Down Came the Rain...and Washed the Children Out

On the way up to the school today, I noticed the looming clouds. The air was hot and thick and there was no doubt that rain was on the way. I just hoped I wouldn't get caught in a deluge as I had visions of the moto skidding out in thick mud...a slight disruption to my usual moto bliss en route to CSF. 

In any event, I made it safely again and happily paid my 1 mil to the pre-pubescent driver. Walking into the classroom I was struck by a wall of stale heat and exited yips from the kids. Today was art day and our resident artist (and my roommate), Rachel, was gearing the kids up for creating 'God's Eyes'. Her example piece had the kids enthralled and they were all wiggling, eager to start. 

I decided to take the first few minutes to have a chat with another 'student of the day'. As he was having a difficult time sitting still and was causing a bit of havoc in the beginnings of the lesson, I figured Duban Alfonso Jimenez Martinez would be the lucky guy. 

 Duban is 10 years old and lives with his mother, father and 6 year old brother, Carlitos. He has lived in the barrio his whole life and is in 3rd grade at the 'La Quinina Uno' (which I am dying to visit as most of the kids are there during the mornings).

Duban's favorite food is pizza with verduras. This surprised me as the rest all say, "arroz, frijoles, tajada, y jugo". The fact that he likes verduras (vegetables) on his pizza was unheard of around these parts.

When I asked him what he liked to in his free time (outside of colegio) there wasn't a second hesitation before he said, "Ven pa' aca." (coming here...to CSF). I was not surprised by this response as it seems pretty obvious that the kids love the school and one of the greatest punishments they can receive is to be told they have to leave for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this has happened with Duban a number of times as he has a bit of a history of misbehavior. He has a hard time focusing and some other issues that the teachers have been addressing (and are seeing good results).

He may have bad days, but his 'good ones' seem to be increasing as he spends more time with the teachers at CSF. And for good reason...they shower him with hugs and consistency that is not always present in many of the families in the barrio. He knows his teachers will be there every day and that they always start every day 'fresh'. He knows he is loved.

I was lucky enough to spend time with Duban when I first visited the foundation and he was one of the reasons I was convinced I had to work with CSF. He was challenging, but under his squirrely demeanor, there was a very sweet, conflicted little man who was obviously thriving in a place that most children might have a hard time...were there not a foundation in the community to support them. 

As we were finishing our interview, we started to feel raindrops and looking up there was a curtain of grey completely obscuring the landscape...the rains had finally made an appearance. We had a millisecond to duck under the roof before the sky started to dump buckets of water. 

Now in most schools and education facilities, children are expected to stay out of the rain and keep their clothes dry...not here. The teachers were the first out of the building, arms flapping, hooting with joy as they had just spent the past 30 minutes boxed in a small, sweltering classroom. Of course the kids were not far behind and the place turned into a soggy free-for-all. I loved it. I loved that the kids were encouraged to run out and enjoy the storm and marvel at the sudden change in their surroundings.

Talk about living in the present, these kids (and teachers) are experts in such an existence. You can read all the books in the world, post all the quotes about the matter that you want, but when you see it being done by a bunch of little kids, it is quite humbling. Many adults spend their lives searching for this...learning to live in the moment, enjoy the present to its fullest...maybe we just need to spend more time with kids, they seem to have it down. I wish all teachers could experience the freedom that I did today. In traditional school we often get caught up in 'objectives' and 'learning outcomes' so much so that we lose sight of the fun in learning. 

What was today's rainy day lesson, you ask? They learned a lot and no lesson plan could have quite captured the essence. The kids learned to seize a great moment, to be in awe of the power of nature, to see teachers as their conspirators in learning, and that these small memories build community. They, also, learned that the tile floor in the school is not a 'slip-n-slide'...

Believe it or not, we were able to get all these 'mojaditos' (wet little ones) inside to finish the art lesson. Rachel did an amazing job getting the materials put together and while the kids were very giddy, they were quickly absorbed in their creations. I kept chanting, "arriba, bajo, al lado, arriba, bajo y otra vez..." and somehow they understood me enough to put together some pretty incredible 'God's Eyes'. 

I think I was most amazed during the art activity by how quickly the kids settled down and were completely taken over by the colorful yarn piled on the tables. They don't get to do things like this outside of CSF and they know a good thing when they see it.

Walking home today in the mud, I couldn't stop smiling. I was already looking forward to tomorrow, yet not ready to say good-bye to today. I realized I was just soaking in every minute of my time in the barrio. Even walking through the immense sludge-puddle on the way to the road made me giggle...or it could have been Rachel's expression when she realized the end, wasn't really the end.

Anyway, I was reminded today to not take things too seriously, to enjoy each moment (cliche, yet, so true), and to take pleasure in the little things: a downpour, colored yarn, a friend's expression of exasperation, and music on the bus home.

Today was a very, very, very good day. Thank you CSF...I am pretty sure I owe this to you.