Kids in San Juan de Oriente

Because of my interest in Nicaraguan ceramic arts, I spent many hours and days in San Juan de Oriente, a small village outside of Masaya. Along the main street in town, the elementary school and the church dominate the curve of the road. I'm always interested in kids, and one afternoon I was standing around waiting for school to let out so I could watch the kids tumble out with big smiles and lots of running and jumping! They were curious about me and I tried to talk with them in my limited Spanish, and we had fun.

Another day, I was invited in by the Directora of the school, and visited every classroom. It was a great experience for me. Each classroom was well-organized and orderly, and the kids were grinning at the silliness of this foreigner trying to speak Spanish to them! But it was a very interesting experience. For the most part, the teachers appeared extremely dedicated and involved. The entire school was involved in a tree-planting project, which I was given a tour of.

This was my first and only experience of being inside a Nicaraguan school, and it gave me an optimistic feeling for the futures of these kids. I hope these children will be well-prepared for their next educational challenges!