La Mariposa Sobre El Mar... The Butterfly About the Sea

La Mariposa Sobre Del Mar… The Butterfly About the Sea

I have always wanted to live in a Spanish speaking country and either work or study. In college I had dreams of studying abroad. After graduation, I longed to move to Spain or South America to teach English. Four years passed by, and neither had come to fruition. Then last year, I found myself completely stressed out at my job in New York, pondering the possibility of moving abroad. As I sat in my cubicle day in and day out, I thought to myself, do I want to carry this stress into 2011? The answer was no. I realized this was the time to get out and do something great...

I was first introduced to Honduras Children through my good friend, Michelle, who participated in the program last year. When she told me she was going to Central America to work with kids, it sparked a fire within me to do the same. As I followed her journey working in the kinder in El Porvenir, my desire to apply to the program grew stronger. I started researching Honduras, and found that El Porvenir is a small town located on the north shore of Honduras, which is right along the coast of the Caribbean Sea. The need for volunteers to work with children in this community is astronomical as there are many teacher strikes throughout the school year. These strikes can last for up to 3 to 4 months at a time, where schools will only be in session for about a quarter of the year. In addition, like many third-world countries, the education system is very poor, and often corrupt. I also found that many of the families in this town consist of a sole grandmother, who is responsible for raising 10 or more grandchildren. Many of the children’s parents have either left the town to make money for the family, or cannot provide for the children themselves, so they leave them in the care of the grandmother.

Once I applied to the program, I met with Eve, the Program Coordinator, who explained the program in more detail. We discussed the multiple programs that Honduras Children supports, the roles and responsibilities of the volunteers, and the culture of El Porvenir. A month later, I was accepted into the program and assigned to work in SOS, an orphanage in a nearby town called El Pino. SOS is a European based organization operating multiple orphanages around the world. They use a model where the children are assigned to a “mother” and in essence form a “family unit.” The children have “brothers” and “sisters” and share a home with their assigned “mother” through their time at the orphanage. Once the children reach adulthood the orphanage works to place them into college or the work force.

Two Girls from SOS

Boys Playing on the Swings at SOS

So on January 21st, with my New York job behind me, and SOS in front of me, I set out to embark on this adventure. This is not only an adventure, it is a journey. I hope to open my eyes to a new culture, observing how a different part of the world lives. Not only am I here to teach, but also to learn. Let this experience morph me into a better person, and positively influence those around me into better people as well.

Thanks for reading!

For more information on Honduras Children and SOS, click on the links.

Hasta lluego!

The Beach at El Porvenir