Fe y Alegria: Ryan Painchaud Junio 28

Last Wednesday we went to Fe y Alegría to do community service and paint murals.  When we arrived at the school, the kids warmly greeted us and were extremely excited.  After a few ice breakers, we were divided into three groups to design the murals that we would be painting later.  While in my group, I was forced to use a little artistic creativity, but more importantly, I got to know the kids of the school.  I could relate to them a lot because they were my age, and we became great friends instantly.  In between painting the three murals we played basketball, soccer, and volleyball with our new friends.  What was so surprising to me was that all of the kids wanted to take picture with us and get our numbers on whatsapp.  We have never received this much attention and we all felt like celebrities.  At the end of the day we finished with traditional dance lessons.  The girls attempted to teach the dances to us clueless gringos, but were unsuccessful for the most part.  Although I may not have picked up the dances, I had an extremely fun time.  After the dancing we took more pictures with the kids and then took the bus to the hotel.  It was by far the most fun day in Salta.  From my point of view, it was too fun to be called community service.  We mostly connected with the kids and had an unforgettable day.  To the students, it was extremely special because they don't get to meet new people all the time.  They all live in poverty and live in horrible conditions.  At the end of the day I realized that community service doesn't need to be a boring hassle; you can make a huge difference just by making the forgotten people feel remembered.  Although I most likely will never see these kids again, we formed a relationship that will last forever.  Salta opened my eyes, and I hope BCH continues to serve there in future years.