dinner with the Yanes family
Just a little while ago we were treated to a home-cooked meal by the Yanes family in El Progreso. Prepared by mom Maria, and the two sisters, Meredith and Yarly, we had baleadas (a thick flour tortilla prepared on wood-fired grill, filled with cheese and re-fried beans), tamales, and a pineapple-filed pastry for dessert.
(left to right) Maria Yanes with daughters Meredith and Yarly
There’s a group of graduate students from Columbia University here doing volunteer work with OYE as an alternative spring break, and Señora Yanes taught them all how to make tortillas from scratch.
Tortilla-making lessons
Teaching seems to come naturally to Maria. She has taken it upon herself to provide education for the local children. There is no school in this neighborhood, so Maria, on her own, teaches children basic academic skills in the shade of a big tree. Terms like curriculum or skills development seem abstract when you have to concentrate on such fundamental things as having no actual physical structure to teach in.
Maria’s daughter, Yarly, is extremely active in OYE’s programs to provide education for children in and around El Progreso. More about Yarly next week.
I know I am a couple of days late, but I just wanted to say Thanks to Yarly and her family for making such a delicious meal!! Baleadas for Life!!
Do you know how I can contact Maria Yanez? Or what is the name of the school or neighborhood she lives in. I worked for an NGO who builds school, and I am interested on how she teaches kindergarten under a tree.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your help.