Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Los Communidades

Arguably one of the best parts of the job here in Okinawa, is going to the communities – where the American volunteers come to sing, teach a little catechism, color drawings, and play outside on the cancha, while giving our “saludos” to the club de Madres.

There are 14 communities surrounding the main town Okinawa I, where we live at the volunteer house and teach our English classes at the local public Catholic school*.  From Okinawa I, we take various unpaved dirt roads to any given community – ranging from 15 to 90 minutes away, leading us to some of the most remote and poorest people in Bolivia.

Driving to a community is always an adventure – after rain the car will skid on mud, while during the dry season the “pulvo” or dust can be near blinding, while trying to avoid the cows, sheep, pigs, and the inevitable Bolivian dogs.  But, the scenic views of an prestige farmland and seemingly untouched parts of the rainforest, makes up for any potential driving hazards – especially when a random flock of ostriches scurries by!

But the best part is when the truck pulls up at a community and you can hear the kids from the classroom squealing because they know they are in for a morning of fun activities that will momentarily take them away from their monotonous class work.  The community Rancho Chicho not only has audible squeals of delight, but the little ones run outside the classroom attacking the volunteers with such passionate hugs, that we have to hold on the sides of the classroom or we will fall over! …my job is rough at times! Lol J

Once we manage to get inside the classroom, singing and laughing commence, flowed by an animated video and a puppet show and lastly coloring biblical scenes to reinforce the day’s lesson – using fun bright markers the kids love.  Then the mad dash to play outside and use the big bag of toys we bring every time or play “tic’tac’toe” with chalk from the classroom.

Nearby the Club de Madres or Mother’s Club meets with Doña Natty, who leads the various single working mothers in prayer and allows the women a respite from their work to discuss ways of gaining work or improving some of their home situations – and when its time to say “adios” the women always stop us to give us their fresh mangos or rice bread, generously giving us what they would happily eat. 

As we put the toys and supplies away, often the little ones help or at least try and then make the car a jungle gym and play until we finally pull away! Eeeep! J

*Though not allowed in the United States, San Francico Xavier is both Catholic and public, allowing a saintly group of Salesian nuns to run the school, while it also gets funding and subsidies from the government.

"It is not enough for us to say: "I love God", but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is not true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me." - Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta