Posts Tagged: garbage dump community

Celebrating the stranger

October 29, 2012

Yesterday I shared pictures from Friday morning, when St. Francis Coll held another assembly to celebrate our time with the classes during the week.  Before the celebration, we joined our classes from the day before; the students who had gone to the nursery tagged along with us.  I sat in with the sixth grade; unlike the other classes, when the bell rang for recess, they had to stay inside—apparently there had been more trouble between the boys and the girls.  …

And you think nothing can top machetes? Think again.

October 25, 2012

Concrete, machetes, what ever could be left to top this trip of wonder and awe—only 4 days in? That would have to be driving into a non-tourist part of Guatemala City, watching Juan Carlos navigate the streets, and arriving at our final destination: a legit market that Andres didn’t even know existed. I bet you’re asking though, why exactly did Juan Carlos take us to the market for an unscheduled stop, after a long day of work?

El Sexto

October 23, 2012

As I walked into the classroom with Juana, all I heard was gibberish: a word here, a word there, but mostly lots of noise as the kids settled into their desks. The teacher wore jeans and a t-shirt and she quickly established order: Literature was first. The students took out these mini notebooks that looked almost like my old composition books, complete even with stickers and drawings/colors. Before the teacher began to teach, she gave the kids a talking to– …

Sixth grade doesn’t change much

October 22, 2012

Sixth grade was such an interesting year for me: super small class (only 5 girls + the boys), incredible teachers, baby brother, and finally an entry in the science fair.  Sixth grade for Juana, Maria, Victoria, and the other students I met at St. Francis Coll is a very different experience than mine was; at the core, however, the similarities outweigh the differences. The day I worked with machetes  began with an opportunity to sit in with classes at St. Francis Coll for half of us …