Wonderland Academia is a recipe for success!
As I was settling in to my time in Spain, I realized that I had a lot of free time on my hands. For the first few weeks, I was quite content to spend those extra hours taking advantage of a siesta or enjoying a café con leche in a near by café. After the first two weeks, I was desperate to find some volunteering opportunity. Through Facebook, I was able to connect with Wonderland Academia.
Wonderland is a program that manages an English language school and also runs after school programs at local colegios (grade schools). I soon found myself in a co-teaching position at Maria Auxiliaria, helping seven and eight year olds learn English. I wanted to volunteer during my time in Spain to connect with native speakers, practice Spanish and to interact with people of all different ages.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, I would head over to the school and work with a university student and follow the lesson plan written by the Wonderland Academia staff. We would use memory games to practice all kinds of vocabulary, from clothing articles to feelings to snacks. We also spent a lot of time getting to know each other and asking simple questions. What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite sport? I learned a lot about Real Madrid and La Liga and the kids learned a lot about American culture.
PHOTO MAURA LEWANDOWSKIOne of my favorite moments at the school was when we wrote pen pal letters to American students. At first, the students thought this was just another activity to practice their language skills. When they realized that their letters were going to go to actual American students, their faces lit up and the questions started flying. How do you say, “Will you come visit me”? How do you say Querida in English? It was so great to see them so excited to communicate in English.
Even though my patience was tested from time to time and occasionally it was difficult to discipline the children in Spanish, I loved my experience with Wonderland. It was nice to have something to do in the afternoons and it was enormously rewarding to see the children learn week by week. I would recommend that every traveler to try and be involved in their communities; you won’t regret it!
Are you in Spain and want to volunteer? Learn more about Wonderland Academia, visit the website.
