Our second month in Santa Elena went well, and mighty quickly. I spent most of the time working on a new website for the foundation. Not exactly typical 3rd world volunteering perhaps, but it was the pet project of the foundation's director, and I thus became his star pupil. Much to my delight, and to Andrea and the others' annoyance, I was granted special privileges, like a trustee in a prison. I was allowed to use Manfred's computer, use the internet from the office, and even drive the jeep! I could then use my trustee position to smuggle smokes, porn and rock hammers in for the other cons...
Andrea managed to see quite a few patients, and worked alonside some cuban sports therapists, even giving a talk and demonstration of physio techniques to an assembled audience. The cubans were visiting Santa Elena as part of a government initiative - Venezuelan president Wannabee-Socialist Chavez sees Cuba as a model in many ways, including health care (and the way they stick two fingers up at the US) so lots of doctors and other health workers come to Venezuela for visits.
With the attention centre for the special needs kids now open, Andrea was heading down there most mornings to help out, alongside other volunteers, and the Special Needs teacher, paid for by the foundation. The kids ranged in age from about 4 up to about 16, and with learning disabilities ranging from slow development, to Down's syndrome and Hunter's syndrome.
For the last few days we were there, I spent some time there too which was really enjoyable, especially when we took the kids to the river. I spent most of my time at the centre with the older kids, playing football and things, which was apparently good for them, according to Andrea, as they didn't get much contact with male role models. It was certainly good for me, as I'm normally rubbish at football, but against these guys I was superb. I scored 16 goals one afternoon. Magic.
One little guy called Cristian just loved water, and on our last day Andrea and I bought a little paddling pool for the centre, and he splashed about in it for about 2 hours. He was so excited that he didn't know what to do with himself, and kept laughing and clapping, before diving back into the pool. A very special morning, and I hadn't seen anyone that happy since Andrea found the 5 story shopping mall in Caracas.
We also did some painting of the walls in the children's ward of the hospital, previously just a uniform Dulux dull throughout. I discovered a previously very-well-hidden talent for drawing cartoon characters, and graduated from a Mickey and Minnie mural, to Buzz Lightyear, to my magnus opus of Looney Tunes babies. I can see a change of career coming on. Or at least I had done, until one day I was kneeling on one of the beds, when it collapsed, paint and dignity splattering everywhere.
One of the highlights of the second month for me was spending time with Manfred, the foundation's director, and we shared many a beer with him and the other volunteers over a rowdy, and curiously German game called Jungle Jam.
Alas, all too soon, our two months were up, and 'twas time for our intrepid explorers to hit the road once more.
What was to come? Long bus journeys? Crappy films dubbed into Spanish? Late night run-ins with Lizards tails? Who knows...
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