Reflection from Abby Wittmer - Day 4 at San Pablo

So today marks our halfway point in our stay. In one week we will be headed back to the United States. It’s almost hard to believe, but the time flies by so fast. Today was a fun and exciting day for the crowd at San Pablo. As we all have learned, the teachers walk a mile from Red Bank to the river, then cross the river to go to school to teach. They do this every single day without fail, and this year, we decided to try this way as well. Dr. Pentecost drove us down the bumpy road and jungle to the river bank, and we all tried to cross the river together. Some of us were brave and some of us were slightly scared, but all of us managed to cross the river without any issues (it was only really just past our knees, but it can get almost past their shoulders in the rainy season). The kids were so excited to see us, and led us back up the banks to school. It made me remember and appreciate that we only have to get in a car, whereas these teachers have such dedication that they cross a river every day to see their students.

Luckily, today was much much cooler than the past few days. A cold front moved through overnight, and the high was 83° and cloudy instead of the 107° and sunny it was the other day. We played volleyball with the kids before school and they showed us around their homes. It was nice to be able to see them and it’s incredible how affectionate and comfortable they have grown with all of us. They grab our hands and call our names begging us to play with them. I can’t believe that they are the same kids that were hesitant to talk to us on the first day. We joke about taking them back to the US with us in our big bags. We all had a great day teaching again, and we’ve (or at least I’ve) really found our stride in teaching. The teachers love having us in their classrooms, and the kids plead with us to teach them. You can find the students sitting inside during their breaks playing math games or taking/looking at pictures on our phones. Like normal, my Standard V kids carried their desks over their heads to our hut to learn some Social Studies and Spanish. I am continually impressed about how much they think of and can apply to their own village. We started to talk about conservation and natural resources in the class, and it was so cool to watch them think.

It started to rain in the afternoon, but it was a cool rain and the kids were still out there playing volleyball all afternoon. Some of them stood under the corners of the roof where the water was pouring out. It became a lazy afternoon with playing as some of the classes wrapped up. I even got to try a “choco-banana” (frozen banana covered in chocolate), and play red rover in the rain. We left amongst hugs and lots of promises to return on Monday. Today was a great day, and we’re excited for the weekend ahead of us! I can’t believe we’ll be gone in a week, but we’re making the most of each day.

Abby Wittmer