Yesterday a few GVI volunteers and some friends we made here went to an indigenous community in the mountains with a lady from the states that spends time up there regularly. We visited what is essentially an orphanage, where they make ceramics to sell. A 16-year-old girl who runs a lot of the business was thrilled to see us. So happy to show us how to work the clay to prep it for molding and then we each got to mold something to later be fired (using just a fire... not a firing oven). We ground corn and made our own tortillas. With everything made from their land and processed right there, they were the best tortillas I've had. They insisted on us have a lunch of beans and tortillas. We brought some toys for the kids and rope to make jump ropes from. While the kids at the school we work at in San Rafael love jump roping, it didn't seem like these kids had ever tried. They were so happy to be able to teach us and feed us. They invited us back anytime. We had a very good, yet thought-provoking day.
The experiences I've had here from the schools in Honduras and Guatemala where I work, to visits like this, to the wonderful travelers, volunteers, and locals I've met are invaluable. I sometimes get caught up in the moment and the excitement of what I'm doing... planning lessons, planning my next trip or excursion, blogging or facebooking, thinking about things at home... and days like yesterday remind me of why I'm here and to not take these experiences for granted.
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