By Susi McGhee
VE Volunteer from Georgia, USA
Our long weekend spent in Cajón del Maipo was exactly what I needed. Along with the other VE Volunteers and directors, I took a bus about an hour outside of the city to the foothills of the Andes for my first, and sadly, only Jornada. From the bus stop, we walked about fifteen minutes up a small, winding gravel road and were completely surrounded by beauty. The mountains, which peeked out from behind a thick fog, were lush and green and capped with a tad of snow. The air, unlike that in Santiago, was refreshing and rejuvenating! The Jornada weekend, itself, proved to be just that.
During the weekend, our time was split between working in small groups and also in larger groups. In the larger groups, we did a few team building activities, spent time doing yoga and had a guided meditation session, among other reflective and relaxing activities. When we split into our small group, we were able to have more open, fluid and personal conversations concerning why we initially came here to work in Chile and about our experience living and working here thus far. It was safe and supportive– I felt that I was able to share my thoughts and feelings in a very raw and real way, without being judged or questioned.
Living and working in another country, in a foreign language, can be extremely difficult and there are certainly days when I feel discouraged. Jornada provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on my goals, my strengths and weaknesses in this challenge, and I returned to Santiago feeling confident and ready for my week. The time spent in a beautiful place outside of the city, among my fellow volunteers, allowed me to take a moment and reflect on how far I have come and how much more I would like to accomplish in these next two months.