As I mentioned before, we stayed at a convent in Xicotepec. It is called the Cruz Azul, translated as Blue Cross. It also served as a meeting place for Xicotepec's Rotary Club while we were there. We got a large dorm filled with bunkbeds, and a bathroom with several showers and toilets. Nearly all of the walls of the Cruz Azul are painted a lime green, which you would think would be shocking, but it was really warm and welcoming. In the backyard there was an uncovered basketball court, and a covered one lined with bleachers. There was also a playground where smaller children can play.
The day after we went to the orphanage, our dental team went to Gilberto Commacho, a primary school(consisting of 1st-6th grades) in a neighboring area, about 45 minutes away. We were originally going to ride in a bus, but since there were only several of us, we piled into the seats and bed of a truck. I got the bed of the truck, where I was acquainted with the new members on the team. There was Monica, a dental student; Marcela, a pre-dentistry student, who was also fluent in Spanish(very helpful); Tariq, another dental student; Julie, a recently graduated dentist; Larry, a retired dentist; Dr. Levy, a dentist in Iowa City; and my friends Christine and Katherine from Interact Club.
The drive over to the primary school goes on a mountainside road, which wound, LITERALLY, on the side of a mountain. There were valleys next to us, some filled with clouds down inside them. It was one of the coolest things to think about, being above a cloud. And of course, we were in the back of the truck, so there was nothing between us and the view.
The school looked exactly like it had last year. It immediately brought back many wonderful memories. We got out of the truck, unloaded our stuff, and walked into the courtyard of the school. Several classrooms were lined up around like a strip mall. The windows were glass, but also had metal bars on them so you could have them wide open, and birds wouldn't get in.
All of the students were gathered around the basketball court in the center of the classrooms, where they had a speaker system set up. I saw many familiar faces of the teachers we met last year, including their hard-working principal, Polo. I also searched the crowd of kids to see if I could recognize anyone.
*Continued on next post*
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