Day Three... WOW!

 One of the local insects that joins us on our shower curtain

The front porch of the bunk house where we sleep, eat and hold meetings everyday. Antioch teachers are taking a moment to journal about the trip before heading out to schools in outer villages.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

by Alice

Day Three…Wow. So much happens every day that it’s hard to believe only three days have passed. It rained fast and furious overnight, bringing a cool freshness to the morning air. Smoke and haze have hung thick since our arrival, so this morning’s touch of fresh air was welcome. We start every day with the best coffee I’ve ever had (lo siento, Costa Rica), grown locally by our friend, Nelson. We slammed our coffee and hit the trail, capitalizing on the coolness of the morning to get some exercise. Team Run led the way down the dirt road that winds through el Rosario’s crop fields, with Team Walk ambling along behind them, taking pictures and discussing the landscape. It was a beautiful way to start the day and rev up for a hearty breakfast. This morning we had pancakes, fruit, yogurt and granola.

Today the bunk house was the site of two important meetings, where a lot of brainstorming took place. The Antioch teachers planned the rest of our time here, detailing what we will do with the Honduran students and teachers. This included planning the afternoon teacher workshops, the skit to introduce the Traveling Library, and the lesson plans that we will teach in the classrooms. Simultaneously, a community meeting was underway at the dining table to discuss education in El Rosario. This meeting included members of the Committee for Health and Development, The Committee for Vigilance and Transparency, Lisa from ACTS, Charlie and Rob from the Board of The Children’s Initiative (TCI), and our fearless interpreter, Patty, also with ACTS. I sat in on this meeting to learn how El Rosario is approaching community development, particularly how they are planning education in this rugged, remote region. For two hours, the community discussed how to further incorporate programming at the Learning Center, and how to potentially provide secondary education to the region in the near future. We just lost power and the computer battery is on reserve, so I’m out!