Bringing It Back

Three years ago I wrote what I thought would be the last post ever on this blog. When I left San Miguel de Allende in 2010, teachers and moms would ask, "So when are you coming back?" It pained me to have to be evasive and say, "I don't know," but I didn't want to make any promises that I couldn't keep.

Fast forward to today and I'm pinching myself because on Thursday, August 22, 2013, I'll be returning to Casa de los Angeles as staff. In late June I was offered the position of Volunteer Coordinator. Casa de los Angeles receives volunteers from throughout the world every year, and I will be the one to schedule, orient and host them. When I arrive, there will be nine volunteers present.

During my time as an intern in 2010, I met a lot of different kinds of volunteers: families with small children, youth groups on mission trips, couples looking for an ‘alternative’ vacation, retirees looking to give back, single adults who were ‘drifters’ on a path of self-discovery. They stayed for as little as a week and some up to nine months! Some were diligent and dedicated to being present at the daycare and of service. Others were a bit more interested in the local bar scene but nevertheless, you always encounter unique types—it’s not just anyone that will pay out of pocket to travel abroad and volunteer, rather than stay at an all-expenses paid resort in Cancún. To be honest, the volunteers are kind of quirky. And I like them.

I will be staying at and managing the volunteer house, which used to be one of the daycare sites. It’s conveniently located close to “downtown” (e.g. the main plaza: el jardín) and a bus ride away from the Costco-owned mega-market (think Kmart but on steroids). It’s more or less three houses away from where I stayed in 2010, and is the daycare in which I volunteered when I helped Maestra Marisol in the two year-olds’ classroom.

It’ll be interesting to see what has changed since I’ve left, and what remains the same. Marisol has since left the daycare to teach in the public school system, which can be somewhat challenging at times due to large class size and the lack of resources to properly serve students with disabilities. Vero, one of the mothers in Marisol’s classroom (Juan Pablo’s mom) is now a teacher at the daycare and has a little son that I’ve yet to meet (named Ricardo/“Richie”). The Martinez family (Cristi, David, Rebeca and their parents Tomás and Cristina) are still holding church Sundays at 11:00am at the hotel Misión. I need to see Despicable Me 2 with Laura because we saw the first in theaters together. I’m sure I’ll meet a bunch of other cool people, too, but I’m anxious to reconnect with my old pals!

Until then, it’s all about the details: wrapping up with my current job, getting finances in order, stocking up on medical supplies, making lists of things to pack. So psyched!

Welcome (back) to my blog.