September 2011: Newbies and the Magic of Orientation

Fourteen new volunteers, or newbies, as we like to call them, arrived this month to volunteer with our social service partners. With a wide range of ages and experiences, the new volunteers hail from Germany, Australia, England and the United States.

During VE’s ten-day orientation, training sessions included: how VE functions in Chile, health and safety, an overview of VE's educational programs, culture shock, a Chilean food charla and many more.

As always, the VE kitchen cranked out some of the tastiest almuerzos yet, including vegetarian lasagna, lentil soup as well as home-made hummus and desserts to write home about. Alumni volunteers Meghan Vooris and Lindsey Chapman and full-time volunteers Marketa Zemcakova and Leith Passmore all contributed, and as always, orientation was a lively, fun experience.

Volunteer Spotlight: Marketa Zemcakova

In a recent blog post, Marketa shares her advice on being a newbie and how volunteers can make the most out of their time here in Santiago. If you’re a new volunteer or thinking about applying, check it out here.

Fairy Godparents

People always ask what makes VE a special organization, and among the answers is one that starts before volunteers actually land here in Chile—our Madrina/Padrino program. It’s a system where every incoming volunteer gets paired up with an antiguo, or seasoned volunteer, to make the transition to volunteer life and Santiago living easier.

While they don’t come with magic wands to turn pumpkins into carriages, they do offer all sorts of advice from what it is like working with the kids to which markets are best to shop around for cheap food and clothes (try Bío-Bío, La Vega and Patronato.)

If you want to give a shout out to your VE Madrina or Padrino, do it on Facebook today!

Un Abrazo,

Josh Pilz
Executive Director