I feel I know Barranquilla reasonably well: I’m finding my way around the city, making friends and—at last—working out how to use the bus network, without needing to get off the bus because I misread where it was going. But for all I think I know Barranquilla, there’s another side that I’v[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Colombia’
Accidental Discovery: Weight Loss at High Altitudes
While not directly related to volunteering, I felt this post could inspire someone feeling a bit overweight to make the trip to Bogotá, volunteer, and lose a few pounds in the process. The other day I weighed in at the doctor and I was surprised: I lost 9 kilograms, or 20 pounds? I have a thin [...[...]
Paying It Forward: Helping Locals Volunteer Abroad
So you come to Latin America to volunteer and you tell locals about what you are doing. In my case, when I tell Colombians I’ve met about what I’m giving my time to, a lot of them say, “Hey, I want to leave Colombia and help in a different country!” I try to help out as [..[...]
Volunteering at a Religious Organization When You´re Not Religious
While I respect peaceful religion, I’m not religious. Not at all. It wasn’t until my third visit that I came to realize Futuro Juvenil is a devoutly Christian organization. Sure, I had seen the chapel in the estate. But I wasn’t aware that the foundation is centered around Christia[...]
Be Careful, Self-Deception Can Cover Its Tracks…
An honest look at my progress at one of the organizations where I volunteer has revealed that I have been deceiving myself into thinking that just showing up is enough. My task is to raise donations via the Internet. I have been unable to setup the website to receive online donations. Currently, we [...]
Teaching English with a Fake Degree I Bought off the Internet
A week or so ago, I realized that at least for now, my volunteer gig at Futuro Juvenil would not occupy a full schedule. I could show up and pretend to be busy every day (I have a lot of practice at this), but my duties only require 10-15 hours a week. Conveniently, I received a [...][...]
August 25th, 2009 - 12:50 pm § in Colombia, Tips & Resources
What You Need to Know About Living in Bogotá
Being unable to type with my left index finger, courtesy of a late-night cooking accident (see healthcare), now is a fitting time to provide the logistics of living here.[...]
Where I Volunteer and What I Do
For two weeks now, I have been helping out at the children’s foundation, Futuro Juvenil. Founded in 1968, the organization subsists without any government aid. The kids at Futuro Juvenil come from the poorest parts of Bogotá. Some have no family. One six-year-old girl had witnessed her Dad ki[...]
You Have to Show Up
I have just finished my first week with Futuro Juvenil. I will provide more information later, but an overview: Futuro Juvenil brings abandoned and extremely poor kids from the streets of Bogotá and raises them in a small mountain town. At around 16 or 17, they reintegrate them into Bogotá at eith[...]
