What an experience it was to volunteer with Performing Life Bolivia!
I have to admit that at first it was hard to adapt to the kids and find my place – it made me wonder if volunteering was really my place – but then with a few great weeks (in which I saw a change in behaviour somehow and felt for the first time a reciprocity in the relationship with the children) I had the envy to stay longer to really involve myself with them, and have the chance to have a real impact for a better future for them. Yet that didn't last long and kind of gave up on all aspirations I had when I realised that engaging with the kids to implement lasting results was really all beyond the arts (and one’s passion about circus), but more about education and cultural impact. All the issues I felt with the kids (compromise, respect, team work and more) all come from educational support they do or do not have back home, and also from a cultural shock we can encounter when coming here as we had different childhood than them. Sadly it’s really hard to change that and I don’t feel I can really impact the kids then as I don’t have any skills (or even passion though) to work in kid’s education and cultural impact. Then towards the end I worked more at the office - where I felt more at ease and in power of doing somewhere worth of working for. Despite having the boliviano bureaucracy driving me crazy I enjoyed very much that part. And couldn’t help but feel so proud when the event finally came together, with joyful kids, cariños with each one of us and putting together a great show! It made me feel so proud, I wanted to show off these kids and had a feeling of wanting to stay more to keep helping because they so deserve it. So in the end did I get something out of this experience? Of course: local implementation is hard, life in an NGO is not as easy as I thought, and neither is interaction and creating relation with these kids. It takes time! Did it finally help me make my mind? Well apparently yes and no! All in all in it was a very enriching experience and reassured me about my decision of wanting to enter the entertainment industry for my career. I believed it had showed me that perhaps working for an NGO is not what suits me the best, yet I still have this feeling of wanting to stay to do more for them… and on the other hand I feel like I could do much more elsewhere and that as the work left to do will be hard it’s demining my desire to stay. Selfish right…?
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It's already the end of my PL adventure, I can only say time flew by and seeing the kids' final performing today at our final event made me realise even more their potential, and how much I enjoyed helping set this event and feeling the pride I felt...! I would say the only negative feeling I had today was that it broke my heart to see that some kids worked so hard the past month and couldn’t even perform due to last minute complications... I hope to make it up to them before I leave. I couldn't believe it when Daniela told me 3 months minimum is required to work with the foundation because it takes time to adapt to both the kids and the foundation but it actually did! Time flew away and I even feel that I have failed in regards to the objectives I had set for myself throughout this endeavour. I feel more at ease and in a position to be active in several tasks now than ever before! Which makes me hesitate about staying or not. Despite the bumps I met along the road I feel like I want to stay longer to keep helping because they deserve it! And because I think I could bring valuable help. On the other hand, the difficult situation, the departure of many great staff and the city which isn't too appealing to me makes me doubt whether or not it's worth it for me to stay. Not even to mention that all of this is volunteering. I feel that on one hand it could give me great experience to try to help and enhance the programs and the positive outcomes that they offer to the kids - especially when working in an NGO means working on one’s adaptation skills especially in Bolivia. On the other hand, the bureaucracy here drives me crazy, visa approval is complicated and I wonder how much such an experience could be valuable in my career plan. Meanwhile I think about all of this and take a decision, enjoy some pictures of the show!! Today started as a sad day at Buena Vista, one of the two circus centres. Only two weeks to go for the final show and I arrive at the circus for a general rehearsal, hoping everything will go well. As soon as I arrive I find Daniela (the circus instructor) in a depressed mood. Despite all the effort everyone put in the foundation, despite explaining to the kids how important it is to compromise to the foundation, to come practice or even just come for educational support, Daniela was very sad to see that so few kids (7-8 instead of at least 15 and up to 20) showed up for the day at a date so close to the final event. I have to say it is saddening and makes us wonder how much of our hard work will actually be useful and worth for the final event…
Despite explaining them that if they don’t come to the foundation there’s a big chance it will close, we keep having classes with very few kids. And I find it very unfair for all of the kids who do come and do compromise to the foundation… This situation makes me feel sad and powerless: despite my will to help the kids I have a feeling they don’t care about the hard work of the volunteer and the instructors which makes it harder to install a relationship with them and objectives together. Shamelessly this situation doesn’t make me want to go further with the experience because it pumps a lot of my energy and I need to feel that there’s a return on my investment when I do commit myself to a project. Communication with the kids is hard (cultural shock) Nevertheless we still have almost two weeks to go before the event, so let’s hope the kids get their priorities straight and come practice so that we can host a wonderful show! |
AuteurHola! I’m Aliénor, a 24 year old life enthusiast and eager to discover the world in any way possible with an emphasis on engaging with local people and cultural exchange! Archives
Mars 2017
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