i woke this morning excited, eager to get to the school and meet all the kids. we were on our way shortly after eight, and were greeted at the holy cross gates by miss lydia, the school's event and fundraiser coordinator. she gave us a quick tour of the school, which fortunately was much nicer inside than it looked initially. the classrooms are small, but cutely decorated. there is a nice sized lunchroom, a brand new computer room, and the entire facility is structured to withstand hurricanes. the kids are required to wear uniforms, and they all look so cute. they seemed so happy to see us - it was the warmest welcome.
following our tour, miss lydia walked us down the road to the suburban swamplands of san mateo. this part of the island looked nothing like the touristy fronts of the buildings along the beach. it was drastically run down and stricken with poverty. the smell from the combination of murky water and discarded trash was overwhelming. discarded shoes and rubbish and old construction materials lay everywhere. the amount of garbage made me sick to my stomach; it was literally all around, the roads were even made out of it. miss lydia told us that a majority of the children who attend holy spirit are residents of san mateo. suddenly, the dirty uniforms and unwashed faces we had seen earlier that morning made much more sense.
miss lydia told us that sunday mornings were deemed "community road building" time, informing us that we were more than welcome to join in if we felt led. i absolutely do; thus, sunday morning will find me bonding with the residents of san mateo, working together to construct the road.
when we got back to the school, the group split up, helping to do whatever was needed. some of us worked outside shoveling again, while others worked in and out of the classroom, reading and doing individual tutoring. a couple of us were able to teach a few theater games in one of the classrooms, and the kids went crazy. they loved us and loved the activity and attention. it was an amazing feeling.
after school, we got out a few of the sport toys we brought and played with the kids who were on their way home. many of them remembered us from earlier in the day, running to us and showering us with hugs. we played and played, staying almost two hours after the school had let out. we walked back to the hotel feeling wonderfully exhausted.
that night, after a cool shower and a change of clothes, i walked down the beach with lexy and debbi, two girls from the group who i utterly adore. we found an amazing little restaurant on middle street and decided to try it. i ate a huge chicken burrito and a type of corn tortilla pie - called a papusa. inside the corn tortilla outsides were spinach and melted mozzarella cheese. they were unlike anything i've ever eaten - so amazingly delicious. i topped off the meal with a papaya strawberry milkshake.
yum.
after the meal, i made my way back to the hotel to catch up on my blog and to connect with some folks back home. now it's time for rest. i can't wait to get back to holy cross tomorrow. those kids are stealing my heart.
sweet dreams, all. love you.
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