Ojos Abiertos

In my quest to find viable volunteer opportunities for teaching English, I recently attended a meeting of a new organizaton called Ojos Abiertos.

"To empower children to grow as individuals and valuable community members through initiatives designed to nurture empathy, support learning, and promote respect and self-autonomy" reads its mission statement.

The founder of the group is a dedicated young woman named Helen who has put together an international team of volunteers to spearhead the program. Their first project will be at a municipal school in Conchalí, on the north side of Santiago.

Last year, I had met with the director of this school. He is serious about improving the lives of his students and is determined to give them more opportunities for success in life. Ojos Abiertos is proposing English and art workshops at this school.

When I visited, I did a brief English encounter in a 7th grade classroom. Like at most Chilean schools, the kids were timid, but curious. By the end of the presentation, most of them had warmed up enough to participate.

Afterward, as I was leaving, one of the girls from the class ran up, leaned into me, and blurted out, "I think you are a very good person."

I put my arm around her shoulders, looked into her shining eyes, and told her, "I think you are a very good person, too."

She gave me a big hug, and an even bigger grin, before running back to join her circle of giggling classmates.

If you have ever considered volunteering, think about contacting Helen at Ojos Abiertos. You will probably receive much more than you can give.

~~Sally Rose
Author of Penny Possible & A Million Sticky Kisses
iamsallyrose.com

Presenting A Million Sticky Kisses, the Story of a Gringa Teacher in Chile

People often ask me, "Why Chile?" If you've read this blog for awhile, you may already have a clue to the answer. If you haven't, I'll give you a hint: volunteer teaching.

If you'd like to know the story of my original visits to Chile to be a volunteer teacher, it's all in my book, A Million Sticky Kisses. Now available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions.

Watch my new book trailer here.

~~Sally Rose
Author of Penny Possible & A Million Sticky Kisses
iamsallyrose.com

Not Lost, Just Wandering

This week, I received two Facebook friend requests from former students.

I taught these kids two years ago when I was volunteering as an assistant in 11th grade "Social Communication" classes in English. Their teacher had requested a volunteer. It turned out that she was pregnant and didn't feel well enough to be at school at least half the time.

Given the choice of going to school only when she was present or going no matter what, and teaching the classes myself, I chose to go. There was no book, no lesson plans either. I never knew in advance whether or not the teacher would be there, so like a good Girl Scout, I started preparing my own lesson plans "just in case."

If someone had previously told me that I would be teaching 16 year olds, I would have told them to have their head examined. But these 16-year olds were a dream, polite, respectful, and timidly interested in learning English. I spent the entire year in their classrooms and, because of their enthusiasm about English, I also initiated extra workshops on two levels. Level One was for those who needed reinforcement. Level Two was a conversation workshop for those who were already able to communicate in English.

I grew close to those students. Probably too close because, when the year ended, saying goodbye was heartbreaking.

The school had been sold and these kids, "my" kids, all had to move to different schools to complete their final year of high school. One young lady, a smiley girl who had always been excited about learning English, was also moving to a new area of Santiago.

On the final day that I was at school, I asked her where she would be going to school. She said, "I'm not going to school any more. I'm going to study at home."

I stared at her for a few seconds, thinking that this day would be the end of her education. Then, without warning, I suddenly burst into tears. Shocked, she gave me a hug and patted my back, murmuring, "It's okay, Miss Sally. Don't cry, Miss Sally," which only made me sob harder.

I hate losing track of a student, but since then, I had heard nothing from her nor about her...until last week when she "friended" me. I can't wait to hear how she's doing.

No more tears now. Can you see me smiling?

~~Sally Rose

Coming Soon

Ever since my first volunteer visits to Chile, I've been threatening to publish a book about my experiences.

That was back in 2009 and 2010. The story was written then and has sat, forlorn, in a computer file until now.

Last September, I returned to the US to publish this book. Little did I realize how long it would take to actually get it done. I was blissfully ignorant of the endless edits, the delays, the waiting. The revisions. I have read and reread the manuscript until I am cross-eyed.

Now, I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I've approved the cover and the final "big" revision is done. "A Million Sticky Kisses" is now being formatted.

It's a good thing, too, because I want to have this book in my suitcase when I board the plane to return to Chile. With less than three weeks to go, I feel like I am playing Beat the Clock.

Coming soon, very soon, "A Million Sticky Kisses," the story of a gringa teacher in Chile.

Checking in

It's been pretty quiet around here lately. I haven't blogged in a long time and I could blame it on laziness, but that's not strictly true. It's more from feeling a bit disillusioned and disappointed.

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that the school in Santiago, Chile, where I volunteered last year was sold. Try as I might, I did not find a new school to volunteer in this year. Rather than sit idle and stew about it, I decided to do something that I'd been talking about doing for a long time.

I returned to the US and have been busy compiling the stories of my first visits to Chile to be a volunteer. My book will soon be published under the title, "A Million Sticky Kisses." It will be available as an ebook as well as a print version.

I will also be publishing a children's book based on the adventures of Penny, a Golden Retriever, who recently "graduated" as a service dog. It will be titled, "Penny Possible" and the proceeds from sales of it will be donated to Warrior Canine Connection. Details will be posted here once these books are ready for purchase.

Ironically, just after I'd bought my airline ticket to return to the US, I was introduced to a friend-of-a-friend who is director of a school in Chile. I visited there before I left and I think it might be a volunteer possibility for next year. Time, that pesky enemy of the impatient, will tell.