Trampolines!

On the Middlebury program, we have the option of either taking four courses at the university or taking three courses and completing an internship; I have chosen the latter. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, I hop on a bus after my classes at Católica are over and make the one-hour trip to Las Piedras, a small city that lays just outside of Montevideo, to work with Trampolines.

Trampolines (pronounced "tram-po-LEE-nes") is one of many projects in the greater metropolitan area of Montevideo run by "El Abrojo," a well-known non-profit organization for social and cultural development in Uruguay. The focus of the project is to provide social and educational support to the children of Las Piedras. The educators on staff take the kids to the pool, the park, etc. to play, as well as provide interactive lessons on topics like personal finance, government, and youth rights. Put simply, it's a really kick-ass before-/after-school program.

I haven't taken on any lessons yet, partially because I'm not sure what to teach, but mostly because my Spanish isn't strong enough to allow me to act as an authority figure. The kids are fantastic, but it's hard for them to understand the delay that comes with operating in a second language. I don't really mind because it's completely understandable for their age and because hardly any of them have experienced anything similar themselves. I love the look on their faces when I speak in English (at their insistence); kind of a dumb-founded/oh-I-guess-she-isn't-slow-minded/wow-do-that-again expression.

For now, I get to take them on trips to the local pool and participate in lessons by other educators. Or, on days like that pictured below, I get to tag-along on their field trips ("paseos," in Spanish). I'm kind of in intern limbo--neither an educator nor an 11-year-old child, resigned to playing games of red-light-green-light whilst mastering the art of imperative commands. 

These pictures are all from a trip we took on Tuesday to visit la Fortaleza de Artigas as well as the ciudad vieja ("old city"), one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city and the political center of Montevideo. Also, gelato; lots and lots of incredible (free) gelato ice cream. [click photos to enlarge]