Day 5 - Casa de los sueños - The House of Dreams

Elena mostly walks. She is still very young and doesn't have much money. She comes from near Munich and has been here for 2 months. Elena lives in the same family as me. Her shift in the project starts at 1 pm, just like mine. So today I walked with her. It's only about a kilometer, but mostly without shade. When you arrive, you're already exhausted. I'm still considering whether I'll do it again tomorrow....

The kids are all very sweet, some are even very trusting, others are shy. It's really sad to see some 12-year-olds struggling with the alphabet. You give them tasks like: color the big "D" in orange and the small "d" in yellow.

Speaking of shy! Today, I met Manuel. With the donations for my birthday, we were able to finance a sponsorship for him for a year. Keeley told me he was very excited. He couldn't even say a word. I will see him regularly because he is in the "Cats" group, where I also help out. In class, he participates eagerly and gives good answers.

The photos I'm about to upload show the entrance gate to Casa de los sueños and a view down the street to the right. It looks absolutely idyllic, doesn't it?

I didn't dare to take photos in the neighborhood, it somehow feels voyeuristic. I'll have to ask in the project if it's generally possible or if it's not well received. You can't imagine how people live here. Shacks made of corrugated iron, plastic tarps, old wooden boards. Compacted soil, no running water, only illegally tapped electricity. The streets are deeply rutted and full of garbage.