Yo soy solo un hombre, pero un hombre que cree. En vida, y el fuerte de vida crear cosas maravillosas y fantasticos. Sin embargo solo en mi, vida puede crear, entonces debo creer ellos cosas maravillosas y fantasticos y ellas llamas vida.
Here at the Scheel Center I have decided that these cosas maravillosas y fantasticos (beautiful and fantastic things) which I believe in are products of other’s creation. That is to say I am attempting to create creation, not to play God, but to bring out the imagination and life in others. To do this, I have been working very hard the past two weeks to lay down the foundation for El Centro Scheel Tiempos (The Scheel Center Times), the newspaper I am building from the ground up at this school.
After I gave a presentation in Spanish to the leaders of the school (two weeks ago), I sat down with the one teacher who showed interest the following Monday. At the lunch table, as if it were fate, she (Zoraida, one of the older teachers, 35, whose class I sat in on that first day) was sitting next to Javier (also in his 30s, the only male teacher. We have exchanged pleasant courtesies of “Como estas? Bien, bueno te ver otra ves”- manos pequenyos Guatemaltecas and big American hands do a Latin American handshake-hands slap remove fist pound). I placed my laptop in front of me with Google Translate open, and also wonderfully conveniently Ralph, this Dutch twenty-something who speaks fluent Spanish, sat down also, without asking but recognizing he was needed.
Twenty minutes and many Creos y Queiros y Si es que los ninos quieren, es que quiero’s later I took a deep breath and said “Esta proyecta es muy importante a mi, porque es para los ninos. Deseo usar mi ingles te mostrar como mucho creo, pero espero puedes lo ver en mi ojos”. “Si, que bonita, es muy interessante, estamos emotionado,” they said. Their smiles said that my smile said what my Spanish could not, they were on board.
Two days later I stood in front of three different classes of students, each filled with twenty different Guatemalan faces, waiting to see what this gringo could possibly say that would alter their daily routine. “Ustedes tienen el fuerte de hacer este proyecto propio y de utilizar sus conocimientos en una manera nueva. Esto puede ser algo de que pueden estar muy orgullosos, si ustedes estan dispuesto a poner el tiempo y energía en ella,” (I essentially reached into their greater senses -that of pride-telling them that is up to them to make their own, if they are willing to put the time and energy into it). I stood in front of their curious faces and attempted to go off the cuff, without my script, to show them that I was able to lead them in Spanish. Once again, I like to believe that what my words could not say, the way I said them could. And they did. At the end of the day, I had 28 names of interested students for the El Centro Scheel Tiempos (still working on if that translates the way I want it to, time will tell).
For the past week I have gathered my ejercito de verdad (army of truth) as we pave a path to success. ? Puedo ayudar con su periodicos? People reaching out where I don’t have to, I learn that people believe in what I am doing. Ron, Senor Jefe, even had one of the volunteers (Carrie, who joined me on Volcan Pacaya) write up a story for his website on this project. Everywhere I go I received news of encouragement, “Wow, that sounds wonderful” , “It definitely seems like something you are passionate about”, and most recently from my buddy Paul from the states who came to visit (he goes by Pablo now) “Adam, I just love the way that you go out of your way to create something out of the ordinary. This is something that will last. Where other volunteers just do what their told, you do what you believe in, and you will leave your impression on this place for sure.” Needless to say, the forecast was cielos azules and if any clouds got in my way I would see above them.
Just two days ago, I stood in front of the class again. “Oooh, muy elegante hoy Adam” the girls from Spain as I walked down the stairs in the morning, wearing my freshly ironed Banana Republic white button down, khakis and my high tops, ready to make that impression.
Buenas dias, the response to my greeting to the eager minds, the beautiful intellects to be molded in the spirit of sharing the story of the Scheel Center with the community, and then the world. After many attempts to get the students to express their ideas, I ended up with two ideas and two minutes. Vale, vamos a regressar manana a el mismo tiempo en el mismo cuarto, entonces pueden recebrir sus cuentos (Okay, we are going to return tomorrow at the same time en the same room, so you all can receive your stories).
The next day I came in at 8:45, walking up the jagged cobblestoned and, by the time I can see the homes of Jocotenango, muddied streets to the Scheel Center, my mind rolling on all to accomplish in the next hour and a half. After all, I had a very important meeting at dies y quarto. I prepared a cut and paste document on how to write these stories, creating the ideas, laying out the questions and even giving the students contacts. As I was printing off the copies for the students, Javier walks in and I understand through Courtney (from Trinity, who is living with me, she is going to be the Photography Editor) that no students are there.
Supposedly when I said “A el mismo tiempo, manana, in el mismo cuarto” they did not understand. They nodded, but they did not understand. They said “comprendemos”, but they did not understand. I cut my losses, made sure they realized the importance of the meeting, said to Javier “Por favor communicas a sus estudiantes esta la reunion es manana a dies y quarto”.
Today, I composed another cut and paste document for the kids, on “How to Conduct an Interview”. I went by the classrooms at 9:30 to communicate in person to the students about the meeting, they smiled, said “comprendemos” and I left the room happy.
Dies y quarto, dos estudiantes. Struggled and frustrated Spanish uttered as I wandered about the halls of the Scheel Center, praying that lightning doesn’t strike the same American-Guatemalan twice. At dies y media and many worried faces and Que pasa’s? later I returned to the classroom and the two had turned into ten, and I breathed a heavy Spanish sigh…Ayyyy.
There is much to accomplish in the coming week. Kevin and Hugo are taking the news. Reina and Jose are taking sports. Sonia is taking entertainment. Gerson is taking the editorial. Edwin is taking the art section. Dominga, Maria, and Franklyn are taking the photography. This is just the students. Suzanna is running in the right direction for web design and graphic design. Nele and Katie are my negotiators, translating my broken Spanish proposals for the printing companies. Courtney is leading the way with the photographers. There is no reserve, all of them stand in the front line, together, it is the only way to truly conquer.
I stand amongst them, above them, they can look to me whenever they want and I will lead them in the right direction. What started out as an idea, is slowly but surely becoming a reality. We march on, and in less than a week, standing tall together, we will see victory. If what you do in life really does echo in eternity, I hope that the canyons are filled with the beautiful words of the Spanish language, through the voice of a child.
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