Chonimacorral celebrates their new school!!!

This past week we celebrated the completion of the school in Chonimacorral. The school was funded through a group of donors from Switzerland who partnered with a local NGO to find an appropriate site for the school and for a community deserving of the funds. After a few months construction has been completed and the only thing left to do was to have a big party and give diplomas to the representatives of the swiss group and the NGO here. Celebrations started at 8 and were rumored to have ended well after midnight. Liz and I had a great time, got severe sunburns from being outside all morning (even with spf 30) overate and made new friends in Switzerland. Congratulations to the community of Chonimacorral.

Painting the letters on the school. These are two of my students.

A new addition to the school, bathrooms. Before this they had to use the cornfields.

The kids made their own flags and I taught them a few german phrases to say to the visitors.

Diplomas being made by the director of the school.

These women were in charge of getting decorations ready for the outdoor mass they held in front of the school

There were over 60 women from the community helping to prepare for the celebrations. These women were in charge of peeling the carrots.

Here are the huge cauldrons of soup. They cooked for well over 200 people this day.

These are filled with tamalitos, which are like mexican tamales minus the meat and sauce in the middle.

Here is the finished school with the tent where the ceremony was held.

Some of the students did this traditional dance of thanks to begin the inauguration ceremony.

The unveiling of the plaque.

The ribbon cutting ceremony to the classrooms.

Here is one of the members of the Swiss delegation receiving his certificate of thanks

Here is the other member of the delegation, Esther, receiving hers.

Liz in front of the school with two students.

Eating lunch after all was said and done in one of the new class rooms.