7:00 - 7:30am

Wake up and prepare for the day. This time varies a little day to day and from project to project. Sometimes volunteers waking up even earlier to go jogging.

Breakfast options vary. Some volunteers would make a breakfast at home of eggs, yogurt, granola, cereals, and bread (El Salvador has some great bread) and some volunteers would leave a few minutes earlier so they would be able to stop by a bakery on the way to their project to get breads and juice.

8:00am

Leave the house to go to projects (a few projects take longer time for travel such as Habitat for Humanity, ALPIMED, or Habitat Confien and consequently volunteers will have to leave earlier for these projects). Typically, travel time from the home to a project will usually be about an hour. Some days it will be faster and other days it will take longer. Volunteers generally will take buses everywhere they go. There are very few projects that are within walking distance of the neighborhoods our volunteers live in. During this time, the buses will be crowded. It is a great time to start talking to people, practice Spanish, enjoy seeing how life is, both inside and outside the bus. At times, volunteers use this time to do some fun reading, reviewing for lessons, writing in journals (it's pretty bumpy on a lot of the buses though) etc.

9:00am

Volunteers typically start their projects. Project schedule will vary day to day, based on the interest of the volunteers and how many are available or necessary for each project.

12:00 to 1:00

Volunteers can use this time for lunch and/or travel to the next project. Sometimes volunteers bring their own lunch and eat it either at a project or on a bus going to the next project. If you are going to be at a project all day, you can also opt to go to a "restaurant" or "eatery" nearby. It is a fun time to, again, experience El Salvador. In years past, volunteers have had "favorite" restaurants and it is really fun to get to know those that run them. They are nice and helpful and fun to talk to. Lunch will include chicken, rice, beans, cheese, tortillas, soda, etc.

4:00

Volunteers will usually leave the project they are at to start to travel to the "evening project". On some days volunteers will teach English.

On other days, volunteers will be working at locations that are closer so volunteers don't have to travel after dark. This past year we worked at Emiliani orphan home because the boys were done with school and we were able to help with homework and do activities before their dinner.

These projects don't require all of the volunteers, so, consequently, volunteers will also use this time to go to the internet café, to make copies, to prepare for lessons and projects. Most places close around 7:00 or 8:00 pm because the buses are unsafe to ride at night time.

7:30

Volunteers eat together. This is also a time for volunteers to go to grocery stores, internet cafes or spend time with local friends. This is also time for volunteers to do laundry (or drop it off to get it washed by a neighbor), to prepare for lessons, to read, to relax, to write reports, to write in journals, to make lunches for the next day, to do group activities etc. On weekends groups often go dancing. Bailamos!