One of the advantages of volunteering with the Arajuno Road Project has been the great variety that the volunteer placements offer.

I was fortunate enough to visit 4 of the 5 schools in the local area and it was interesting to see the breadth of schools in the community. From the small and somewhat chaotic classes at Km22 to the structured and disciplined classes at Triunfo, more akin with a traditional high school. I had the opportunity to work with Km35 during the teaching strike, which was quite an experience, especially as we had no classroom in which to teach. This example proves that the ability to be flexible and creative is key to making a success of a placement in the jungle. In addition to teaching children, I also had the opportunity to teach adults in the local area at the newly launched evening classes, which as you may imagine is quite different from 10 year olds! Living in a community with the other volunteers was a really worthwhile experience. Living, working, eating and sharing a dorm with people from different countries and walks of life has added real depth to my experience of travelling in South America.

The children on the Arajuno Road were so friendly and welcoming, in some schools they would give you a huge hug as soon as you arrived, a start to the day that beats my office job back home hands down! One of my favourite memories from my time in the jungle is visiting the waterfall after school with the children from Km40. I remember how keen they all were to show us their beautiful waterfall and pleased they were when we said we would join them after class. Little did I realize that the trek would take forty minutes down a steep and slippery incline. The children are so resilient and full of fun, they ran down the tiny paths with no fear at all. I, however, had to take a somewhat slower pace, fortunately Carla (11 years old) realized I was struggling and the roles of teacher and student were reversed as she took my hand and patiently guided me down the hill. This was one of the many examples of the way in which the children took care of one another (and visitors!) in their community. The waterfall was truly beautiful and the children were laughing and jumping off rocks all over the place. This experience is one of many that highlights the way in which volunteering can give you a much more real experience of a community, that cannot be gained by simply travelling through the country.

By Catherine Allen