This has been my fifth day in Tamaula. We were very well received by the community and we are placed in families. The family that I am living with lives in the center of the town in a blue and white house. Th mother is name Josephina , and she is living here with three of her daughters that are still at home. The eldest is Silvia, she is 27, then there is Rosita who is 16 and finally their last one Karina who is 11. The family is very caring and enjoys having us here. I am in this family with two other girls from Chicago with the Latino Progresando Theatre group. The father is in Athens, Georgia and the brother Rudolpho also left to"al Norte" when he was only 15. There is no running water but they have had electricity for the past 3 years. Everyone is very welcoming, I have been to different homes just walking aroud an all just invite you in to have a seat and eat some "comida". I think I have never eaten so many tortillas in my life!!!! For breakfast, lunch and dinner tortillas that are freshly made in the morning from ground corn. I have really been enjoying the food and talking with all the people here. They all have interesting stories and the kids that we are working with are full of energy and life. They are curious and love using my camera to take pictures! Some even are very good pictures. I will try to post some...I need to put them on a USB key.
Otherwise our boxing trainings have been going real well. Most of the kids and teenagers come and are all very excited to learn and participate in the boxing program. We installed a boxing gym with two heavy bags and one speed bag. We are trying to get them motivated to start training on their own and not only reach out to the male population but also to the girls and women of the town.
I will post picture soon. It is a beautiful town and the people that live here love it, even though there is no work, they cannot really explain their true reason for loving to live here in Tamaula..
