The latest news from Zapallal

Letter from Brother Mark with the latest news from Peru and Delia's favourite charity...

Competitions in football and volleyball for former pupils began on 8 October: as always, the rivalry is fierce, the spectators biased, the level of skill high and this year, the Big Four favourites, are struggling, so there’s all to be played for.

We also had a visit from Channel 7 television following on from the very good report the international visitors gave us. The highlight for most of the pupils here was the Festival of Dances on 18 October. It was a competition in four categories and the judges were from the National School of Folk Dancing. It all started with the pasacalle, the parade through the local streets with all the dancers in their glorious costumes. The afternoon was a feast of colour, enthusiasm and commitment. The winners in the various categories were 2nd year primary, 4th year primary, who were also the overall champions, 6th year primary and 5th year secondary. All were worthy winners. A lasting memory for me is the look of pleasure on the faces of 6th year primary (below right) as they danced.

The Festival also coincided with the 18th anniversary of the school, so after the formal programme, there was a group to provide music for the parents and others to dance. Later in the evening there was the castillo, the bamboo structure laced with fireworks that ignite in a determined sequence and produce an impressive spectacle. The following day was a free day, then the pupils returned for their two-monthly exams.

There is an ONG (quango) here called VIVA - Vida con Valores, Life with Values, which encourages schools in the various aspects of communication, propaganda, advertising etc. but not for commercial ends. It gives themes – violence in the family, addiction, rights of children – and the pupils must produce a large display promoting the theme, sometimes with dramatic sketches. The recent one was on healthy eating and care of the environment. Besides creating a very imaginative display, the pupils went down to our local market and interviewed customers and vendors (left). The evaluators were impressed.

As part of the celebrations to welcome the visit of our Superior General (Head of the Brothers) from Rome, our 5th year (right) were invited to our school in Lima to perform their winning dance. They were brilliant and, without any bias, the best of the four schools who participated. They performed in a much smaller area so you could feel the energy and sheer pleasure.

October in Peru is dedicated to Señor de los Milagros, Our Lord of the Miracles. It is a great devotion and many people wear purple which is the predominant colour for the month. The faith of the people is almost tangible.  May there be many miracles in all our lives. 

God bless.