I have been volunteering with NGO Taxi for 6 weeks. First, I took 1 week of Spanish lessons, then I went hiking to Machu Picchu for almost 1 week, and worked the rest of the time in the animal shelter in the jungle. I haven’t choosen Peru for volunteering for a certain reason. What mattered most to me was that I could work in a Spanish speaking country in order to improve my language skills. However, before my departure, I was told that Peru is supposed to be an interesting country with a lot of beautiful nature and that the locals are very friendly and helpful.
What was most impressive was the local’s commitment to family, their contentment with a simple life and a willingness to help. As Peru is a developing country, it is extremely different from Germany concerning time management and punctuality, but one gets used to it very quickly. The animal shelter is located in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Working in the shelter and helping with the animals was a great experience for me. The little monkeys immediately conquered my heart. I especially loved the tamarin and the piglet. The best thing is, that the animals can enjoy nearly perfect living conditions due to the shelter’s location in the rainforest in a beautiful area that offers nearly everything: wide open fields, all sorts of exotic plants and trees…
Apart from feeding the animals, I worked in maintenance and the renovation of the shelter. I created a little garden, for example, worked on foot paths, cleaned the area and renewed some roofs. We also often went fishing a lot to get food for the cat and the caimans. I really enjoyed the fishing trips, because we had to walk right into the rainforest to fish in a small side-arm of the Amazon river. Obviously, I haven’t done that before! All in all, those 6 weeks were an amazing experience and an unforgettable time with the animals, people and their culture. Now I am much more confident when dealing with people in general, or rather with strangers. Many thanks to the NGO Taxi for their good organization and colaboration.
