Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Ninos y lluvia

Today was a wonderful day of seeing what is possible here in the mountains of Guatemala.  During the morning, we visited 2 schools that Salomon & Mery have built.  Both are primary schools, both needed roads constructed to even reach them, and both were began and paid for by the Hernandez family until the government recently began paying the teachers.  These schools reach the poorest of the poor here in the Guatemalan highlands.  We were treated like kings, and that is because of our association with the Hernandez family!  The students put on a show for us, as each grade either performed a song, recited poetry, or danced.  They were so excited to see us, with the dozens of children gathering around us, wanting to touch us, and play with us.  Our young women were so popular with the little girls!  I took the boys and played a huge soccer game (I didn´t score any goals...).  We brought soccer balls originally intended for Rwanda with Lorna Miller, but they came too late, and we were able to take brand new soccer balls and give them to the schools, which they will love!  We also sang a song and danced the macarena (that wonderful international bridge-builder!), and this was well received.  These places truly feel on the edge of the world, but they are hungry to study, which is their only opportunity out of poverty.

Shelly Hernandez has been operating a backpack and school supply drive for 500 children for the last few years.  Initially, she got some help from the Rotary in the U.S., but now she is on her own.  Might this be a project for NVP to get involved with?  Think of the backpack drives we are involved with in the US, and now consider that here students won´t go to school at all if they can`t come up with a few dollars for school supplies.  I might try to make some connections for this.

Later in the day it really started to rain hard, as we are on the edge of tropical storm Ernesto, so we played cards, and walked around the town.  You simply can´t believe the roads we drive on - they are so rugged!  I know my wife would be closing her eyes and praying much of the time we are getting around here!  Today it was in the back of a pickup in the rain bouncing around little rutted mountain byways.  Ah, but this is the stuff of adventure!



Oh, by the way, the girls got up at 5:30 am to milk cows...

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