El Voluntario

The children call me ´profe´ for ´professor´ but to Magda they call me ´El Voluntario´.  (Genesey calls me ´Manuel´).  Some of the children have been asking Magda how come El Voluntario has not played with them.  So we make a mental list of the children that want to play with me and then I play with them at a later time.  Some like to draw, some love legos, others like puzzles.  Most like music but they want to play the guitar (instead of the other instruments on hand like bongos) but we only have two guitars.  I made a couple of videos of the children singing and ´playing´guitar but have had trouble posting them.  Keep in touch for the posting of these videos.  In the late afternoon there are these two boys that always get picked up last (no dad, mother has a stand at the mercado, son indiginos) and we play soccer until mom comes.

The children arrive at 7 am and play until 8 am when school starts.  I usually sleep until 7 or 7:30 depending on the noise level, shower, eat breakfast, and report for ´work´at 9 a.m.  This morning at 7 a girl knocked on my door wanting to play.  I was in my sleepwear so I did not open the door.  She told me later that she was the one knocking on my door.  We will play tomorrow.  

Yesterday in the afternoon there were the two boys (Carlos and ...) and two high school age girls that come here and help out with the kids.  Magda and her son Fredy were here too.  Everyone else had gone home.  I went out and bought half a tres leches cake and we sat around enjoying the cake.  You should have seen the kids´ eyes light up when I told them I was going to the panaderia and did they want any cake?

I helped the organization create their own blog.  It is at elbuensamaritanoantigua.blogspot.com  Pictured is former voluntar Erin from Canada and another voluntar from the Chech Republic.