Today started out with Morning Devotions and then we went again into various classes to see how the kids acted in class and what they classes were like. They were wonderful of course. I was able to sit in the English Composition class which had a great selection of books that my own daughter Olivia reads. The class rooms and instruction are very similar to classes I have seen in the States.
After checking out the classes we traveled to the Technological school. There we continued painted the bars around the administrator’s building. I also snuck off with one of our favorite El Hogar children, Maynar (MI-Nar) . Maynar impressed me very early with his great English. Back earlier at El HOgar he looked around and said ,”This is my family.” Maynar took me on a tour of the various workshops and introduced me to his teachers. He acts as their interpreters in the video.
Next, came the Basketball Game. We just flippantly mentioned we should play a game with the boys at the Technical Institute earlier in the week. They heard this, and it became a big game with the whole school watching. Now none of us on the trip play Basketball even semi-regularly. In fact, I am not sure I have touched a basketball in 5 years. Today we got out there and we gave it our best. It was grand. It was a wonderful time with misses, bumps, bruises, and surprising shots. It was also filled with many smiles and many handshakes.
Afterwards we drove our sore bodies back to El Hogar. There we all came in to the guest house and melted on the couches thinking surely the staff would just let us skip playing with kids tonight. God and El Hogar had other plans. I hear a knock on the door and one of my favorite little boys Julio is standing outside. He looked up at me and said ,”You come play with me.”
I looked at him with my sore body, my tired feet and wore out back and wanted to say.” No Gringo is Broken.” Instead I looked at him smiled and said, “Uno Minute. “
This Gringo is broken.
My heart has broken for this place and these wonderful people.
Larry Benfield are discussing. 
Larry Benfield 7:36 pm on July 15, 2010 Permalink |
Randall…..and what do the students there think of your Spanish? Good to see the videos, by the way.
Randall Curtis 12:43 am on July 16, 2010 Permalink |
They really enjoy laughing at my spanish all the time. The Rosetta stone has been helpful as well as my drama classes from High School. Charades will get you a long way.