One of the highlights of my service thus far has been working with a local NGO, FHES. I was approached by the NGO when I first arrived in La Boquilla and eagerly took the opportunity to HELP teach english. However, guess what?.......‘help’ wasn’t the word that they were looking for. I believe the correct word was TEACH. So after arriving to my first class totally prepared to HELP and unprepared to TEACH, I was told I had three hours and the class was mine. So after the lady kindly introduced me she saw herself out of the room and I was thrown to the 13 Boquilleras. At this point I felt like I was standing center stage and there was a spotlight shining right on my face, and I recall sweating like that was the case. So, I did what any PCV would do and just fought through it to survive until the next meeting, which I told myself would be much better.
Now after a year later, and many better meetings, we meet two to three times a week and the class has turned into more than just an English class. We teach each other about music, food, religion, and these ladies always have plenty of La Boquilla gossip. A few of the highlights so far have been learning to dance Chapeta, possibly against my will, becoming an official taste tester for food that is often brought to class, learning how to make rosary necklaces, and most recently how to shop at a ‘flea market.’
During a greatly planned food lesson, if I do say so myself, one of the girls asked (in english) to use the bathroom. I said yes and didn’t think twice about it. However, when she came back 15 minutes later with a handful of clothes I didn’t know what was going on. Then before I could ask Gerledys what she eats for breakfast, the rest of the ladies left the room and charged at full steam down the stairs to the lady with a bunch of clothes laid out, in no particular order, on the ground. For the next hour I observed and learned how to properly navigate a pop up flea market in La Boquilla. These women are something else!
