Today started early with our venture from Nebaj into the heart of Cotzal where the Colegio Horeb Primary School is located. Upon our arrival the school organized a welcome reception for our team with open front row seats for all of us. We began with introducing ourselves to the students en Español. We returned to our seats to have the children perform their songs for us in English. After the songs, they showed us how they made their homemade dish BoxBul (pronounced bush-bowl) then made some for us to try and it was delicious! It is a leaf with cornmeal in the center wrapped up around the stem into a roll and boil, then served in little tomato sauce mmm! The students then taught us some of the expressions and had us speak them aloud for them, after each of us all the children cheered! The students then were dismissed to their classrooms where we would meet them in our planned groups to begin our 2 activities for the day.
Our activities were creating and decorated name tags (my groups) and leaf friends (leaves pasted onto paper then drawing an animal/friend out of its' shape). The children were so amazing with us, so welcoming and humble to our broken spanish speech. All the kids were interested in my prosthetic leg so we have planned to share my testimony with them tomorrow. We also got to play during recess with them and that was an experience in its self! These children have truly nothing and they are the happiest children I have ever met! We played soccer with a plastic ball about 1/2 the size of a full size soccer ball on cement with goals they made from scrap wood. The children were sliding to block shots, hitting aerial shots on goal as well as bicycle shots.. so amazing and so much fun!
One of my teammates told the kids that i was Fuerte (strong) so I was challenged to an arm wrestling match with one of the third grade girls and she was so strong! Then before leaving the school three boys challenged me to pull ups on the top of their soccer goal, phew that was hard, but so much fun and hope to get photos next time it happens. At 12:30 school was released for the day so we ventured to our group leader's son's house to eat lunch and pack up the pieces to a stove to make our first stove today.
Our first stove was going to the home of one of the third grade boys, Edwin's family. It definitely was a trek to get to his house, climbing a very sleep, narrow hill, but we made it safely with all supplies and team members. I am so thankful we got the chance to spend more time with Edwin outside of the school because it gave us a better chance to truly connect with him and his family! Their living conditions are very hard to witness, but their hearts are so happy and humble they truly make the best out of everything and it seems as the conditions do not effect their family as much as you would think. This was just the first day of working at the school and helping in their homes and it has already effected my teammates and I so deeply. For the rest of this week I can only imagine are hearts to grow larger for these great individuals as well as our passion to help others once we return to the states!
Day 4 tomorrow so stay tuned!!
picture 1- The reception set up inside their gym.
picture 2- Our team dropping off our gear to join the reception.
picture 3- The First Graders set up for their performance in between the 5th and 6th grade classrooms.
picture 4-9- The students behind me and on the side of me, the two boys right behind Lauren and I helped us pronounce our Spanish before we spoke in front of the school! Honestly accepted us so immediately that it's still blowing my mind with how kind they are!
pictures 10-11- The 1st and 2nd grade classes combined just before their performance (video posted on facebook of their song!)
pictures 12-15- Some of the soccer boys and I just before school is let out showing off their great smiles and awesome name tags!
picture 16- Teammate Danielle, standing next to Edwin's sister, as she is being taught how to build the stove to build on our own tomorrow, her and Brooklyn will be teaching the rest of the team.
picture 17- 5th grade boys during their performance.
picture 18- Lauren and I eating our Boxbul mmm!
picture 19- Leaf Friend Creation!
Picture 20- Name Tag Creation Station!
picture 21- Edwin's mother begins using her stove immediately one it's set up, making homemade corn tortillas mmm!
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