I’m Tomás, the founder of Sueños Compartidos.
I started the program in Chihuahua, México at the beginning of 2009 while working in Chihuahua as a university
professor. I taught English at Mariano Valenzuela Ceballos Ponce, an elementary school near the university.
At the end of the school year, I moved to Colombia with the plan of working as a professor in Medellín.
However, while I was traveling around Colombia, two families invited me to live with them and teach English at the
local schools and in the communities. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it, so I decided
to put off the university search for a while. After about two months of living and teaching in Colombia,
other people began to invite me to work in their communities, and I realized that there was a huge demand for this kind of
program. I began to travel around Colombia introducing Sueños Compartidos and developing relationships
with teachers, school administrators, families, and best of all – the kids! I’ve met thousands
of Colombians, I’ve signed hundreds of autographs – I’m the first American most of these kids have ever
met – I’ve slept in hammocks, showered with a trash can full of water and a fruit bowl, hiked hours from a remote
village to teach English in… well, another remote village… I’ve taught English songs to five year olds,
US history to college students, and international economics to university professors. I’ve picked
coffee, I’ve loaded cargo mules, I’ve gone weeks without spending a dime… and without Starbucks!
Have I been uncomfortable at times? Absolutely. Have I been frustrated at times?
Absolutely. Have I been lonely at times? Absolutely. Have
I ever regretted doing it? Never!