estufas solares

A new club for girls has been formed. We are focusing on the environment- studying the Bible to see what it has to say about creation and doing hands-on activities as well, such as today's attempt to make a solar stove.

The stove is made using two cardboard boxes, tin foil, and black paint. The boxes are places one inside the other. Both are lines with tin foil (shown in the picture above) and the outside box is painted black. A lid is made in a similar way and a flap is cut on the top (the lid is being painted in the picture below). A piece of glass (or a Reynold's oven bag, if such thing could be found here) is placed over the opening of the lid, so that light can be reflected from the inside of the flap into the box. We will attempt to cook rice in the box on Thursday to see if it actually works.

new intern

We have a new intern working in Los Higos with Johana at the preschool. Selina arrived about three weeks ago and will stay until mid-December. Johana is about 8 months pregnant and Selina has come to fill in for Johana while she is on maternity leave.

Carmen Luz will also continue to work at the preschool as well while Johana is gone. The picture above shows Selina and Carmen Luz giving a math lesson to the class.

Caminata

I went to my first march (protest?) on Thursday (although I didn't march, I went in the truck). People from Los Higos and neighboring communities were marching against the condition of the road that leads from Hato Viejo through Hatillo and to Crucero (this is the road we take to get to Los Higos before we turn left to go up the big hill). The met up in Hatillo (about a mile below Los Higos) and walked to Hato Viejo (about 1.5 miles, but including a mega-hill). When they got the Hato Viejo, they closed off the road and held a ralley. A Catholic priest spoke about the need for justice in government and spoke against how the government does not use money for projects that will benefit rural communities. Following his talk, he gave communion.

Here is the view from the back of the ralley. I am guessing there was several hundred people there

Here you can see the priest up on the stage:

Meri was at the ralley representing the 'junta de vecinos' (the city council) of Los Higos. Her sign reads, "City Council of Los Higos. No movement towards progress. Los Higos demands reconstruction of the Hato Viejo-Hatillo-Crucero highway"

Tito

I found a home for Tito, the rabbit that turned out to be a boy. Carmen Luz needed a male rabbit, and I sold him to her.

So, today I stopped by Carmen Luz's house. I had heard that her younger daugher, Elisabet, was sick and asked Elisabet about it. Here is how our conversation went:

Arlene: Es verdad que estas enferma? (Is it true that you are sick?)

Elisabet: Si. (yes)

Arlene: Que tienes? (What do you have?)

Elisabet: Un conejo! Ven a ver! (A rabbit! Come and see!)

pulga

On Thursday there was a 'pulga' (yard sale) at the preschool in Los Higos. When we host teams, they often leave donations (usually clothes, towels, and sheets) behind at the base. Rather than give these items away, Students International allows sites to sell them at low cost to raise money to buy things for the sites that wouldn't normally be included in our regular budgets. For example, a few months ago Johana had a pulga at the preschool to buy a television for the school.

The community always looks forward to sales like this. The picture below shows the crowd waiting at the gate for the sale to begin.

These pictures (which are my favorites) shows the people rushing towards the school once the gate was opened.

Here the people are crowded onto the porch of the school, looking through the items for sale:

coneja (o)

So, the big news at the social work site this week is that it turns out that Titi, the rabbit, is a boy. That would explain the reason she [he] has not has baby bunnies, yet.

faldas

Kay Yua Korean lady that lives in Michigan (she is the mom of my intern from 2006, Sandra), is working at my site during this outreach. She came prepared to teach the advanced sewing class to make simple skirts. The whole process turned out to not be so simple, but most of the girls did manage to finish their skirts. It was good to have an outsider come to the class and give the girls advice, because I think they sometimes get tired of me nagging them to sew straighter or correct their mistakes. Kay graciously told them when they needed to correct their sewing and the girls took her advice well.

Today Kay was also going to make a simple sundress for Marcela (an SI missionary kid). She cut the fabric out, but then later couldn't find it. Not long after, Gabby came out of the sewing room sporting a skirt and headband her mom made her using her new skirt-making skills. Turns out that Maciel found the little sundress fabric and cut it down to make a skirt for Gabby. Apparently she didn't recognize that that fabric was already cut for someone else's project. ;)