The school that we visited has 300 registered students, but in the rainy season only about 150 attend. Most of the families only have one canoe, and if the children take it to school, the rest of the family doesn't have a way to get off of their floating house. Therefore, during the rainy season many kids don't attend school.

There were about 20 school children in each class, and the classes were full of students of all ages. One classroom had students between the ages of 11 and 15. That's quite a range!

The students told us that they like school and they like living in Iquitos, but the weather is too hot. I definitely agree with that!

After school the students canoe home and help take care of their siblings, help prepare dinner, do their homework, and most importantly, they go swimming! The only relief from the blazing hot sun and 100% humidity is a dip in the river: right off of the house! As we paddled around the neighborhood we saw many children swimming around and playing games in the water.

After school, to make money for the family, some of the students paddle their canoes around the neighborhood and act as a taxi service for people who don't have boats. A few of the girls said that they help their mothers weave baskets and purses to sell at the daily market. Whatever the after-school activity is, they almost all require canoes to get from place to place.

It was quite fun spending time getting to know the kids in Iquitos. They live very different lives than we do in the United States. From a very young age, the kids learn how to canoe. By the time they are five or six, they are masters at the sport and can successfully canoe to school each day. How is that for a different way of living?

See you on the Launcha,

Anna

And a huge Happy Birthday to my amazing mom! Her 4th grade class in Indianapolis is staying closely connected through our journey.