Former volunteer says “Hi!”

CERV volunteer Jennifer Pielak of Vancouver Canada (teaching, July 2007) dropped us a message recently. Here is part of what she had to say:

Hey Pom, Raymund, Eden and Vincent!

How are you doing?! Things are going pretty well for me over here in Vancouver. I have been very busy teaching English to Korean kids at a private school here. The kids come from wealthy families, so it is very different from teaching the kids in Romblon! To be honest, it has taken a few months for me to readjust to living here after living in Asia for almost 2 years. I think about the Philippines a lot and really miss everyone over there! It was truly a life-changing experience for me, and I have gained a lot more perspective on the world.

One of the moments that had the most impact on me was when Raymund was taking Lucie (Pfaendler, Switzerland, Teaching, July 2007) and I through the slums in Manila and said, "The greatest sin is humans dehumanizing other humans like this." That is something that has really stuck with me and I've thought about it a lot.

“Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well and that things are going well with CERV and that lots of volunteers are coming

Thanks, and say hi to everyone in Romblon for me!!

-Jen

PS: Here is a picture of me in the snow! When you are feeling hot, think of this picture!

Jenn was one of the volunteers who displayed outstanding initiative and creativity during her program with CERV. Undaunted by the local teachers’ embarrassment to give her more teaching time, she managed to convince them to give her more work. And she did it without offending the people’s unique sensibilities. She ended her volunteer program in a very busy fashion, conducting after class tutorial sessions, creating and producing many teaching aids, in addition to increased time teaching