Eight students from La Libertad are being sponsored by
friends of the project. In January they did their back-to-school
shopping. We prepared a trip downriver
for Tuesday, the usual day that members of the community travel to the city. But first, for the boys, back-to-school haircuts.
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| Everyone love a haricut! |
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| Waiting for the other kids |
The trip from La Libertad to the city of Leticia takes about
four hours. Four parents went with the
students to help with the trip. The
group left the village at four in the morning, an early morning for the kids
and adults. At 8am I greeted everyone at
the dock at the port of Leticia. Note
the life vests which were also supplied by friends of the project. Safety first!
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| While we required the kids to wear life vest, the parents did not want to. Something else to work on. |
After the long trip we went to a local restaurant to have
breakfast. We had huevos peticose
(scrambled eggs with onion and tomato), two pieces of bread, and hot
chocolate. The chocolate is a treat the
kids seldom have, and they were very happy to drink it after a cold
early-morning boat ride!
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| Each breakfat cost $1.40 USD |
And then off to the stores…
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| Shopping at El Vecinio |
We did most of our shopping at two stores. The kids were encouraged to try things on to
ensure a good fit, but even with the encouragement we have had to make a few
exchanges.
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| Buying shoes at La Regalia |
The students must wear uniforms to school. The shirts all have the insignia of the
school and their athletic uniforms are set with the colors of the school. If they or their clothing is dirty they are
sent home.
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| One can never have too many pencils |
Each student is also required to have notebooks, pens,
pencils, colored pens, crayons, glue, a ruler, and many other small things.
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| Ready to leave |
The whole shopping experience took about three hours. At 12 noon they started the 4 1/2 hour trip
back upriver to La Libertad. In total
their trip from the village to the stores and back took a little over 16
hours. Try that with a group of kids!
The community, teachers, parents, and especially the students
are all very thankful for the help that they received from their patrons. We will send updates as the school year
progresses.
