A new sun shines over Georgetown, Guyana. The day begins. Our MVC Community is already up and ready: Lydia gets up the earliest and is headed to serve at the hospital, Natalie is out to catch her ride to the Orphanage school, and I’m getting dressed to walk to the nearby school.

The school is a 20 minute walk to the Sophia neighborhood. I take the main road and pass people from all different parts of Guyanese society. In a span of five minutes, a cart and horse pass a new Tesla on the street, the local cows clog up traffic in front of the government buildings, and buses, cars, bicycles, and scooters zoom people to school or work.

I like walking, it gives me time to think. At Mercy Wings School, I teach about 50 students a week across five different classes. The students range from 13 to 17, and each class has a wide range of students. On my walk, I think about all the students I teach and all the challenges my little community of volunteers has overcome in the past few months. I was in quite a different place at my home in New England. I don’t regret going on this adventure for a second!

I love my students. To do my job well, I make sure that I check in with the ones that are having a hard day, drop notes with little encouragements and reminders to those that may need a little help. I teach English to grades 8, 9, and 10, Drama to grade 7, and English Tutoring to the Pre-Grade students.

It’s hard work learning how to teach not only the class as a whole, but also how to get through to each student. As I’ve built trust with my students, it has been the best feeling to see them grow. I always tell them that what I value most is their effort in my class.

When the day is over, I often call a taxi to get home. After entering today’s grades and updating the group budget sheet, I like to take a little time to relax. We all get home at different times, and I’m on dinner duty tonight. Natalie shows me how to make a good stir-fry sauce, and we create a delicious meal together.

After dinner, we talk about our days and what’s new with us. We like playing Bananagrams, Carcassonne, and Catan. Now that Dancing with the Stars is over, we’ve been catching up on Stranger Things before getting to Traitors. We go to bed early here, and all of us like to read before bed. It’s a simple life here, a good life, and all of us agree- we’ve never felt more alive.

Connor Bellone: Georgetown, South America