The summer has quickly come to an end.  One can feel the plants and animals preparing for the rainy season.  Man included, as vegetables and the staple, maíz

, are harvested and another planting of beans is underway.  The heat has only diminished slightly, and I still usually arrive to school in the mornings completely soaked in sweat.  But it has begun to rain more consistently in the afternoons, and clouds offer us welcome protection from the intensity of the sun.  Recently, I've been focusing my energy on the community library project and community members were elected to different positions on a committee that will be imperative to the project's success.  Last month, myself and a few high school students here in El Pital got together as many kids from the town as we could for the first evening storytime at the high school, where the library is planned to take root.  After opening the gathering with a few newly-learned Spanish sing alongs, Kensy and Durkis, two of the high school students, shared storytelling responsibilities while a couple of parents and I sat with the group of about 40 kids to keep the peace, if you will.  The idea is that this becomes a more regular thing, along with other activities, so that in people's minds the space is not just where books are kept, but also where communal learning takes place.  Next week we will have the second installment!  

As far as the library is concerned, I am also working on a grant proposal for this project so that in the next couple of years there are some funds to continue to develop the space into something extraordinary, something that will truly bring about change in the way the community sees learning, and the opportunities which it provides.  I'm also just starting to compile all my notes and data which I collected throughout this year while visiting the 22 schools in the cuenca and interviewing teachers and directors.  Before I leave in December, I will have a report that, aside from providing demographic and statistical data, will also contain my descriptions and impressions of each school, as well as my suggestions for the best way to tackle the most common needs.

Most importantly, my relationships with people here continue to develop into what I hope will be lasting friendships.  I know that I have not learned everything that people here can teach me, nor have I shared all I wish to share with them.

Here in the Cangrejal watershed, I continue to feel blessed to be a part of the creation of new relationships, of the search for new ways of approaching old problems, and to be able to learn from the people here while passing along to them some of the few things I have been taught. English classes up in the community of La Muralla continue to be the highlight of my time here, with each class resulting in a new world of ideas being opened up to both teacher and students. The students are on break for the week as I type this, and I am using the time away from teaching and carrying out my school assessments to really lay down the direction for the rest of the year. Considering that I only have two days a week with these students and that they are so young (1st thru 5th grade), my goals have more to do with them exploring new ways of learning and thinking than having a command of the English language. That being said, I really am amazed at how much these kids are retaining. Next week I will be joined by a few visiting volunteers to do some art projects on Tuesday and Thursday that will hopefully help us to learn vocabulary dealing with shapes and colors.

I have visited about half of the schools in the cuenca cangrejal and am starting to see some clear patterns. The most glaring issue to me is the inability of the municipalidad to encourage teachers to stay longer than a year or two in these schools where a teacher's understanding of each student's stage of development, family life, and strengths is so integral to their learning. There is also an incredible lack of resources and variety in learning/teaching methods. When I have visited all of the schools and sorted through all of the data and observations, I plan on writing a comprehensive report to share with anyone interested so that, in the future, Un Mundo and others can together help to expand the opportunities for children growing up in this area.

Next week I will be flying to Chicago to spend a week in the midwest. Aside from spending some time with my friends and family, I will be picking up books from a couple of book drives organized a few months back that will hopefully be a good addition to the community library that is starting to develop in El Pital. I will also be publicizing a benefit concert for Un Mundo's work in the cuenca that is going to be held on Thursday, June 25th in Madison, WI. My friends, the Madison-based funk and reggae band Chafo will be performing along with another good friend, Malian musician Tani Diakite and his Malian Blues Band. The following Saturday I will be attending a wedding to celebrate the union of two of my good friends in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Thinking of returning to the United States gives me mixed feelings of course, as I am really excited to see friends and family and for these wonderful events that will be happening, but I am not looking forward to being surrounded by the mindless consumption that can be so prevalent there, the effects of which the majority seldom ponders.

This Thursday I will be holding a meeting in El Pital to try and generate some excitement around the library and the formation of a group of people who will ideally become the leaders and guardians of this community space that has yet to be a reality. I am confident that, with the right people involved, this space can eventually become more than a room with books in it, and evolve into a place where community members of all ages can access ideas, information and resources that will ultimately help expand and open up community consciousness.

            Each morning, waking to the sound of the roosters of El Pital crowing even before dawn blesses the valley, I must be thankful for finding myself so fortunate (as we all must, as we see each new day).  I have spent my first month in the cuenca cangrejal spending time in three different homes, the hosts in which have all been incredibly gracious.  Rob and Elly have been very helpful in sharing their thoughts, time, and living space with me (not to mention food) as I become acclimated to my new environment.  Waking up one day in the middle of a Wisconsin winter, and waking the next day breathing tropical air can be funky for the body and mind.  After the first few days and nights just getting to know the area a bit, I spent two weeks with a wonderful family who taught me many Hondureñismos, the art of tortilla making, and a plethora of things about daily life in the cuenca.  Living with this family was truly a heartwarming experience.

During the days here, I’ve been focusing my energy on developing a curriculum for teaching twice-weekly English classes in the mountain village of La Muralla, establishing relationships with people of all ages in El Pital and neighboring aldeas, and brainstorming, writing down ideas, planning for the year.  The latter mental activity has been primarily directed towards:  the “Biblioburro” program we are developing which will bring books and magazines, as well as a book- making workshop, to some of the more remote villages in the area via burro, or donkey; a potential music program, most likely centered on learning about different musical cultures around the world as a vehicle to increased awareness of different people, places and sounds; and developing a questionnaire/survey to take with me to all of the schools in the cuenca so that we may gain a better understanding of the educational opportunities offered in all of the communities here.  On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I make the hike up to the village of La Muralla to give English lessons to the twenty or so elementary school kids there.  It’s a multilevel classroom, with a handful of kids in each grade, first through fifth, so I have my work cut out for me. Nevertheless, it is a blast working with these children, as well as learning from the teacher there on how to accommodate such a wide age range of learners.

I was also invited to play guitar at the wedding of a newly made friend the second week I was here, which was a great opportunity to meet many people and “break the ice” so to speak.   The church was packed and I think people enjoyed my rendition of “Is this Love?” by Bob Marley.  Also in the music vein, I’ve been organizing a couple of music fundraisers for this summer, as well as a small book drive (both back in the U.S.) to raise awareness of this area of the world in the case of the former, and to get a start on building a library for the Biblioburro program.

But, of course, much of this first month has been simply soaking in the new, and listening.  More to come soon…