or having one of the boys stare straight into my eyes as he did exactly what I asked him not to. However, those moments were nothing compared to the moments of having a boy crawl into my lap, asking me to read him a book. Or the shouts of joy that came from yet another game of fútbol or ‘pacos y ladrones.’ Or the proud face of a boy showing me something he did in school or a good mark on a homework assignment. The laughs and giggles of an inside joke or a silly game, and the hugs and kisses I received upon arriving and leaving for the day.

I guess the frustrating times made the good moments all the more special, and those special moments kept me wanting to continue to stick around. As more months passed, I felt the boys’ trust in me a little more. I felt bonds and relationships growing deeper as I learned more about each boy and spent more time with them. Boys that didn’t talk to me much the first couple months were greeting me with kisses on my cheek and asking me to play games with them. A boy who didn’t seem to notice me at all in the beginning would kick around the fútbol with me, telling me all about his day.

Having to say goodbye to the boys, and to the family I formed in Chile, through VE and Promesa, was incredibly difficult. As I left I was reminded of a saying: “How lucky I am to have had something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” My goodbyes were hard, because I was fortunate enough to spend four months forming bonds, that after nine months developed into friendships and relationships that I will hold onto forever.

As a volunteer there are a lot of surprises, to say the least, that you receive while working in an hogar. For me, one of the biggest surprises I’ve had during my time at Pléyades has been how much the kids love science! Whether it’s chemistry, biology, or engineering, a science taller is guaranteed to get all the kids participating. A chemistry experiment, for example, can get the kids off the computers, and natural sciences are a sure way to bring up interesting discussions. What’s more, all the while I am building positive and meaningful relationships with the children.

During my class’ orientation, former Programs Coordinator, Lily Gordon suggested a kid-friendly website where we could find ready-made science workshops to do with the children. One day I found myself at a loss for what the next day’s activity should be, so I went to the website and got the materials for one of the simplest workshops I could find: how silicon glue reacts in warm water. The experiment went over really well and the kids asked me to start bringing more science activities. This was great, because now I knew of a type of activity that they all liked to do!

There are some things, though, that I have to keep in mind when planning a science taller, such as the level of difficulty. At Pléyades, the ages range between five and thirteen years, so the workshop has to be adaptable for all the kids who participate. It should be simple enough for the five-year-old to do, but should also have a more in-depth version to intrigue the thirteen-year-old. I also have to keep in mind that not all science talleres will necessarily run as planned. One kid at Pléyades, for example, tends to believe that all the materials for the workshop are actually just there for him to do his own scientific experiment.

I don’t think that ever in a million years I could have imagined myself running science workshops with children in a foreign country, especially because I never really cared much for science myself. But seeing how much the kids that I work with enjoy it makes me enjoy it that much more. There’s no better feeling for me than to walk into work and announce that the day’s activity is science, and instantly have all the kids say, “¡Bakán!”

Nine more photos after the jump.

Mariah is the Program Director at VE Global. She recently returned from a trip to the USA, where she visited various YMCA summer camps as part of a new Healthy Living partnership with the Cumberland County YMCA of Maine.

On a trip to the U.S. this past July, I had the opportunity to speak with children at three of the YMCA summer camps in Southern Maine. With groups of 80-120 kids between the ages of 5 and 12, I shared fun facts about Chile and the work we do here at VE Global, and, using healthy living as a focus, began showing the Maine kids just how much they have in common with kids in Chile.

After an introduction filled with fun facts about Chile’s customs, varied climate, volcano-dotted terrain and obsession with soccer, I showed clips of whimsical Santiago street performers and of the cueca, Chile’s national dance. From there we entered a conversation about the Maine kids’ favorite ways to live a healthy lifestyle, from their favorite fruits to their favorite ways to stay fit. When asked if they thought the Chilean kids would have similar likes and interests, most of the Maine kids shared doubtful looks and shook their heads.

Thanks to the help of a few outstanding current volunteers, I brought along VE’s fresh-off-the-press Healthy Living video, in which 30 of the VE kids talk about their favorite fruits, healthy foods, ways to get exercise, and their dreams for future careers. I watched in delight as the Maine kids’ faces lit up in recognition as the English subtitles on the screen listed off some of their own favorite fruits, meals, and sports.  Apples, strawberries, karate, swimming: the Maine kids were fascinated, watching and listening to the Chilean children speak a different language but talk about the same exact likes and interests they themselves have. At the beginning of the presentations I had shown on a map how far apart Maine and Chile are geographically; the Healthy Living video brought the two worlds closer and gave the kids a personal look at the lives of a few kids in Chile, giving just a peek into the similarities and differences that exist between them.

Speaking to the kids in Maine was a thrill for me and has given me a lot to look forward to for when we show our kids here in Chile the healthy living videos the YMCA camps put together. I think the experience gave the Maine kids knowledge and understanding much more meaningful than any information they could have found through a Google search, which reminds me of the importance of providing inter-cultural opportunities for our children. I think it will be powerful for our kids here in Chile, even though they're faced with enormous challenges in their lives, to see that kids across the globe have the same interests and dreams as they do. Just as I was thrilled to hear one child say, "I wanna go to Chile!” I hope to hear some of our kids dream big about the possibilities for their future as they learn about a group of kids living 5,300 miles away who, just like them, absolutely love playing soccer.

Kristen is the Assistant Director of Operations at VE Global. Like every VE staff member, she also volunteers one day a week at one of our partner organizations. 

For the last two months I've been volunteering one day a week at Casa de Guaguas and have had a very positive experience. Casa de Guaguas (Home for Babies) is one of the organizations VE collaborates with that serves young children from birth to age 5 that have been neglected or abandoned. The home helps prepare these children for adoption or for reuniting with their own families. The staff and volunteers serve as the temporary parental figures that help guide these young children in their early development and learning; quite a noteworthy task. I have been blown away at how loving and caring the team is in treating the children as if they are their very own.

At my prior job in early childhood education, I became a Certified Educator of Infant Massage. I have had the fortune of using this skill by teaching the tías at Casa de Guaguas how to provide nurturing touch with the babies, beyond what they are already doing. Infant massage provides numerous benefits for babies. It enhances neurological development and immune system function, stimulates growth hormones, promotes bonding and secure attachment, reduces colic, and improves sleep quality, just to name a few. When babies receive this type of nurturing touch, they are more likely to thrive, despite the trauma they may have experienced.

I feel blessed that I have been able to share my skills and knowledge in this area to help make a difference at a time when it matters most. The staff I have trained have commented on the benefits they have already noticed as a result of massaging the babies. Each week that I go help out, I am left with great fulfillment. At times it is hard when you grow attached to the infants only to see them leave. At least I can safely say for a time, in their temporary home, they are shown the utmost care and attention in addition to receiving the loving touch they so deserve.

Nine more photos after the jump.

When I first started looking into volunteering with VE Global, I remember reading the part that said “four month minimum commitment” and wondering if I would be able to commit for that long. Well, eight months later I realized that four months was simply NOT enough time.

While volunteering, I worked in Hogar San Francisco, a group home for 30 girls ranging from 3 to 20 years old. I was so nervous in those first few months. I couldn’t understand the Chilean Spanish. I was confused by the customs and I didn’t know what my role was in the hogar. In the first month, I just went through the motions of being there every day and trying to get by doing what they asked me to do or what I thought they were saying! In the second month, I was beginning to feel more comfortable in this new environment. I was getting to know the girls as well as the tias and feeling like I knew my role in the hogar. The third month came and I was really starting to have fun and enjoying my time with the girls. I had started to get very close with a few of the girls, but certainly not all of them.

However, at the end of my fourth month working at the hogar is when it really clicked for me and when I think the girls really began to trust me. Something had begun to slowly change and I don’t think I fully realized it until Christmas time at the hogar. It was Christmas Eve and we were all having a big lunch in the patio with all the girls, the tias and a few of the volunteers. There was a big meal with presents and awards for things like “Best Helper in the Hogar,” “Most Improved in School,” and my personal favorite, “Girl of the Year.” After the awards were passed out and we were all sitting around happy and full, I started talking with one of the older girls. I don’t remember how we led in to this, but I think I said something about how special this day had been for me and how happy I was to be included. She looked at me and said “Tia, you’re one of us now. You’re part of the family and part of the hogar.” It brought me to tears then and it still brings me to tears writing it now.

You see, when I first came to Chile, one of the current volunteers explained something to me that I always tried to remember. The hogar was not just where I worked; it was HOME to these kids, where they lived every day. This was their house and if they wanted to watch TV or run around in their pajamas it was ok, because this was their home. Imagine someone from another country coming in to your home every day. It would be weird, right? It meant the world to me that she said I was part of the family. They all considered themselves to be sisters and now I was in that family too.

I now know why there is the four month minimum commitment, it took that time to develop those relationships with the girls and gain their trust. They’ve all been through so much in life and trust is not something that any of the girls easily give away. To gain their trust is truly one of the greatest gifts in the world. After experiencing something like this, how could I ever think about leaving right away?

The next four months were the best months during my whole time. I was more comfortable and closer with all of the girls. We laughed harder and had more meaningful conversations about anything from boys at school to how they felt when their mom didn’t show up for a visit. They felt they could turn to me when they needed something. That trust had been built, and it took time to get there.