EIL Intercultural Learning

In January and February this year I undertook to be a volunteer programme in Mexico with EIL in a project called "Ninos encantados de la Barra de Potosi" (Charmed children of Barra de Potosi).

Barra de Potosi is a very small fishing village on the west coast, about 300 kms north of the resort of Acapulco. Barra has a population of about 800, which includes about 160 children at the local pre-school, primary and secondary schools.

The project was started by an American, Laura Kelly, who has been living there for 20 years. She runs a B&B (where I have stayed) and she started a library some years ago and at this stage it is up and running very well. 2 volunteers from Germany are currently here on a 12 month volunteer basis and 2 more will replace them in August.

The project’s main goal is to provide opportunities for the children of the village in the afternoon, after school has finished. The project relies totally on donations, either financial or in the form of donation of school supplies.

My working day was 9.00 (ish!!!) to 12 Monday to Saturday in the library organising books, organising and cleaning storage areas, reviewing options for improvements, gardening and preparing for the afternoon projects.

From 2.30 to 5 the children come to what can only be described as a very informal after school activities. These activities over the week include helping them with homework, teaching some of them English (about 8 in the class), doing art classes, environment education, recycling plastic and paper projects, drawing, colouring and playing - the latter 3 being their favourites in my experience!

Part of the environmental project is that weekly the children go through the village collecting very very many plastic bottles which have been discarded. These are then given to the local school which is participating in a regional project and the school gets a financial contribution for all recycling. It is hoped that the children, in turn, will educate the parents on the need to recycle and the huge need to dispose of rubbish correctly.

There are several American and Canadian tourists and part year residents living in the locality. This tourism and fishing are the main income sources here.

Life is definitely very tough for the villagers. Certainly it was my experience that nobody was going hungry, but living conditions are in extreme poverty for most people. Large numbers of a family share a 1 roomed very basic house. There are no landlines, but a few people do have mobiles and some also have TV"s and another few have pick-up trucks. It also has to be said that a lot of them have good sound systems which are frequently played at the highest volume!!! And finally every family has at least 1 rooster - and this completely eliminates the need for alarm clocks!!!

The pace of life is very different to anything I had previously experienced. Manana (tomorrow) is a favourite expression - and it might get done tomorrow and then again it might not!

It’s been a great experience which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Maria Conlon