Our latest volunteer interview!
Name: Samuel Kilby
Nationality: UK
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.
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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