Educación Ambiental

The past few weeks have been filled with schools and kids.  I started working on a regional environmental education program when I first arrived, with the understanding that my partner from a local environmental organization and I would present the program to teachers the week before classes started for the 2017-18 school year. 

Five days before we were supposed to begin those presentations, zero had been scheduled.  Two days before we were supposed to begin, we had 9 presentations on the calendar, and all was well.  I am a planner by nature so I will admit that it’s been a long, steep learning curve to adjust to a different flow here in Mexico.  My takeaway lesson is this: don’t worry if things still aren’t done right before they need to be, because somehow things always come together in the 11th hour.

Presentation #5 on day #1, to a nice, small group of teachers. 

 Local school, with shade. 

Lovely vista from a school en el campo. 

The first day of presentations we hit the road at 6:30 AM to visit five schools in four different municipalities.  Although we had to run from school to school, we had great conversations with teachers and were delighted to hear that there was so much interest in the program.  Day two was a lot easier as we only had to visit two schools, located 10 minutes apart.  Day three presented a new challenge as my presentation partner left her job the night before and I had to deliver the last two presentations with someone new.  

I considered the whole week a great success because a) we talked with 131 teachers in 41 different schools in 3 days, and b) we made it to every school on the list, even though we sometimes only had a phone number to call and advice to just ask people on the street where the teachers were. 

 One of the schools fired up the grill to give us a breakfast of corn tortillas, steak, beans and grilled onions. It was SO GOOD.

School mural.

A week later, the local water agency asked me to help them with a water-education event for kids.  I had to pry myself out of bed before 7:00 AM to make sure I had time to heat the boiler for a shower, and get to the office in time to pick up my helper, Tiare.  I was told to be there by 8:30 to set up for the event, which started at 9:00.  The event organizers arrived a little after 9:00, at the same time as a bus load of students who were ready to roll.  Everything started late, but somehow it all came together and everyone had a good time.

Morning view waiting for things to start. 

Backdrop for the days events.  

Helping kids with their paintings. 

Tiare and I were in charge of an activity for kids to paint an ocean or a river, while discussing sources of water pollution and simple solutions.  It was great to spend time with the kids, all of whom I think enjoyed getting themselves and us covered in blue paint.  As I was talking to a group of kids about water pollution, Tiare told me “Autumn – you need to go up to the plaza.  The director of the water agency is asking for you on the loud speaker.”  So up I went to suddenly find myself on a team of adults racing against water agency staff in an obstacle course designed for sprightly young children.  

We started out running through tires and then hopped in bags for short-distance sack races.  Next up was a wheelbarrow, and when the guy behind me told me I had to get in for him to push me, I was like “are you crazy? There is no way I’m getting in that.”  After a full minute of arguing and audience pressure, I finally got in, holding on for dear life.  I survived to run across a plank of wood precariously balanced on 6 bricks while carrying a glass of water, followed by a run through cones using a spatula to carry a cup of water, and finally, a run through cones with a ball placed between the backs of me and my partner that we then had to drop into a bucket.  Needless to say, my team lost the race but I've rarely heard so many people laughing so hard. 

A finished painting of ocean life. 

After the event, I took my helper Tiare out for a frappe to thank her for her work, where it came out that she and my co-worker Israel knew all about that obstacle course and sent me to the wolves to save themselves!  I was completely oblivious to what I was getting into, even when the guy on the loud speaker started singing “American Woman” as I approached the starting line.  Sure, I embarrassed myself during the race, but I provided everyone with some good laughs at my expense, and I’m pretty sure that’s a core part of my job as a volunteer.  It's definitely something that I'm really good at ;)