New Year, New Challenges. New Family.

Finally, right? Don't worry... haven't forgotten about you all yet! Amigos slow pace somehow is also very fast paced… its hard to sit down with all that is going on around you and reflect. But here goes nothing…

The year 2014 ended beautifully here at Amigos de Jesus with both a Christmas and New Years Celebration. The children were so happy! Thanks to everyone both in the US and here in Honduras, the children received wonderful new clothes, shoes and toys on the Epiphany! So, thank you!

Although it was difficult being away from my family during the holidays, the energy and love that was present here at Amigos made me feel as though I was a part of their family. Family is a theme that presents itself often here at the hogar. Everyone here is family. Although at times, we may get on each other’s nerves, in the end we know that we all support one another. The kids rely on one another to get through the day.

Recently, we’ve undergone dormitory change in which families are housed under the same room. Before the children were separated by age and sex. I cannot express how awesome this change was! It is beautiful to see 4 and 6 year old Cecilio and Cleo, respectively, housed under the same roof as their bigger sister Arcadia, who they look up to. Everyday I see the bigger kids, like Arcadia, helping out the smaller ones with their laundry and chores. I have no doubt that this change will cultivate stronger family units and bonding within dormitories.

The Cutest Family... Ever.  (Arcadia, Cleo and Cecilio)*

 

 

To say that I feel like I’m a part of this family is an understatement. Everyone who passes through Amigos deems it as a “sacred ground” where Jesus is present. Many, if not all, of these children have touched my heart in one-way or another. Call it the constant poking, harassment or their foreign concept of personal space. Touch is their love language. They want to be held, hugged and known they are loved. Before I arrived here I Amigos, I hated being touched. I hated hugs. I hated high fives. Really, I just hated anything that invaded my personal bubble. Weird, right? Being here for about 6 months has changed that completely.  I can’t imagine going a day without a hug where Jessica hurls herself at me or that I’m attacked from the back at dinnertime by Erick's hug. Or even some gut wrenching hugs from Virgilio. This is their way of displaying love. Blame it on the Latin American culture, their upbringing or just their personality. Hugs are a huge part of the culture here at Amigos de Jesus. It the children's way of showing that you are a part of their family. I am very blessed to have received the opportunity to be a part of this beautiful family that just keeps growing.

Some loving hugs from Kinder (pre-school)

I’m giving you a chance to be a part of our family! There’s still time to donate to my service year at Amigos de Jesus:

1.     Donate via: http://www.amigosdejesus.org/index.php/how-to-help/make-a-donation

OR

2.     Mail a check to:

Amigos de Jesús
126 Woodland Avenue
Malvern, PA 19355

***** PLEASE make sure that you include “Kelly Carreiro” in the “purpose” portion of your donation online or write it somewhere on your check. ******

Muchas gracias a todos!

Con Amor,

Kelly 

*Photo credit to Michael Kernahan

A Day in the Life of a Gringa in Honduras… "Proud Mama Moments."

Being a volunteer isn’t all rainbows and puppies… its hard work! Seriously. We work ~80 hours a week and are 24/7 with the children. But with all the hair tugging and skin itching moments, it’s just as rewarding. Throughout the day, there are as I like to call them, “Proud Mama Moments”, that makes your time here feel significant—solidifying that each of us is here for a purpose and that we each bring something unique to the table. 

Mornings start bright and early at 6:30AM with breakfast in the comedor with all of the children. A typical Honduras breakfast consists of eggs, beans, cheese and tortillas. After breakfast, the school day begins shortly after at 7:15AM. In the morning, I serve as a preschool teaching assistant to the youngest children at the Amigos de Jesus Bilingual School, 2-5 years old. Although emotionally and physically draining, it is one of the greatest blessings of the day. It brings me such joy when I point to a picture and instead of saying “caballo” they proudly say “HORSE.” Or when I sit with a crowd of them at dinner and they all begin shouting—yes shouting, what color cups they have, in English.  Proud mama moments.

L:   Singing "Baby Bubble Bee"!                       R: Painting and learning about circles in Kinder!

Then for the remainder of the morning, I teach English, art, science, and library classes in Spanish as a part of the Education Team at the Amigos de Jesus School. By far this is the toughest part of the day. Planning for classes and dealing with different disciplinary behaviors is difficult. Planning becomes essentially difficult when teaching to children with a wide range of ages and capability levels. Learning activities need to be highly interactive, visual and verbal oriented… all in Spanish, mind you. However, the challenge makes it all the more rewarding. After teaching vertebrados y invertebrados the fourth time, its AWESOME, purely AWESOME when you ask, “Un gusano es un vertebrado o invertebrado?”(Is a worm a vertebrate or invertebrate?) and they all in unison scream “Invertebrado! Porque no tiene un esqueleto.”(Invertebrate! Because it doesn’t have a skeleton.) Proud mama moment. 

Morning walk to the
 Amigos de Jesus Bilingual School.

After lunch, one of my daily responsibilities at Amigos is working on the medical coordination team. As a part of a team, we are responsible for coordinating clinic visits, vaccination schedules, and medication inventory. One of our largest projects entails establishing a telemedicine system to set up a network of physicians within the United States and Honduras to extend medical care to the children. Working with medical is one of my favorite responsibilities because it utilizes my skill set in the medical field. This in itself is a blog post, especially after I myself going through the Honduran medical system, just yesterday. Don’t worry. Didn’t get dengue or malaria but what I did experience is worth describing. So for now, just know that what I lack in detail here will be later remedied with a full on blog post.

Reading a book at homework help.

Around 3PM, half of us go and help with homework help with chiquitos, niños, pequeños and jovens. For the next hour, I go and help with homework help with the chiquitos for round two!... which mostly just means going and playing tag, reading books and playing on the playground. Needless to say, the BEST part of my day. Truly makes me feel like a kid again. Imagine 20 little rugrats running around, jumping off furniture, eating dirt, fighting and picking piojos (lice) out of each other’s hair. It’s a good time. 

After homework help, we have a little bit of free time before dinner at 5:30PM. Before dinner, we always line up outside of the comedor, someone says grace and then we walk in. A typical Honduras dinner looks just like breakfast: eggs, beans, cheese and tortillas plus fruit. ¡Buen provecho! I actually love it, minus the cheese. It’s simple, fuels my energy and allows me to live in solidarity with those whom I serve.

"...experience the magic of serving others."

For the remainder of the night until prayer circle, we hang around the kids and play some more. Remember that fuel I said I needed? Think soccer, tag, cards, hanging out, etc. Then at 8:00PM we end the day with prayer circle.
Even though the days are looooooooong and stressful they’re also filled with such joy. Every day I see the pure joy in each of their hearts and that alone fills me with glee. It’s difficult to describe my time here because you need to experience it to see it from my side of the glass. The best I can do is describe it with the phrase “proud mama moments” because that is what it really is. In addition to the madrinas y padrinos (Godmothers and Godfathers) of the children, we are also in a way a parental figures. Sure, this could mean being their teacher in school and providing them with educational tools. But it could also be so much more simpler than that. It could be as simple as rubbing their back when their not feeling well, letting them sleep on you during Mass because their tired or acting as their advocate. All of these I would classify as “mama moments”.

Life of a volunteer described best here... lolz. ("The Back-up Plan)

And if that didn’t make sense, this video will explain it all: 


In sum, being a full time volunteer in Honduras is tough.  But tough cookies. In order for those magical moments to happen, for you to make an impact and for you to have those “proud mama moments”, you need to put in the work. You need to put yourself out there. Become vulnerable... 

                        .... And experience the magic of serving others.

Blessings y amor,

Kelly

Not Better. Not Worse. Just Different.

Writing this blog has been a struggle. It’s hard for me to give you all a glimpse of my life here at Amigos. I think the first thing that comes to mind are my living conditions. We have a wonderful two-story volunteer house with a kitchen area, two bathrooms, common spaces and bedrooms. The volunteer house is much, much better than I expected. Contrary to popular belief at home, no, the bathroom is not outside. However, water is usually a problem. Currently, in Honduras we are experiencing a severe drought. So, please pray for water! Some of you can probably guess where I’m going with this. Yes! Bucket showers! It’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s not worse just different. The problem I have run into is my hair. My goodness… SO much hair to shampoo and rinse—seriously considering cutting off 5 inches here myself.  Regardless, the lukewarm water feels amazing after sweating the entire day. Living here, you have to accept that you will start sweating from the moment you wake up until when you “shower” at night. Even with the heat, many Hondurans wear jeans and long pants. I thought I was going to be different and meet them in the middle at Bermuda shorts or skirts, but no. Absolutely not. After being bit for the 20^th time by mosquitoes, you’re going to want to wear pants. I’d rather suffer in heat than wake up at 4 AM because I’m so itchy.

Our beautiful home

Bucket showers and all of it's glory

The bugs are fun. Mosquitos are literally evil blood sucking demons. They do not give up and will bite through clothes, deet, organic bug repellent, everything. The geckos are my favorite. They like to roam the walls and windows but eat the mosquitos. Our community has made a habit of naming these critters on a daily basis. Currently, we have two cockroaches living in our bathroom, which we’ve named Jerome and Jerry. Any additional roaches we find are inducted into the family and receive names as well. In the time it’s taken me to write this blog, a few ants have crawled on my laptop already.  One of the unsaid rules about living in a third world country is to check your bed before you go to sleep. You have no idea what’s been living there until you lift up your covers… 

 

Last but not least, laundry! We wash our clothes by hand in a pila and then set them to dry out in the sun. I usually wake up earlier to wash my clothes from the night before. Whaaaaat? No washing machine? Ironically, it’s a surprising calming chore filled with tranquility and zen. It becomes a mind numbing process that with the right music can turn into a therapy session. Think of it as the difference between vacuuming with Michael Jackson or Beethoven. 

Our pila for washing clothes

Obviously my living conditions are vastly different from my life back in the states. Some of you might be reading this thinking, what in heaven’s name is she doing there when she could have AC and a warm shower? To fully immerse myself in this experience, solidarity with those whom I serve is key. Being here has made me realize just how privileged my life in the states has been. The power goes out at least a few times a week, especially during rough storms. Thank you Gracie Wynne for my headlamp! BEST GIFT EVER. We thank God when we go to bed with BOTH electricity and running water—it’s a good day. But all things considered, I love it here. The pace is slower. Without the bustling of busy city life, I can hear my own thoughts. Armed with a can of bug spray, I cannot wait to see how my experience and relationships blossom further!

…for my next blog, I’ll talk about my jobs and responsibilities!

Hasta pronto amigos y amigas!

Kelly

Alive, Safe and in Honduras.

Buenas noches amigos y amigas! For those of you who are unaware, I am alive, safe and in Honduras!

First off, Honduras is absolutely breathtaking and the Amigos de Jesus property is equally as beautiful. The mountains extend in each and every direction with the foliage draped,  creating a picture perfect landscape. Driving through the city to Amigos de Jesus, I immediately recognized the poverty within the city of San Pedro. In between the scenic beauty of the mountains, were villages of little shacks. In addition to poor living conditions, mothers swaddle their children in what little clothes they could afford.  The financial instability of the country causes many Hondurans to sell what the can on the street to moving cars, similar to panhandling. Guards with machine guns patrol outside of banks and stores to ward off any robberies. There is a difference between reading about the severity of poverty in Honduras and experiencing it.

 Google Image

With all that on the outside, I finally arrived at Amigos de Jesus, a home for abused and abandoned children in Honduras. I cannot emphasize enough how amazing this home is. The life that Amigos provides for these children is truly a blessing and sanctuary away from the chaos of Honduras. Not only to they provide a home and nourishment to these children but they also extend their love. As our van enters through the gate, I quickly see 120+ of God’s wonderful children huddled around eager to meet us volunteers. Looking back on it, I was extremely overwhelmed. Children from all ages and genders welcomed us with open arms. Literally. All the kids rushed up to us, shouted their names, asked our names and gave us a huge hug.  If I had any apprehension and anxiety about moving to Honduras this year, it would have disappeared.  I felt so incredibly welcomed by their warm smiles and enthusiasm.

 Part of the Amigos de Jesus Property

Days here are really, really busy. Our day begins around 6:30AM with breakfast in the comador and ends at 8:00PM with prayer circle. Since it’s summer most of the children attend escuelita in the morning with computer, art, reading and physical education classes. But don’t worry, Amigos de Jesus knows very well that it is summer and the kids need fun. School ends at lunch then they’re free to do as they please with the remainder of the day. For the rest of the day, until supper, we spend it with the kids playing and improving our Spanish. I don't know if learning Spanish from 6 year old is the most grammatically correct, but, ah well. It's fun! The sound of a bell radiating throughout the Amigos property signals that supper is ready. Meals here consist of 4 staple foods: chicken, beans, tortillas and cheese. Let’s just say that my stomach is not happy… Regardless, I am fed well and for those of you who were worried about starvation, it's not an issue, lol.

 

 Cross at Amigos de Jesus during sunset.

The day usually ends around 8:00PM with prayer circle. All of the children, staff and volunteers gather around and join hands in a circle. Whoever feels inspired will begin with gracias Señor, thank you God, and then say what/who they are thankful for. Usually this ends up being a competition for the kids for whoever can speak the loudest. The beauty of it lies in the fact we are all praying together up to God and intentionally sharing this time with each other. I think I’m going to like it here…

Coming up in the next few blogs will be living conditions, our cockroach friends Jerry and Jerome, job descriptions, and more! 

Until next time amigos! 

Hasta pronto y blessings from Honduras.

Kelly 

The Beginning.

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." 
                                                                            - Nelson Mandela 

Whelp, it's official! August 1st I will be moving to Honduras, Central America to volunteer at Amigos de Jesus,  a home for abused and abandoned children that is located in rural Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Over 60 children (and growing) call Amigos their home, school, playground, bedroom, chapel, and above all, their family. I will be living in a community of 5 volunteers and will be spending my days potentially tutoring, teaching, and coordinating their health care program.

Now, many of you might ask, why? Being here in Chicago and serving the homeless through AmeriCorps has definitely solidified my love of service and helping others. After all, as a physician, my life is dedicated to others. I will be spending day after day and double-shifts strung out on coffee helping others. So, why not now? Why wait another year? The answer is simple. When presented with an opportunity to serve in a different capacity, to learn spanish and to be more culturally competent in a foreign country, I couldn't say no. I have a little more growing to do both emotionally and spiritually... AND I'm so young! Wouldn't you want the person who is treating you to be well-versed in world affairs and life? I anticipate the impact that the children will have on me will be great and I imagine myself contributing much to their lives as well.

So, for now I leave you with this. Your life should be a projection of the hopes that you've constructed within the limitless boundaries of your mind. Fear should be kept at bay if you wish to truly live a life fulfillment and bliss. There are a million reasons that you and I can both come up with for why I shouldn't go. Money, disease, security... the list goes on. But there's just as a compelling list for why I SHOULD go. Will I allow fear to stop me? No.

I encourage you to visit Amigos de Jesus's Website and "meet" some of the wonderful children and to learn more about the organization.  I am inviting you to become a part of our Amigos de Jesus family through prayer and if possible, through financial support. If you would like to support me and my year of service with the children financially, you can either:

A.) Send a donation to the Amigos de Jesus office:
      Amigos de Jesús
      126 Woodland Avenue
      Malvern, PA 19355
   
           OR      

B.) Visit the www.amigosdejesus.org and click "donate now".  

*****Please include "Kelly Carreiro" in the purpose portion of your donation or write it somewhere on your check. *******

Please note that you can also donate monthly donations. Each volunteer is required to fundraise at least $2,250 and any amount that you can donate will help me reach this goal. If everyone I know donates $15, I'd be closer than you think!
 

Every penny of your donation will go directly to the Amigos de Jesus program and will support my year of service. None of that 20% goes to "unknown" nonsense. And, every donation is tax deductible! Throughout my journey, I will continuously update this blog and keep you posted about my adventure with Amigos. Thank you in advance for your prayers and support and please know that the children of Amigos de Jesus and I will keep you in our prayers.

Hasta pronto amigos y muchas gracias,

Kelly