Our Final Day Together - And Our Big Celebration!

As I sat and bound the kids' books under a steep time constraint, I remember thinking that today was one of the best days of my life.  Sometimes I dream these big dreams and I think I have these great ideas and today one finally came to fruition.

Christian worked on his book right up until the very end of class and then gave me very specific instructions on how to wrap yarn around his book before giving it to his new friend in the United States.  He took his book home to work on it last night and his mother was kind enough to send him to class with extra materials today.  I was told that Daniel rarely speaks to anyone at school and is very quiet at home, but he insisted that his uncle travel an hour and a half to bring him to my class everyday.  His uncle said he really opened up through this project.  Gladys showed me the picture of the brand new camera her father bought for her yesterday.  I told her that we could continue the dialogue about her photographs through our Facebook group and that I would continue to be her teacher from the United States.  The museum director thanked me for giving these children tools for self expression.  I received thoughtful gifts from my students, and their parents took endless photographs of us together.  Joshua's father came and engaged the students in a traditional folkloric performance the had the entire audience rolling with laughter.  I got hugs and kisses from children and parents alike and the amount of mutual love and gratitude in the room was remarkable.  And miraculously I didn't cry...until right now of course!

My dad has always told me that the harder you work, the luckier you get.  Today was yet another reminder that hard work pays off and that money will never be as rewarding as real life experiences.  This whole workshop was a reminder of why I spend time laboring over grant proposals, why I wait tables and why I will always allow my curiosity to get the best of me.  I always try to make my Mexican friends feel welcome in my home in the United States and now I have been welcomed in their country in a similar fashion.  I believe that you must treat others as you would like to be treated, and this experience is proof that things always come full circle!  Here are a few highlights from our magical day.

These kids stole my heart!

Gifts from Gladys, Ilse and Nathalia that I will proudly display in my home.

Certificates of completion for my kiddies

These boys didn't know each other prior to two weeks ago.

Josué and Cri-Cri, the talking Cricket!

Today I asked Joshua if he wanted to come to the United States with me, but I told him we had to leave today.  At first he said okay, then reconsidered and told me he wanted to go to the beach first but that we could leave tomorrow!

Joshua's father, Josué, telling the story of Cri-Cri.  Miguel, Danniela, Umberto (the Museum director!) and Joshua all had very important roles in the story.

My little Lis, I will miss you so much!

My students and their families, who graciously stayed at the museum for an extra hour and a half during the performance and our awards ceremony.

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Lastly, I will leave you with the English version of the letter that I wrote to the students and parents.  Thank you to Danniela and Jessica, who played big roles in documenting and facilitating this project!  I must give an extra special big thank you to Miguel, who translated this letter for me.  He also translated everyday dialogue with the kids.  I could not have done this project without you, Miguel!  And thank you for all the hip hop you played to and from class everyday!  After that Heltah Skeltah song came on this morning I am convinced that you and I must have been siblings in another life.

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Dear Students,

It has been one of the great pleasures of my life to work with you.  I am in awe of your creativity, your work ethic and your kindness.  Never before have I watched students your age work so diligently!  I believe strongly that art is a gift that can unite people, and that photography is an important way for us to learn about each other.  I have never been to Mexico before and you have made my trip so memorable that I wish I could be your teacher forever.  

I am looking forward to continuing this project and helping you to meet my students in the United States!  We must remember that we are all friends under the same sun and moon, no matter what language we speak or what country we live in.  I feel so fortunate that I got to come to your country.  You have taught me so much and I am grateful to have met each and every one of you.

Dear Parents, 

Your children are fantastic.  You must be so proud of them!  Thank you for making the effort to bring them to class every day for two weeks.  My parents also made extra efforts to make sure that I had access to the arts and I believe that is why I am successful today.  In Philadelphia, where I am from, I have many friends from Puebla.  I have always wanted to come here and see the city because I think your culture is very interesting.  I am thankful that I have had the chance to work with your children and to explore your city.  Everyone has been so nice to me and this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  I love living here and if I could find a job I would never go home!

The next step of our project is to have my students in the United States make books to send to your children.  My students only have class once a week, so we will not be sending books until November.  After that, we will have the kids meet through technology like Facebook or Skype.  I hope you are as excited as I am about this project!  I am not sure if my kids at home can do as good of a job as your kids have, but we will try our hardest.

With love and respect,

Lindsay Sparagana