Volunteer Abroad La Serena, Chile - A Broader View Volunteers

I volunteered to gain a better understanding of day to day Chilean life, improve my Spanish and learn traditional children songs and games. I achieved all three and will have a pen pal relationship between the nursery school in La Serena and my Spanish speaking pre-k in Minnesota

I wanted to thank A Broader View for your flexibility in letting me extend my stay in service. I am deeply grateful and I want to thank Lone for arranging my volunteership at the nursery school. It has been a valuable experience and I have formed lasting ties with the teachers there.

I volunteered to gain a better understanding of day to day Chilean life, improve my Spanish and learn traditional children songs and games. I achieved all three and will have a pen pal relationship between the nursery school in La Serena and my Spanish speaking pre-k in Minnesota I wanted to thank A Broader View for your flexibility in letting me extend my stay in service. I am deeply grateful and I want to thank Lone for arranging my volunteer-ship at the nursery school. It has been a valuable experience and I have formed lasting ties with the teachers there. Sincerely, Ana Louise Miranda.

Oftentimes when you tell people that you’re going to volunteer in an orphanage for several months their immediate response is to tell you what a good thing it is you’re doing, how lucky the kids are to have you there, how more people should do the same and devote their time to helping those in need. I have to say this has always bothered me, mostly because in all situations where I have volunteered with underprivileged children, including during my two months at the Hogar, I found that I was the lucky one. I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend so much time with such wonderful, beautiful children, and also with the amazing staff who have dedicated themselves to raising them. During my two months in Chile I have learned so much: how to change a diaper, all of the charming intricacies of Chilean Spanish, how to cook pollo al jugo (thanks to my host brother Cristian), the fastest way to walk to the centro, and so many more little things I will never forget. But most importantly that no matter where you go in the world, you will find people that—no matter what language they speak, no matter how they take their tea—are kind and loving and whose presence in your life, even in a fleeting moment of it, will inevitably and indelibly change it for the better. Gladys and her family were FANTASTIC! I felt at home with them right away. They are incredibly warm, kind, accommodating, and most importantly, present, people. I got the amazing opportunity to see Los Andes, Santiago, and Andacollo with them during my stay when they went to visit extended family in those locations. I always felt that I was treated not as a temporary house-guest, but really as part of the family. Cristian, Gladys’ 19-year-old son and I referred to each other as brother and sister. Coming from a close family at home with two younger brothers, having Gladys and Cristian really helped me feel comfortable during my three months in Chile. One of my favorite parts of Chilean culture is that when you integrate yourself into a family, you don’t only get the nuclear family, but all of the members of the extended family as well. Throughout my stay I was able to meet countless relatives and really feel like I was a part of this large, loving, wonderful family. The only suggestion I have for future housing of volunteers that that two volunteers with the same first language (especially if the proficiency in the second differs significantly) not be placed in the same house (without their explicit request or consent). One of the main reasons I had for coming to Chile was to improve my Spanish, and it is far more difficult to do that when you are living with another volunteer who not only keeps speaking in English to you while in the presence of the non-English-speaking host family members, but is unable to communicate with them in Spanish, therefore leaving you to have to translate for her at almost every interval. It is detrimental to the quality of the immersion of the volunteer with the greater proficiency in the host language, and does not force the volunteer with less proficiency to have to learn anything or improve language skills—basically, a lose-lose situation. In general, I think that the most important relationship a volunteer will have during his or her stay is with the host family, and having two volunteers in the same house at the same time really hinders that bond and dilutes the power of the immersion experience. The Hogar was wonderful. The women working at the project who I was with on a daily basis were kind, helpful, and enjoyable to be around. Angela, the woman who worked in the nursery I was in the mornings, was instructive, kind, and really great to talk to. I came to work in the orphanage to be able to spend time with children, but I got the added bonus of substantial relationships with the “teachers” in each classroom. at a project this size, it was nice to know everyone else’s name and have everyone know your name, something that would not be possible at a project of greater size. Having this sense of familiarity with the staff and with the children really augmented not only my comfort at the site but also the richness of my experience on the whole. It is key to remember that if you’re coming during the winter months (what would be summer in the Northern hemisphere) that you bring warm clothes to sleep in, because there is no central heating in the houses. Get used to wearing jackets inside. As for donations to the volunteer site, it is better to bring money with you and purchase things at the end for the project after you've seen what they need most throughout your time volunteering. Travel as much as you can, even if it’s just going along with your family on day trips to visit relatives. I got to see a lot more of Chile that way than I would have if I hadn't taken advantage of those opportunities. But my most important piece of advice relates to the best lesson I learned during my experience: try to live your time away without fear. Say yes to things, try new foods, go whenever your family offers to take you anywhere, spend as much time integrating yourself into your family as possible. You can walk away from this experience having spent time holed up your room at home and going through the motions at the volunteer site, or you can walk away with meaningful relationships, a deeper understanding of the host culture and a greater capacity for the language. It’s up to you, you just have to go out and get it. My favorite memory was not one particular moment necessarily, but having the privilege over the course of several months to watch the children in the orphanage grow. I worked with infants in the morning, ranging from a few days old to six months old, and being able to visibly see the developmental changes taking place in their lives was astonishing and moving. One of the babies, Vicente, did nothing but cry for his pacifier when I arrived, was not responsive to interaction, and did not yet possess any significant motor skills. I remember the unique and startling joy I experienced one day after a month and a half or so when I went to feed him in the morning—he smiled and gurgled as I greeted him, wrapped his tiny little hands around my fingers as I held the bottle to his mouth, and laughed with vigor when I tickled him after being changed. Getting to witness this distinct moment in a person’s life, where each day and each week brings about significant physical and mental growth, where each moment a personality is gradually beginning to form, was a breathtaking experience I’ll never forget.

I had an excellent experience working with this program in La Serena. When first arriving at the orphanage I was surprised at how much the children and tias immediately trusted us. It too some times for us to adjust to the way things were run especially since Sam and I did not have experience working with young kids. Though we knew it would be no means be an easy job working at the orphanage, we were definitely taken a back by some of things we saw. That being said this has been a life-changing experience and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.Throughout the past three weeks I have learned a great deal about the Chilean culture and about myself all while being able to contribute something to the wonderful kids and workers at the orphanage. My host family, Vilma, made me feel right at home and helped us to become familiar with the city. Pack clothes that you wont mind leaving as donations once you are done the project. Also take advantage of the tours such as Elqui and the Mamulluca Observatory.

During my volunteering in La Serena Chile, I lived with a nice familia. I was provided with my own small bedroom, which was very nice and cozy! I wasn't expecting to have much privacy, but I did. Also, the host family location was great made it very easy for me to go to the orphanage every day–only about a forty-minute walk, or 10 minute bike or 5 minute taxi.

This trip gave me the opportunity to find my calling in life, made stronger my core beliefs, and affect positive change in the world. But this trip wasn’t all about me–the seventy hours that I spent volunteering at the Orphanage made a change in the lives of others, too. I feel that my work, no matter how small, had the power to influence the Orphan children for the better! -

Highly recommended for those interested in later going into humanitarian work. The interactions and service learning are invaluable to what you will gain. interacting with the children is perfect for those like myself going into child and maternal health in graduate school. The best thing about the program is being able to play with the children .

On our first day at the orphanage, as we walked into one of the classes to be introduced to the other teachers, one of the children ran up to me (Martin) and hugged me, no questions asked. He just wanted a hug.

The orphanage is well organized, and they take very good care of the children. They’ve got lots of clothes and toys; they eat good, healthy food. It’s a very good environment for the children to ‘grow-up’ in if the parents are unable to take care of them.

A Spanish language barrier. We understand some Spanish, but we speak almost none. But even with said barrier, the teachers at the orphanage were always helpful and they tried to explain to us if we misunderstood something.

As you get to know the children and when you’ve been informed how and why they ended up in the orphanage, it just makes you realize what a huge responsibility it is to bring a child into this world. It’s the Mount Everest of responsibility. Another lesson learned is that love and care overcomes all barriers – race, creed or gender.

Travel with an extra toothbrush, a small toothpaste and some extra clothes in your carry-on luggage. Just in case your baggage is delayed. It would make the first day or two more comfortable. Learn at least a few basic Spanish phrases that are applicable to your ‘volunteering environment’ and that are applicable to daily live.

We were fortunate enough to be placed with a family that has accommodation for a ‘couple’. We lived on their premises in a room of our own separate room from the actual house where the family dwells. It was very nice, as it allowed us lots of freedom to move about the city doing our own thing in our spare time without ‘disrupting’ the family.

The family is extremely inviting, friendly, loving and caring. From day one we were never treated as guests, but rather we were treated as extended family. We were treated like royalty! It’s a very humbling experience when a family on a different continent, with different customs, with a different frame of reference opens their door to take you in – whole heartedly. Apart from the family’s warm welcome, they took really good care of our ‘basic necessities’. We received breakfast in the morning, lunch boxes for ‘school’ with bread and fruit and candy, and every evening dinner was a feast fit for a king! All round an absolute delight! We had a very short running joke with the family that went like this “Chileno = mucha comida’!

Furthermore, we’d like to thank Lone and Sarah for all their assistance throughout our adventure. From the start Sarah religiously replied to every question we had, she reassured and guided us around every corner and every uncertain gap. Lone picked us up at the airport with smiles, kisses and embraces and throughout our stay she checked in with us [and our family] regularly to see how we were doing. Both of them, in their own way were absolutely pleasant!

A MASSIVE thank you to everybody involved in making this trip possible for us! Thank you ABV!

My entire experience at La Serena is a favorite memory, starting with the time spent with my host family. Everyone in the family was extremely kind. They all made me feel welcome and like a member of the family. Despite being busy with their own lives, they always made sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed. They took me sightseeing, drove me to my volunteer locations, took me shopping, taught me Chilenismos, fed me a lot, and even taught me to make empanadas! They did so much for me – thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Work at both schools will also stay in my memory forever. Again, I was met with extreme kindness by all, including school staff and students. Daily, the kids received me with smiles and hugs, and when I finished my stay, I was given thank you/goodbye/que le vaya bien cards. I also learned a lot from them.
Overall, volunteering through ABV was both a language and culture exchange that I will never forget. I’m going to miss (echar de menos) everyone at La Serena. Thank you all!