This year with Aldeas de paz

I worked in the Casa de los ninos school for one year. Mainly, I assisted Kari , the English teacher of the 5 to 9 year old children. Besides playing games, explaining little grammatic tasks, such as the “s” in the 3rd form Singular or how to form the plural of different words, and be there for questions, one of my main tasks was to create new games and learn material. For me, it was very lovely to see the children play with my games and having fun. Also the working climate was very pleasant and I had a good relation to all the other teachers, who are all very nice and good colleagues. I had the feeling of being able to choose my own focus of what I wanted to do while I was in school, which is another positive aspect about my year in this institution. That way, we could choose what our workshops in the afternoon would look like and which topics we would like to concentrate on.

About the Organization Aldeas de Paz, I like that from the very beginning the coordinators were there for us, and we could express any concerns given. Our housing is very enjoyable and I like the fact that our volunteers come from different countries and work, live and enjoy our freetime together. On the other hand I think it would be good if it was a rule to have a certain level of Spanish knowledge. I know that I also came here with a very basic level, but I was very focused on learning the language, and when I reflect that year now, I come to the conclusion that a basic level of Spanish plus the will to learn more should be a precondition to come here, especially when volunteers stay only for a short time. That would lead our work to be serving more for the community then for the personal enjoyment.