At 12:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon, I was too late to get blood work at the local laboratory. “Ya es muy tarde,” the receptionist said to me. Come back tomorrow between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. I’m thinking, “The doctor is right here, you are here, you don’t look like you are closing[...]
Archive for December, 2010
Goodbye, Uruguay (for now)
About a year and a half ago, I visited a friend in New York who works for a hedge fund. “And what do you do?” her friends asked me, as we lazed in Central Park. The answer – volunteer programs management at an NGO – elicited a quite surprising amount of admiration, albeit tinged with schaden[...]
Ho Ho What? Santa Claus in Haiti and the DR
I recently shared the story of Santa Claus with five young men in our program for Haitian boys who have come to the Dominican Republic in “search of life” and end up in pretty tough situations shining shoes or street vending. One of the boys mentioned “Tonton Noel” in reference to a decorati[...]
Pregnant in Latin America – Now What?
My husband and I found out a few days ago that we’ll be parents next July. While the fluctuating emotions swarm our thoughts, we are trying to maintain the balance of excitement and concern for having this child as expats. Finding out you are pregnant in another country can be difficult on many le[...]
December 16th, 2010 - 9:00 am § in In the Field, Looking for Opportunity, Nonprofit Spotlight, Tips & Resources, Uruguay
Volunteerism in Latin America: The Uruguay Picture
When my fellow grant recipients and I arrived in Uruguay, one of the first questions our program officer asked us was: “And what kind of volunteer work would you like to do?” Volunteering is part of our role. But she was quick to warn us that volunteering isn’t as common here as in the U.S[...]
