Habitat for Humanity - Bolivia

We have a Habitat for Humanity club at our school. I became involved at the beginning of the year. So far we've been to 3 "builds" around Santa Cruz, but this past week we were able to take 18 of the students on a 6 hour train ride to San Jose de Chiquitos. There are two things I would like to share with you... the students and the HHH trip and the actual town of San Jose.

So let's starts with the students... as most of you know, I've been having a hard time adjusting to the students at my school. Since I started teaching in January 2003 I've been at 4 schools - two inner city, very poor, gang ridden schools, and two private, international, very rich schools. The contrasts are not as vast as you might think... In fact the major issue at all my schools has been parent involvement. Your kids need you - pay more attention to them - create boundaries and rules and stick to them!

Ok, so I don't have my own kids, so you might just call me out on my BS, but I am around kids all day. In Santa Cruz the atmosphere is very different from where I've been before. I've been thinking about how I'm going to possibly make it another school year and dreading the next few months of this one - until this weekend...

You create a group like Habitat for Humanity and instantly weed out the slackers. The kids that show up to the meetings are "typical" teenagers, but somehow different - compassionate, empathetic, mature in a way that most people never reach, never mind teenagers.

So I got on the train and headed east with 18 very cool teenagers. Being with them for the 3 days in not so comfortable conditions has reminded me of why I love doing this - teaching. Spending time with a group of humans - teenagers - that can be mean, hateful and then super nice all in a half hour. People that don't tell you how much you mean to them and could stab you in the back one minute and will send you a valentine in another. These are normal teenager behavior and I have been starting to wonder if I do indeed need to find a new profession - because let me tell you - putting up with your child's BS is tiring. BUT - this trip with this specific group of students was fantastic.

Here is a group of students - not unlike the "typical" teenager, except they are beyond their chronological years in maturity. Not only that, but they are fun, good people. People that I would chose to be around even if I didn't have to. I like them and their energy - even when they want to go to karaoke at midnight :)

I am very grateful for this trip with the students. I needed it - emotionally - and professionally. Here are some photographs of them working...

Now let me tell you about the town of San Jose de Chiquitos itself... Whew. You've seen Slumdog Millionare, right? Well, that is the image that came to my mind while we were making our way from the train station into town. Thin, brown children running shoeless through the streets - laughing and screaming. My first image of the town...

Street dogs, starving, flea ridden souls wandering the streets. Chickens, cats, cows, dirt and more dirt...

And of course - giant bugs...

These bugs were everywhere, crawling around at night. I didn't think to take a picture of one alive, so here you go - a dead whatever. Cockroach-like thing, but look at the huge front pinchers. And it's half the size of my foot! I'm totally fine when they are out and about in nature, but DO NOT come into my hotel room! Make sure you shake out your sheets before getting into bed!

And then of course there is the church. San Jose, like the other mission towns, was inhabited by Jesuit missionaries in the mid 1740s. Along with Catholicism they brought music to these small Bolivian villages. 

Life is very simple, but not in a condescending way. I really don't like being a slave to technology. Yes, I love the internet and having access to a phone, but am really glad I wasn't raised in an age where you are constantly wired. Leave that cell phone at home and venture out - FREE! It feels great to be without technology for a bit. No phone, no internet, no TV!!! This town is super chill. Let's just hang out in the plaza, in the shade and eat a popsicle. 

Right outside of town is a dry jungle. We took the students up to a look out and spent some time playing in nature.

You can see the town of San Jose in the distance...

The original settlement of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (the city I live in now) was outside of San Jose. All that is left is a statue and some crosses. We drove down a dirt road sheltered by lots of trees. Beautiful and peaceful.