This week has been a blur of preparations for the Casa Ursulina's 12th anniversary celebration! Every year the Casa presents an extensive exposition of all of the work the women do in class. We invite the entire city of Chillan, so Andrea and Ale and I spent a lot of time visiting different radio stations and doing on-air interviews! Definitely not what I thought I would be doing when I came to Chile :)
Today we emptied all of the rooms of furniture, and in the afternoon the house filled with women to decorate the designated space of each class. There is hardly a bare square inch in the entire house! The exposition is tomorrow, and as the weather is supposed to be nice, we are hoping for a good turn-out. This event has many purposes. Of course it celebrates 12 years of service to the community, but it also helps the women see the value of their work. The women make a little money selling some of their products, and the connection between the community of Chillan and the Casa Ursulina is further strengthened. Furthermore, it's a way to attract more women who could benefit from all of the programs we offer. Very exciting!
On Friday afternoon we'll have a little party for the women who participate at the Casa - BINGO and hotdogs here we come! As bingo prizes, each class is offering something that they made. I made a little cushion using some leaves and flowers painted on cloth by the girls in our "taller para niñas."
In other news, the new volunteers are arriving in Chile this weekend!!! It's so hard to believe that Andrea and I have already been here for a year. Our time is winding to an end, but I still feel like there is so much I want to do here. It takes so long to begin to feel really integrated, and that has been happening for us just in the past few months. Language is no longer as much of a barrier (although it can still be a struggle at times), and we know our way around the city and the Casa Ursulina. Hopefully the time we have left will be enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment