Hey guys,
This week was a little bit wild. In addition to teaching our regular classes, we also hosted two Day of the Dead events, one in Jalpa on Wednesday night and the other in La Palma on Thursday. We spent Monday and Tuesday making paper mache skulls with three of our classes, and Wednesday and Thursday painting them. I have never had to do so much laundry. The calaveras turned out pretty well and the kids seemed to enjoy the project, although I would personally be very happy if I never, ever had to mix paste again in my life. Ever. Painting was also a bit of an adventure - while we had lots of generously donated paints from, I assume, some of the many artists in San Miguel, the colours weren't exactly child-friendly. What 8-year-old wants to paint in "Victorian Grey" or "Winter Light"? I had a brief moment of panic over the lack of primary colours, but the kids didn't seem to care at all.
Our little party in Jalpa turned out really well, with students bringing snacks and some of their parents supplying food. It was great to meet some of the families as we don't know the community in Jalpa very well and in the past, communicating with parents has been challenging. At six fifteen we cleaned up and locked up the classroom, and then realized that our ride hadn't shown up! Jalpa is 15 km from the highway and at least a half-hour drive from San Miguel. There is also no phone service in town, and the last bus leaves at six, so we were stranded until we had the luck of hitching a ride back to the city in the back of a Sapasma pick-up.
Thursday was an incredibly long day - we taught three classes in La Palma from eleven until five and then organized and cleaned for the Day of the Dead event, which went from six to nine. Despite how hectic everything was, the event was a success (I'd say, at least). Almost all of our students came and many brought their families; some families set up their altars outside the community center, and about twenty or thirty guests from San Miguel also celebrated with us, including tourists, ex-pats, volunteers, and board members. The students in Erin's afternoon primary class organized and built their own group altar, which was incredibly sweet. It was nice to see them taking initiative and working together so well. My middle-schoolers were wonderful, reading brief speeches they had written about the event and performing as a choir for the first time. A lot of effort went into this event - staff, volunteers, students, and parents worked hard to pull it off. I've got to give an extra thank-you to Salomon and Dan for accompanying us and to Cinthia for painting so many faces!
It was amazing to see how my class celebrated after finishing their speeches and their song - I am so proud of them and I'm already looking forward to the Christmas Concert. Although I'm still exhausted, and last night's party for my boss' birthday was a much-needed break from work! Check out the photos I've posted of the event here, and thanks as always for reading.
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