Painting in El Triunfo Part II

Yet again we were ready for a long, hot and dusty day. But the weather decided otherwise and the 1,5 hour trip to El Triunfo was wet and cold. Chilled to the bone we arrived in El Triunfo where we drove out the cold by hard physical labour. We put new screens in the windows, a new door for the latrine and a faucet inside the classroom. The furniture needed a second layer of paint and both inside and outside walls needed to be finished. But we were not alone. Although Marlen called in sick, we had the help of the teachers Alba and Maritza, and the adorable eight year old Alexander (“Chandi”). Soon we had an audience and even more help, because a bunch of girls also wanted to paint. Maritza brought us a pot of hot coffee, a neighbour pitched in with steaming elotes (corn on the cob) and Santiago, a curious kid on a bicycle, bought us cookies form the pulpería. It was hard work none the less and we didn’t finish until 5.30pm. But the job was done. The tiny school looked great with us looking as colourful as the building itself. Although we all dreamed of soaking in hot water, we skipped our plan to stop at the hot springs because it was late as it was. For now, mission accomplished…

But more work still needs to be done. We still have a few games in the making as well as a small library. There was no time to paint any murals (numbers, letters, shapes and such) on the inside walls, so I’ll do that next time I’ll be in the neighbourhood. We also plan to organize a few training sessions for Maritza and Alba as well as two young teachers from La Pintada. Hopefully I can convince them that kindergarten is all about playing, not about copying the alphabet. Still, whatever the children learn is better than nothing and I have great respect for Maritza and her friend Alba who are actually working as volunteers this year. Previously, Maritza earned a small stipend from the Municipality of Copán Ruinas (about $ 100 a month). Thing is, Maritza is a Liberal in heart and soul, and the new local government isn’t. So no more support for Maritza’s projects. That’s how things are done in Honduras. All the more reason to keep supporting this amazing woman.
Carin Steen