Rachel Davidson is 23 and volunteered with Blue Sparrow in April and May of 2014. She is from Bethesda, MD in the United States and went to Lafayette College in Easton, PA before moving to Peru in September 2014 to work for the micro finance bank, FINCA Peru. She is currently teaching English and Human Rights at La Universidad Continental in Huancayo, Peru and plans to return to the United States in the near future to pursue a graduate degree in international development.
Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with Blue Sparrow in Peru?
I decided to volunteer with Blue Sparrow for a number of reasons. I am hoping to pursue a career in international development and moved to Peru in order to work for a microfinance bank based in Lima.
While my work with the bank was a very eye-opening and educational experience, I knew that the Peru outside of Lima starkly contrasted with life in the capital.
After working in Lima for 7 months I felt it was time to experience another side of the country, and knew the only way to gain a real understanding of rural Peru was to immerse myself in their culture and way of life.
After doing research on different programs, I felt Blue Sparrow provided the best opportunity to have a multifaceted, holistic experience in a rural community for a short period of time.
What did you wish you knew before going to Peru?
Honestly I felt really prepared for my experience in Peru thus far.
Some of the things that were most challenging about Blue Sparrow were things I anticipated but never thought would be so difficult, like not showering for 6 weeks, and things that I thought would be difficult ended up coming easier than I had expected, like teaching English.
Tell me about one person you met.
Norberto, the gym teacher at the colegio in Pachachaca. I'd say one of the biggest issues in the rural education system in Peru is lack of attendance and enthusiasm on the part of the teachers.
Although we were only supposed to teach English Thursdays and Fridays, we taught every day of the week to fill in for other teachers who just didn't show up. The one exception outside of the school director was Norberto, the gym teacher.
While we might think that physical education is not the most important school subject, Norberto's enthusiasm and dedication taught a lot more than jump rope.
Teachers like him show the importance and joy of education and have a positive impact on students far beyond the subject they teach.
What was the most interesting cultural difference you encountered?
I would say the funniest, if not the most interesting cultural difference, was trying to explain our parents' professions back in the States.
My boyfriend's dad works for a well-known lawn care company, and when we tried to explain his line of work the entire concept of a lawn seemed completely puzzling to them.
They kept asking what kind of crops or animals we keep on our lawns, and I had to explain that we just really like pretty lawns but that we don't use for anything very productive.
What was the best moment of the entire trip?
The best moment from my time with Blue Sparrow was the 11th anniversary of the colegio, or secondary school. We extended our stay so that our last day in Pachachaca coincided with the anniversary and it was such a good decision.
All of the parents got together to prepare a huge pachamanca (delicious food cooked in the ground) and each grade performed a dance or song. It was just incredible seeing the students whom we had gotten to know so well at that point, getting all dressed up in traditional outfits and doing wild dances in front of so many people!
I never would have guessed that some of them would be up for that sort of thing and I was so impressed. It was definitely an experience that had more meaning at the end of our time in Pachachaca, having gotten to know they students and the families.
