Starting Work at El Vergel agricultural school

Un saludo de Angol, Chile … Hello from Angol, Chile.  I arrived in Temuco on the morning of April 29th and was delighted to see the Andes Mountains from the plane.  John Elmore, the missionary at El Vergel agricultural school who coordinates work teams and individual volunteers, and Osvaldo, a computer technology employee at the school met me at the Temuco airport.  They greeted me with the traditional Chilean custom, a kiss on one cheek.

                                                                   Andes Mountains
                                                 

The three of us had lunch at a restaurant in town.  Grilled food is common in this part of Chile, so we had grilled chicken with french fries and Chilean salad, comprised of lettuce, tomato and onions (the latter two make it "Chilean") and made with a dressing of salt and oil.  Todo estaba muy rico … Everything was delicious.  After lunch we drove about an hour and a half to El Vergel agricultural school in Angol.

                                                                  Lunch in Temuco


Everyone has been warm and welcoming and truly wants me to feel at home and part of this community.  During my first weekend I was able to meet a lot of people from El Vergel and John's church in Huequen, small town between El Vergel and Angol.  Several of the people who work at the school also attend churches in Huequen, so I will see them on Sundays as well.  A friend of John's from church invited us to have dinner with her family, and a couple of days later the director of the school invited me to eat with his family.  On Friday, workers from El Vergel farm, teachers from El Vergel school, a few students, John and I attended a service at the church on the school's campus to celebrate Chile's national labor day that would occur the next day.  The service incorporated many songs, and all of the music was beautiful.  John said that it is typical for churches to include a lot music.    During this service, Sunday service, and the semi-monthly service for the students I was introduced to the congregations and asked to speak about my background and purpose for volunteering at El Vergel.  It was great getting to meet so many people in just the first few days before starting work, and I already started to feel like part of the community.

                                                  El Vergel church and campus entrance

My first two weeks at El Vergel have been spent working in the agricultural education area with the freshmen year students.  Every day two students and I perform various field work that the teacher demonstrates and then has us carry out.  A few days I was able to observe junior year student practice, which includes animal care and agricultural field practice.  Our field work so far has been as follows:

Agriculture:                                                            Animal Care:

- Till fields                                                              - Collect leftovers and feed to pigs
- Delineate crop rows                                            - Watch pig castration with junior class
- Plow crop rows                                                    - Herd sheep with junior year students
- Pick lettuce
- Pick and wash carrots                                           Construction:
- Take carrots and lettuce to the kitchen
- Pick squash                                                           - Take down chain-linked fence
- Pick and sort beans to sow                                   - Take down posts and wires in plant rows
- Sort potatoes                                                         - Load boards for new green house
- Plant winter lettuce in greenhouse                        - Build new green house and "hot beds"
- Cut back corn stalks and "fresale" shrub              - Cut tree limbs
- Cut back herbs                                                      - Pick up trash

Time in the agricultural area has required a lot of physical work, but it has also been enjoyable.  I learn something new everyday such as types of agricultural tools and planting techniques.  My favorite job has been picking beans.  It is very relaxing.  Working in this area has also allowed me to get to know the students.

                                                        Agricultural education fields
                                                         - herbs, onions, carrots, etc.

                                                       Greenhouse with winter lettuce
                                                   - the frame over the center row is made
                                              of branches cut from a "mimbre"tree on campus
                                               and will be covered to keep heat in and allow
                                                             for quicker plant growth

                                                     Planting winter lettuce in greenhouse
                                                       - digging tool is a carved branch

                                          Junior year student applying pesticide to apple tree

                                       in commercial agricultural area during a practice period

There are about 150 students at El Vergel.  Classes run from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and end early on Fridays to allow for students to travel back home.  On Mondays and Wednesdays students have talleres … extra-curricular activity classes for a grade …  and can choose between: academic subjects (Spanish language, math, science, computer technology, and PCU college entry exam prep-course) and other activities (music, Afro-dance and soccer).  Last Monday I participated in the Afro-Dance taller and got a 7, the highest grade, for participation.  This was funny, since I did not expect to receive any grade.  Everyone is on the same schedule during the week: workers, teachers and students.  Teachers and students take the bus to school and eat in the cafeteria together.  Many of the students who live at the school during the week (los internos) are from the surrounding towns such as Collipulli and Los Sauces, about 30 minutes to an hour away.  Many of the students who take the school bus everday live in the city of Angol or on farms within the local rural area (los externos).

                                           Walking back to school with students after lunch


Last Monday was Chile's national student day where schools prepared fun activities to celebrate.  At El Vergel the students watched movies and were served popcorn and juice.  Afterwards, they ate a special lunch, and the final activity took place in the gym where students participated in various competitions and received prizes.  These competitions were creative and unique and fun to watch.  One was a six-legged race, instead of a three-legged race.  Another one consisted of a series of steps including: passing a ball under one's legs to the person at the back of the a line who then dribbles it between cones, carries it under a table, does a summersault on a mat, shoots the ball into the basketball hoop and carries it back to the next person in line.

On Sunday, John Elmore's church had a special Mother's Day service where the men lead the service and children and young adults acted in skits, sang songs, and spoke about their appreciation for their mothers.  Afterwards we had delicious cake made by one of the ladies at church.  Feliz dia de la madre … Happy Mother's Day. 

John said that I will be involved with three major parts of El Vergel: agricultural education area, commercial plant area and El Vergel Park.  Several of the teachers and workers expressed an interest in having me help out with the park.  Last week the science teacher asked me to direct the junior class during a period in order to involve the students with ideas for cleaning up the park.  During the class the students created a map of the campus and identified the uses of each area.  They then created a map of the park and identified its uses and and drew new ideas for the area.  The science teacher plans to take the students out once a week to start work on the park by cleaning up fallen limbs and leaves and possibly painting and diversifying trash and recycling cans.

                                                      Worship area in El Vergel Park
                                                   - lined by Brazilian Araucania trees

I am looking forward to finding out what kind of work I will be doing next week and getting to know everyone in the school and church community more.

Chao … Bye