The kids at NPH live on the primary campus until they are
16 or so, and they attend school right here. The system is somewhat different
from our own- there are 6 primary grades, and then three “Basico” grades.
Bachillerato is a kind of high school, although you need to enroll in a
particular program- it is more of a vocational school than a college
preparatory school. Kids enroll in programs to learn secretarial skills, auto
mechanic, basic accounting, computer programming, to name a few. After they
finish two to three years of Bachillerato (and have completed their “year of
service” back at the main campus), they can apply to study at the University-
which is in the capital, Guatemala City.
Or they can find a job and start life on their own as adults. Actually,
a number of Bachillerato/Service Year graduates are working for a modest
stipend here at the San Andres campus and studying on the weekends.
The Bachillerato kids live in a boy’s home and a girl’s
home, about a 15-20 minute walk from each other, both in the nearby city of
Chimaltenango. Each home has 20 or so kids, with an adult living there as well.
They share small bedrooms (two to four per room), have a common dining room and
kitchen, with a little public area for recreation. They do their own cooking,
along with other chores for which a detailed list is developed and posted. Each
gets a weekly allowance of Q40, about fifty cents American. (Their sponsors
often send them gift money as well.)
During the weekdays, the kids go their separate ways to
their different schools (public only- there is no money for private schools). Some
have classes in the mornings, but most have afternoon classes. Matriculating
into a particular program sometimes requires having to spend a night or two
outside in a line so that they can register before all of the spaces are taken
by others.
While the main NPH campus in San Andres is fairly well
maintained, the Bachillerato homes are dumps, especially the guys’. They are basically concrete bunkers. All of
the walls need stucco repair and new paint jobs, and the service of an
electrician would be helpful (a number of switches dangle from their wires,
exposed and pulled away from the boxes.) The bathrooms are disgusting, and the
kitchens nothing more than a sink and a few gas burners to cook on. Each week a
supply of food is driven in, with plenty of fresh vegetables (especially
tomatoes), bread from the campus bakery, home-made tortillas, beans, rice and
more. Like the kids at the San Andres home, those in Bachillerato use only a
spoon, plastic cup and plastic bowl for eating. (I am determined to get them
some silverware and napkins and teach them how to eat in a more civilized
fashion- one day they are going to be out in the world and need to learn basic
table etiquette.)
The boys’ home is in the middle of the city, in a
desolate area over-run with garbage and packs of feral dogs. The girls’ is a
little better, on the outskirts of the city, with a little green space in their
enclosure. Both have armed guards at the door from 6pm to 6am. Everyone has to
be in by 8pm every night, when the building is secured.
The kids in Bachillerato are outgoing and friendly, and
my plan is to spend my Friday evenings with them: one Friday with both together
at the girls’ home, one just with the girls, and one with the boys. (I may try
to get to the university home in the capital on the remaining Fridays.) They
come to San Andres for Mass with us every other week, and attend Mass at a
church near their homes on the other weekends. I am actually surprised at their
open-ness and interest in engaging with me, as at home it usually takes quite
an effort to win the trust and interest of kids this age. I suppose because
they have so little going on, a visit from me is actually interesting. There
are no cars to drive, no parties to go to, no evening sports events to play in
or attend; there is no money for beer or video games or the cinema. They may
have boyfriends or girlfriends from school, but since they have to be in early,
I don’t suppose they know what it is to go out on a date. So I guess dinner
with a priest on a Friday night isn’t so bad after all :) I posted some pics of the Bachillerato on the pics page-
