Hello from Lisa and Lachie in Colombia,
It is our 2nd week of activites this week and I am sweating while I write as it is HOT HOT HOT here, my Spanish has expanded to be able to say "muy callor!"
We were lucky with fresh beautiful weather in our first weeks but now it is hot and very humid, 80% or more. But it does indeed help to get in to the swing of Colombian life, layed back, no rushing and in the evenings it is mandatory to sit back in a cane rocking chair and watch the world go by.
Paulina and Isaiah's (son of Jose and Maria )
Our host's Jose Juan and Maria Fernandez
daughter Gabriella and Maggi, Jose's Mum
We have been up to a few different things, working with English schools doing lessons, primary schools doing english games with the children, also in a rehabilitation centre for children with disabilities and most importantly our Renew the Spirit art projects in the villages.
Our project in the 3 villages are based on the theme ‘Looking to the future” and we are trying to prompt the kids to look at themselves, what do I like about me, my strengths, dreams etc, secondly family and the home and also their communities. We are doing drawing, photography, games and my own personal favourite activity, working with clay!
We have been able to be shown around the villages in the activites and people are very intrigued by the two Gringo's. The villages are in the mountains on dirt roads and we have had to ride on the back of motorbikes which I have come to look forward to as whizzing by donkeys, cows and jungle is a pretty different experience on a bike than in a car.
We are hosting an '' Australia'' night on Saturday and it seems quite a professional gig, with a room booked in a hotel and a chef to make Australian food, which leads to the dilemma, what IS Australian food? They also want to know what our typical music is. So I think we will turn up the stereo and play some ACDC ''Thunderstruck'' for the middle class Colombians of Sincelejo!
So things are going well and hopefully this experience will lead to opportunities for others who are interested in volunteering in Colombia to come over in the future.
The money we raised in Bendigo has been so important and has payed for all the materials for the children and all the transport in and around the villages. So to anyone who at all helped out with these events thank you so much! You can feel safe in the knowledge that it is being well spent.
Lisa xx
