Celebrating Christmas Present
A look into how Christmas is celebrated today
By Audrey Raemisch, WBC Volunteer 2008-2010
As I think back on the two years I spent Christmas with the Working Boys' Center, I can't help but smile. There are so many fun things going on that you don't have time to think about the fact that you're in Ecuador celebrating Christmas without your family and friends. By this time, the WBC has become your family, and it is a joy to spend the holidays with everyone!
I re-read my blog that I 
The Madres and Padre are always amazing at helping bring the Christmas spirit into the volunteer house! One of the first things we do a few weeks before Christmas is decorate the house. They give us freedom to decorate as we want, which could be a dangerous decision! It's always a fun time, as the volunteers fight over where to put the decorations, how to hang them up. Madre Cindy as usual goes over the top with hot cocoa and cookies for us to snack on, while we listen to Christmas music and decorate. It helps make the house feel a little more like home during the holidays.
Also, usually two Saturdays before Christmas, bright and early in the morning, all the volunteers join in the big bodega (storage room), where they have all the clothes and other donations in piles that they have received from visiting guests throughout the year. Luckily many people donate clothes, shoes, toys, and other items from here in Ecuador and also when they come to visit Ecuador they bring big suitcases of donations. Our job as volunteers is to fill the "bultos," which are the big potato sacks that we fill up with the donations to give to each of the families for Christmas. Each bag has a family's name written on it, with the ages of each of the kids. For example it will say the Chicaiza-Tenorio family: mother, father, daughter 14, son 12, etc. Then the clothes are all in piles ranging for ages, like it has a pile for adult male, adult female, male/female 18-15, male/female 14-11, etc. So for each family, they would usually get a few household items, one pair of shoes that would fit someone in the family, and at least one article of clothing for each person in the family. It was especially fun when you picked out a bag for a family you knew and could pick out some cute clothes for the kids!
On Christmas Eve, we have the "gringo mass", which is mass at a church for English speakers living in Quito which Padre Juan gives. We leave for that at around 5pm; it starts with Christmas carols and then mass. It's always a fun time to sing in English for once! From there everyone goes on the bus to a mass in Guangopolo, which is right outside of Quito for another mass. Then we come home and Madre Cindy has made food and desserts for us to eat! Madre never lets us down on holidays!
On Christmas Day there is mass in both of the centers again. We celebrate both Christmas and also the First Communion for the 2nd graders. The 2nd graders are so proud and adorable dressed up and excited. Later in the day, we have the Christmas celebration in the house. There is always a big meal (thanks to Madre Cindy again), and Madre Miguel always has gag gifts, which with her sense of humor make us laugh until our sides hurt. All volunteers are given an award, which is something that pokes fun at a funny event that has happened in those first few months at the Center. We always have a really good time with that.
Christmas in the WBC is amazing. It's not centered on Santa or presents. It's focused on the real reason we celebrate Christmas at all, the birth of Jesus. It is so refreshing after celebrating so many years in the US, where all you see and think about is Santa and presents. Although far away from home, I never felt alone in this time of year where being away from your family can be difficult. I felt blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate with some of the most amazing people I have ever met.
From Corporate to Quito
Amie Goble's Volunteer Experience at the WBC
If someone had told me that I'd be volunteering in Ecuador someday, I would have never believed them. After receiving my law degree from the University of Michigan, I followed the path most traveled by those with hefty student loan debt. Every night for the past five years, my head hit the pillow swirling with thoughts of cases, deadlines and hearings. I awoke to the same pressing reflections, darting off to work on the same highway while listening to the same morning radio show. I greeted the same cheery door man, dutifully marched to the same plush office in La Jolla, California and toiled away for the same big firm. Like most lawyers, my day began with responding to phone calls and emails and double checking trial calendars, followed by a maze of juggling unwieldy statute analysis, brainstorming strategy and writing briefs. The day was not complete without unexpected sprinklings of client crises. Last but not least, I glanced over tomorrow's presentation. Why is power point crashing? Just before leaving the office, I handed a stack of papers to my secretary and retreated with another, my brain still musing over the last conversation with opposing counsel. My commute home involved the same string of events – check Blackberry, check work voicemail, check cell phone, remember to call client, put out fire. I quickly made dinner in my apartment overlooking the beach and found a comfy spot on the couch next to my husband where I continued to mull over a deposition outline. Check e-mail again. Chat with hubby. Come up with funny joke for tomorrow's presentation.
Everything was perfect. I loved where I worked and the people I worked with. I lived at the beach with my husband. I was surrounded by good friends. I was an associate at a big firm on the upward climb to partner. There was no disillusionment with billable hour requirements, no disdain for forced schmoozing. My job gave me a sense of self, security and esteem – the classic areas we tend to look to for happiness.
But just like many attorneys and professionals in the corporate world, I dreamed of doing something meaningful and significant. I wanted to give back. I spent a considerable amount of free time volunteering with underprivileged, abused and neglected children. I dreamed of making my extracurricular activities a career some day, but feared the idea of voluntarily taking a pay cut.
When I wasn't volunteering, I enjoyed filling my down time with travel. During the summer of last year, my husband had the opportunity to visit Ecuador. He had been accepted to a 4-week school psychology program in Quito. I figured I should find an excuse to visit Ecuador too. I heard about an organization there that educated and empowered children who worked in the streets. It sounded right up my alley. I could volunteer a few weeks, and then enjoy a cruise to the Galapagos Islands.
Then I met the WBC families and you may as well have put a fork in me right then and there. I met 10-year-old Milton who has never before received a formal education and now endures a two-hour, crowded bus commute to attend classes at the WBC every evening after work. I met Dolores, a beautiful high school seamstress student, who told me of her frustration with sharing a two-room house with her eight brothers and her dreams of owning her own sewing business. I helped a middle aged woman named Maria write her name for the first time. I watched six-year-old Adriana chase her friends around the playground, imagining her sense of freedom from the cramped quarters in which she lives. Every day, I was tumbled by hugs and greeted with smiles as I listened to stories of hardship that would take the curl out of anyone's hair.
I saw lives changed and cycles broken right before my eyes by the WBC. I had discovered a fresh assault on poverty. Business litigation no longer seemed important to me. I became a voracious reader of any material I could get my hands on that summarized the WBC's mission, programs and success rates. I spent every night talking with my husband about what I had learned and experienced. Through his visits at the Center, he became equally as passionate about the WBC's programs and volunteer opportunities. I found myself wanting to be part of Father John Halligan's mission, wishing I could move the WBC to San Diego, since I couldn't possibly work in Ecuador. Or could I?
That summer, after several talks with God, Mary and a whole collection of saints, I made the decision to walk away from business litigation and commit to a year of volunteer work at the WBC. My husband and I spent every waking moment hashing out a laundry list of reasons why we shouldn't stay – we had no intention of living in Quito for more than a few weeks, we would have to abandon promising career opportunities, we'd be far from family and friends, we'd be working long hours for no pay, we have financial responsibilities. Despite our fears over the short and long-term implications, we knew our lives would be enriched, even if we were not yet sure how to survive financially without salaries. Driven by our desire to do something for the WBC families, we left behind all that was familiar and comforting and embarked upon a life-changing journey through the unknown.
One of the WBC's central thrusts is participation by the entire family so that the progress achieved by the children is not undone at home. The WBC offers academic instruction and vocational training to parents through their unmatched adult education program. As a volunteer, I provide differentiated and specialized literacy instruction to mothers who have received little, if any, formal education. When these brave ladies and I first met, they could not recite the alphabet. Today, they can triumphantly read and do math at first and second grade levels. Before the WBC, I considered it an honor to share fancy dinners with managing partners and high-profile clients. Now I can't think of any greater honor than being in the presence of these courageous and determined women. Their eagerness to study every evening after a hard day at work or spent caring for their children gives me a feeling that I have never before experienced – I know that I am making a difference.
The WBC volunteer experience also allows you the opportunity to provide far more than academic instruction to your students. As you grow closer with the children, you become their mentor. My students and I discuss job interests, continuing education, interviews and resumes. We also sit and ponder relationships, morals, religion and family. Together, we've taken on fears and insecurities, not to mention language barriers and cultural differences. We also formed a dance team which provides the young ladies with a positive outlet and opportunity to build self-esteem and leadership skills. Because the WBC requires participation from the whole family, I have become closely acquainted with parents, siblings and even extended family members over communal dinners, after Mass or simply while walking to class. This allows me to better understand my students and, in turn, enables me to assist them more effectively and compassionately. As a WBC volunteer, my students look to me not only for academic instruction, but also for love, direction, structure, inspiration and perspective. After only 6 months, I have had the pleasure of seeing tangible progress with nearly all of my students.
Along with the dramatic changes to my job came other equally drastic changes as a mid-career volunteer. Our apartment on the beach in San Diego is now a comfortable, private room with bathroom in Quito that is part of a large compound shared by 14 volunteers, a Jesuit priest and 2 Blessed Virgin Mary sisters. Instead of having dinner with my husband and my laptop, I now enjoy fully prepared meals with fellow volunteers, clergy and visitors from all over the world. Not having to cook, shop for groceries or do laundry was reason enough to volunteer at the WBC. My commute is much simpler – I merely have to cross a playground. The only traffic involves hugs from excited children and an occasional flying soccer ball. I reach for my blackberry and it's been replaced by whiteboard markers. Instead of rehearsing legal arguments, I am rehashing lesson plans in Spanish. My office is now my bedroom and I share a secretary with over 50 teachers and volunteers.
As I have seen positive changes in my students, I realize that something has also changed inside of me. Because of the WBC families, I've discovered a serenity and happiness that comes from turning the focus away from myself. I've realized that I know very little about life. I've experienced firsthand the astounding resilience of the human spirit. I've seen what a remarkable difference a smile can make in the life of a child. I've recognized that I have everything while so many children have nothing simply by virtue of where we were born. I've experienced a deep closeness with God in the least significant of places and the humblest of circumstances. I've learned that life is not about money, security or status; it's about what you do for others. I have discovered my passion and my life's work. Wherever God takes us next, I will always be thankful for the WBC family of families for helping me to recognize and grasp with both hands one of life's defining moments.
"The WBC has taught me how to truly love"
Volunteer: Audrey Raemisch
Hometown: Waunakee, WI
Age: 25 years old
University: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Majors: Human Resource Management and Spanish
Length of Service: 2008-2010
I first heard about the Working Boys' Center (WBC) through a friend of mine who was a volunteer at the WBC for two years. When she was in her second year, I finally decided to go visit her during spring break of my 5th year of college. At this time I had plans to move to Spain after graduation to teach English.
After spending a week in the Center, attending classes, helping my friend teach, meeting kids, seeing what life as a volunteer was like – I was sold. Upon returning to Milwaukee I quickly realized that I was meant to return to Quito as a year-long volunteer, which was exactly what I did. I just couldn't see myself anywhere but the WBC following graduation.
My first year as a volunteer (2008-2009) was incredible, more than I could have possibly asked for. There were some early challenges, of course, because I had no official teaching experience. But with a little time and trial and error, I was able to figure out how to be an effective teacher. I was also able to learn how to love and discipline at the same time, which was a great challenge for me. I was given the task of teaching a variety of classes, with students ranging from 7 to 45 years old. I formed some amazing friendships with parents and kids alike from the Center, and found my stride. By March of my first year I couldn't imagine myself returning to the States without staying for a second year. I felt like I had so much work left to do, and I knew that with a second year I could be even more effective than the first, so I signed myself up for another year in Quito.
My second year as a volunteer (2009-2010) has been even more than I could have imagined. I came in with confidence, new ideas, and refreshed to start another year. I teach some similar classes, as well as new ones, having fun with the experience I gained last year. My relationships with the families have flourished. I have become close with many of the kids, but also really getting to know the parents as well. I found that they trust me, truly love me, and not only treat me as a friend, but accept me as part of their family. I have spent time on the weekends with them, getting to know how they live, and learning their life stories.
My two years working at the Working Boys' Center have been life changing. I came to Quito to teach, to help, to do what I could for these people who are just looking to get ahead in life. I feel like whatever big or small, I was able to make a difference in their lives, as I spent day in and day out with the families of the Center. The WBC has taught me how to live without so much worry, how to truly love, and how to let God take charge of His plan for us. I will leave Quito with a new outlook on life, new goals, and new standards of what I want for the future. I am no longer ok with any job with a paycheck; I want to continue to help people as much as I possibly can.
I don't have any specific plans for my return to the States, except for spend as much time as I can with my family and friends. After two years with my WBC family, which has been more than I could have asked for, I'm ready to be close to home, which is why I'm moving back to Waunakee. I plan to look for a job in Madison and see where life takes me.