Testimonials - Amy Rideg
When I arrived in Huancayo I was fortunate to be volunteering alongside five other volunteers from around the world: Canada, Iceland, and Germany. Lauren, the Canadian volunteer, and I were assigned to teach at the municipal building in Concepcion in the morning. The students were eager to learn and excited to see us each day. In the afternoons, I stayed at the house to help Tino with his website. After the classes in Concepcion ended, I started teaching ballet to Tino’s daughters, Angela and Pilar. They were excited to take dance lessons and I caught them practicing the moves I had taught them around the house.
After dinner I taught English classes for Tino’s family and the other women working at the house. When Tino’s daughters returned to school, I spent a week helping around the house since a group of fifteen volunteers arrived. I helped in the kitchen, went with Mari to buy food for meals, and organized the library with Tino’s niece, Leslie. After that I spent the rest of my time teaching the oldest class at the Mountain School. I formed a strong bond with the students: playing games with them, getting a kiss and hug from them each day, and walking to and from school with them, hand-in-hand.
The experience didn’t end after our work hours were over. We enjoyed wonderful Peruvian meals each day and explored the fruit and artesan markets nearby. On the weekends we went on excursions: we saw beautiful lakes, explored ancient ruins, hiked to a glacier, went to the jungle, went spelunking in the largest cave in South America, and climbed the mountain above the mountain school. I took Spanish lessons from Leslie, and Mari and Tino taught me how to weave a beautiful blanket made from alpaca yarn. The other volunteers and I also enjoyed the nightlife in Huancayo, checking out dance clubs and going regularly to sing karaoke at La Rustica. It was an unforgettable experience and I left a piece of my heart there in Huancayo.
