Doh, no one at home! It was such a mission to even find this joint we feel like that in itself was a small achievement. Although we were disappointed not to volunteer here (as we only have one opportunity left after this) we were feeling pretty tired (for no real reason) so the day off suited us just fine in the end!
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As we entered into the Chilean city of Temuco, we were pleased to discover how easy it was to locate the Salvation Army headquarters, as their big billboard sign on the side of the main road shone like a beacon amidst the sea of city signs, lights and noises. Email correspondence, our primary and preferred means of communication due to cost and our smattered Spanish (thank goodness for google translator) often is unsuccessful and we have made a habit of introducing ourselves to S.A. captains and majors the day before, giving them some time to deliberate on what kind of jobs they would like done.
The Temuco S.A. have a home for girls and we were simply asked to spend the afternoon with these children that range in ages from 6 to 14. Like previous volunteering experiences, we again did not know how the afternoon was going to unfold, and were just chucked into the mix. By and by things worked out in the end and before any doubts or stage fright could creep in, we had managed to teach and play a few games which seemed to break the ice. Before we knew it our time here had passed and we had kids clinging to us and begging us not to leave. Even now, Roland´s muscles feel a little tender (chalk this up to 16 months of unused upper body muscles) from all the carrying, swinging, lifting and playing with the kids. Attempting to share our time fairly amongst the little ones, we quickly learned that it would be much easier and enjoyable for some of the older children to use the camera. A good 100 or so pictures later and a second battery, we had some difficulty deciding which captured images should be published on the site and tried to get a range from both photographers and photographees. A special thanks to Major Antonio for coordinating our day and to the many hard working staff at the home. It was very obvious that the girls are very happy, full of life and are well looked after. No easy task at times we are sure. It's always a mission getting out of a large city; so to only do a short day leaving Santiago was 'A-OK' in our books. We'd heard rumours about a campground in a beautiful setting designed for Salvation Army events such as retreats, conferences, and church/school camps; so we wanted to check it out and lend a hand. However, the Captains had different ideas for us and instead we spent the afternoon in a log cabin reading, playing cards and catching up on some shut-eye. With the chirping birds, fragrant flowers and the sun shining, we couldn't have had a more peaceful afternoon together. A big thank you to The Salvation Army for welcoming us in and gifting us some 'R and R' time.
With a hop, skip and a jump we arrived in the neighbouring town of Rancagua. We made a beeline to The Salvation Army after having such a refreshing sleep the night before. This again was a 'day of firsts' as we learned how TSA supports the local community with a free daycare centre for 1-3 year old toddlers. Once we had passed the ooo's and ahhhh's that accompany such adorable little people we cracked into an afternoon of painting (surprise, surprise!) the front gate. With the sun beaming down we managed to throw on a few coats before the day was through. Captain Flores and her dedicated staff mind these children to allow the parents to work and to get ahead, in which much of their funds comes from the government. Once again, we are impressed with the diversity and quality of the services and support that TSA provides to any given community in need. On the advice of our trusted traveling companion, the Lonely Planet and the highly praised accounts of other touring cyclists, we took a bus to the nearby sea port city of Valparaiso (a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural site). This side trip did not disappoint. Along with having steep streets and passageways filled with interesting art we were pleased to discover a Salvation Army that has been a corner stone of the community for over a 100 years.
Captains Jorge and Patricia lead this site in which we were fortunate enough to get an extensive tour of the senior citizen's home they run. This is the first rest home we have seen that belongs to The Salvation Army and so it was very interesting for us. There are 40 elderly people that live here with numerous staff working hard and buzzing around the place. Roland spent some time with Captain Jorge cruising 'Valpos' streets picking up food donations for the centre. Otherwise, we spent the better part of the day delving through big bins of vegetables donated by local businesses in the community. It was surprising that even though the bean's shells looked terrible on the outside the majority of them where quite fine on the inside. It's great to see things not going to waste and also learning the surrounding communities are supporting The Salvation Army and their projects. We would like to thank the Captains and their children for making us welcome and sharing some meals together. This was our first experience of 'onces' which for us is like a formal afternoon tea. Quite delightful! Roland was rubbing his hands together with glee to learn of our task at The Salvation Army primary school next to Santiago's Central Division Headquarters. Our job was to remove a wall to make two small rooms into one giant room in preparation for expanding the school roll next year. This room is going to be their new computer room and so we were starting off the process of renovating it.
Although we had limited tools to work with, it was surprisingly easy to take it down but maybe that had something to do with Roland's skills at our disposable. After a few hours of solid work the wall was gone and our work done. Before we left we enjoyed a meal with the teachers and tried our best to decipher Chilean Spanish, which as it turns out is very difficult to understand. We would like to thank Majors Marcelo and Patricia for getting on board with our volunteer work and helping us organise volunteer work in other cities in Chile. |
Volunteer work with the Salvation Army
Part of what we wish to accomplish over the next year is not only the cycling, but also giving back to the communities which we will pass through. Archives
January 2011
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