So many things happen over the course of the day that it becomes, like every trip, almost impossible to sort through the significance of many small events.
Over breakfast we all agreed on several important points:
1. the howler monkeys were in a bad mood
2. some stray cattle were lowing hysterically right next to our windows either because of, in spite of or because of the aggravated monkeys
3. rain fell, poured really like a massive gray saucer of clouds that was gripped at an angle so that the rain just fell straight, almost torrentially, for a few minutes.
Last night Javier set our kids to trying to create an imperfect utopia based on how they prioritized what matters most in a society that would be created according to goals established by the United Nations. Although it was a very late hour for such a complex discussion, passionate feelings got aired and a very elaborate cause-and-effect wheel of happenings was sketched out as a possible explanation and model for what this new world would look like.
Today among other events, we walked up to meet Cecelia and about 14 of her students at the Linda Vista elementary school. She teaches and runs the two-room schoolhouse on her own and has been doing so for eight years. She is expected, if I understood correctly, to use government monies to feed the one guaranteed meal a day: the equivalent of $1 US is supposed to buy food for four children. Even for a region of the most modest means, that's simply not possible. The children come from local families who work on nearby farms of various sorts--pineapple, yucca, cattle and the like. Moving on to the next school level up can be a daunting barrier. Uniforms, books and supplies are often more than families can afford.
You will see a photo for the notice about the once-a-week adult literacy classes. There are eight adults currently attending, all of whom have children in the Linda Vista school.
Attached are a range of photos from that and another school we visited this morning as well. One little boy was eager to show his prowess at hanging upside down from monkey bars. All of his marbles fell out of his pants pocket and tumbled in the dirt.
"How many marbles do you have?" I asked.
"Twenty-six," came the unhesitating reply. His mother was a little disappointed that he smudged his shirt before we took the photo but he was cheerfully oblivious. There is a photo of the marbles in the collection below.
Georgia, Chelsea, Michael, Griffin and Olivia found themselves teaching English through games like Simon Says, see saw, tag, soccer and general running around. The formal giggles and shy voices on both sides rapidly gave way to a lot of laughter.
