La Aldea Infantil: Saying Good-bye

Jayde tells us about her last week at La Aldea Infantil: 

This week was my last week at the Aldea, and it couldn’t have gone any

better. I had such a great week with the kids! We were able to have a

bonfire on Thursday night with all the older kids. They loved it and

so did I! I was so glad for one last opportunity to hang out with the

older kids that I have gotten so close to. We consider them good

friends and this was our way of letting them know. After a night of

dancing and S’mores-making we were pretty tired, but the next day we

did it all over again at the birthday party for all the April

birthdays! This was quite possibly the most fun birthday party yet! I

love when everyone in the Aldea gets together and I can see just how

close they all are. They really are one big family. I am so grateful

for the past 4 months and the opportunity I had to become a part of

that family. I will never forget the friendships that I gained and the

memories we made together.

Alondra, Jean Pierre, Briyalyn, and Zuly

Zuly and Pilar

Thanks Jayde for your wonderful service! We and everyone at the Aldea are sad to see you go!

Learn more about becoming an intern here.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Danery

Jayde introduces us to Danery: 

Danery & Sophia

This week I got to know Danery, one of the shyest girls at the Aldea.

I spent more time with her as I ate and hung out in her casa and as I

did I saw what a cute girl she is! She always listens to her tia and

respects the other kids. Danery can be really quiet, but once you get

to know her she is such a fun girl! She is 6 years old and has only

been at the Aldea for about a month. She has become friends with the

girls in her casa since then and is often running around giggling with

them. I could probably spend hours talking and laughing with Danery,

she is so funny! When we play games with all the kids she is always

polite to the others. It makes me sad that I have to leave so soon

after making a new friend, but I’m glad for the time I have with

Danery.

La Aldea Infantil: New recycling program

**I apologize for the lack in posting lately! The next few days will be full of everything our interns have been up to in the past several weeks!**

Update from Jayde from April 9:

This week, the Aldea introduced various recycling bins to all the kids

and faculty. They held meetings to teach everyone about the importance

of recycling and caring about the environment. I was so proud of all

the kids, they took it seriously and I could tell that they want to

help out. The older kids understand that they need to help the younger

ones with recognizing which bin to use. Tia Blanca, Tio Cesar, and

others on their committee each took turns explaining it all to them

and then let them ask their questions and give their input. I was so

glad to be able to take part in such a huge step for everyone at the

Aldea! They will stop burning their trash and start recycling

everything they can. It will be a big change for us the next few weeks

but we are all willing to do our part! Everyone at the Aldea truly

cares about their impact on the environment. Though I won’t be here

long enough to see the long term effects, I’m so glad I got to help

out with the beginning!

 Tio Cesar and Tia Blanca explaining the recycling program.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Sergio

Jayde, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, introduces us to Sergio:

Since the kids have gone to school, we get more time with the babies

in the morning. I am so glad to have more time with them, they’re so

fun! I loved spending time with Sergio this week, who is the little

brother of Perla. He is about a year and a half old, and a little

underdeveloped. Since he has come to the Aldea, he has gotten better

at sitting up on his own and he can even stand with some help. We are

all really excited about his progress, and are doing all we can to

help him. We got even more excited this week when he started to crawl!

He sometimes needs a little help, but other than that he is a fast

little guy! I am so happy for Sergio and how much he is learning here.

He is such a cutie! Ever since he came I have loved playing with him.

His laughs and smiles don’t come easy but when they do they will melt

your heart. I hope he can continue to grow stronger, and I am so

grateful for all the help he receives. Before we know it he could be

running around the Aldea with the other kids!

Learn more about La Aldea Infantil here and here.

Learn more about becoming an intern!

La Aldea Infantil: Birthday cards for Senora Blanca

Update from Jayde at Aldea Infantil

This week for our art project we had all the kids make a birthday card 

for Sra. Blanca, whose birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. She 

runs the entire Aldea and always works so hard, we want to make her 

birthday as amazing as she is. We got all of our paper, markers, 

feathers, googly eyes, ribbons, sparkles, and anything else we could 

find and let them at it. It was really fun to watch them get creative, 

I was so impressed! They all made such fun cards! I am so excited for 

Blanca to read all of them. It has always been easy to see how much 

the kids love her, and this was their opportunity to tell her.

Hopefully she can know just how much we all appreciate her!

 Maribel

Miguel

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Perla

Jayde introduces us to Perla:

Fairly new to the Aldea is Perla, an 8 year old who came with her
little brother. Perla is mentally handicapped and has the mentality of
a 4 year old. This can be a challenge at times, but she is looked
after and loved by everyone. In the few weeks she has been here, Perla
has greatly improved. She has learned how important it is to respect
others, and does so every day. She is very inquisitive, and likes to
ask me lots of questions. This past week, Perla has had to go in for
some check-ups at the doctors. She behaved so well! We were all proud
of how polite she was to everyone she met. She was very patient while
waiting in the long lines, maybe even more patient than I was! This
experience reminded me of how far Perla has come since arriving at the
Aldea. Everyone is rooting for her and willing to be patient as she
learns more and more every day.

Learn more about La Aldea Infantil here and here. Learn more about becoming an intern and ways you can help children like Perla.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Andrea

Jayde, an  intern at La Aldea Infantil, introduces us to Andrea:

Last week I ate at casa 8, which is where Andrea lives. Andrea is new to the Aldea, along with her younger brother and two older sisters. When I found out she was only three years old I couldn’t believe it. I had gotten to know a sweet little girl who was as smart as a five year old! Andrea knows her colors really well, along with her numbers. She is always so well-behaved at her casa and gets along great with the other kids. 

On Friday I finally got to see her amazing painting skills! She painted like a pro, and was a lot cleaner than the other kids. We were all impressed when she put all the lids on the paints. Andrea was so proud of the little monster she painted, and with good reason! She is such a cute, smart, and friendly little girl, and I love spending time with her. I’m really excited to see what other talents she’s got!

Learn more about La Aldea Infantil by viewing past posts or the Aldea page.

Learn more about becoming an intern on our website.

Learn more about helping children like Andrea.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Stephanie

Jayde, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, introduces us to Stephanie:

Last week we had a big party for all the kids with birthdays in February. One of the kids was Stephanie, who turned 9 on the 26th. Stephanie is loved by everyone in the Aldea, and is a very important and unique member of its big family. It was really fun to celebrate her birthday with the other kids, they really know how to party! She is so cute and full of energy all the time, so seeing her get shy while we sang to her was different. I hope she could feel the love that we all have for her, because she does hold a special place in everyone’s heart. One thing that I have noticed about Stephanie is that she is always happy. Whether she is being silly with the other girls, trying to master the art of bracelet making, or helping with the cleaning, she always has a grin on her face. Her carefree and positive outlook definitely rubs off on you! I hope this next year brings Stephanie plenty of good times; I’m sure this happy girl will find a way no matter what!


Learn more about La Aldea Infantil by viewing past posts or reading the La Aldea Infantil page. Learn more about becoming an intern on our website. Learn more about helping children like Stephanie here.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Nayeli

Jayde, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, introduces us to Nayeli:

This week I got to spend some time with cute little Nayeli, one of the first girls to befriend me when I first came to the Aldea. She is very friendly and sweet, and has always been patient with me when I have trouble understanding Spanish. Sometimes I tease Nayeli by calling her Dora the Explorer, while she swears she doesn’t look like her at all. Even though she is only 8 years old, Nayeli is incredibly helpful with the babies. She loves Matías and can often be seen carrying him around and making him laugh. They are very cute together! 

She is also very kind and patient with María Luisa, and joined us for coloring one morning. Nayeli lives at the Aldea with her older sister, Analy, and they are so much fun! I always look forward to lunch with those two; they crack me up.


Learn more about La Aldea Infantil by viewing past posts or reading the La Aldea Infantil page. Learn more about becoming an intern on our website. Learn more about helping children like Nayeli here.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Saraly

Jayde, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, introduces us to Saraly:

This week we got a new girl named Saraly. She was a little shy at first, but after a couple days was very talkative and full of questions for us. When she felt she had interviewed us enough for the time being, she picked up our broom and started cleaning with us! We weren’t sure why she was being so kind to a bunch of people she had barely met, but we were very grateful for her kindness. Saraly has only been here a short time, but already we have become friends! She is one of the sweetest girls I have met, and fits in great here at the Aldea. I have yet to see her get upset or impatient with one of the younger kids; I only ever see her with a sweet smile on her face. While we were teaching English, she wow-ed us with the many English words she already knew. I am really excited to get to know Saraly even better; she is such a sweet girl!


To learn more about how to help a child like Saraly, visit our website. Learn more about La Aldea Infantil by viewing pasts posts  and the La Aldea Infantil page.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Jose

Jayde, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, introduces us to Jose:

 Jayde playing Uno with Max and Jose

Since I first came to the Aldea, Jose has been a friend to me. He is always very helpful with the younger kids. Whether he’s helping us get the kids excited about running, or making sure the little kids share, he’s always there lending a helping hand. Jose is a great example to the other kids. He is also an excellent Uno player, and always ready for another round. 

This week, he introduced us to some massive beetles, and was brave enough to let them crawl all over him! Though he did tease us a little with the beetles, he coached us all into holding them as well. I appreciate Jose’s help so much, and I’m sure the other volunteers do as well. He is a pleasure to be around and a great helper!


***


Thanks Jayde!


To learn more about La Aldea Infantil, you can view more blog posts or view La Aldea Infantil page. You can also learn more about becoming an intern or how to help a child like Jose.

Aldea Infantil: Luis Fernando

Jayde, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, introduces us to Luis Fernando: 

Lucho and Luis Fernando

This week we got to spend a lot of time with the 3-5 year old kids, which is always a blast! I got to play with Luis Fernando almost every day, and he is such a sweet boy! He has been at the Aldea for less than 6 months, and already he has stolen the hearts of the other kids. For a 4 year old, he is very obedient. When we tell him something is bad, he always listens. He will ask, “Malo?” and when we say yes, he makes sure to stop. He is one of the smartest in his group. Luis Fernando is also a very good brother to Matías, who is only about one year old. He always gives his little brother hugs and kisses, but makes sure to save some for us! Luis Fernando is a very fast runner, and is also really good at the monkey bars. I think soon he’ll be able to do the big ones all by himself, but for now he needs a little help. Luis Fernando is such a fun, sweet boy who is learning more and more every day! 

Luis Fernando and Jayde coloring :)

More info about La Aldea Infantil.

More posts about La Aldea Infantil. 

How to contribute to this orphanage.

La Aldea Infantil: New Intern- Jayde

From Jayde, one of our new interns at La Aldea Infantil: 

This has been my first week here at the Aldea and I am loving it! All of the kids are so fun and welcoming, and within the first day I had already made so many friends! They are all very eager to get to know us and help with our Spanish. One of the kids that I've been able to spend some time with is David. He is so sweet and helpful all the time, and I have had so much fun with him! He is always kind to the other kids and willing to share. David is constantly smiling and his cute smile is enough to get anyone to smile with him! He finds it hilarious to tease us and call us "Guacamole". Though he can be a little trickster at times, he is such a sweetheart! And he is probably the most patient little kid at the Aldea. When we play games, he always waits his turn and is a great example to the other kids. I have loved getting to know David the past few days and I hope that I can get to know him even better!

More posts about La Aldea Infantil

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