Today.

            It was an odd day, I woke up with a feeling of malaise stemming from my lack of impetus the day before. I laid on my bed most of the late afternoon and night, watching the show "Treme"(Look it up its a good show about post Katrina New Orleans, probably not the most uplifting show to get you out a rut). However, I quickly put my self-loathing aside when I got to the teacher's lounge and saw some teachers counting money for the family of a student from the sixth grade that drowned yesterday (Like most families on the coast, are of a low economic background). He went swimming at some natural pools outside of Pasacaballo with some friends after being let out school early. I didn’t know the kid very well. I had seen him in class and school before. Yesterday, I actually went into his class and assisted the English teacher with an activity about professions. I say "actually" because its a Monday class and most holidays are moved to Mondays so people can have three day weekends. All Monday classes all over Colombia are behind cause of this.

Its not like I didn’t know the kid had died before going to school this morning but it didn’t register. (I’m sure most of the town knew within minutes of him dying at the local clinic located a few steps away from the plaza). My host cousin, who didn't leave the house all day, told me as I was doing laundry(the only productive thing I did yesterday).

I don’t know if I would have taken the time to write this if he were still alive. I mean I could barely remember what he looked like until the teacher told me where he used to sit. I remember him not having his copy of the sheet of paper with the professions, so he kept turning around to look at the kid's copy behind him so I told him to "stop and listen only". When the girl next to him dropped her earring, he stopped paying attention and helped her look for it. This was not amusing so I asked him to help her after I was done with the class.

However, the kids death didn’t seem real until I went to school, I mean there was no memorial, no moment of silence, most of the students were acting like they usually act (like little fiends). I asked one teacher how the students in the boy's class were doing and she said OK, later I heard some of them were crying. 

The kid was living with his mom about 20 minutes away and was constantly getting rides from teachers who saw him waiting for the bus. 

I didn't overhear any student talking about the kid, who he was or how he was. I was part of a one conversation with some students regarding the location of these natural pools, according to them; the pools are slippery and clayey since they are behind a brick factory. I also didn’t see the psychologist speaking with anyone and I don’t think she was in the school.

The teachers’ conversation revolved around who was to blame for the death of the student. Yesterday the students were let out early because the school is behind on some paperwork and with a visit from the secretary of education looming, they cancelled classes and told the teachers to get their papers in order. However, many parents were unaware of this, I only found out by because I saw a teacher last Friday on the bus and I asked if there was going to be class on Monday (Classes were cancelled last Friday as well for a workshop).

So who does the blame fall upon? The director for ordering that kids be let out early, the school for not telling parents their kids are coming home early, the students for not going home after school, the coordinator who rang the bell (this was actually brought up by a teacher), the teachers who let the kids out of the classroom, his family for not teaching him to go home straight after school, the kid for going into a place where he is not supposed to go, the education system for requiring schools to keep cumbersome records that require yearly visits, or all of the above.

In memory of Jose.