Chicken - it's what's for lunch
All smiles at lunchtime!
Lunchtime might be our favorite part of the day. Every weekday we pack up our classrooms and backpacks at 1:00 and get in line for lunch. Our cook, affectionately known as Doña Lily, serves up a delicious, nutritious meal of hilachas, caldo de pollo, or frijol blanco, just to name a few. We (teachers and students alike) gobble up the meal and often go for seconds. Tortillas and fresco (natural drink made from fruit or flowers) are always included, even with starchy meals like spaghetti! Some students eat as many as 5 tortillas with their meal.
Carne asada with pico de gallo, guacamole, tortillas and fresh-squeezed limonada for home lunch on Thursday at the López house.
Why don’t we just give our students a plate of rice and beans and call it a day? Matthew 7:12 says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Even though simple meals are the norm in our students’ homes (they often joke and say that for breakfast they eat beans with tortillas, and then for dinner they eat tortillas with beans), we want to treat our students with dignity. If we are able to provide them with a well-balanced, filling meal, we believe that we must do so. Each plate of food costs Q20 (USD $2.75), which adds up quickly. Thankfully, each student has a sponsor to cover their monthly nutrition cost. We are so grateful for the generous individuals that show God’s grace to our students through providing their meals each day!
Primaria kiddos enjoying lunch at the triangle tables!
Along with lunch, each student receives a daily multivitamin. This supplements important vitamins and minerals like iron and calcium, which are lacking in the typical Guatemalan diet. When a child grows up with a chronic deficit of certain nutrients, they can experience symptoms like stunted growth, delayed brain development, fatigue, and irritability. This year, we have several 10 and 11-year-olds who are significantly below their height-for-age standard. It will be so good to see the physical and mental growth of these children after a year or two of improved nutrition!
That just about sums up the nutrition portion of our school day. Feel free to stop by next time you’re in Antigua and enjoy a hot meal with us and our students!