Intern Volunteers in Jungles of Peru

ATOP Meaningfulworld’s Intern volunteers in Jungles of Peru
Connecting with joy and gratitude

By Danielle Caminneci

DanielleCaminneci@gmail.com

Gracefully awoken by two monkeys swinging on my mosquito net, I gaze up at the recently sun-lit sky and take my first stretch in the jungle of Manu. Standing up off my mattress, I look around at the empty beds, tie up my net, slip on my flip-flops and grab my towel with the ambition of bathing before its time to set out on our plant monitoring adventure. I without hesitation begin my first journey alone to the waterfall. Slippery rocks, ankle deep creeks and sinking mud make my bare feet more reliable than my flip-flops to trek in. A rejuvenating 15 minutes of deep breathing, careful and quiet walking later I begin to hear the sound of cascading water; after climbing up the last muddy hill, I hop in to the perfectly nature-constructed pool and slither towards the falling sheets. Once standing beneath them, I can hardly help but to shout with excitement and nervousness. This was when I first knew that a week of jungle conservation volunteering was nowhere near long enough.

The opportunity to volunteer in the Jungle and learn about plants, animals, survival and about myself was an extraordinary experience that I would relive without hesitation. But when first considering traveling to volunteer I had specific goals in mind. I was looking to help in the field of mental health in another country, so I would be in the best position to observe how the interpretation and treatment of those with abnormalities varies through cultures. Social norms, family traditions, sexual norms, parental styles and family dynamics all vary throughout the world, and with them the study of psychology conforms. There are happy people all over the world, and I find it very interesting the different qualifications people have created to obtain happiness.

Through the International Volunteering HQ (IVHQ) organization I was given the opportunity to volunteer my time and my energy with a child psychologist in the city of Cusco, Peru, and on an ecological reserve in the jungle of Manu, Peru. Arriving in the Cusco airport, I was greeted by a volunteer coordinator Maximo Nivel, IVHQ’s partner organization in Cusco. We taxied our way to the volunteer headquarters where I was introduced to volunteers from all over the world. We were each taken to our prospective living quarters for our time in Cusco. “La Florida”, the name of the volunteer house in which I stayed, was truly a comforting and reflective environment. It was a blessing to live with eighteen volunteers of all ages who each spent a good portion of their day volunteering in different areas of the city, doing various projects; from construction, orphan care, afterschool care, nursing home care, to working in a hospital; then come together for dinner every night to share stories and hopes. The house staff was phenomenal, making three meals a day for us and sharing any information that would be helpful to know in our new city.

Getting to my volunteer placement was a wonderful experience. Catching the bus on the corner of “La Florida” and travelling fifteen minutes with locals to the hospital definitely helped me to improve my Spanish and gave me a glimpse into the everyday life of a hardworking Peruvian.

San Juan Di Dios Clinica, the hospital that I spent everyday of the week from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM was the home to all ages of physically and mentally disabled individuals. A staff of four nurses caring for some thirty people immensely appreciated the help of the five or six volunteers that Maximo Nivel had assigned to them. Evelyn, the psychologist I was partnered with, had her office right outside the hospital. Every day she would see eight patients for 30-minute sessions. The patients varied in ages from four months old to about seven years old. Most of the infants had a form of sensory processing disorder, problems locating sounds, reacting to touch or visual stimuli and paying attention. The older children’s disorders were, for the most part, more developed and noticeable; Down syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & Autism were common among the patients ranging between the ages of four and seven. A few of the patients were born without limbs; with these children we focused on teaching them to push buttons with what vestiges of limbs they had (while reciting the colors or animals they were pressing). Some were unable to coordinate their movements, with these children we stretched their feet and hands, taught them to clap, catch, take steps, and wave; things people tend to take for granted. Being an undergraduate student of Psychology, I am not taught the hands on aspect of caring. But being an intern with ATOP of Meaningfulworld we are always reinforced the value of mind-body-spirit. Spending a few weeks with Evelyn taught me about play therapy. I learned that a lot of repetition and demonstration are necessary when doing puzzles and using colorful lights to cause visual and auditory stimulation. With the younger children, I learned how to physically stimulate them with massages. It was often a struggle getting the children to become present in the moment; because of this we used a lot of toys that created loud noises, plastic clapping hands, singing pianos, and instructional music were a few of our most used tools to get their attention. Massaging the faces of those with Down syndrome was especially important I was told, in order to improve their muscle tone.

Not being able to have in depth conversations with Evelyn due to my inability to express myself in Spanish and hers in English, lead me to be an attentive observer. By watching Evelyn, not only did I learn the physical movements of successfully demonstrating a play therapy session, I learned probably the most important lesson someone in the field of psychology could learn; Love is essential & universal prerequisite to all healing. The language barrier between the patients and myself was not very hard to overcome considering that they were all children and that the most important ingredients in performing successful therapy with children are not verbal. She gave unconditional love to every one of her patients, regardless of whether or not they could or would respond. It was obvious that these children were aware that they were different, some even showing sign of stress and exhaustion. Some children, who were unable to express themselves, showed the glimpse of hope in their eyes after therapy.

The most important therapeutic modality after love was patience with genuine care. Even the most unexpressive, inattentive and immobile child can tell when you are not invested in their health.

I arrived around Christmas and the most prominent memory of mine was the day they gave presents to the inpatients. Over thirty patients of all ages and all disorders had to be wheel chaired or walked to the outdoor patio area where they were put in a circle with a big table of presents in the middle and parents and staff standing on the outside. You could see it in their faces that they knew that that day was different than any other and that they had something to look forward to. Then a group of their peers stepped in the middle of the circle in their choir outfits and began singing Christmas Carols. The children, all seated in the circle, led by a staff began to clap along; smiles and laughter became contagious. The energy and pure enjoyment they showed was unlike any I had ever seen. The director of the hospital stepped out in the middle of the circle after the performance and called up every single child by their name to receive their gift. Some able to walk to accept it, and others waited with huge bright smiles for it to be brought to them. Everyone unanimously clapped after each name was called.

For that month I spent travelling to and from South America, not only were my experiences perfectly aligned but also every single person I encountered had an appreciation and a trust for the universe that made it impossible for any experience to be taken ill heartedly.

If there is only one thing we human beings take for granted is our ability TO DO, and TO BE. We are co-creators of our reality and our experiences. Therefore, nothing is un-realistic considering that we are co-creators of our own reality.

What I have learned from volunteering with those unable to feed themselves, with those unable to walk, or grasp objects, with those unable to express themselves, with those who have given their life to educating reluctant people is the importance of nature and teaching the importance of how to give back to mother earth, and that happiness is always within reach. If anyone finds it hard to smile, and connect with their inner joy, they need to reconstruct their reality to align it with the purpose of their life. I look forward to coming home to New York and sharing my experiences with my ATOP Meaningfulworld Family who instilled in me the value of volunteering. As our Motto at ATOP of Meaningfulworld is “When one helps another BOTH become stronger.”

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Good intentions are no longer enough. I wanted to support humanity in my own way. Meaningful World was a natural way for me to help the victims of tsunami.

So many systems have failed us and as we transition from failed models, attitudes and behaviors that are polarizing, destructive and failing all around us I could not just sit back, be overwhelmed and do nothing… I am doing something with Meaningful World.

Meaningful World cultivates well-being, relatedness, a deep awareness and understanding how to elevate some of the world's suffering. Our choices impact all living systems and I choose to be an agent of good.