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| Ashley Rivera of Puerto Rico |
Ashley has not yet chosen a major but is enjoying exploring different fields through her courses at Loyola. She likes the sciences, particularly biology. She is also an accomplished athlete, especially excelling at track.
Ashley has chosen to write about her experience helping to teach and to build a school for poor but eager children in Honduras. Ashley's experience in Honduras is marked by contrasts, which she highlights beautifully - contrasts between the poverty of the children and their overflowing joy, between their scant resources and their thirst to learn, between the physical difficulties of their lives and their enthusiasm at play. Most especially, Ashley notes the contrast between her fortunate circumstances in Puerto Rico and the far less fortunate circumstances of those she has come to serve in Honduras. Here is Ashley's expressive and moving essay.
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Helping in Honduras
By Ashley Rivera
I
had wanted to travel outside my country for a long time. Finally the
opportunity was presented, as I got the chance to teach English in Honduras. In
the summer of 2011, I traveled to a country totally unlike my own.
I
excitedly stepped off the plane at San Pedro Sula. The airport had no
air-conditioning. The first faces to greet me were a large group of young
children screaming. The young children were anxiously waiting our arrival,
holding up signs. After children greeted us we got on a large yellow school bus
with ripped cloth seats. The minute the bus started, Spanish music blared from
the speakers and the hot air lashed at our faces. The kids stuck their heads
out the window, taking in all the scenery.
Staring
out the window I saw poverty all around. I saw kids walking down the street
with no shoes, and houses made out of wood and cardboard. I also saw tall
mountains all around. When we arrived at the school where we were going to
teach, the kids that greeted us were clearly unhealthy. Their stomachs were
bloated, arms and legs were very thin and their skin was flaky. They had torn clothing and they smelled
as if they hadn’t showered in days. But one thing that stood out to me was
their big smiles.
The children wanted to teach us new games so we could play with them. The game that they
most enjoyed was hide and seek. They would want to play this for hours and
never seemed to get tired. I was amazed how much energy these kids possessed.
While teaching them English, I noticed how, despite their situation, the kids
were very happy. The kids really wanted to learn, and behaved well in class. We
taught them numbers and shapes. We also shared with them happy songs. The song
that they learned the quickest was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I can still
remember the first time we taught them this song, they were really interested
in learning it. Learning the song for them was like getting the coolest toy
ever. They were really excited and hyper.
When
we left the kids to go back to our hotel, we felt guilty because our hotel was
so nice and they had so little. My hotel room had two air conditioners and a
huge bathtub. I knew the kids wouldn’t have any of this at their homes. Their
homes did not even have a bed; they would all sleep in the floor. The next day,
we all got dressed quickly, excited to see the kids again. This continued for a
week, each day increasing the children’s happiness.
Not
only did we teach the kids but we also helped build them a school. We would mix
concrete by hand and carry it in buckets to lay a foundation for the school. By
the end of the day all our clothes would be covered in concrete and our hands
covered in blisters. It was very hard work, but it felt good knowing the kids
would have a nice place to learn. Meeting workers who, without the job of
building schools, would have fallen victims to the rough streets of Honduras
made the job even more valuable. The workers would share stories with us of
their childhood in Honduras and how poor their school was. The workers dressed
in bedazzling outfits. Their clothing was covered in glitter; it looked as if
they were wearing costumes. I found it funny that the workers always smelled
good. They smelled like an AX commercial. On the last day of my trip we
finished building this school. It was so rewarding seeing the children sitting
in their new desks. It made all the backbreaking work worth it.
The
classrooms were bright green and orange. To keep the kids cool we put bars over
the windows because there was no air-conditioning. The school was only four
classrooms. Most of the schools around there were like that. The younger kids
would go to school in the morning and the older kids in the afternoon. I found
it interesting that the school had no set times for when the kids should be
dismissed.
After
each day of work we would play soccer with the kids. Soccer is a very important
part of the kids’ lives because it is very popular in Honduras. This made me
feel closer to the community. The kids I taught were 15-20 years old. I taught
the older kids because I am fluent in Spanish. I am from Puerto Rico so my
first language is Spanish. I felt connected with the kids because their first
language was also Spanish. The kids picked up on the vocabulary very quickly
but had trouble with the pronunciation. The classes lasted two hours and I
taught 12 kids. Though I taught the older kids, outside the classroom I played
with the younger kids more.
One
day I made lunch with the women in the local village. The local village is
where the school is. For lunch we made Baleadas, which are tortillas with egg,
avocado, and beans. They were really good and I made them when I got home. The
soda impressed me because it had no corn syrup, and the soda in Puerto Rico
does. I really loved the soda. The Hondurans would play Reggeaton all the time,
which made me think of home.
At
the end of the week we went to the beach with the kids. The beach reminded me
of home because it had white sand just like Puerto Rico. We rode a boat in the
water and taught the kids how to kneeboard. I knew they would never forget this
day. They had the time of their lives in the beach located in the Caribbean
Sea.
As
I walked back into the San Pedro Sula airport after my full week, I thought
about all I had learned. I appreciated everything more, and was grateful for
the life I had back home. I felt thankful for the opportunity I had been given
and couldn’t wait to go back. It was very fulfilling to know I made a
difference in the life of children.
I
can’t wait to go back to San Pedro Sula. I know the children I taught miss me a
lot as well as I miss them. The hardest part I went through in San Pedro Sula
was saying goodbye to the young kids. They cried a lot and a young boy wouldn’t
let me go. This made it very hard for me and I will never forget it. This
experience changed my life in many ways. I loved being a part of these
children’s lives and knowing that I gave them the happiness they deserve
fulfills me. Every night when I go to sleep I pray to God for a better life for
these kids.
* * *
Our thanks to Ashley Rivera for sharing the many lessons of her time in Honduras.Our next post will feature the Halloween Haunted House Tour, conducted in the French Quarter of New Orleans by the LIEP students in our Advanced Culture Class.
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