My experience working in Salta could not have been more rewarding. Going into the first day, I still wasn't sure what to expect despite the thorough preparation provided by HelpArgentina, but when I stepped off the bus and made my way up to the Comedor for the first time, I had a great feeling that it was a perfect fit for my abilities as a volunteer.
It is hard for me to adequately describe the great joy I felt over the next month serving lunch to the people of Villa Floresta and teaching English to kids who were genuinely eager to learn. You know it's a good sign when the interruptions of the lessons were not caused by kids not paying attention but rather by a bombardment of kids asking "What does this mean in English?" continuously. The kids progressed so rapidly in their studies, mastering the basics of salutations to some even forming sentences with verbs conjugated in the present tense. To say the least, I was proud for them to call me "Profe."
For me personally, my time at the Comedor helped me gain insight into poverty which will be invaluable in my studies of International Relations and gave me a platform on which to take great strides in my Spanish speaking. I definitely grew as a person, becoming more flexible as we dealt with the obstacles of limited resources and ever-changing circumstances and ultimately finding my niche in society as I realized that helping others is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I look back on working at the Comedor as one of the happiest, if not the happiest, times of my life. I left each day feeling that I had made a difference in these kids lives as they did the same for me. Although I feel that the work at the Comedor was especially well suited for me, I don't doubt that the experience of working there or in a similar environment would be a beneficial and joyous one for anybody interested in making a difference in the lives of others.
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