The road was like a torrent, as I 15 September around 19:00 clock with 7 other German volunteers arrived at the airport in Cali. It poured down with rain and thunder and lightning provided for reception music. In contrast, the reception was by the welcoming committee of Fundacion very cordial.
happy that all the trunks had arrived safely and intact with us, we distributed to the various cars and drove through a pitch dark Columbian metropolis in the monastery, which should be our sanctuary for a year.
was here prepared a table full of love for us. But as romantic meal in the candlelight, was long we did not last the fatigue. The views of the biologically determined waking up at 4.00 clock in the morning prevented any attempt to fight against them, so that soon dominated monastic silence.
Over next day arrived with other volunteers, to 21 September the 20-member crew was complete. Those first days were still dominated by paperwork and the feeling of being not really arrived yet, waiting for the moment when it finally starts.
that changed on Monday quickly. For now, we started with the visit of our operational areas. It was incredible! On Wednesday I did not know what to do with all the impressions.
As we parallel the projects in groups have visited, I have not seen all, after all but 9 of 17 Five are located in Montebello, a suburb of Cali, with an estimated population of 10,000. However, no one knows exact figures, as most residents are unregistered civil war refugees. With a volunteer is here to work in a girls dorm, three primary schools - one public and one private - and two in training workshops for adolescents and a local library. In Cali I have two music schools, a School in the Park "and a training center for young people attended. In one of the music schools I am from 4 Work in October.
The district in which my Use of space is affected, relatively calm and orderly and stable and well built the houses. All other places were used in slum-like neighborhoods. From the population of these areas are also the children and young people to work with those we do.
The most impressive experience of this week, the extreme contrasts in this city. I was prepared for large differences between poor and rich, but the differences between people with similar social background surprised me. On the way from an operational unit to the next we were in Monte Bello past houses that were cobbled together from some boards and more like chicken coops impacts. Not three steps further, however, stood stone or concrete buildings with podium spiral flower pots on the balcony. Some houses looked really neat, clean and inviting, others were completely full of trash and smelled of sewer.
It also surprised me very much that the children in the facilities so little food, but all facilities have computer labs with Internet and here are some better equipped than my school in Germany his time.
Otherwise contact the contrasts continue in the facilities. The library was, for example, from a 60m ² room with a few simple tables and a wall of books, which included little more than my family has books and books of the corner of the girls' dormitory was serious competition.
The school building of Government Primary School in Montebello is a solid building with a paved school playground, the classrooms of high school students are housed in a ruined building and a shed. Three classes to learn in a covered Basketball court with wooden slats fixed on plastic sheets separated.
of the Salesian Order of supported training facility has two large sewing workshop with about 70 sewing machines, training kitchen, a locksmith's shop, a workshop for industrial mechanics, car and a motorcycle repair shop. All are well equipped. The music however is a large room and three small rooms, has 30 violins, 3 violas, 5 cellos, 3 basses and a mutilated drums. However, they are very innovative and have started building plastic buckets drums.
was more impressive a concert by the Children's Orchestra of the Music School, I could hear on Tuesday: they played the Vivaldi double concerto for two cellos, which has a few months ago still play my orchestra in Germany - and they have only been two years teaching music. Following the Youth Orchestra played two more pieces of Cali from the Jena orchestra program last year.
So I am very excited to see what awaits me in my project in the coming months. However, I must be patient for another week, because this week I will together with the other volunteers, various construction projects the Colegio de las Aguas in Montebello to address.
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