15 July 2009

VIDEO: Guatemala campers play marimbas

Sarah & I had such a marvelous time during our Pasaporte a Guatemala summer camp. More than half of our campers were Guatemalan-born & adopted by American families, and we thus heard lots of interesting stories about moms (birth moms & life moms), kinds of families (rich/poor, big/small, single moms/same sex partnerships/moms&dads), and the state of affairs for Guatemalan people today and several years ago.

I especially loved that as Guatemalan campers shared their true life experiences, our non-Guatemalan campers did the same... Sharing what they knew about their own births or of being a baby, etc. A whole lot of common ground being established while appreciating the differences. These kids were exceptional listeners and question-askers, I must say!

These children were really earnest, eager, and friendly. They were kind to each other. Helped each other complete projects. Took turns with weaving boards. Goofed around and made each other laugh. They were all interesting, fun, and good-hearted.

We had a weeklong afternoon art project: making marimbas. The kids sanded all of their pieces, painted them, and put them together over the course of 4 days to create their own instruments. It was so so so fun! The kids put a lot of work into them and enjoyed playing (ahem... some boys' 'playing' techniques may have looked and sounded more like 'banging-until-their-keys-fall-off-when-the-teacher-isn't-looking', but all in the name of fun, eh?!). Here, they tap gently away, to a traditional Guatemalan folk song about a milkman. Just a very sweet moment.

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