Vamos a la Playa

Does anyone remember that song from many years ago in which the group sang, "Vamos a la playa, oh oh oh oh oh"? For some reason, that song and La Bamba are the only two songs in Spanish I can ever remember. The reason I bring that up is because there is an extremely poor community on the outskirts of Barranquilla called La Playa that I visited last week.

In an earlier post when I talked about Shakira's school, I mentioned that the girls at La Ensenanza do service hours in the community. I didn't realize until a couple days ago what that really meant. Most, if not all, of the girls in grades 6-11 participate in something called Companeras de Santa Maria. Every other Friday afternoon, alternating groups get on buses and go to the poorest communities in the city and work with people. On the weeks they do not go to a neighborhood, they meet and discuss social issues and what they can do to make a difference. When they actually leave campus, some groups help children with school work, some groups play with the children, and some groups work with the elderly. Last Friday, I accompanied a group of 10th graders who work with about 30-40 elderly people at La Playa. Usually, the girls will bring crafts for the people to do, or activites that will keep their minds active. Friday, though, the girls decided they wanted to throw a party for the elderly. It was awesome! The girls all chipped in money and paid for the cafeteria to make a chicken with rice and vergetable dish and pasteries filled with a cheese and spices mix. They also brought Coke to drink. Before the food was served, the girls had the people play charades. It was so cute. The girls then served the food, and while the people ate the girls turned on music and gave out prizes. They would say things like, "Name an aquatic animal," and whoever guessed the animal got a prize. Then the party really started...The girls pulled out party hats, sombreros, masks, and whistles and passed them out. They pulled out two drums and a long metal can filled with beads and began playing. The elderly heard the music and came alive. It was incredible! I took several pictures from a porch next to where they were dancing, but then I was pulled into the mix. Next thing I knew, I was dancing a cumbia (Let's be honest here. I wasn't really dancing because I don't do that so well, but I was smiling and pretending to do what they were doing.) with a man who is probably 80+ years old. He was a terrific dancer. The girls told me I also did another traditional Colombian dance, but that's debatable. Either way, I had a fabulous time. By the time I was finished dancing, I way drenched with sweat. We then jumped back on the bus to return to school. There were about 20 more people on the bus than there should have been, so I shared a seat with two girls, and some of the teachers sat on the ground. Kellys, one of the awesome English teachers, stood right next to the bus driver. The final picture is of her.

I think the most impressive thing of all to me was the joy in the eyes of the girls as they interacted with the elderly. I did not see one girl without a smile on her face or a willingness to participate. What an amazing opportunity for the girls to open their minds and hearts to people who not as fortunate as them.