Back in San
Martín Jilotepeque, Guatemala! This time to paint a mural at the kindergarten,
just in time for the start of the new school year. It was yet another fun project to do, despite
the freezing cold in the mornings, when it was windy and shady with temperatures
as low as 11°C. In the afternoon, the wind would die
down and I’d be working in full sun, no escape and 35°C!
It was four
long days of painting, with a little help from Hayden and Doris, two kids who
have helped me before, as well as Gloria Velasco, the director of the school
and her family. The bottom of the stage wasn’t included in the original design,
but I’m glad I decided to paint it too, it looks much better this way. I would
have liked to paint the two metal posts in front of the mural too, but didn’t
have enough time. I bought paint and the teachers promised me to paint the
posts and the fence around the stage.
This mural
was sponsored by the Uno Más Foundation, directed by my friend Ana Maria
Ackermans. She sponsored the water mural from last year too, but she had never
been to San Martín Jilotepeque herself. So she gathered some friends, rented a
bus and came to see the mural, the town and some other projects. They also
visited the Escuelita de Educación Especial and the new bakery that is manned
by adolescents with cognitive disabilities. Of course we had lunch, delicious
as always, at my friend Cristy Velasco’s Full Moon Café. What a fun way to end
this project!
