On the gas-powered
stove, water is already boiled, and available for you to use in your morning
tea or oatmeal. If you prefer a heartier breakfast, the kitchen is available
for you to cook eggs, or anything else that your stomach desires. Outside of
the apartment, the street vendors are setting up their carts for the day, but
you can purchase a glass of quinoa porridge, or a slice of peeled fruit for S/.
1 (less than 50¢ USD) before their supplies dwindle.
At 8:50am, the
volunteers leave the volunteer apartment to begin the ten-minute stroll to the
center. If you choose to sleep late, you can purchase an egg sandwich (or a
slice of peeled fruit) on the way to the school for S/. 1 (less than 50¢ USD).
Upon arriving at
the school, you will help arrange the classrooms in preparation for the day’s
lesson (or homework help). Older students will trickle in one by one, and
attempt to engage you in tournaments of UNO! in a valiant attempt to distract
you from the academic advances that are planned for the day. After roughly
thirty minutes of recreo (during which the students arrive), students go to
their assigned classroom, where you will either help students with their
homework, or provide extra help for subjects such as reading or mathematics. Two
hours of homework help (or additional practice) will fly by, and soon enough,
it will be recreo time once more!
Following this
period of recreo, students will wash their hands, pray a short prayer
(remember, Peru is a Catholic country), and then you will distribute a nutritious
meal. After consuming their snack, the students will brush their teeth, and
help clean up the school before departing for the day.
By the time that
every student has left the school, it is noon-thirty, and your stomach is
growling. While walking back to the volunteer apartment, you can purchase a
small serving street food to tide over your stomach until you can either round
up another volunteer to accompany you to lunch at the market, or until you can
prepare a sandwich or something else easy for lunch. In Peru, lunch is
considered the most important meal of the day. Many restaurants (and market
stands) will offer a fixed two or three course menu for S/. 5 to S/. 7 (around
$2 USD). Once your stomach is satisfied, you will have about an hour of free
time to check social media, read, update your blog, or whatever other
activities you enjoy. Some volunteers choose to go to the gym; others prefer to
wander around the city in search of the perfect photograph; still others elect
to go shopping for dinner supplies (or purchase souvenirs at the local artisan
market).
Upon conclusion of
free time around 2:45pm, it is time to walk to the school once more. This ten
minute walk is accomplished rather quickly, which is a good thing, as several
younger students are already waiting for you at the entrance to the building!
Upon unlocking the door, the children will once more engage you in card games,
followed by homework help and supplemental lessons, then recreo. This group of
children is more rambunctious than the morning group; however, their energy is infectious!
Despite any communication issues that stem from speaking different languages,
volunteers frequently report smiling so much that their face hurts!
After serving a
nutritious meal to this group of younger students, the evening will be yours to
spend as you please. Generally speaking, the volunteers leave the school around
6:15pm, and return to the volunteer apartment to cook dinner (or frequent one of the local gringo hangouts for dinner). We recommend that you get a good night’s sleep, because tomorrow, you
get to do it all over again!
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