A Brand new Dining Room!

 

The week I'd planned to paint the wall in the new dining room in San Martín Jilotepeque turned out to be the week of the annual fair, honouring the patron saint, San Martín. I had friends visiting from Spain, a good opportunity for them to experience a real Guatemalan feria. San Martín Jilotepeque has around 100,000 inhabitants, mostly Mayas, and we were the only foreigners. Enormous stages filled the square, the music was, as usual, louder than loud, and on top of that, tons and TONS of fireworks. There was dancing, eating, and more dancing, every night for a week until the wee hours.

Shortly after we arrived we started with an activity for the students of this school that offers special education for children with disabilities. My friends Gema and Mariano had prepared several fun games, including a circuit where the blindfolded children had to guess what was being presented to them using touch, smell, and taste. I had created a memory game for the children using pictures of animals from the jungle mural I had painted on the patio wall a few years ago. Besides the usual rule of finding two matching cards, the children could also try to find the animal from their card on the mural. I had also brought face paint and was soon busy painting all the children's faces.

In the afternoon, the "real" work began. Last year, the Dutch foundation Colour4Kids financed the construction of 2 classrooms and a kitchen on the second level. This year, a dining room was added. The construction was only just finished; windows and a door are the only things missing. A lovely, long, white wall awaited me. And although the constant street noise was overwhelming (all traffic was being diverted through the school's street because of the festivities), it was a relief to be able to work comfortably indoors. I didn't have to worry about speeding cars, rain, or dust. Wonderful!

 

The second day, November 11th, was the Big Day of the celebration, and the school was closed. I worked happily all day by myself, despite the lack of sleep caused by the incredibly loud fireworks going off every hour. On day three, a friend from San Martín Jilotepeque, Cristy Velasco, came to help me, which was a relief, as I was worried I wouldn't finish the mural within the four days I had planned. The school had reopened, and the children were learning to bake cookies in the kitchen next to the dining room. On day four, I had help from the entire staff, plus Cristy, who came to help again for a few hours, and Hayden and Doris, two children who love to paint and had helped me with the mural I painted in January. We started early; by 7:30 a.m. we all had a brush in our hands, and lo and behold, by 5:00 p.m. the mural was completely finished. Only, on the way home, I realized I'd forgotten to paint the grains of rice! So, that still needs to be done. Of course, rice cannot be missing on a mural about food in Guatemala.

The dining hall looks beautiful, and everyone was very pleased with the result. I specifically created a design that wasn’t too infantile or too focused of food, so the space can also be used for other activities. We went over the mural with the teachers and came up with activities for the children, depending on their level. They can name vegetables or fruits, count objects, recognize colours, or find different shapes.

Next week, the windows and door will be installed, and the festive official opening is on November 25th. I certainly won't miss that!