Dear Friends and Family-
This post is long overdue and I apologize. A few months ago, we the faculty decided the money I raised for Escuela Buena Vista would best be used to complete a "Muro", or wall-like fence around the back of the school. The printer will have to wait for other volunteer efforts in the future.

The Costa Rican government provided some of the materials to start the project (cement blocks, cement, and local labor) but the funding fell short. Therefore, the money you all generously donated will be put to finish the project by the beginning of the next school year in February 2011. This muro is very important to the safety of the school and especially the kindergarten, as now there will be a high wall where the land slopes. When completed, the children will be able to freely play near the back of the school without risk of falling off the slope to the little river below. Also the gap between the Muro and building will eventually be filled and packed in with a lot of dirt to stabilize the kindergarten classroom once again.
The construction has been ongoing for the past few months. Cement blocks and large piles of dirt and mud have been incorporated temporarily into the school aesthetic as the kids track in dirt wherever they go, and on whatever clothing they are wearing. My third grader Richard often has it on his FACE but I've stopped wondering about that because he is quite hyperactive.

The biggest inconvenience of the construction is that I lost the use of my classroom. As we started to dig around the kindergarten, the earth started to collapse and now the kindergarten classroom is dangerously sloped and falling down. Kinder has therefore relocated to my classroom, and I have become a self proclaimed gitana (gypsy) traipsing around the school with my green bucket filled with some school supplies. "DONDE ESTA MI BALDE?" one can often hear me loudly saying (I often misplace it). That, or "USTEDES HAN VISTO MI BALDE?!" (where is my bucket/have you all seen my bucket?!) Like most things, I take it all with a sense of humor and now I'm quite used to it. "Teacher's balde" has even been adopted as an honorary staff member of Escuela Buena Vista. When I'm seen without it, I'm questioned about its whereabouts. And I usually have no idea.

More pictures to come as the wall progresses. I should also probably talk a picture of my beloved balde. But for now, check out the album " Muro de la Escuela" on my Picasa album. http://picasaweb.google.com/leia.ting/MuroDeLaEscuela?feat=directlink
Thanks again for your support- Escuela Buena Vista will be a safer place due to your contributions.
Cuidate mucho-
Leia



My crazy, mental illness inducing third grade boys.