Mikki

It has been such an honor serving as the Volunteer Coordinator for The Starfish Foundation the last three months. I have learned countless valuable lessons about both my personal and professional lives. I have made more special memories than I can fit into one blog post but here are a few of my favorite…

1. The first day I arrived back at The Foundation after a long year away, my host brother and new staff member Julio and I both started crying as soon as we saw each other.

2. The first time that one of our volunteers, Mia, conjugated a verb in the past tense everyone in the room started cheering for her. She is relatively new to Spanish speaking so this was a very exciting accomplishment.

3. One night after working at The Foundation all day, I mentioned to my host brother, Anderson, that I have my Spanish grammar lessons with me. He was so excited and immediately had me pull them out. We took turns testing each other on how to conjugate different irregular verbs. He was much better at it than I was.

4. At one of the regular Saturday movie nights at The Foundation, it was really cool to see Starfish Scholar Arelisa take charge. Arelisa was one of the first students I felt close to last year and coming back a year later I have been able to see so much growth. She stood at the main entry collecting money, making change, and maintaining order (not always an easy task when working with a bunch of kids!).

5. This hilarious moment when a street vendor was trying to sell me candy that embodies many of my experiences in Ecuador:

•  Vendor: Try this candy!
• Me: What is it?
• Vendor: Just try it.
• Me: Ok, but what is it?
• Vendor: Yeah, try it, it is delicious.
• Me: Ok… Wow it actually is really good.
• Vendor: Yes, I know.

6.  After my host niece’s first birthday party the whole family was exhausted and no one wanted to cook. So Andres, my host brother, and I cooked Salchipapas. AKA French fries with fried hotdogs on top. We all ate on the couches (something we NEVER do) and watched a movie together. It was a perfect family day.

7. In June, I had the opportunity to meet three Peace Corps volunteers at a different nonprofit here in Guayaquil. I am graduating from university in a year so Peace Corps has been one of my options for post-grad. After meeting them, I felt so inspired and excited by the work that they are doing. In July, I applied for the Peace Corps!

8. My host mom is a Evangelical Christian so her family has some different customs and rules that I am not accustomed to. I often got teased and told on (in a fun, family way) when I painted my nails, wore makeup, and joked about my fake boyfriend. One of my favorite moments was with my host siblings when our mom was at church. As soon as she left, my host sister plucked my brother’s and my eyebrows. We felt so naughty and it was super fun. Lo siento mamá!

9. A new and recurring moment that has been happening in my host home is Paula, the one year old, says “hola” and waves to me every time she sees me. Even if it is only five seconds later than the previous time. The whole family cracks up every time and it makes me feel so loved and included.

10. At the end of the day, what excites me about this work is seeing the change that is made in our students’ lives. One very tangible moment of this was when one of our students, Maria, ran over to another volunteer and me with happy tears in her eyes to tell us that she was chosen to receive one of our scholarships. She told us how hard she has been working and how life has not been easy for her lately. These are the moments that matter.

Thank you to all the staff and students of The Starfish Foundation for making my summer so memorable. Los quiero por siempre.

Hola a todos!

My name is Mikki Spangler and I have the pleasure of being an Intern for Justice this summer. I am going into my senior year at UP with a psychology major and a Spanish minor. Although the University of Portland has been my home for the last three years and I can’t wait to return to the bluff, this summer has made me more excited for graduation than ever. My current internship has made me feel motivated and empowered to continue doing similar work to that which I am currently doing.

This summer, I am serving in Guayaquil, Ecuador with The Starfish Foundation. Starfish is a relatively new foundation that functions as a before or afterschool supplement to the education that the kids are receiving at school. We are located in Flor de Bastión, a very impoverished neighborhood in Guayaquil. We have three main principles: scholarship, tutoring, and leadership development. First, scholarship is very important because many of these students would not be able to afford school without it. Although the public schools here are technically free, students have to provide their own supplies, uniforms, and transportation fare. Second, tutoring is what we do on a daily basis. Students come for four to six hours weekly for homework help and reinforcement. This is great because it is very easy for students to get overlooked here and to stay behind if they don’t understand something. Our staff makes sure that each student receives the individual attention that they deserve. Staff also provides different lessons that encourage creative thinking and can appeal to all types of learners. Finally, all scholarship students participate in regular leadership development days. These all have different themes and activities that encourage students to work together and build each other up.

I had the opportunity to volunteer with The Starfish Foundation last summer for one month. On a day-to-day basis I would help students with English homework, translate for another volunteer’s English class, assist with other tasks, but most importantly I would spend time with the kids. My favorite part of every day was when tutoring was over and everyone would go outside for snack and soccer (fútbol!). This year I am back for three months as the volunteer coordinator. I am busy working with volunteers while at the same time trying to improve the program for the future.

At the end of the day, we are building community, connection, and relationships. That is why I am spending my summer in Ecuador.

 

Paz y amor,

Mikki Spangler