During my first month of volunteering, the truth is that I have felt quite happy, fortunate and grateful for the opportunity that was given to me. As I am leaving my comfort zone in a certain way, I feel that this new experience is opening my mind significantly. I have started to think and take into consideration things that I previously ignored, such as respecting people´s pronouns. Before, it was an unimportant topic for me, but thanks to the YAV training week and also the month-long orientation organized by Jenny, I realized the importance of pronouns for other people. I am beginning to understand and open my mind regarding the utmost importance of how other people feel, think and see the world.
This first month I also learned a lot about conflict resolution. Many times we relate conflicts with problems and fights, but it really is not like that. Conflicts are not a synonym of having to fight but rather a synonym of debating a topic, putting together your arguments. and understanding the other person´s point of view in order to reach an agreement or a middle ground. I learned that one should not be afraid of conflicts but rather know how to take them maturely and learn from them.
We also touched on the issue of immigration, the struggles of immigrants and the difficult obstacles they have to go through to get ahead due to ignorance and disinterest in the politics of their countries. Many of us do not take into account the struggles they face, which perhaps many of us could not endure with the same firmness and strength.
We also talked about the internal armed conflict in Peru during the years 1980 to 2000 where more than 69,000 people died.
As I mentioned earlier, this first month of volunteering has helped me to open my mind and understand more about the conflicts and problems that exist in my country due to ignorance about our history and not wanting to open our eyes and accept that discrimination and racism are present in our country. This month I was presented many ideas, much of which I have not finished processing. But, I know that with help, support and empathy I can contribute to the world. I also believe that by contributing our grain of sand we can contribute to reducing conflicts in the world, all with love, hope and empathy.
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