Planting Trees

This past Thursday the third and sixth grade (combined) classroom, taught by Maestro (teacher) Raymundo, had a tree planting project.  Each student got a seedling and helped plant it.  The older kids got to clear a space with a machete and dig a hole with a post-hole digger.  The younger kids placed their trees in the hole.

The sixth grade boys with their tools

Oliver, Humberto and Anthony swing their machetes to clear around trees planted last year.

The girls also took a turn swinging the machetes as well as picking up trash.

Jenifer and Mabelis chop weeds while Jessica and Barbara clean up.

Claribel plants her tree.

Claribel, Maria Elena and Adelina pose for the camera.

More trash collection

On Friday we accompanied some students on their way home from school.  They usually walk because there are too many of them for the transport (and it's cheaper).  We walked with them for a hour and a half to the town of El Toro (the bull), where we met with the father of one of the students who has been invited to take part in a Peace Corps seminar.  The kids were in a light-hearted mood as they went home for the weekend.  We passed two tarantulas and a snake in the road.  Luckily they were all dead!

  

Monday morning coming to school - there is only one truck leaving the town of Leones in the morning.  If you miss it, it's a two hour walk uphill.  There are eight kids on the bumper this morning, with lots more inside - probably more than twenty sitting on the twelve seats.  Several kids have only one foot on the bumper.  Amazingly, no one ever falls off, even though they go up some pretty steep hills.