Update

This week I’ve been working in the mornings with the librarian. Every morning little kids from the school come to read during recess. It’s great to see them use the library, though there are a few concerns. One is the lack of space. The library consists of a closet-sized room that everyone passes through to get to the secretary and treasurer’s offices, meaning it can get very crowded in there. There is only room for about 5 chairs; the rest of the kids sit on the floor. Another concern is that the kids do not take care of the books. They put them on the floor, they rip pages, they draw on them, etc. Part of the reason why this is, is because most of these kids don’t have their own books. Additionally, they have no concept of taking care of something that isn’t theirs. So the librarian and I are planning story hours in the school, to read stories and include a part about correct use of the library.

In the afternoons I’ve been continuing my once-a-week English classes. This week we reviewed numbers in English, and I had the idea of playing Steal the Bacon (which I translated into Spanish as “Grab the Pork Rind”) which the kids seemed to enjoy. One kid I had to kick out of class because he decided not to participate or respond to my questions, stating that he came that day “to take the science quiz, not to go to a stupid English class.” So he missed playing Grab the Pork Rind.

I’ve also begun giving charlas (talks) on the environment with the head of the Environmental Unit in the municipality. These summer months are when forest fires are most prevalent, due to the dry climate and the farmers who begin the tradition of burning their fields to prepare for the next growing season. Last year San José estimated a loss of nearly 100,000 plants due to fires, and a few fires that threatened the town’s water supply. So we’re beginning the year with talks on deforestation and environmental conservation in every aldea (21 in all). We give the information to the community leaders, and give them a few didactic materials for them to teach what they learned to the rest of the community. We began this week in El Barquito, the poorest aldea in San José. In a community of 17 houses there are only 3 latrines, and there is no running water. The people there rarely leave the community, meaning they almost never meet new people much less an American like myself. So they had major pena when we started with the dinámicas. We played hot potato at one point (person stuck with the hot potato when the rhythm stopped answered a question about the environment), and some were so afraid to participate that they actually ran out of the room. But in the end I think they enjoyed it, and they got something out of it. In fact, at the end of the charla one guy spoke up and said something that stuck with me: he mentioned that their pena sometimes keeps them from giving opinions, but that regardless he recognizes the importance of learning to conserve the environment and of teaching the concepts to the rest of their community. EXACTLY!!! So we left the community feeling like this is definitely an activity worth doing.