Just the Second Day of School Blues...

So this afternoon finds me a bit down and a little bit shell-shocked. There is still the issue of not really having classes (even though school has started, there is no schedule because of teachers having issues with the way it was done because it leaves them with blocks in the middle of their classes where they have nothing - god forbid they have to be at school when they are not teaching, some classes only have four or five students showing up - even though school HAS begun, some classes are just left on their own for long stretches because the teachers are just sitting around talking). But on top of all that, here are two interesting, to say the least, events that took place today:

1) The beginning of the day was interrupted when the five primary school teachers that the government is trying to place in the school showed up with the police. The padre ended up having to call in the school´s lawyer and go into court, but the basic issue now is that this still isn´t resolved between the teachers from last year (who the Padre has chosen and wants in place) and the state-appointed ones. It seems to me like it is definitely affecting the school and the kids in these lower school classes. The situation boggles my mind - especially that it is still not resolved - but I am trying to remain sympathetic and supportive since I do believe that much of the school community spirit and just generally the sense of justice dictates that the old teachers should stay.

2) For the last few minutes of my last class of the day, I kept hearing some booms coming from nearby. As there is a lot of construction going on and generally random noises or smells or random assaults on the sense, I did not think twice about it. The noise ended up coming from a shootout between the police and some of the people who had set up invasiones (these are the estera homes that people just pop up) on private land. I think the police were coming to clear them out and this crazy shootout broke out. And so what does our school do? Well, we let the kids go just as this shootout is moving closer and closer to one of the compound´s sides and just tell the kids to be careful. Of course they all end up running over that way to see what was going on and I almost had a heartattack. I was sure something was going to happen and thank god it did not, but again, I am left very confused.

I mean, I keep trying to maintain an open mind and remember it is a different culture, but sometimes isn´t there a limit to what makes sense or should happen?