Volunteer Work!

After Dustin left, I hopped on a bus to join a group of students from Santiago's Universidad Catolica who were doing a volunteer project in southern Chile. The project was in a rural area outside of a town called Galvarino, north of Temuco. The project was to run a day camp for the students and to build a jungle gym. We ended up having a really good time and becoming really good friends!



Me (on the right) and another university student Gabi (on the far left) after doing a treasure hunt with the kids.











This is the group of us (there were seven in total) painting the side of the school.















Us goofing around - er, working....














One of the last nights, we made a campfire and they played the guitar. So many people here play the guitar, and they all know so many songs, including a lot more American pop and rock songs than I do!










As a good-bye present to us, the community (which is part of the Chilean indigenous Mapuche tribe) had a party for us where they taught us some traditional dances and songs. This is all of us dancing (the university students and the community members). I'm in the back with the blue sweatshirt, behind the woman with the pink blouse. This was one of the highlights of the trip!







Us with the community members in front of the play structure we built. We ended up building a tire swing, a bar to play on, a play structure with 2 swings and a slide, and two see-saws. The kids were so happy to have a real playground!










Our first day back in "civilization" after the project... actually, the town that we're in here is still only 3,000 people, but compared to the rural school, it felt like a metropolis. We're relaxing in the town square, called the Plaza de Armas.











Back in Santiago, laden down with our stuff and sad to be done with the project, although excited at the prospect of sleeping on a real bed after spending all night on a bus and the previous two weeks with only ice-cold showers and sleeping on a hard-wood floor!

Everyone was so sad to be done that the next day we all got together and had lunch together... our first "Voluntarios Trabajando Reunion"!