Carly V.- Blog Post #6

There were many rewards of interacting with the kids at Ñeque y Mas Ñeque. It was amazing to get to see these children who were so eager to learn from you and interact. We were able to communicate with the kids through song and dance. It was so rewarding to feel truly valued in the eyes of the children at Ñeque y Mas Ñeque. It was also amazing to get to hear them sing the songs they have learned as well as the dance that they learned. It was obvious that they loved Ñeque y Mas Ñeque and that this place was doing so much for them as far as learning, communicating, and overall interacting with others.

The challenges I encountered when connecting with the kids at Ñeque y Mas Ñeque was not being able to communicate in a common language. This was really challenging because the children did not understand why I couldn't respond to them or understand the questions they were asking me. Thankfully we were able to overcome these challenges through using common gestures and expressions such as high fives, hugs, smiles, and dancing. I feel that sometimes these forms of communication are all you need, even when you are not limited to them. I am hoping by the end of the trip I will be able to learn more Spanish and communicate with the children in not only nonverbal ways, but verbally as well.

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