Yulissa
At the age of five, I was already living here on the grounds of what is now the children's home "yo quiero ser...". At that time, however, neither the foundation had been established nor was Pati here. I lived here in a smaller home together with five other girls, all older than me. In 2007, Pati came and bought this and other buildings on the property in order to build a larger children's home with the help of Swiss donors. Little by little, more and more children came and soon I was the oldest. In this role, I had to take responsibility for the younger ones and support Pati wherever possible. For example, I helped to wake up the children and get them ready for school or to take care of the babies. Over the years, other girls came along who were old enough to support me in my tasks. That's how Luz Marina, Yesica, Gloribel and I, as the four oldest, always contributed a lot to the daily life in the children's home and supported Pati.
Gerard, a member of the foundation board, wanted to reward us for these efforts and enable us to travel to Switzerland. So he invited us to his place and gave us the round trip flight as a gift. Originally, the trip was planned for summer 2020. But during the preparations, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and our plans had to be put on hold for the time being. Fortunately, we were able to realise the plan and flew to Switzerland for a two-week trip on 31 July 2021. Once there, we were welcomed by Helmut, another member of the Foundation Board, and Pati, who was in Switzerland at the time. With the second big gift from Gerard, a two-week GA Travelcard, we were able to move freely around Switzerland by public transport.
Pati and Gerard planned our trip through: we visited different people all over Switzerland. For example, we went to Gerard, Helmut, Pati's parents, three volunteers Fabi, Daniela and Angela and to some of the godparents of the children living at "yo quiero ser...". They all did wonderful things with us to show us the beauty of Switzerland. For example, we could touch snow on the Titlis, a mountain 3’000m above sea level, and enjoy the breathtaking view. We also went to Stoos, where we stayed for two nights in a luxury hotel and enjoyed the view over the stunning Lake Lucerne. All the experiences were exceptional, and I am immensely grateful to all those who welcomed us and were involved in the organization of the trip. A special thanks goes to Gerard, who made this great dream possible in the first place.
On this trip I learned to be grateful for the unconditional love and support of the people in Switzerland who help support the Foundation. I was very impressed by their perspective on the fact that they live in Switzerland and we live in Honduras. They feel it is a great privilege and thus want to give something back to those who have not been so richly blessed by life. For me, this means that I also want to give something back to those in my country who are not lucky enough to grow up in the children's home "yo quiero ser..." and do not have the opportunity to study what they want. For this reason, I would like to continue to participate in the work at the children's home and support Pati where I can.
Luz Marina
As I am currently training to be a chef, I am particularly interested in all things related to gastronomy. The trip to Switzerland showed me that every country has its own culture and its own dishes.
Swiss gastronomy is characterized by cheese, which can be found in "raclette" or "fondue", for example. These are two dishes that we were able to try in Switzerland. I also noticed that the dishes almost always contain meat and are often accompanied by a salad.
To round off their meals, the Swiss like to enjoy a glass of wine. Wine is a very appreciated good in Switzerland and we had the opportunity to visit a winery near Einsiedeln.
Swiss chocolate is one of the most famous in the world. We were allowed to make and decorate chocolate ourselves in the "Läderach" factory. This was an extremely interesting experience for me to see how these raw materials are processed into different products.
In the future, I would very much like to get to know other countries and their cooking and eating cultures. I would like to learn how to prepare dishes from different countries. My biggest dream is to open my own restaurant in France.
This gift from Gerard has shown me that it is worth making an effort and that the efforts will be rewarded. I am enormously grateful to all those involved who have given us something to take with us on our further journey through life.
Yesica
For me, these two weeks of holidays were a unique experience. Although I have never left my country before, I could never imagine that a country exists that is so organised, clean and developed. In Switzerland, you can perceive a completely different nature and climate than here in Honduras. The Swiss take care of their environment: they don't throw litter on the streets, they don't pollute their lakes and recycling is a very high priority. For example, plastic bottles, glass bottles, cardboard, plastic bags and even crisps packaging are collected separately and recycled. Every thing has its place.
In general, the Swiss are a very organised and punctual people, which is evident in public transportation, for example. We travelled a lot by train and other public transportation on our trip and there was never even a minute's delay. Travelling by public transport in Switzerland is extremely comfortable as there is plenty of space, the trains and buses are very modern and, above all, safe.
The Swiss also take care of their animals. They treat their pets with a great deal of respect and affection, and there are numerous laws that protect animals and wildlife.
The air quality in Switzerland is outstanding because the forests are not deforested carelessly, waste is not burnt uncontrollably in the streets and there is hardly any industry.
This journey has taught me to keep looking forward in life and to work hard at university to become a successful child psychologist one day. I would like to support children who are struggling at school, in the family or in other aspects of life. It is my goal to give back something of what I have received through my life in the children's home. For this, I would like to thank all the people from Switzerland who give us their valuable support.
Gloribel
From the little I had read about Switzerland, I knew it was one of the cleanest, safest, and most developed countries in the world. I admire the incredible cleanliness of this country. You don't find litter on the ground in the streets, in the cities or in nature. This is due on the one hand to the fact that there are strict rules and laws that prohibit throwing litter on the ground and on the other hand to the large number of employees who take care of cleaning up public places. In Switzerland, for example, if you throw a cigarette butt on the ground, you must expect a fine of CHF 100, which is equivalent to about 2’600 lempiras.
In terms of security, I can say that there are hardly any weapons in Switzerland - at least I didn't see any during my stay. But safety goes far beyond that: traffic laws are very strict, and people respect them. Thus, traffic accidents in Switzerland are much rarer and much less serious. The laws are designed in favor of the weakest traffic participants, which are pedestrians and cyclists. Therefore, going for a bike ride with the whole family is a very frequently seen and appreciated leisure activity.
This wonderful experience showed me that we should also protect our environment better and we should start with each one of us. In this way, we can make our country a little cleaner, a little safer and thus, step by step, a little more developed.
First and foremost, this trip has made me mature and some of my views have changed as a result. I have realized that I must continue my studies and that I want to make an even greater effort at university to find a good job one day so that I can support myself. And if I manage to save enough money, in a few years, I would like to travel more to get to know new countries and cultures.
Travelling has also taught me that what we have in our country is not necessarily bad, but simply different. And that I am very lucky for all that I have and for all that the foundation "yo quiero ser..." makes possible in my life.