The Peace Train is coming to Centro Arte!

(I recommend listening to Cat Steven's Peace Train while reading this one :)

Not only is the Peace Train coming ... we are building it, here at Centro Arte. As Peace, though it must start within each individual, must be a community endeavor, we are building it as a community.

So, some shout outs to the team!
Berty and Yanira of our CAP office team thought of the plan of using plywood to build the "bones" of the trains and the use colored poster board for the sides.

Lito, vigilante extrodinaire got us the nails.

And Manuel, a twenty something youth in the community, and Jose Walter, the 11 year old magician from my Cuentame class, did the actually construction (Korla and I got to help as well).

Our construction team started by creating a contract. Walter said paying attention and following directions would be important. Manuel agreed. I added wearing safety goggles was important. And Korla later added putting cotton in our ears to protect from the sound of the table saw. We all signed and set about collecting our materials and setting up our space.



Manuel did all the math for us and was our expert in residence. He got the table saw set up and directed Walter, Korla and I where to be and how to help. Manuel is a very focused, get the job done kind of guy. Though his signature "this is fun" / "i'm so cool" kind of face was to smile and stick out his tongue -- a face I never saw so much as when we were constructing. Walter on the other hand is a bounce off the wall I have so much energy I can't be in one place for more than 5 minutes kind of 11 year old. The two of them working together was priceless. And Walter, when he had a job and something to do with his hands was as focused as ever!





In three days we built 12 train cars! One train of 6 big cars (50 cm x 50 cm x 75 cm) will live at Centro Arte and a second train of small cars (40 cm x 40 cm x 60 cm) will travel to the school in El Sitio and any other site that asks us to come! (We've already been requested to visit another group!!)





Next, Korla and I went to the libreria or the book store and picked up the poster board for the sides. Raquel and Ligia joined me one afternoon cutting them into the right sizes:



Finally, this past Saturday afternoon we had a train decorating workshop! Walter, Geremy, and Victor joined Korla, Ariel and me to 1. braid cloth from the Women's Center down the street (who also want to see the train when it's done!) to make the shoulder straps. 2. Use the left over poster board to make the engine of the 1st car and 3. Decorate the sides. What a wonderful life - giving morning.











We had started the day making a web of yarn between our wrists and talking about how we are all connected and to make peace (and the train!) we needed to work together. Then we learned a song: "Caminamos en la paz de dios" ("Walking in the peace of God" ... originally "Walking in the light of God". We ended the day with presentations of what we had done so far and how it had brought us peace and singing and marching en train around the room!



Today Walter came to talk with me about the next Cuentame class I'm giving -- he took it last time but he wants to write another chapter -- a manual of magic tricks. So we had a brief meeting and then we worked on braiding the shoulder straps. At first I sat next to him, each of us with our 200 cm pieces of fabric and we would do each step together but he got lost. So then we did it together -- I held it on the floor and he braided. He did so well! And got very into it!



The Peace Train, even in the making (yay process!) has been so life giving to me. There is so much do to here, so many ways I want to give of myself, that sometimes it is overwhelming. In the making of the train and all of the people who are already part of it, I am reminded I don't have to walk alone, I don't have to carry all that is weighty alone. We do it together. We built peace together. And we give life to one another.