Traveling from Quito to Calderon, a city of approximately 200,000, took only about 20 minutes and offered a panaramic view of the Andes. The center is in two facilities, one that is adjacent to the large fresh produce market in Calderon, the other about 2 miles away.
The day was very full, but working with the very efficient teachers proved to run very smoothly.
The nine volunteers entered the center and were thrilled when these beautiful children smiled shyly at us and greeted us with their sweet, ¨Buenos Dias.¨ I volunteered to work in the art room, but soon found myself in my default mode of singing songs. What better way to break the language barrier than with a rousing round of If You´re Happy and You Know It! This, as it turned out was familiar to the children, although they know it in Spanish. We sang it first in English, then Spanish.
Amazing how music seems to unite our big world. Soon, we were assisting with more art projects and I learned some additional Spanish words....papel, crayones, ETC. Refreshing to know that children are pretty much the same everywhere. There were many hugs and smiles and I am mucho happy!
Joann:
ReplyDeleteHave you had any problems with adjusting to altitude?
Tell us more about the reasons for the children being in an orphanage. So anxious to hear more about your work.Jim's name on this computer account, sorry, it's Nancy.