Dia di Limpa Skola (pics go with this post)

OK, well we had the Dia di Limpa Skola project yesterday, and all I can say is, it was one of, if not THE best day of my life…no shit.

There were problems, to be sure. For instance, the school director, who I saw just 2 days ago, went to Portugal on vacation, which wouldn’t have been a terrible problem, except that he had the keys to all the rooms. Also, a couple kids dug a hole about he size of a grave and when I asked them what it was for, they told me that we were going to put the trash in it and burn it all, then cover up the hole. (Environmentalists will be happy to hear that other arrangements were made.) There was also a shortage of water for drinking and cleaning, no plates, spoons or cups, not enough cleaning supplies to go around, general disarray and chaos, some spilled paint, a few cuts and bruises, and a lot of standing around.
However, plenty of things went right as well. Yesterday we had 57 kids show up, we filled 14 huge bags full of trash, fixed 6 windows, painted 6 doors (and a mural on the wall of the school!), swept and mopped 8 class rooms, fixed 3 door locks, had lunch, put on 2 skits about drugs, had a children’s batuku group perform, made announcements and thank you’s, and to top it all off, the kids wrote and sang a song for all of the Peace Corps volunteers living in Txa di Tanki. The chorus went, “Korpo di Paz, nu ka ta skesi di nhos!” = “Peace Corps we will never forget you.” Two of the volunteers that live in Txa di Tanki were crying. I was one of them. Finally, and most importantly, the kids, with virtually no help from me, all signed their names to a paper and had someone write a letter to the kamera, and to Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education, thanking them for the supplies, and requesting free English classes in Txa di Tanki. I showed the letters and list to my training director, and nearly broke into tears.
Other than this sort of quantitative stuff, I’m not really sure how to describe what happened in that village yesterday. Windows were repaired and trash was picked up, but there was something else going on as well…this really deep, almost overwhelming sense of community pride and involvement…of giving and sharing, and I was literally, overjoyed to have had a hand in bringing it about. Smiles and Laughter All Day Long. These kids were EXCITED to be doing all this hard work, EXCITED that their local government had sent them some paint and some trash bags, EXCITED that their school was getting a makeover. At one point, I had to take the paintbrushes and hammers away from the group that was painting the doors and fixing windows, as they wouldn’t stop working when the play was getting ready to start. And as far as the festa afterwards…fahgeddaboudit! Riotous laughter during the play, booming rounds of applause for the little batuku girls, people paying attention while others were speaking, everyone sharing all of the food…it was just amazing. It was a whole day of work and fun, all centered on the kids and the school. I don’t know what anyone else thinks of when they think of “the Peace Corps experience,” but yesterday was it for me…everything I came here for, and more. I’ll never forget it, and if I can have 2 more days just like it over the next 2 years, I’ll be satisfied. I know I’ve only been here a short while, but it feels like I’ve been doing this kind of work all my life, and it’s difficult for me to imagine doing anything else.
Pictures of the day to follow soon.