Yojoa

Friday afternoon we had a meeting in Yojoa with a number of new students and their parents. A primary school teacher, José Luis, was concerned about the lack of opportunity for students in this village to study beyond Grade 6. For the past month or so, he has been talking with us and organizing a way to get our program into his village.

Edel, Manuel and I headed to the primary school in Yojoa for an initial meeting. Nearly twenty people were already waiting when we got there. That, in itself, shows their interest. We met in one of the primary school classrooms. At the back, a brick layer was busy constructing a block wall to replace the aging (and flimsy) plywood walls that separated classrooms. He kept working but, I noticed, kept a careful ear tuned to the proceedings.

José Luis began the meeting with introductions and, interestingly enough, a reference to the idea that this was a historic occasion for the village. I never think of what we do as 'historic occasion' material but, in a real sense, it is. Mothers, fathers and children (especially the girls) were able to contemplate something beyond Grade 6 for the first time in their own village.

Students and Parents - Dressed up for Opportunity

José Luis Introduces the Program

Because the day was a little warm José had the rickety old fan droning away in honour of special guests. Through the gaps along the tops of the walls (in lieu of windows) I could see mango, coconut and plantains growing around the compound. Thirty desks crowded the room and, by the end of the meeting, they were nearly all full.

Two students had laptops and, while we were talking, Edel installed the program in each one. Wandering children peaked in curiously at odd intervals.

Manuel gave, as always, a wonderful explanation of the program and some of the benefits it offered. He stressed the need for mothers and fathers to take the course as well. Again, it was exciting to see the faces of the women light up at even the idea of them having a chance to study. Whether they will remains to be seen but ... they were able to dream for just a few minutes.

After ninety minutes, the meeting was over and we headed home. We arranged for me to go and bring a group of them to see the school on Wednesday. I wonder just how many will be able to fit into the pick up for that trip?

Another note. Last week there were three minor earthquakes. I woke up for two of them but missed the third which was in the morning while I was busy with other things. One of the interesting results was that we had no power the next day. Evidently, the nearby dam was not built with super precautions for earthquake resistance. The workers who run the turbines deep inside the dam are, understandably, a wee bit concerned whenever they feel an earthquake. So, they shut things down for eight hours to make sure that everyone was aware of their concerns. Always interesting to think just where all the water would end up if the dam failed. Santa Cruz looks like a nice place to live.

Shhh - Don't let Manuel know that you've seen this photo

Ecocina stove in background - Carlin learning the mysteries of Baleada making

The staff used the day without power to show Carlin how to make tortillas. As it was her last day in Honduras, it worked out well. The girls even strong armed Manuel, Edel and I into learning how to make tortillas. My skill set is sadly lacking in that department. We made baleadas with the tortillas and then, later, had a chicken stew made with the hay basket for a late lunch.

Wednesday morning, Carlin and I delivered two water filters on the way to the airport where we got her checked in, past the exit tax, the first passport check, the 'have you paid the tax' check and the 'scan the boarding pass' check - all before the second passport and boarding pass check at the top of the escalator (which wasn't working that day), the luggage and body scan check, the gate check, the final 'search through carry on' check (in case you really buy something strange in duty free) and the final boarding pass check. Really straightforward though.

A rainy day - unusual for this time of year but welcome for all the crops. Jackets and sweaters abound as it is barely 22' C.

TTYL

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