After a weekend of fun and acting like tourists, its back to the grind here in Chimbote as classes and homestay visits resumed. Teaching class seems a little easier now that we have a hang of things and have been very good at planning out the lessons for class.
Unfortunately, today was a rough day for my group. We teach the six and seven year olds and boy was it difficult to get them to pay attention and learn today! For whatever reason, we could not get them engaged in what we were trying to teach them. Perhaps we are getting a taste of our own medicine from when we return to class after the weekend? There is a playground here at the mission that we take the kids to during breaks, and my group had to threaten our kids that they would not get to go to the playground if they didnt behave and keep quiet. Unfortunately, five kids continued to push their luck and remained in the classroom sitting quietly while everyone else went to recess. It seemed to work, because everyone settled down and seemed to listen a bit more.
After lunch, we delivered the beds we made last night. It was definitely an eye opening experience. While walking through the streets of Chimbote, you could see the progression of increased poverty as we searched for the houses we were bringing the beds to. Both families had 5-6 family members and were sharing 1-2 beds in each home. There is no word to describe the emotions I felt while in the homes. I cannot imagine the struggles these families face every day. It was definitely rewarding to be able to positively impact their lives with something so simple as a bed. It also made me question why we arent able to do more to help one another in the world…makes you think, huh?
Round 2 of classes starts soon. Better go and plan lessons.
Love and miss everyone!! Happy MLK day!
Scott and frisbee friends, good luck in the MLK tournament!
Hey Alyssa, so nice to read your words :) I can hear your voice as I read along. Good job on the beds! Love you and miss you! Sorry I missed your call – Mom xo