Welcome to Huayrapungo...

It’s happened again. Somehow, I’ve managed to be here in Ecuador for 3 weeks and I still haven’t mentioned the kids I am here to teach (yes…I am actually teaching here and not just ziplining upside-down!)

So, without further ado…I’d like to introduce you to Huayrapungo, my school in Ecuador.

A few days before I left Guatemala, the project director, Dom, gave me a warning: Do not try to compare one project with the next. They are all completely different and that is what makes them all wonderful.

So of course, I nodded just as any good volunteer would do but to be honest, I was thinking “how different can they be? All kids who I can just barely understand. All adorable. All school.” Right? Wrong. Definitely should have listened to Dom.

Honduras was world’s away from Guatemala and sometimes, it feels like Ecuador is in a different galaxy altogether. And it is apparent even before you arrive.

So I have a 1.5 hour drive up to the school every day. They key word there being UP. We drive straight up the Andes mountains and to say the view is incredible almost feels insulting. On a clear day, I can see a snow covered volcano that is more that 5 hours away. That would be like being able to see from Minneapolis to Madison on a clear day. Can you imagine?

Of course, I’ve tried to take some pictures and of course, they do it no justice whatsoever…

About 20 minutes before we arrive at the school, we stop at this little house on the side of the mountain. Suddenly, about 9 kids from age 1 to 13 come racing out and pile into our van. And guess what. They are ALL siblings!

The big ones carry the little ones. The middle ones fight for the best seat on the van. And within 30 seconds, the entire van smells like a campfire.

Surprise, surprise, the view from the school is BEAUTIFUL.

But for any of you out there who have visions of Ecuador being warm, think again. It is freezing. Freezing. I mean like two long sleeve shirts, scarf, polar fleece, long underwear, jeans and sometimes a hat and mittens freezing. Huayapungo actually means “Door to the wind” (or something very close to that!). Moral of the story: If you ever decide to teach high up in the Andes mountains, bring a coat.

Now one thing that makes this school very different from the others is that it is a) tiny and b) it’s actually summer school right now so it’s even tinier! The entire enrollment of the school from 5-years-old to 14 is about 26 kids and during summer school, we average right around 15.

Also, for the last two schools, I have been teaching 2^nd graders. Sweet little second graders who still think their teachers are cool and learning is fun.

Now? I am faced with 5^th, 6^th and 7^th graders! Lucky for me, these kids are really great. But don’t get me wrong, attitude with pre-teens is universal and trust me when I tell you, I am SO not cool to these kids.

Teaching 6^th graders has had its challenges and it’s benefits.

Challenges:

• I think they are actually more advanced than I am at math. We are talking angles in a triangle, Algebra, the works. And it doesn’t help that it’s all in Spanish.

• My only real reinforcement tool I brought with me are little stickers from the Target sticker books. Now they're are worth their weight in gold for 2^nd graders. Not so much for these kids. Gotta figure something out there…

Benefits:

• It really is so fun to see that these kids are so smart! Sometimes I forget that they aren’t 8 and I can’t believe what they can do. It’s amazing.

• Every Wednesday is computer day. Now as a HUGE computer nerd myself, I cannot tell you how amazing it is to show these kids how to use a computer. Last week was the 4^th time any of my kids had ever even seen a computer in their lives. We have one, old computer that they all gather around. Just doing simple things like changing the color of a font or drawing a smiley face sends them over the edge. I seriously think if you showed these kids the internet or YouTube, they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves!

During the regular school year, local mother’s come up to cook for the kids. But during summer, the responsibility has been put in the hands of us volunteers.

Now while I was growing up, I had very reasonable parents. I didn’t have too many weird rules to follow. So when there were rules, I took them seriously. From what I can remember there were two rules in my household:

• Never use a knife

• Never play with matches

Now these seem to be good rules, right? But the problem is that as a 27-year-old adult, I still cannot cut a bagel or light a fire. This is a slight problem at the school considering we use manually lit gas stoves and big knives.

So, I am on “colada” duty every day. Colada is basically a hot, geletin drink we make for the kids every day with Tang. Imagine hot, Tang-flavored pudding. Anyway, that is my job and I make one mean Colada.

Also because it’s summer school, we actually only teach Monday-Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are maintenance days. We scrub walls, paint, paint more, we are working on a mural and clean the school. Thanks in large part to my iPod speakers, these are actually very fun days! Usually it’s just us volunteers but now and then, the kids help out…

So, there is a very basic overview of the school. Of course I will write soon about my amazing students and why they are all incredible. But for now, here are just some adorable pictures that I couldn’t resist posting…

xoxo,

Debra