I am in the midst of enjoying a week long vacation from classes. I am sure many of you are asking yourselves, “Wait. They have been in school less than a month. A week long vacation? Who’s in charge down there? This is crazy.” Well maybe not. However, that about sums up my reaction as I watched any sort of classroom continuity and rhythm drift down the storm drain. There is some rationale to it however. Some.
Thursday was the Day of the Child, so the entire school spent the day participating in a service project (more on that later). Then Friday and Monday were special programs that no one really explained besides saying that I would not have any classes to teach. Tuesday is Independence Day and Wednesday is another day off. Why do all this right at the beginning of the school year? Well, it is only the beginning of the school year for bilingual private schools that follow the American school calendar. For the public schools that began the school year in February, they are in the home stretch / pseudo spring break mode. Our vacation actually is shorter than most schools, which get about 10 days off total.
I am still scratching my head, but all I can do is roll with it and get ready for next week. I am enjoying the time off by catching up on my grades and class prep, walking around the city, and curling up with a book next to my high powered floor fan. I understand now why dogs like to stick their heads out the car window at 45mph. I need goggles. My eyes are drying out. But it is so comfortable. I will check out the festivities on Tuesday.
I was not familiar with the holiday el Dia de los Niños before coming to Honduras. Held on September 10th, the best way that I can describe it is national little-kid-birthday-party day. The teachers and parents throw parties with kid-friendly food and cake, the children receive gift bags with small toys and candy, and often times there is a piñata for the kids to hack away at. The women at church threw another small party to celebrate the occasion today after the services. It’s a fun day. The kids run around, bicker over candy and have a good time while the adults keep an eye on things, clean-up the mess, and console the few who have been gravely and unjustly wronged by one of their peers. It was the St. James Easter Egg hunt all over again.
The 10th grade class elected to organize a community project and use the day to go serve and minister to the small children living in the nearby pueblo of La Linea. I chaperoned the excursion along with Betty, the English teacher but besides lining up transportation, the students planned and executed the whole day on their own. It could not have gone better.
We crammed 15 people into a van no larger than a station wagon (seat belts only exist for the driver in Honduras) and drove about twenty minutes east along the coast. La Linea has about 50 residents and gets its name from the old Standard Fruit railroad bed it follows. Most of the residents make their living making palm oil while subsisting on corn crops and fishing. The pueblo has no power, only a couple spigots for running water and is about a half mile hike to get to.
All the kids in the town were waiting for us outside a large, elevated, multifamily house when we arrived. They had canceled classes because we were coming and were very excited to have us there. One of the “back-up singers” from church came with his guitar and after saying a prayer, led the children in some songs while the students were setting up. The 10th grade girls served chips with refried beans, chicken salad sandwiches, brownies and Tang from the kitchen area, which was open with a mud floor and a wood burning stove. They also offered face painting and passed out balloons and stickers. The children loved blowing the balloons up and popping them behind people. They made me jump a couple of times.
I don’t think the 10th grade boys were expecting such a young and girl heavy crowd (the median age was probably 6 years old and at least two thirds female). However, realizing that their hopes of spending the morning lazily playing soccer were dashed, they regrouped and organized games like limbo and musical chairs that produced lots of laughs and participation. By far the most entertaining activity of the morning was the piñata. The danger of a small, blindfolded child swinging a large stick as hard as she can in all directions while other children dive across the ring, dodging the flailing attacks in an attempt to capture a small piece of congealed corn syrup cannot be understated. It really should be an American Gladiator event. The 10th graders managed to have every child get a chance to take some cuts without a single injury. However, though mortally wounded, the yellow paper mache duck refused to yield its sucro-licious delights. Wisely recognizing God’s divine providence, the boys elected to go with a controlled candy release, thus eliminating the bludgeon variable from the ensuing dog pile. A good decision. After that, we cleaned up, said good-byes and drove back to school.
The Day of the Child was a wonderful opportunity to be an observer and see the students interact with the young children and each other outside of class. Every student found a way to help out and participate in their own way and I got to see and appreciate personalities that tend to be more subdued in the classroom. Again this was a project that was, from conception to completion, their project. Betty and I were just there to make sure that everyone was accounted for and we got there on time. They did a super job and I could not have been more impressed. It is really wonderful to see the students not just receiving the ministry that Mike, Betty, and I do everyday but take that service into their own hands and reach out to their own people who need them.
“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” 1 Peter 4:10
Sorry this is posted a little later than usual. My internet (and power) have been a little spotty over the past few days and I guess it didn’t post when I thought it did. Thank you for your continued support of my work here in Honduras. Your prayers and contributions have been overwhelming and I could not be here without them. This year has already challenged and inspired me more than I ever could have imagined. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am for this amazing opportunity to work with these students. I am truly blessed to be able to call St. James’ my home church.
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