Morning: I arrive at the daycare at 8:30AM and grab a cup of hot coffee. At this point there are only two or three children in the classroom, so I read books to them in Spanish and chat with some of the moms before they head to work.
On Mondays we do the special flag ceremony and sing the national anthem. Other days of the week we sing songs like "Pimpon" while waiting for breakfast to come and put bibs on the kids. After desayuno each child takes turns brushing their teeth with the assistance of a volunteer.
Then we do a morning learning activity (art project, gross motor skills, music, yoga, dance) and then break for recreo out on the patio. The kids then clean their hands and eat fruit on the steps. Around 12pm or so they head into the classroom for a nap.
Afternoon: During nap time, I would help the classroom teacher with making wall art and murals for the classroom, chat with other teachers and moms, wash the drinking cups from the morning and walk downtown to the post office to mail postcards. Nap time lasts about an hour and a half.
At 2pm or so we wake the kids up from their nap, put away the mattresses, blankets and pillows and get ready to eat. After the kids eat, we turn on the TV to their favorite movie (Cars, Shrek or Mulan dubbed in Spanish) and change them into clean outfits to go home (each child brings an outfit of clean clothes in their backpack). We clean their faces and re-do their hair with gel. Then they wait until their parent/guardian picks them up.
Evening: I usually spent the evenings relaxing. Twice a week I would go to the library for English/Spanish talk time and meet some of the locals or other tourists. I also attended a local church’s adult bible study and youth group. Occasionally, other volunteers at the daycare would want to go out to dinner or to the bars. Mostly, though, I spent time in my apartment watching iCarly dubbed in Spanish or reading "Mountains Beyond Mountains".
Highlights: The highlight of my volunteer experience was attending the graduations in August where the kids all did special dances and songs and the four year olds said goodbye (because they were moving on to kinder). For me, it was especially touching because a few of the kids in my class were graduating, and I was sad to see them go. It was a wonderful time of celebration with the kids, moms, teachers and volunteers—reflecting on the past year and giving thanks for Donna and Miguel for creating such a beautiful place!
The highlight of my overall experience was having my parents visit me for my last week in San Miguel. They got to meet the kids, the moms, the staff and other volunteers. They saw me speaking Spanish fluently and I was able to act as a tour guide, showing them a markets, bakeries, restaurants, art galleries, parks and cathedrals.