Why did you decide to volunteer with A Broader View in Honduras?
Kate: A friend of a friend recommended ABV to me. We spoke for a while, then it turned out I went to the same place as her and even met some of the same orphans that she worked with. I also chose it based on price, it was more reasonable than some of the other programs. And ABV was able to get my volunteer placement scheduled right away.
What made this experience unique and special?
Kate: I was so lucky to have been placed with the host family that I lived with. The house mom was so much fun, we spent every day together. My roommates were also a played a huge part in my experience. We all became such close friends and did everything together. I was able to teach art in a country where art isn't part of their curriculum. That meant a lot to me.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Kate: Volunteering means a lot to me now. It was something I always cared about, but having an experience like this made me realize the huge impact we can all make by just setting some time aside to help others. I have a brighter outlook on life because I did something that seemed so scary at first and ended up being so comforting in the end. I'm not afraid of anything after my experience in Honduras, which has made my future seem so much more full of possibilities.
Morning: I woke up around 6:45-7am every morning. My house mom would make my roommates (other volunteers) and I breakfast and hot coffee. I would then either hop in a cab from our house (it cost $1 from my house to the school where I was volunteering), or I would walk to school alone (about a 20 minute walk). My volunteer hours were from 7:45/8 to 11:30-12 at a school for special needs children. I would go to school and assist the teacher with daily school activities such as helping the kids with lessons or their homework, teaching a lesson here and there, having snack with them, watching the kids at recess, etc.
Afternoon: After morning class, I would walk with other volunteers back home. Our house mom would make us lunch or we would help her make lunch. Sometimes we would go to the pool or out to the beach if we didn't have plans in the afternoon. I would go shopping or go explore around town. Some days I would just stay home and play with the kids living at our house. This was a good time to read, relax, plan lessons, do laundry, etc.
After a few weeks of being in Honduras, I was assigned a second volunteer project of working at an orphanage from 1-4. I would go to the orphanage after lunch and start my duties there. Some days consisted of cooking, some of cleaning, but mostly just helping the kids with their school and homework. We would play games, or have recess time, but we were never allowed to leave the orphanage with the kids. The entire house was gated for their safety. A few of them spoke English and were very helpful to the volunteers in helping us to communicate with the others in the orphanage. On my last day, I went out shopping and bought the orphanage some new clothes, toiletries, etc as a gift.
Evening: After a full day of 2 volunteer shifts, I would come home for an early dinner with the family I was living with and other volunteers. Our house mom would cook us all dinner and we would sit down together and eat. Some nights I would walk down to the English school (which was the office for ABV in my neighborhood) and go on the internet and email friends and family back home. There was always someone there from my volunteer program to sit and talk with. A lot of volunteers were taking Spanish classes there and it was a nice place to sit and chat with them. We also became friends with the tutors there who were really fun to get to know. They ended up showing us around Honduras, taking us to soccer games, and out to dinner. Some nights my roommates and I would go out to get food together, or go shopping together. It is quite dangerous there at night so we had to take cabs everywhere and be sure not to get home too late. Some nights I would just watch movies with my house family and relax at the house.
Highlights: They don't have an art curriculum in Honduras, and since that is my are of expertise, I taught my class an art lesson on my last day. They hadn't learned the color wheel so I showed them how you can make all the colors in the rainbow with just primary colors. I was almost fluent in Spanish at that point, and it made me think back to my first day when I couldn't understand what anyone was saying, and the progress we had all made together in just a short month's time.
Every weekend, the volunteers would go out together on weekend excursions. We went white-water rafting down the Rio Congrejal, stayed in a jungle lodge and danced the night away with the locals, went scuba diving off the coast of the island Utila and stayed in a lodge over the water, hiked in the jungle, and a whole lot more. The people I met were amazing and there was a perfect balance of work and fun.