Returning to Canada

It has been a whirl wind experience of highs and lows, growth and change. It is finally time to say goodbye to Peru and each other so that we can return to Canada and our regular routines. For many of the participants this trip has been a completely new experience that has helped them to better understand how diverse the world is and what poverty looks like.

When I attended my first Solidarity in Action trip in August 2011, I had never travelled outside of North America so I had little understanding of how drastically different the rest of the world can be from North America. It was a shock for me to see how the large populations of poor people lived and to see the different state of the infrastructure. It was an eye-opening experience for me that was truly transformative but it made it very hard for me to come back home and return to my old routine. What I am trying to say is in my experience the culture shock that participants experience during the trip is most severe when returning home.

When I went on my first trip I experienced quite extreme culture shock upon my return to Canada. I was very emotional and I began to withdraw from hanging out with friends and family. I think this was due to the lack of understanding that friends and family had about the experience. I didn´t realise at the time that they had not experienced what I had so therefore it would be impossible for them to be as passionate as I was or truly understand what I was feeling. It is important for participants to remember that family and friends are there for them and they are trying to help them with the reintegration process but they have not experienced what the participants have so they can not be expected to ask all the ¨right¨ questions that participants may want them to. On the side of friends and family of participants they must be patient and cognizant of the process that the participants are undergoing. It is a good idea to research more into understanding culture shock because it affects everyone differently and lasts for different durations of time.

Things for participants to remember… you have a huge support system of 30 plus people to talk to if you are having any issues. Make sure to try to maintain the friendships that you created in Peru because they will be very rewarding relationships.

Alex Carson

Alex on May 5th

Chris and Jess on May 5 presenting their part of the song that we eventually presented to the community.

Nicki and trip leader Julie are enjoying the mother´s day preformance at Laura Alva on May 10th.

Last Day in Peru

Written May 14

Yesterday the participants experienced one of the most amazing man-made creations, Machu Picchu. It is located in the lush mountains just outside the small village of Aguas Calientes. It is such a remote place that there is little road access to this area so it was necessary to take a train. The ride in was picturesque. The train had large windows along the sides and many windows along the roof. It was a great opportunity for participants to relax and enjoy their last big group activity together. Jess Manente shared, “it was a beautiful train ride it definitely contributed to an overall amazing day. It was an incredible experience seeing Machu Picchu! It is like nothing I have ever seen before. I can`t imagine how humans managed to create such an imposing and magnificent settlement with no modern assistance and in such a remote area.“

Many friendship have been forged over the last week and a half. I think many of them will prosper and grow well after this trip is over. An unlikely group of individuals were brought together over an interest in bettering themselves, the world they live in and to better understand it. Due to the large size of our group I think it really helped to debut a broad range of viewpoints and backgrounds which contributed to diverse responses to evening discussion questions.

For the majority of participants it was their first time attending a trip like Solidarity in Action or seeing severe and widespread poverty. I think there were many challenges that were successfully overcome and much personal growth has occurred. I think many of the changes won´t be noticeable until after returning to Canada.

Sarah Szabo had no previous experience working with people who have disabilities but this week she decided to take this opportunity to try working with children who have disabilities. She attended the Laura Alva placement which is a school for children with disabilities. By the end of the week you could see that after visiting this placement a couple of times Sarah´s confidence in her ability to work with children who have special needs has already grown immensely. I think her experience will translate into an increased interest in seeking out opportunities to work with children who have disabilities once she returns to Canada.

The overall experience of this trip has been amazing. This is the third Solidarity in Action trip that I have attended in three years and by far the group of participants that we had this year was the most friendly, loving and cohesive. I am excited to see what kind of changes and growth this trip has inspired in the participants when they get back to Canada. I am expecting great things from this group of inspired individuals. As participant Mansi Parasher philosophized, “The more you let go, the more you find yourself.“ These are words that I feel are very appropriate to describe many of the participants who came to the program with an open mind, gave there all,were willing entertain a variety of different views and therefore received a lot of personal growth in return.

Alex Carson

Sarah painting with a student from Laura Alva on May 7th.

The group at Machu Picchu on Monday.

Photo Highlights: Peru May 2013

This gallery contains 27 photos.

A Celebratory Day

It was the last day of placements today which was very emotional. It has been a great week of placements and I think everyone has learned and grown from the experience. Here are some quotes from participants about their experience this past week.

“I made a strong connection with Mistro, the leader of construction. Its amazing how you could not speak a word of Spanish and still understand what he wants. Its a unreal experience that you can be from two different places in the world and still have a connection like no other.”

-Mykal Tournidis

“It was an indescribable feeling seeing these kids who have disabilities and have the ability to make you smile without a cause.”

-Arslan Chaudhary

“I think it was a really good experience because we have gotten to connect with people who have the same values as us. We all want to help people who are in need. It has been really enlightening because we come from wealthy places and to see the poverty in Pacifico De Villa and surrounding areas.”

-Victoria Chow

The participants in from of the wall they worked on today

A group photo at the fountain park this evening

Arslan and a student from Laura Alva.

Changing Perceptions

Today I returned to Laura Alva, a special needs school and Cristo Rey, a private school. The majority of the people who volunteered today had no previous experience working with people who have disabilities. This made for a very interesting and enlightening experience. Amy De Silva shared that, “It was my favourite placement. I loved playing outside with the students. They were full of enthusiasm and excitement. Everyone was so kind, it was such a heartwarming experience!” Nicole  Filipek said that her experience at “Laura Alva definitely put me out of my comfort zone but as the day went on I found myself discovering what made each child so amazing. Such a heartwarming and special experience.” It has been great to see the changes in participants throughout the week. I think the most poignant change has been in the case of Laura Alva. At the beginning of the week it was a huge struggle to get people to attend the Laura Alva placement but I am happy to report that everyone who attended it has loved it so much so that almost 50% of the participants want to do back tomorrow for their last day of placements. It is so great to see the change in the participants feelings toward Laura Alva and to see that so many people now have experience working with people who have disabilities.

In the afternoon we attended Cristo Rey and helped to work on the students English. Brian Holland stated “I especially loved it because how appreciative the students were. What they said on the way out and the look on their face of overall gratitude. It was nice feeling that we were really appreciated and wanted.”

This evening we had members from Pacifico De Villa, students from Cristo Rey and members of the SIA Peru team come to the retreat house for dinner and some great conversation. It turned out to be an emotional experience for some participants who felt overwhelmed with gratitude toward all the aforementioned people and about the transformational experience that is SIA Peru May 2013.

Tomorrow is our last day of placements so it will be a sad day but also joyous because the finishing touches will be put on the room that has been built as an addition at the daycare in Pacifico De Villa and there will be many Mother’s Day celebrations. Mother’s Day is a hugely celebrated in Peru so all the placements will be presenting something, in celebration. I think this has been an unforgettable experience for all participants and many have expressed sadness about having to leave the placements but Machu Picchu and Cuzco are just around the corner and they will offer entirely different but great experiences.

Alex Carson

Darcee with two boys from Laura Alva today.

 

Brad at Laura Alva this morning.

Larry and two women from Pacifico De Villa at dinner tonight.

An Eye Opening Experience

In the morning I went to Juan Pablo II. It is a public school that many of the children who live in Pacifico De Villa attend. The participants were split into pairs and given a classroom of 20-30 students. They taught the 5 W’s and how, some basic question phrases and how to say the time in English. Many of the participants struggled with there first class because they had no previous teaching experience but by the time they taught their second class things went smoother. Katie Moore said, “I have never taught before so it was a little bit challenging with the addition of a language barrier but the students were really enthusiastic to try new things.” Jared Eidt also shared that “It was good to see how excited the staff and students were to have us teaching English. It made me feel like a celebrity when all the students swarmed us and asked for our autographs.” Teaching at Juan Pablo II was a unique experience for many participants but by the end of the day they had learned a lot.

The afternoon and morning was especially difficult for some of the participants who were involve with the health campaign. The campaign required participants to collect data that will later be analyze to assess hygiene in Pacifico De Villa and what can be done to improve it. We collected the data by touring houses and taking photos and notes of what we saw.  This afforded many participants the opportunity to view members of Pacifico De Villa’s houses but it was hard to comprehend how some of the community members could live in such a way. Many of the houses did not even have basic things like a shower, seperate bedrooms, privacy and a bathroom that is inside the house. I talked to Darcee Carnes, Erica Matthews and Madison Scott about there experience today and here is what they had to say:

“It was a very heavy morning but it was something that I needed to see. Its one thing seeing the shanty town from the outside but seeing the inside and how much worse it was in some of the homes was just shocking. Though it was very discouraging to know and see that people live like that it showed me that even the smallest things will help them and change their lives in big ways. I can’t even express how shocking and upsetting it was and I hope the best for the community.”

-Darcee Carnes

“It was incredible the difference between houses that were side by side. One had running water and the other didn’t. It was shocking to see the difference. I felt bad because [the home owners] were embarrassed.”

-Erica Matthews

“It was breathtaking but not in a good way. It was definitely emotional and its something you have to experience to understand.”

-Madison Scott

I think the experience of seeing the inside of the houses will be one that stays with the participants forever. It was eye opening to see how truly lucky we are to live in a country where even the poorest people do not live like some of people we saw today.

Alex Carson

Trip leader Julie Ingriselli signing some autographs at Juan Pablo II

Katie working with student during her first class of the day at Juan Pablo II.

Jared teaching the students of Juan Pablo II the 5 W’s.

 

Hazlo con Amor

The placements that I attended today were Laura Alva and Cristo Rey. We attended Laura Alva in the morning and Cristo Rey in the afternoon.  Laura Alva is a school for children with all sorts of disabilities and Cristo Rey is a private school in Chorrillos. At Laura Alva we were divided into groups of two and in these pairs we were assigned to a classroom where we would act as assistants to the teacher. At Cristo Rey we ran an after school English program. The program is designed to improve all levels of English abilities through basic English lessons, playing English games and providing an opportunity for students to engage in conversations in English.

Many of the participants who attended Laura Alva had little to no experience working with children who have disabilities. This made it even more exciting when all the participants who went today reported that they had a great time. Reaghan Niell said that the “experience helped me to have more confidence in my abilities to work with children who have disabilities. I have previously worked with adults [who have disabilities] but it was great learning more about working with children who have disabilities. I had a great time!” The kids at Laura Alva had a strong impact on Sarah Szabo who had never previously worked with children with special needs. Sarah said that, “It was my favourite day so far and I loved how happy the kids were. I am hoping to return to Laura Alva for tomorrow’s placement.”

A couple participants had strong connections with a student from Laura Alva. Meghan­ Domenico connected with a student from Laura Alva who was not even in her assigned class. His name was Frank and he was around 10 years old. He had been very quiet and reserved during the entire day but when he saw Meghan he lit up and began to climb all over her and sat with her. It was great to see that without even speaking two people from very different places could connect in such a way.  Another profound connection was between Chris Todd and Juan Carlos, a student from Laura Alva. Chris had no previous experience working with people who have disabilities but he decided to take this opportunity to gain some and he ended up making a connection with Juan Carlos. Juan Carlos is a very shy kid who usually does not speak to people but he was drawn to Chris and Chris likewise. They began trying to work on Juan Carlos English because he expressed an interest in learning some phrases. Chris has thus far been able to teach him “Hello,” “Goodbye,” “How are you” and “My name is.” It seems that Chris has been enlightened by his experience working with children from Laura Alva. He shared that “the simplest things can change someone’s day” and that it all “starts with a smile.” Chris said that in his experience “You either sit their awkwardly or jump right in. Speaking English [to the students of Laura Alva] they can catch your tone and they feel more comfortable.”

This afternoon at Cristo Rey, we were once again divided into groups of two to teach the students who have varying levels of English ability. It was a challenging placement for many of the participants who had to think on their feet of ways to engage all the students but still have a fun and educational class. Meghan Domenico shared that “It was a very rewarding placement because although we struggled to create a lesson and explain it to the students we were still able to see a small improvement by the end of our two hour session with them. It was amazing to see how appreciative they were of us. Even if they didn’t understand what was going on they still tried very hard to try and understand.”

It was another very successful day of placements that presented many challenges to participants but also many successes and unforgettable experiences. Several learning opportunities have taken place and we all continue to grow and change to become more aware and diverse. This evening the participants heard a speech from Ricardo, a teacher at Cristo Rey. He has been involved with SIA since 2011 and continues to be a great asset. Ricardo spoke about the importance of each one of us, in each of our careers, to truly do everything with love.  Ricardo is an inspiration to all of us. He has left each of us with something to think about.

Tomorrow will be the third day of placements and I am sure it will bring many more new and exciting experiences for participants.

“Whatever you do in life, do it well and do it with love.”

Hazlo con Amor (Do it with love)

Alex Carson

Reaghan painting with the students of Laura Alva.

Frank, the student that Meghan connected with from Laura Alva.

Chris and Juan Carlos.

Ricardo’s inspirational speech