Hola a todos. Como estan?
I want to start off with a confession... I'm an 'arepa' addict! These corn tortillas are common in Colombia and Venezuela. The ones with cheese are the best and when they are hot and goey they are to die for! I'm almost always willing to pay the 50 cents for an arepa when I see them on the grill as I walk down the street. Anyways, next topic... my mouth is watering.
The last few weeks I've been helping out a lot in the mini library they have at the YMCA. We've been sorting through, recycling and categorizing a ton of books. Today we finally finished! The kids use the library (mostly the encyclopedias) for their homework. I've also been in the office lately, filing documents in the children's folders.
Today was the 4th time I went to 'Centro de Escucha' (where we meet with homeless people). Usually I just help hand out the crackers and 'agua panela' (a hot drink made of honey and water) and talk. There usually is a workshop too of painting or drawing. In 2 weeks it's the one year anniversary of 'Centro de Escucha' and there's going to be a big celebration with food, drinks, presentations and some free services (like hair cuts, etc).
I also got to go on a mini tour with one of the social workers. She showed me the Club Piscina a few blocks from the YMCA. The 'Piscina' is a famous brothel in Bogota and is more expensive than the prostitutes you see on the street. Apparently, if the people there notice a car driving by more than once they will start to throw rocks at the car!
A couple days ago I had the priviledge of hearing one of the volunteer's testimony. The lady's name is Soraida. I've been working with her a lot in the library, with the little kids and in the sewing room. One day as we were sewing together I decided it'd be a good time to ask her some questions. Apparently, she used to be a substance-abusing prositute that would beat her kids. She lived in a brothel with her children. I'm not exactly sure why, but one day she took her kids to the YMCA. That happened about 2 years ago and now she's a Christian, doesn't do drugs, and sews and crochets purses for a living. She still has the fear of going back to drugs and her eldest daughter is in a bad situtation, but she is pushing forward. I asked her about her childhood and it explained a lot. She was abandoned by her parents at a really young age and left with her grandparents. Her grandparents, uncle, etc would beat her as well. To be honest, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she was sexually abused too.
However, God has changed her! I love seeing her work so hard and yet trust in God. Her life really is a testimony to God's love and power.
I hope you enjoyed another episode of 'the Life of Anna!'
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Working in "La Olla"
Buenas. How's it going? I'm doing really good... enjoying my practicum a lot so far.
For the month of June I'm volunteering at a YMCA here in Bogota... but as you'll see, it is not exactly a fancy swimming pool!
Everyday (Monday to Saturday) I leave the house at 6AM to get to work at 8AM. The area where I volunteer is called Santa Fe and is known for the transvestite prostitutes that are on every corner. I don't get home until 6PM.
My first day, I got to help a 12-year-old girl with her math homework. Her name is Camila and she has 8 siblings. The sad thing is that she has to do subtraction with borrowing and she has difficulty reading the numbers and counting. I made flashcards from 1 to 9 so she could tell me the number and show me the number with her fingers.
The next day I got to go to a park called Plaza Espana and give out hot chocolate and crackers to homeless people and talk with them. I met the sweetest old black man named Aspacio that is from another city called Cali. He used to work on a coffee farm near Cali, but there was an earthquake that destroyed the farm. He went looking for work and ended up on the streets of Bogota because he hasn't found work and drinks occasionally. I talked to him a little about God and he says he wants to know Him. He said he can't read without his glasses so I think I'll bring my Bible next Wednesday to read it to him. It was also really cool because before I could ask if I could pray for him he asked me.
In the afternoon I helped a 5-year-old boy make a hemp bracelet... good thing I practiced in class during the lecture phase... it got a little boring at times!
Today I got to do a home visit with a social worker. We walked to the neighbourhood La Favorita and went through an "Olla," which is a place where drugs are openly sold (apparently they hide the drugs under the tiles of the sidewalk). This neighbourhood has every type of problem: female prostitutes, consumption of drugs and alcohol, people living on the street, refugees from the countryside, gangs and "inclinatos." Inclinatos are buildings where many families live. Each family has only one room and they all share a bathroom. They pay per day and apparently a lot of abuse goes on inside.
The girl we visited lives in an inclinato, but is doing really good in school. However, her mother is a prostitute and they live in really poor conditions. One of the things that most concerns the social worker is that the girl is given a ride to a church where the pastor is probably an abuser. He is homosexual and only drives her and another boy to their homes. She doesn't return until 9 at night and is told not to go to any other church. We want her to go to a different church and the social worker had the idea of me leading some sort of group where they learn about God. Pray that the opportunity would come so I can meet the kids' spiritual needs.
Then for the rest of the morning I got to learn to sew by hand (including various types of stitches). In the afternoon I read books to the really young kids and helped wrap mini gift bags.
On the way home, I saw an Indigenous lady and her child begging for money. Since I didn't have any small change I sadly walked by. However, I thought about my friend Ericka. She is an American that is doing the school with me and is always thinking of how to bless others. So I imagined what she would do and decided to go buy an "arepa" (like a corn tortilla) and bring it to her. Sometimes it's easier to just walk by, but when you stop to help you are showing the love of God and blessing another.
Thanks for reading another update. Dios les bendiga.
For the month of June I'm volunteering at a YMCA here in Bogota... but as you'll see, it is not exactly a fancy swimming pool!
Everyday (Monday to Saturday) I leave the house at 6AM to get to work at 8AM. The area where I volunteer is called Santa Fe and is known for the transvestite prostitutes that are on every corner. I don't get home until 6PM.
My first day, I got to help a 12-year-old girl with her math homework. Her name is Camila and she has 8 siblings. The sad thing is that she has to do subtraction with borrowing and she has difficulty reading the numbers and counting. I made flashcards from 1 to 9 so she could tell me the number and show me the number with her fingers.
The next day I got to go to a park called Plaza Espana and give out hot chocolate and crackers to homeless people and talk with them. I met the sweetest old black man named Aspacio that is from another city called Cali. He used to work on a coffee farm near Cali, but there was an earthquake that destroyed the farm. He went looking for work and ended up on the streets of Bogota because he hasn't found work and drinks occasionally. I talked to him a little about God and he says he wants to know Him. He said he can't read without his glasses so I think I'll bring my Bible next Wednesday to read it to him. It was also really cool because before I could ask if I could pray for him he asked me.
In the afternoon I helped a 5-year-old boy make a hemp bracelet... good thing I practiced in class during the lecture phase... it got a little boring at times!
Today I got to do a home visit with a social worker. We walked to the neighbourhood La Favorita and went through an "Olla," which is a place where drugs are openly sold (apparently they hide the drugs under the tiles of the sidewalk). This neighbourhood has every type of problem: female prostitutes, consumption of drugs and alcohol, people living on the street, refugees from the countryside, gangs and "inclinatos." Inclinatos are buildings where many families live. Each family has only one room and they all share a bathroom. They pay per day and apparently a lot of abuse goes on inside.
The girl we visited lives in an inclinato, but is doing really good in school. However, her mother is a prostitute and they live in really poor conditions. One of the things that most concerns the social worker is that the girl is given a ride to a church where the pastor is probably an abuser. He is homosexual and only drives her and another boy to their homes. She doesn't return until 9 at night and is told not to go to any other church. We want her to go to a different church and the social worker had the idea of me leading some sort of group where they learn about God. Pray that the opportunity would come so I can meet the kids' spiritual needs.
Then for the rest of the morning I got to learn to sew by hand (including various types of stitches). In the afternoon I read books to the really young kids and helped wrap mini gift bags.
On the way home, I saw an Indigenous lady and her child begging for money. Since I didn't have any small change I sadly walked by. However, I thought about my friend Ericka. She is an American that is doing the school with me and is always thinking of how to bless others. So I imagined what she would do and decided to go buy an "arepa" (like a corn tortilla) and bring it to her. Sometimes it's easier to just walk by, but when you stop to help you are showing the love of God and blessing another.
Thanks for reading another update. Dios les bendiga.
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