Name: Kate Gasparrini     

Country: United States

Occupation: Non Profit Educator   

Volunteering Period: September 2012 – December 2012

What made you want to apply to volunteer and in particular for the project in the psychiatric hospital? I’ve always loved to volunteer.  I think it’s a great way to learn about different communities, people and cultures.  I wanted to work in Buenos Aires because I knew it was a fun city from vacationing here before and I wanted to improve my Spanish. I chose the garden project at the Borda Hospital because studied psychology and I was interested in seeing how mental health treatment is different in other countries than my own.  After I leave Buenos Aires, I want study social work, so having contact with people with mental illness is important to me. I also wanted to see more of South America, travel, and improve my Spanish.

How would you describe the project and your job and tasks? The project is in an organic garden in a psychiatric hospital. It’s a community garden where patients and members of the community come and work together. Since it is spring right now, my tasks are to prepare different plots of dirt, plant vegetables and herbs such as: tomatoes, pumpkins, corn, potatoes, basil and parsley. I prepare the earth, plant seeds, and do some watering. The patients from the hospital come and go throughout the day, so I talk with them, drink mate and at the end of the workday we eat lunch together. We are also building a house made out of mud. When that is finished, we are going to use it as another space for the patients and members of the community to meet and talk.

What are some of the best moments you’ve had in the project and what have you learnt? The best moments are when I can have good conversation with the patients, sometimes about politics, religion, or life in the United States. They always ask great questions. I have learned that mental health treatment is really different in the United States than it is here. Through this experience, I have realized that I would prefer to work with people that are less severely ill as those in the hospital, as I sometimes find it heartbreaking.

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for any volunteers that will be taking part in the same project? Bring a pair of gloves, long pants and lots of bug spray! (Tip: use bug spray from Argentina, since those from other countries won’t work!) Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Try to be open to talking to patients, even though they might be very different from you. Listen to the psychologists when they talk to the patients, as it helps you to understand how to interact with them.