school visit

There is no way to share every last detail of our trip, but we had one other experience that can’t be left out. As suggested by Paul at Westfield Water Sports, we each carried down a variety of donated clothing and school supplies for the local kids. At the end of our first day of workshops we brought our things over to the nearby elementary school. The kids we met were not particularly poor by Honduran standards; all were clean and well fed. The fact that they were in school at all speaks to their families’ relative wealth. Viewed in comparison to our own Pioneer Valley standard of living, however, their one room schoolhouse jam-packed with desks and overflowing with students of all ages seemed impossibly crowded. We created quite a scene there with our gifts of books and toothbrushes. The kids were very excited and it took all of my limited Spanish skills coupled with Joe’s circus tricks to keep any kind of order during our short visit. We gave them each some small thing, but received much more. To be welcomed into their school and given a glimpse into the lives of the local children is much more than any average tourist or student has any right to expect. It was an experience that none of us will soon forget.

Joe handing out toothbrushes......................Catherine gives out books

Some gorgeous photos taken of the experience by Ben Rosser: