On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we walk to the primary school in Jupapina. There, we teach English to pre-kindergarten students, kindergarten students, first graders, second graders and a mix of third through six graders who participate in the English club after school. On Wednesdays, we also take the bus to Mallasa, about 15 minutes away from our house in Jupapina, where we teach English to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. We have a small break between teaching in Mallasa and the after-school English club on Wednesdays. Every week, during this break, we go to the same coffee shop in Mallasa to have a drink and snack. This coffee shop has become another one of our safe havens here. The shop owner knows us now. She is always so friendly, and our still-quite-basic level of Spanish is somehow never a problem there.
Nearly every day, we also visit the corner store, just a short walk up the hill from the volunteer houses at Up Close. Doña (Mrs.) Sabi, the woman who owns the store, loves helping us to practice our Spanish. Sometimes, she practices her English with us, too! We always make sure to buy our eggs, bread and chocolate from Doña Sabi.
On our way to Doña Sabi’s shop, we walk through the neighborhood soccer field. Nearly every single day on our walks, we pass at least one of our students from the school in Jupapina. Without fail, they always call out to us: “Hello, Ms. Abby and Mr. Josh!” Every time we hear this, our hearts melt a little bit. These are our students. This is their home. And with their smiling faces and spirited shouts, they always manage to make us feel like we are a part of it all.
