Our latest volunteer interview!

Name: Samuel Kilby
Nationality: UK
Age: 27
                  
How did you find out about La Esperanza?
I found out about La Esperanza by looking online for volunteering opportunities.  I was intrigued by the mission statement and I felt it was a project I could help. 
How long are you volunteering with La Esperanza? 
I've been here for 5 weeks and I have 3 weeks left. 

What is your current volunteer role? 
I'm working as a volunteer teacher in the 3rd grade at the school. I'm responsible for teaching mathematics and English but I've also taught some Spanish classes, sports and art. 

What has been your best experience working as a volunteer at La Esperanza so far?
It's hard to choose my favourite moment or best experience, every day is great. I love working with the kids and helping them to improve their self esteem. I love it when I show them something new and it helps them to understand something they didn't previously. However, my best best experience was on Christmas eve when we played games and danced all morning before we sat down to eat together. I really got the chance to know the kids properly on this day and it was amazing to be able to sit with them and speak in Spanish, something I never would have imagined myself doing. 

What has been your worst experience working as a volunteer at La Esperanza so far?
Hmmm worst experience, not really any bad experiences, only that it's been a bit tricky to teach recently with the noise of the building project taking place but I know that can't be helped.  

What do you like most about Nicaragua?
I love the life in Nicaragua, I love the diversity; the hustle and bustle of the market and the serenity of Volcan Mombacho, the packed buses and feeling like a sardine before arriving to a sunset over the lake. 

What do you like least about Nicaragua?
What I like less about Nicaragua is that some of the locals view us as walking ATMs and often want something for nothing. The issue is that we are rich in comparison to many people here, yet many of the volunteers have spent all their money to get here and they are not in a position to give handouts, we would rather give our time and effort than our money. However, this is a prevalent issue in many developing countries and there is no quick fix.

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