We had a very rewarding, but very tough week last week with 20 high school students here from Atlanta to help volunteer. They were hoping to build houses, but since there are no permits yet and the only Habitat project in the area just finished, we had them help in some of the local communities. We painted three schools and repaired houses that had suffered severe damage from the floods last fall. The kids got a quick introduction into the dry heat of Costa Rica and the rock hard soil when they were trying to build a ditch for the water and electric lines to the houses.
The schools we worked in were 1st – 6th grade, typically with one teacher for all the students. In some of the more remote towns, we were told that only 1-2 students will graduate high school from a class of 30 and many of them just stop school after 6th grade. The schools looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a decade, so it took a lot of scrubbing before we could even begin painting inside and out. We were quite a spectacle to the children, and they loved running over to say hello or any other word they knew in English (usually 'I love you') and run away again giggling. Best of all though, the volunteers had each brought an extra suitcase of stuff to give away, and we got to hand out gifts to each of the students. You should have seen the children’s eyes when we told them that they could each pick a toy from the piles we had at the front of the room. Stuffed animals, jump ropes, hats, balls, books…they were thrilled. We even sang songs with the children and tried playing a few games.
We also got the Costa Rican high school students that are in the Foundation’s Scholarship program to join us for a couple days. It was great for them to interact with American students and practice their English. Some of them may even being going to the same colleges next year in Georgia so they could get some great advice for what to expect. This week, we are working in the same locations to finish up the last details with two other guys. No rest for the weary, but it is great to be doing some construction work again.
Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick’s Day last night!
Team Wander
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Hey...that sounds like so much fun! I wish my students were old enough to take on that kind of trip. They would grow so much from that experience. I'm so proud of you guys. Not only are you helping in Costa Rica, but you're really helping with awareness in the US (or at least Atlanta) too! I can't wait until we can get our hands dirty too in June.
Hugs and Love,
Jane
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