Rain Rain Go Away

I am sorry for my absence from the blog. Things have gotten fairly hectic. To begin with, the rainy season has started. It rains almost every day and sometimes for two or three days straight. It is almost certain that if it is raining right before class is about to start, that no one will show-up. So there have been a lot of missed days.

I have put a lot of work into starting up of a farmers market in my town. The mayor's office has helped with funding but the cost is too much for them to maintain; we are now searching for funding. It was successful in the beginning. We had a live band, a great selection of vegetables and fruits, meat, milk shakes, hens, cheese, eggs, piñatas, everything. But as the rains have picked-up and many are waiting for their new crops, the market has been looking fairly scarce. The vendors as well as shoppers have all lost some of the their spirit about the market. But I am still going to put my effort forward to try to make it work. It seems that it is what the people need and want, it just takes time.

As for the schools, I have been giving my charlas about the environment and science. We celebrated Earth Day and Fundacion Coen donated schools supplies. I also used the tattoos and stickers that Myra sent to give to the other children that didn’t win so that everyone felt like a winner. It was great. Each student had to think of an environmental slogan and then accompany it with a drawing. I loved reading the children’s responses because it seems like they had been learning something from my charlas. Also, we have started the garden section of the year. We have already planted tree nurseries and produced compost. We are planning on planting the trees in July. The gardens are a wonderful thing for the children but a lot of work. I left almost every school with blisters all over my hands. So far we have begun planting in three schools and are waiting to plant in the last one after our school break. One of the schools has beautiful cucumber plants growing. We planted a variety of cucumbers, squash, watermelon, melon, cantelope, carrots, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and beets in almost all the schools. I have my fingers crossed that things go well.

I am working on a project with US AID to fund the construction of two classrooms. One of my multigrade schools study outside with just a roof above and no walls at all. Details to come.
That is the gist of it all.

The dog is growing and very playful. He is vago, which means he wanders the streets close to my house and comes inside when he feels like a little TLC or food --haha.

Yesterday was the celebration for the Day of Teachers. It was provided by the mayor's office. It included speeches, singing, raffles, lunch, and lots and lots of dancing. It started at 10 am and I returned home at 9 pm. I am a bit sore today. On Sunday I am graced with the presence of a friend, Miss Ally Warner, and we are going to do a little traveling. It worked out great because we have a week break from school at the same time.

That’s all for now. I will try to be stay more in contact! 