COUNTRY: Argentina
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Antonia Ioannou
Hola todos!
After an exciting weekend in Mendoza for the girl international volunteers, it was a quick two day rest and the Argentina 2012 volunteer group were off on the Missiones trip! The Missiones trip was an 8 day journey held by our volunteering organization L.I.F.E. It consisted of 3 days of volunteering in the Peruti village and the rest of the time sightseeing and exploring in the majestic area of Iguazu and the small town of San Ignacio, with the founder of L.I.F.E, Lili.
We began our journey with another 12 hour bus trip landing us in the cosy town of Montecarlo. The three days we spent volunteering with the children will never be forgotten, and here’s why: firstly the village they lived in was called the Peruti Village. It was based in the middle of the jungle amongst the canopy trees and in abundance of bright orange dirt (which we later realized will be with us always stained on our clothing). Nevertheless it was a gorgeous tropical place which really made you feel like you were actually in South America. Our main headquarters were at the community centre which was also used as a soup kitchen. We set up our supplies there which included fresh
water from our hostel, food, clothes, games and cleaning supplies for the village.
I said it from the start and I’ll stand by what I’ve stated, which is that these kids really were some of the happiest and most genuine children. They live in a village with no running water or electricity. They go to primary school, and only a few venture on to high school. Sickness is a common thing in the village and a visit from the doctor is only weekly. Regardless of these properties that we may take for granted, the children were constantly smiling and happy. They appreciate what they have and look out for each other. We met a boy named Maxi, who is now the sole provider for his family of three sisters, one brother and his mother. Maxi was only 12 years old, but was always eager to help us all out with our tasks without a
complaint.
Amongst the three days we engaged in various volunteer work activities, all of which we enjoyed and were most happy to participate in. Playing with the kids around the village was always a joy especially for Tim, Henry and Giulian who acted as trees for up to 10 kids to climb on them at a time. Surprisingly a few of the kids knew their English numbers and were always eager to say them to us.
Some of our volunteering duties included cooking meals for the kids, picking up rubbish around the village, collecting water from the peaceful stream - a bit of a walk away from the community centre - and checking the girls’ hair for nits (and then styling it).
On the second day at the village it was Freya’s 19th Birthday and we were taken by a few of the kids on an exciting walk to a nearby river where we were eager to jump right in due to the humid and hot weather. The walk there was quite eventful with slippery slopes and dead snakes (much to Anna and Amy’s dismay) on the sidewalk. That night we had a lovely dinner and enjoyed a wonderful cake and champagne for Freya’s birthday.
When the final night came for the volunteers to say goodbye to the children, emotions were brought to the surface. It was a beautiful departure amongst the fireflies while the truth really revealed that we would never see their beautiful faces again. Our volunteer work was greatly appreciated amongst the three days and we are glad that this is a monthly trip held by L.I.F.E so our work can be upheld.
It was an early departure from Montecarlo the next morning for our bus up to Iguazu. The volunteers stayed at a hostel called “Peter Pan Hostel”, amongst beautiful painting of the characters from Peter Pan. The first day we were there we took a trip to Paraguay, where we had a lovely Asian lunch followed by a parting of the group. Some people went and got pampered by getting manicures and pedicures (which were much needed after the dirt and dust from the village), while others had a relaxing afternoon getting a massage and the rest exploring around the busy streets of Paraguay.
The day after was an adventurous one of that with an eventful trip to the famous Iguazu falls. The highlight of the day was the boat trip that took us into the vastness of the falls, THREE TIMES! I think its safe to say that we all not only got a little wet but absolutely soaked, which went alongside the climate that day of rain and wind. We all had a lovely day and witnessed one of the most incredible sights yet on our trip. The soaring, powerful falls really were amazing and many photos were taken as evidence of our wonderful time spent at the falls.
We were privy to another early departure from Iguazu the next day to be on our way to San Ignacio for the night. There we had a relaxing day spent indoors away from the rain (or in the pool for some). Some of us explored the town which turned out to be a ghost town (or maybe we just went walkabout during their siesta). We had a mini celebration for halloween with a few costumes present at our dinner, and then a night spent sharing “scary” stories which left a few of us sleepless for the night.
Our last day spent in San Ignacio ventured us on a lovely hike above the Parana river, where we were witness to a Jaguar footprint, but were quickly reassured by our guide that the Jaguar had indeed eaten that day. A trip to Club De Rio was necessary after the hike where we ate very questionable burgers and then followed by a cooling swim in the river/beach nearby.
Before returning back to our “home” in Buenos Aires on our bus which was two hours late (classic Argentine experience for us) a few people visited the San Ignacio ruins.
The 8 day trip really was a fantastic experience of what the true Argentina really is and I think it is safe to say on behalf of us all that it really was one of the big highlights of our trip. Lili was a big help to us all and we really enjoyed her hilarious company. We will always remember the two times she woke us up an hour early because her phone time is always right (“Lili knows”).
Besos,
Antonia I, Amy, Anna, Tim, Cailey, Henry, Freya, Annabel, Antonia C, Alice, Felicity, Courtney, Giulian, Ciara.
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