Maggie Davis reports from Casa de los Angeles
Noted on January 26, 2009 by Natanya in
Maggie Davis received an IE3 scholarship to intern winter term in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with Casa de los Angeles. Maggie checks in after the first two weeks, having learned about, and been inspired by, the people in the organization.
My first week at the Casa de los Angeles has been great with new sites, wonderful people and the charming town of San Miguel de Allende, a place where you are forced to slow down and enjoy the moment. For an overworked college student this has been a real treat. Another volunteer at the center, Amanda, has been an immense help to me as I get settled in San Miguel de Allende. So far she’s helped me to find transportation, housing and guided me through the local stores and beautiful parts of the city.
On the Sunday before the first day of my internship I met Donna and Miguel, the directors of the Casa de los Angeles. Over breakfast they acquainted me with the history and purpose of the Casa. The Casa de los Angeles is a community-based organization that provides free childcare to women in the area. Donna is a professor who felt that it was her life’s work to make a difference in a Mexican community, she came down to Mexico with the vague idea of making a positive change and has managed to create two daycares run entirely on donations that serve more than fifty women in the area with more joining every month. She takes no credit for her amazing vision and fund raising abilities but attributes it to a larger purpose. Miguel was the chief financial officer at a branch of Kellog in Querétaro, then he wandered by the Casa one day several years ago and decided that he wanted to make a difference. His energy and ease with Mexican culture have allowed the casa to expand and succeed. Donna was really kind and humorous, while Miguel affected everyone at the table with his energy and invited us all on a hike that night. Rarely have I met two people more committed to an organization than Miguel and Donna. They both feel that they are meant to be at the Casa and view every donation and expansion as a wonderful miracle that allows them to continue with their important work. They informed me that I was to work in the Casa for the first week and then brainstorm a project and begin work on it during my second week
During my first week at the Casa I’ve focused on acquainting myself with the operations of the daycare. There are two casas in San Miguel: an older cozier house and a newly constructed house toward the outskirts of town. The first day of the internship, after a brief tour, I jumped into the two-year old classroom at the old daycare center. I wasn’t sure what the schedule or expectations were but I began by helping with hand washing, passing out heart-shaped bowls of soup and changing clothes. The work was exhausting but rewarding. I had lots of fun in the two-year old room during the rest of the week. I soon learned all the kids’ names and the schedule: breakfast, activities, movie and snack, recess in the patio, naptime, lunch, playtime while parents come to pick up their kids. During naptime I would take a break to do errands and check my email on the casa computer. Mothers run the casa almost entirely, Donna and Miguel hire mothers to work at the casa as teachers, cooks and classroom aids. Also, for every day that the mothers bring their children to the casa they spend an hour working there to keep everything running. My first day was full of saying hello to mothers and trying to remember names. All of them were friendly, especially after I asked them about their kids despite my still marginal Spanish.
During the nights I’d relax at the volunteer house and go to the Centro for dinner. There’s something interesting going on every night. Miguel was really great about inviting volunteers from the house on hikes, tours and anything he heard about that might be a good time. So far I’ve enjoyed live music, a quinceañera, a regular birthday party, a hike through a canyon, three kings day, and lots of friendly restaurants. When I’m not too tired from the workday there’s always something to do.