Day 13 - Risky Traffic

A naughty thought, whoever thinks something bad about this title. When I was riding back from the project on my little pink bike earlier, I noticed how sometimes I am inattentive. On the way back, it goes partially downhill and I can just roll along. I am still thinking about the children and my incredible achievements. But traffic is not conducive to daydreaming. There are many places where it is packed, cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, people with hand carts, and the ubiquitous dogs, everything mixed up. Potholes and other obstacles add to it. You have to develop a certain audacity, otherwise you'll still be standing at the same street corner tomorrow morning. Little Marion wants to be picked up from Calle Atrevasada. Any German correctness has to be thrown overboard. The nice thing is that everyone is still very relaxed. Rightly so.

When I leave the project, I have to go over a bumpy field first. Then the first huts come. Like everywhere here in the neighborhood and many other places, there are heaps of rubbish and trash on the ground. My Spanish teacher explained it to me like this in January: In the past, people would eat a banana and simply drop the peel. No problem, it's organic and decomposes. Nowadays, you open a Snickers and out of habit you throw the packaging over your shoulder.

I took a picture of it today with my phone. I thought, nobody is here right now, so dare to do it. Just as I clicked, I hear my name: "Hola Marion!" A boy from one of the 4 classes where I help comes towards me. 😂 I'll upload the photo soon, but unfortunately it doesn't really reflect the reality. I would also like to show how people have to live here, but if I imagine someone taking a picture of me in my misery, I wouldn't like it.

At the first intersection, I hear my name again. It's Marianna, about 12 years old, quite chubby but confident. She's standing at a large "grill", obviously the family is also selling something edible at their own front door. I've seen her here before. But today, I can't remember seeing her in class. I hope I'm mistaken. Unauthorized absences can cause a lot of trouble. In case of repetition, this can lead to exclusion from the project.

My task in the project has shifted a bit. In two of the four hours now, I work with just one child each. We sit in a quiet corner (ha, ha). I noticed that Javier can hardly get the alphabet in order, while the others can already read a bit. I practice math with Osman. He's really cute, participates well, but in class, he fades into the background.

Outside of the regular schedule, I practiced reading with a little girl. Oh my God, she's soooo cute! So pretty and so shy with a squeaky voice, it's adorable!

Temperature pleasant, cloudy, no wind.