TAKING THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Volunteer: Monica Romano
Age: 50
From: Seattle, WA
Occupation: Stay-at-home Mom
CCS Program Site: Ayacucho, Peru
What motivated you to volunteer abroad?
I was about to turn 50, and I wanted to do something special to mark that milestone in my life. I wanted something that would leave a lasting impression — something more than just a great tan. I had a volunteer trip in mind. Peru was a good choice because I’m a big hiker and I love the mountains. Plus, I could only get away for a two-week stay, and that was an option in Peru. I also wanted to try a volunteer trip because I thought if I had a good experience, I would want to take my children when they reach their early teens. It’s an incentive for them to learn Spanish.
What made you choose CCS?
I had read a couple of magazine articles about people taking volunteer trips through CCS. I did my own research on the Internet, and I could see that CCS pays a lot of attention to its volunteers. I looked at some videos online and saw women my age. Everything I read and saw made it seem like a good fit for me. As it turns out, the whole experience was incredibly positive. I wouldn’t have changed anything about my group, my placement or my country.
What did your volunteer work involve?
My placement was at a school. I was a teacher’s aide for a class of 15-16 kids who were between three- and six-years-old. Another volunteer and I helped to teach the children numbers, colors, and other simple concepts in English. The only thing I regret is not knowing more Spanish. It would have been an enhanced experience for me if I had known their language.
Where did you travel during your free time?
I love the mountains, so one of the true highlights of the trip for me was a llama trek in the Andes. Pancho, a friend of our CCS program director, led 16 of us. They picked us up on Saturday morning and drove us to a village where they put our gear on the llamas. We started at 13,000 feet, would climb to 15,000 feet and then go down the other side of the mountain to a little village at 13,000 feet, where we stayed overnight. Pancho had brought horses for those who might want to ride instead of hike. Of the 16 people who went, only four did the entire trek on foot — and three of us were over the age of 50!
What do you miss most about Ayacucho?
I miss the simplicity of my lifestyle there and the lifestyle of the people who live there. They have lots of children, work extremely hard, and subsist on very little. The simplicity made me feel very much in the moment. It made me see that the things I worry about here at home aren’t really worries. I have been much more able to look at a situation in my daily life and say, ‘That’s really not important.’
What, if anything, did you gain from volunteering abroad?
To be immersed in another culture and experience it, and see these people and how they live, and how they struggle, it has to change you in some way. I feel the trip bolted me forward in terms of making a difference in the world. I think my experiences in Peru will keep pushing me in that direction. I definitely want to volunteer again.
