Camila Pérez-Diener
The day started off at 9 am at Betania, a private Mennonite school right outside of Aibonito Puerto Rico. We were planning to do some work around the school that was intended to be done on Monday, but because of complications had been delayed. Fernando, one of the host dads, shared four different tasks that needed to be done around the school. After deciding who went where, we set off across the campus with our gloves and shovels ready to work. I joined Henry, Jocsan, and Meredith in clearing out a ditch behind the building that holds the music class and physical education class. With the heavy rain and clogged up cement ditch, water had begun to flood the classrooms. At the start, it was a lot of weed pulling but as we got further along to what appeared to be the end of the ditch, we realized this task would entail more than pulling weeds. Towards the end of the building there was a lot of undergrowth we had to clear away in order to continue a path for the water to flow. After the brush had been cleared we needed to dig a new ditch into the clay-like dirt. The four of us took turns with the different shovels taking breaks when needed and soon we cleared a path for the water to flow!
Here is a collage of the before and after pictures of our work.
Proud of our work, we went out to see how other groups were doing.
Britney, Krysttal and Meiling were picking up trash where a trailer had been temporarily moved and needed to be put back. Three trash bags later, the area looked much cleaner.
Then we went to see Ava, Isaac, Kelsie, and Richard who had also been working on digging a ditch for water to drain. They did a great job creating a deep ditch to ensure water would not flood the classrooms anymore.
Lastly, there was a group of six students, all dressed uniformly in pink and red, clearing off plants from the fences. Cal, Daniella, Kat, Mely, Pamela and Paulina worked precariously on the high fences pulling off vines and other plants.
Exhausted and happy with our work we all went to eat lunch in the cafeteria around noon. They served us delicious arroz con gandules, pollo, and macaroni salad. We rested as we chatted over food and played a game of 5 Crowns afterwards. In the afternoon, we were invited to spend time in classrooms with students. Some students spent time with kindergarten and first grade. Because the rest of the students are studying for their finals next week, we did not want to distract them. Instead we visited them in either music or PE class. A group of us went to visit the music class and got to hear the 7th grade band playing a song from the same books I used to learn the flute, Essential Elements. Sadly they finished class soon after we arrived. After we said goodbye to the students we asked the teacher if it would be okay if we play some of the instruments. That question led to an incredible jam session with Meredith and Jocsan on the keyboard, me on the electric guitar, Henry playing electric bass, the teacher on the drums and Cal as our lovely audience member. It was my first time playing an electric guitar and along with other instruments like the bass and drums. Our music attracted Terry, our professor who then joined Cal in the audience. I was moved by the way each instrument added to my melody until all of us were playing and enjoying the music together.
The day didn’t end there though. After stepping out of the class, refreshed by the opportunity to play music, we saw our classmates playing different games on the lawn with the students from Betania.
There was a soccer game playing as well as a game of “red light, green light.” We quickly joined the “red light green light game” which with excited kindergartners, ended quickly. I then proposed the idea of “Sharks and Minnows” and the students loved it. So after explaining the rules and picking a shark we started the game. We got to play two rounds before they were called back to their classrooms. We then played some knockout with the 7th and 8th graders before they started a game of 6v6. Henry, two students, and I were standing at the edge watching when I proposed we play something too. So to finish our day at Betania, the four of us played casual pickleball. As we played we asked each other simple questions to practice English and Spanish and get to know each other. It was a wholesome way to end our full day.
On our way home, I told my host mom of all the things we had accomplished and done that day. She laughs as she points out my yawn and says, “y ahora estás agotada! (And now you are exhausted!)” She was right. Thankfully we had the rest of the day to relax and catch up on homework. We will be visiting Betania Thursday and Friday as well and I am excited to see what new adventures we will have with the students there.