Los Morales - Hoping for a Brighter Future

Just a little story to make you count your blessings...

Heather, my roommate, and I befriended three siblings (last name: Morales) that come to our apartment on trash days (Mon, Wed, Fri) to take out people's trash for pesos. I started talking to them one day and made Ana Cecilila and Pablo peanut butter sandwiches - they'd never had one before! Their brother Julio had hurt his leg, so he was at home and not out slinging trash to put food on the family table. I guess their dad used to beat them and their mom, so he's not living with them anymore. I'm a bit suspicious about Pablo's arm, as you'll see in the photos; he told me he was accidentally burned when he was three. I'm just hoping it was a true accident.

Anyway...from that point on, we were their friends and we found out that they didn't go to school because they couldn't afford the $50 US per year that it costs. I told them my roommate and I would go to the school in their neighborhood and pay for the three of them to go. The oldest is a 12 year old girl who hasn't been to school since the first grade. Sad.

Well, after meeting with their mom and talking about how to get the kids a birth certificate (in order to enroll), they stopped by today to tell us they went to school for the first time today (and to pick up trash as it's a Wednesday)! We're going to stop by their school to pay the tuition on Monday for the next three months - 450 pesos (about $45 US). Crazy that in some countries that's all it takes to educate a child and it's too much for many. We're also going to buy them a clean uniform, some black shoes and Pablo needs a mochila (backpack) - as he told us tonight, as his sister was elbowing him :)

It's unbelievable to me that things like this go on in the world when for a mere $50, a kid can attend school for a year...it makes me ashamed to have skipped school on those few occasions that I did!

I've attached a picture of the kids...okay, three pictures! Have a great week!

xoxo Shel

I emailed that letter to just a few friends and family members a couple of weeks ago and it opened the flood gates! My friend, Deb, emailed my mom to ask if there was a way she could get money to me to help these or other kids. She had spoken to Andy and Molly, other friends of mine who work with her at General Mills, and the three of them were interested in helping. When I sent the email, I had no idea it would have that affect.

My mom replied to all letting them know they could send her a check, if interested, and she'd deposit it in my account. Several of my friends and family members did so and the first check that arrived was for $200 US from my friends Aimee, Pete and Charley - truly unbelievable!

Although it hasn't been easy paying the school, I will get it done. Rafael, a very generous PE teacher, offered to drive me out to the school - and it's not close. The first time we attempted - Thursday, we reached the barrio "Las Granjas" and after asking a half dozen people where exactly it was and found that we would have to traverse an extremely steep and treacherous hill full of crevices and boulders! For those of you who are familiar with the terrain of some of Saipan's roads during the rainy season, that is what we were looking at. As Rafaela didn't want to ruin his VW Jetta, or 'Vocho', as it's nicknamed in Mexico, he said we'd return the following day with his VW Beetle, comically referred to as his 'Vochito'. Rafael is good company and doesn't speak English, so it's a great opportunity for me to mejorar my Spanish.

Rafael picked me on Friday after school and I fortunately called the woman "encargada" (in charge) to make sure she would be there when we arrived. I wanted Rafael to talk to her because it can be difficult to understand Spanish speakers on the phone (they speak fast and slurred enough in person!), but he said I'd do fine and he had to concentrate on driving his stick-shift Volchito (VW doesn't make automatics in Mexico). I introduced myself to Patricia Torres at the Manuel Aguilar Juarez Escuela Primaria, explained what I was trying to do (I hadn't talked to the woman before) and ask if she'd be available ahorita - now. Unfortunately, it had rained earlier that day and the afternoon session of classes was cancelled! I confirmed that she'd be around on Monday until 6:00 pm and hung up. We headed over to Glenn's for a Happy Hour Dos Equis instead.