Fun interaction with students

This morning we woke up and had breakfast. Then we walked down to the Colegio. We started off the morning by helping them with building a butterfly garden. It turned out to involve carrying concrete blocks up the hill for the garden site. First we each carried a block up the hill. Then we formed a line with the students to bring them up. It began to pour rain and we went inside the classroom. Justin and I showed the students magic tricks. Then we played tic-tac-toe. Two girls and Maggie (who loves salsa) taught my mother how to dance salsa. Justin explained to a few students how to play dominoes and I joined their game. It was very fun to interact with the students.

Jen being taught how to salsa! 

Lena and Justin with the ecotourism class

Team #224 with Karen and the fun ecotourism class

After lunch, which consisted of rice, beans, salad, and fish, we taught English. I was very happy because it was with seventh graders who were my age. Justin played a game where they said their names, favorite colors, and favorite foods in English. While my mom and I had conversations with students. They were very interested in the World Trade towers. We explained the story of what it was like and how it affected America. We also turned their names with different pronunciations to English ones. My mom spoke in English and Spanish and the teacher translated. By the end of the time I had made friends with three girls – Kiley, Kimberly, and Melanie – who were particularly interested in my life.

After their recess we worked with Jorge on his vegetable garden again, taking out weeds and planting beans and coriander. After work we headed to Casem, the local women’s art center. There we had agua dulce (sweet water) in their restaurant. We walked back to Santa Elena and had a delicious dinner at Morphos, which had beautiful paintings of trees and butterflies all around it.  

Tasting the delicious agua dulce

Team #224 on a very memorable walk 

Entry submitted by: Lena

Message of the Day - Lena: “I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”  - William Penn