Plans and Projects

I apologize for time lapse since my last entry and can only assure you all that I will do my best to keep up with writing. Things have been very busy which is a good thing. I have been bombarded with ideas, many born in my own mind, and I was finding it difficult to figure out just where to start. Finally I feel like I have developed somewhat of a plan, and I have learned to manage my time more wisely.

Tercero kids, "crossing the river of lava" -A team-building game I learned at Scottie's Place.

Since I have only 2 months before the end of the school year, I have had to prioritize... While I will be working with all three grades in the schools, I have decided to give the majority of my attention to the Tercero kids (3rd years) because they will graduating in October. My first weeks in the schools, I had individual interviews with each student so I could get to know them a little better. I had them fill out an index card with their name, age, grade, parents name, and if they live with their parents. This way, I was able to see what kind of background these kids come from without prying... I found out which kids have parents in the US and which kids have no parents. In the interviews I asked them what they like to do in their free time, what their favorite school subject is, and if they have a career in mind that they would like to pursue. Some of the kids had a hard time understanding my question about what they like to do in their free time... "Sorry 'Seño', what do you mean in free time?" they would say.
"Well when you aren't in school, or helping out around the house... What do you like to do? Read? Spend time with friends? Play?" I asked naively.
"Seño, when I am not in school I am working and that's it," they replied.
-And I continued on to the next question pretending to be unaffected by their response.

Girls fútbol players, Tiox Ya'

When asked about a career they might like to pursue, some of them just looked at me... One boy told me that his parents had told him from the beginning that he can only study until Tercero (equivalent to 8th grade in the US) and then he would have to go to work in the fields to support his family. When talking about careers, many of the students said they wanted to continue studying and become "professionals" but when I asked, "Professional what?" Most of them had no idea... Some students had a career in mind but no clue how to pursue it. Few kids had a set plan for how they wanted to succeed in life. The most common response to the question, "How do you plan to achieve your education/career goals," was, "Work hard, keep studying, and support from my parents."

Boys fútbol players from Tiox Ya'

Some boys from Chi Don Juan dressed as clowns for an activity at the primary school.

While all of these factors would help a student achieve his or her goals, it's not exactly a specific plan for the future. So with all the information I collected I decided perhaps it would be a good idea to host a career day for all the Tercero kids. Inspired by another PCV who did something similar, I'm in the initial planning phase right now and looking for a professionals to represent each career that are of interest to the kids. If all goes as planned, Peace Corps will help transport these professionals way out here to Estancia de la Virgen where we will have a full day with all the kids of Tercero Básico from the 4 schools. Each professional can talk about how they became successful in their career, what schools are available, how many years of study are required, how much it costs, how to look for scholarships, etc. Also the kids will each have a formal "mock" interview with someone from their choice career. This way, they will be making connections with real professionals from Guatemala who can serve as role-models, and even future contacts for these young people if they choose to continue their studies.
In the next few weeks I will work to prepare the kids for Career Day. I have already begun talking about the basics, and I have pointed out to them that if they chose to live the life of a campesino (farm worker) then this too, is a noble and fulfilling life. The truth is that not a single one of them told me that they wanted to be campesinos the rest of their lives, although I know many of them think that this will be their inevitable fate. I told them that if they have an inkling to pursue higher education, or a career, that they should not put it out the realm of possibility. My intention is simply to give them all the information they need to know... then it is in their hands, to talk to their families, work hard, get good grades, look for scholarships, etc.
The typical life plan here in the campo is to graduate Tercero, work in the fields, save enough money to hire a "coyote" to take you to the US, work like a slave for a few years in the jobs that no Americans want, send the money home to your family to build you a decent house, return home to your kids who have spent the last 5 years without you, live in your nice house back at square one with no more money than before...
I would really like to try to offer an alternative life plan to these kids. I want to point out that if the are able and willing to sacrifice a child's labor in the fields for just a few years, then that child could continue studying and find a job that would pay a much better wage to help support the family. I would like to see kids dreaming of becoming professionals in their own country where they could have a life-long, stable job and support their own country's economy. This is the only way for sustainable development... Ideally, these young people will leave and pursue an education and career, use their resources to support their family and community, then future youth from that community will follow by example eventually helping pull the community out of poverty.
IDEALISTIC. I know. But little by little, even if only a handful of kids make it... It's still something.
So, here goes. We'll see how things turn out.

These little girls from the primary school asked for my help baking some cakes.

Cake Bakers