More Community Members

Hello! My name is María Isabel Peñaloza Fonseca but my family and friends call me Isa. I am from Huimilpan, a town near Querétaro.

I am in El Arca because I have a desire to know more about people with disabilities. I have always noticed them in the street or with their families and I would see their smiles and their joy in any place.  I wanted to know more about them and then I realized that I could bring something to them. So I started looking for options and with the help of some people, I learned about a place called “El Arca” where people with intellectual disabilities lived. I had the opportunity to start working and living in the community 10 months ago and I’m liking it a lot and feel this maybe my vocation…

In El Arca, I am a live-in assistant living with four people with disability, each with their own gifts and very different from each other: Moisés, Iván, José y Bertha. I also live with Johanna who just arrived from Germany.

We are looking forward to your visit with great joy. Hasta pronto! 

Hello, my name is Johanna Kannieß. I am a volunteer from Germany.                                                              

At this moment I have been in Mexico for three weeks, but I want to stay a whole year. I’m 20 years old.

My job in El Arca is to accompany mainly Bertha, but the other guys as well. I also have to clean the first floor and check on the two dogs, Daniela y Daniel. I am still in the adaptation phase and because of that, my task will change. For example the first month I work in the house (el hogar) and the second in the workshop (el taller) to get to know everything.

 I like sports like jogging, Taibo and swimming. I love music, hence I play the guitar and cello, but I can’t sing. I like dogs and therefore I am really happy that we got the friendly dogs in El Arca. I love to travel and get to know other cultures and languages, one of the reasons why I am here in Mexico.

This year I have finished school. In Germany we have a different school system; therefore we finish school older than in the USA.

After my year in Mexico I want to go back to Germany and study civil engineering.

At the moment my Spanish is not very good, but it has improved since my arrival. However I speak English, so we won’t have big problems with the communication.

I am looking forward to meeting you,

Johanna