Translated by Lorraine Smart
Read the translation into French by clicking here!
Hello, I am Andreina Mejía, and I am 17 years old. When I was seven years old, I began to be part of Clara Luna, I participated in the Children’s Clubs, and I attended English classes. Now, as a teenager, I take part in the Youth Club every Saturday. Do you wonder why? Well, I will tell you that Clara Luna has been an exceptional experience. I have always liked the activities that we do, and especially the learning that I have had here.
Well, when I started in Clara Luna, I was very young; like other kids, I went every Wednesday and Friday. We all did fun activities: sometimes we did beach cleaning, we played, once we painted murals, we did crafts, we went to visit the turtles, and the volunteers were super fun – in short, endless fun things. There was a part that I liked the most, and it was reading books. Thanks to it, I was able to improve my reading and imagination. Then, of course, as every child, I grew up; my height, well, it did not increase much. As I was saying, I grew up, so I joined the young adult group. I remember that at first, it felt strange but, over time, I got used to it. We did a lot of fun things with all my friends from the club. For example, I participated in the GLOW camp: Girls Leading Our World camp. GLOW was a great experience; for five days, we shared with girls from other places, and we learned to value and take care of ourselves. After having returned from the camp, it was a very long path but exciting. In Clara Luna, I have had great experiences doing: Cuentos en la Plaza, volunteering reading in the earthquake area, in the north of Manabí, and festivals such as Bosques de Colores and Canoa Fest. I also had the joy of helping in the conservation of sea turtles, visiting the turtle center, and releasing the turtles that have come out of rehabilitation. Well, as you can see, I learned many interesting things, now you know why I like being part of the Clara Luna Foundation.
