Report by Lisa Zehnder
Although it was not easy for me to say goodbye to my loved ones, I boarded the plane to Peru on 05 July 22 with great anticipation.
Second use
After my first six-week volunteering assignment in 2017, I was again able to spend three months at Estación Esperanza. Although I have seen through the newsletters how the project has developed since 2017, I was impressed live on site by the diverse and creative programs that are now offered by the staff at Estación Esperanza. The team welcomed and received me very warmly and I quickly felt integrated. Also, everyone showed patience every now and then when I didn’t understand something even after the third repetition because it was going too fast for me.
Tasks and bus
During my time in Ventanilla I had a more or less fixed weekly schedule, whereby my tasks were very varied: I was allowed to work in the kindergarten, gave tutoring and English lessons, helped with the various children’s programs, organized a meeting for teen girls from time to time, looked after the children of the Estación Esperanza families or was allowed to accompany someone from the team on home visits.
Not all of the tasks suited me equally well, but I learned that sometimes it pays to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Among other things, I was able to experience this when it came to driving: At the beginning, I almost didn’t dare to take the bus from Estación Esperanza to the Peruvian streets, but at the end of my volunteering I was able to drive through the traffic with more self-confidence and (almost) without being nervous (and also the Peruvian horn concert made more sense to me at some point).
Social Worker
In addition to the regular weekly schedule, I was also able to participate in some special events. These included the youth weekend and the children’s week. As a meanwhile trained social worker, I was especially pleased that I could apply my (counseling) knowledge from time to time.
I especially remember a 9-year-old girl who has very difficult family circumstances and with whom I regularly sat down to develop strategies for everyday life.
3 months
The three months at Estación Esperanza flew by and it was hard for me to leave behind the good relationships that I was able to build up with some of the children, young people and the team in a relatively short time. During my stay I became aware again of the abundance we live in Switzerland and that one could actually get along with less. I also learned to be a little more flexible when things don’t work out as planned and to trust that things will work out somehow.
A sentence that the pastor at the youth camp passed on to the young people accompanied me strongly during my time in Peru and still accompanies me now. He said then that service is a privilege.
My time in Peru, despite all the beauty, was also strict and not always easy. But especially in difficult moments, I always remembered that I can serve other people during my mission and pass on something of myself to the children, young people and adults, which always filled me with joy and new strength.
What do I take with me
Relationships I was able to build in a short time (with the youth, children, team, team kids), was difficult to say goodbye, sentence from youth camp (serving is a privilege), privileged here in Switzerland and you can get by with less, approach problems a little more calmly, get out of my comfort zone, flexibility when something doesn’t work out as planned.
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