Interview with a Volunteer: Line Lacasse

Volunteer Interview 

Line Lacasse

Province of Quebec, Canada

Occupational Therapist 

Q: How did you find Seeds of Hope:

A: Through an Internet Agency / HorizonCosmopolite

Q: Why did you select South America for your travels?

A:  I always wanted to travel to South America and get to know people on a more personal an involved scale rather than only meeting fellow travelers. Most of all, I wanted to work with children. 

Q: What inspired your desire to volunteer?

A: I volunteered with an organization in Canada that works with impoverished families who have children under the age of five. Working with this organization for five years, I saw first hand how critical it is to work children & establish helpful learning tools so they can prosper as adults.

I desired the opportunity to spend time with people from Peru and get to know their daily life, their culture from their point of view. I wanted to be of some help to this school. I enjoy very much children's company and I believe we can have fun. My spanish was very basic but I saw this experience as a great motivation to study and practice it more.

Q: How long are you traveling through South America?

A: Four months total. I needed to learn Spanish first, so I studied Spanish in Ecuador for 5 weeks while living with Ecuadorian Families. I spent a total of 9 weeks in Peru. 7 of those weeks were spent volunteering with Seeds of Hope. Then I moved on to Bolivia.  

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself?

A:  I am a person who likes very much getting to know new people. I am french Canadian. I was born in a small village in the province of Québec. I enjoyed growing up in the country for the freedom it gave us kids. In those days we would play outside all day long, in the fields or the woods. Our parents wouldn’t worry. Everybody knew everybody.  The village was like a big family.  

I raised two sons, who are now 26 and 24 years old. My youngest son has two children - we are very close. Family is very important in my life, it's my treasure. It's what brings me the most joy in my life. Even if my sisters and brother don't live very close to me, we try to see each other as often as we can. 

Q: Where are you from?

A: Province of Quebec, Canada -  I live in a city of about 250,000 persons where many come from other countries. I work in Montreal, a multicultural city of more than a million persons, at about 20 minutes by car from home. I like the city for all the cultural activities it offers.

Q: What is your profession?

A: Occupational Therapist - my work is very important in my life. I have been working for more than thirty years with people who have mental health problem. I help them understand what's happening to them and deal with it so they can still have a good quality of life. I help them to stay independent, to have fulfilling and meaningful activities to do, to gain confidence into themselves, to go back to school or to work if they want to. I also help their family to understand what their children or member of their family is going through and deal with it. I work in a hospital but I also worked in community centers in the past. This is much more than a job, it's a rich human experience that helps me be a better person and make me be grateful everyday of what I have.

Q: What is one unique detail about yourself?

A: My passion is reading books - all sorts of books. I like theatre, movies and museums. I enjoy cooking, sowing, spending time with the people I love. 

Q: You seem to pick up languages quickly, how many languages do you speak?

A: My first language is Francias. I learned English in my 20's in Banff.  Working at Seeds was a nice way to learn a Spanish.

    

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