Finishing the Library in Santa Elena, Belize
Last Day in Belize
Thursday was spent finishing up the last of the books and painting the bookshelves. The kids LOVED watching us paint and complimenting our work. They actually begged for more art and drawings the rest of the time we were there. It was really amazing to be able to leave little bits of art and drawings in the Santa Elena library to help bring the children in. They really loved it, and I think it was a really special thing for some of the volunteers to be able to leave their personal touch and a little bit of themselves behind with the children.
Friday was a whirlwind! We moved all of the books into the library space. We ended up with nearly 300 and there are 500 more on the way. After organizing and getting everything set in the card catalog we started shelving!
So the morning was a library dance of shelving, cleaning, setting up, and organizing (with some last minute painting touches to top it all off). But we did it – and it was amazing!
It might have been a long morning with a lot of work packed in, but it all paid off. After I had a one on one with each of the teachers, we had a “grand opening” and presented the Santa Elena library to the older students and faculty. The students all sang their national anthem and then recited their pledge to get everything started. It was very moving and most of the room were already tearing up before they had even finished. It was a very emotional presentation for all of us!
After we spoke and presented the complete card catalog to the principal 4 students requested to speak and thank us for coming and leaving them with a library. They were so grateful, and it took courage for them to stand in front of their fellow students to thank us. The teachers each spoke and then we presented each other with parting gifts. It was incredibly hard to leave when it was all over.
