... no one ever said it wants to be this hard;) So now I have it too. Leave with almost a month ago and got completely tired Verspaetungung my interim report. I do not know whether to part become too subjective, but there are so nunmal my personal experiences!
Diligent readers of this blog know my working day and most other information from the interim report already, but it might interest you, yes still:).
First Interim Report for the ICJA:
Now it's about three months since I left Germany for the project "Chicos de la calle" the Salesianos on the farm near to work from Ambato.
live in the street children project 18 boys between 11 and 16, eigeteilt in two families, each live in a bungalow.
In a similar bungalow and I live with another German volunteers.
live here otherwise, the project manager and two national volunteers to sleep but in each one of the families of the boys.
During the day come a psychologist, a social worker and two interns in the project.
Here I was fully clamped directly into the everyday work. At first, my working hours from 6.00 am until around 22h in the evening. It was very cold, as in the German winter. We only had cold showers at night and it was still sleeping bags, blankets and many many clothes very cold because my window over an approximately 1.5 cm large slit was moved by the wind. So it was a very different situation than I was accustomed to. Nevertheless, I can not claim to have had a culture shock. I had myself presented here contrast in comparison to Europe.
general, I felt welcome in the project though, I have my job and my responsibility, but only during the first few weeks realized it was missing a bit of an introduction.
meantime have changed my working hours, there is hot water and my window was sealed.
My day begins at 8:30 clock. In the morning I'll help with the other volunteers of the social worker. My task is then for example the files of the boys living here to check the completeness or vervollstanedigen on the computer. Sometimes we visit families of the children who come to school to project. Wednesdays and the other German volunteers go to schools and I live here the boys to us to inquire about their school performance, social habits, their punctuality and attendance.
lunch I prepare it with the other Frewilligen the front of the dining room for about 70-100 children who come to do after school for dinner and homework. After I supervise the food distribution then officially a homework group. In fact we are often too few workers, so I also help other groups in need, which on the one hand by the number of children and through the language barrier, only limited good is possible.
go in the afternoon the children outside then back to their families, and they need every day, the help of a volunteer to cross the main road. Then a volunteer preparing the "coffee drinking" for the boys before. The children who live in the project often need more time to do their homework. Later we will drive with the kids sports or are teaching the children to other activities. The other German Volunteers and I have, for example together a graffiti AG founded. The children do have good laugh, but can not concentrate long often or can be motivated only briefly and then have no desire or want to do something else. It's generally very hard with a group of nearly 18 boys something on the legs.
After the AG or the sporting activities need the guys take a shower then. When I first heard that the children be punished for misconduct with Essensendzug, I was shocked, but now I know that you have a few possibilities. So it is in the shower. The children have no desire to shower, but the children not to shower, get no food.
After the meal together, then we organize the "Buenas Noches". There, the children, for example, reflect on their day, we create bracelets, watch a movie or teach them some English or German. Sometimes the guys have to do homework at night also.
ends By 22 clock then my working day, unless the children have to do homework or longer than planned, the film will take a while, then my day can take sometimes up to 22:30.
This week I'm free but on two mornings, because otherwise I'm working too many hours. Normally, I between 30 and 40 hours and not work more than 8 hours per day. Therefore is likely to change even more in my working hours.
The long working hours and work with young people is very tiring. It is sad and discouraging, that we get for our work, little recognition, such as the boss. On the other hand, much is criticism if something does not run optimally.
general, we have a lot of responsibility for the young people and are often alone with them, which means that we take full responsibility for 18 headstrong youth.
often lack the support of trained and experienced staff and volunteers to take over the tasks that would have to actually take over the main workers.
fact is that we live in the project and in the country it is very difficult, apart from the weekend to get clearance from the project. The boy is not interested namely particularly when we have free and when we work. They constantly knocking at our door.
For this reason, a spatial separation from the project and the Arts in this project is recommended.
Also my role as the only woman in a close contact, both through the lives and is on the other by the long hours the boy is to be considered very ambivalent. On the one hand, it is my opinion, very important for the young people to have a mother figure, on the other hand, I can not replace the mother of 18 young boys. In addition, the boys often make ambiguous comments and look for my physical closeness.
Perhaps this project is more suitable for male volunteers. Even a little more life experience, or an already completed vocational training would help me I think in some situations.
When I worked closer before my departure to the project have and get more information from the volunteers had, at that time were still living here in the project I had the idea of children who live here because they have no family. In fact, almost all children have a family and live here on the farm, because they have problems with their families. Many children are very aggressive and violent situation here I was quite shocked at the beginning.
The problem is that it's pretty difficult to get a good relationship with the children is to be established, based on respect.
My preparation has helped me some. For example a boy had bought a bracelet with a rake Kreutz, because he simply good gefiehl, without knowing the backgrounds. In the explanation of the meaning of course the history of Germany was discussed. Although I previously was aware that the issue would confront me here in abroad, I personally felt ashamed, but was still happy that this issue was before the preparatory seminar already been raised and discussed.
All in all, there are just but internal problems in my project and I am therefore not always happy with that but I am happy that I met over a year ago, the decision to volunteer service for the purpose of a learning service to make, because I believe this very have learned a lot for my life too!
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