Loewenstern Fellowship Envelope #4

Open at the mid-point of your experience

How has your experience thus far met or not met your expectations?  What, if anything, do you intend to change about your personal interactions or work for the remainder of your time?


I came to Bolivia seeking to work with people with special needs, but I think I also mentioned to Projects Abroad that I wanted to work both mornings and afternoons, so they gave me two placements.  One of them was an orphanage for children with special needs (Maria Cristina), and one of them was an orphanage close by (Ciudadela) for children mostly without special needs.

The first week or so, I was rather resentful to be placed in Ciudadela... after all, I was being torn away from Maria Cristina, asked to split my time between the two places.  But of course, what's more important than my desires is what the community needs, and now I am the only volunteer from Projects Abroad at Ciudadela.  And as much as I thought I wouldn't be as "challenged" working at an orphanage for children without special needs, as anyone could probably guess, tutoring disadvantaged kids in mathematics and science in a foreign language is not the easiest thing to do.  Helping little children with their Spanish homework when you have far-from-native Spanish abilities can be daunting.

Also, while some residents at Maria Cristina appear to be approaching their 50s or possibly even 60s, the kids at Ciudadela are kicked out at much younger ages (18 for girls and 14 for boys).  So although it is probable that many of the people in Maria Cristina will pass away there, I take a sort of comfort in that.  At least they're safe.  The kids at Ciudadela oftentimes may end up on the streets after they're kicked out (there's a German volunteer from this other organization who's hoping to change that by buying apartments close by Ciudadela to house the kids after they're kicked out until they can get jobs and go on their way), and they, in some ways, need more care.  They have special needs that fall not under the umbrella of developmental disabilities, but instead under the umbrella of the disadvantaged.

So I am learning to appreciate both of my placements here in Bolivia, and I am gaining so much from each orphanage.  Most of the residents at Maria Cristina don't have the ability to vocalize their feelings about not having parents; perhaps those thoughts don't cross their minds as much.  They may view the volunteers and staff members as parents.  Those at Ciudadela do fully understand their situation, and I am glad to be available for the 15-year-old girl who is sad today because she's thinking about how her parents abandoned her over a decade ago, and also about how they've passed away in the last few years.

There is a beauty to each and every single person, and remembering and cherishing that is something I'd like to do more.

Also, maybe just not getting too frustrated and discouraged when things don't seem to be improving or I just feel rather useless, as if I were just there to play with the residents.  I guess maybe there's positives in simply being there for them too?

For less work-related things... I guess I expected my Spanish abilities to skyrocket away, but I don't exactly see that happening yet.  I still make dumb mistakes. haha. But hey, I still have half of my time left, and that just means more practice.