Los Ayala
Local Folks - Elaine & Morris Smith
Local Folks - Elaine & Morris Smith
Many people have the dream of owning a home on the beach in a tropical paradise. That dream began for Elaine and I in the early 1970s when we flew down to Tepic, Mexico with a business associate who shared our love of Mexico.
At that time the road system in this part of Mexico was quite primitive. There was no road from Puerto Vallarta to Los Ayala, so we flew into Tepic and hired a taxi to come to Los Ayala via San Blas and Las Varas. Taxis were very cheap then.
Jack Wortendyke, my friend from Boise, Idaho, told me that he knew of two houses on a beautiful beach near Puerto Vallarta that were for sale. They were indeed beachfront homes situated on an idyllic beach in a very small place named Los Ayala which resembled the tropical paradise we had been dreaming of for years. However, it was very primitive; the only road in town followed the mountain around what is now Villas del Tropico into the area where our property is located. There were no streets, electricity, potable water, or telephones.
Even worse, both homes were located on Ejido land and at that time it was against the law for foreigners to own property within 50 kilometers of the coast. Elaine and I went home completely dejected, although my friend Jack Wortendyke eventually bought one of the homes using a "Presto Nombre;" in which a Mexican friend held the legal title to the property he purchased. (Ejido land and the use of a Presto Nombre to purchase a home in Mexico is fraught with risks which include the loss of your property.)
Over the next twenty yeas we occasionally came down to the Wortendykes for vacations and would watch our place, hoping it wold be for sale. Many years later, in 1994, we received a call from the Wortendykes letting us know that the house we had looked at in the 70s had just been remodeled and the owner needed to sell it! The property had also been regularized which meant we could get title to it.
Elaine and I were scheduled to retire in early 1995. So the timing was right for us to consider making our earlier dream come true. We purchased the property in April of 1995. Of course, the house was not finished and the property had been vacant for years, so we put a lot of money and time into it. We retired shortly thereafter and began living in Los Ayala, Mexico for six months each year. We have been living our dream for the past seventeen years.
After we began living in Los Ayala we quickly became involved in helping poor families and with the primary school there. Early on my wife Elaine, began something which we hope has enriched the lives of young people in this area, as much as it has enriched our lives. She started a "Learning Center" on our kitchen table, with children who were running on the beach and not in school. It started with one little guy who came to our door on three different days, asking for a tooth brush and paste just like the ones she gave out in school to the other children. She asked why he was not in school, and also his brother, and he said his mother would not let him go. Elaine took the boy home and talked to his mother and she said they would not let him in school and they did not have money for uniforms and school supplies. Elaine went and spoke to the teacher and she said she could not let them into the school because they could not read and she did not have the time. She also advised the teacher that she would give her one of her paintings if she would let them in school, even if they just sat in school all morning. The teacher agreed with the stipulation that Elaine had to commit to tutoring the children in the afternoons; to which she happily said, "Yes!"
Elaine and I began tutoring the boys in the afternoon, and soon after all kinds of children came and joined in. The Learning Center soon moved from our kitchen table to the big tables we had outside. Every single one of these children became good readers!
Elaine also established a relationship with several schools in the area with the dream of making a difference to the children in our community and since that time has provided them with supplemental books and materials on a regular basis over the years. One interesting sidelight is that the primary school in Los Ayala, at the time of our first visit in the 1970s, was just a small square cleared in the jungle with a chicken wire fence enclosing a few desks for the students.
Since that time, Elaine has established a very successful Learning Center and Library in Los Ayala. Both programs are free to children in the Jaltemba Bay area. Over the years participation in the program increased to the point that they could not accommodate all the kids in their house, even with the use of the outside area.
So Elaine and her daughter bought a new building and park for the children. The new Learning Center is impressive! It includes a craft room which is stocked with a large supply of crafts and games, a delightful playground with swings; a basketball court and a spacious grass play area for the children to enjoy. Approximately 45 children were enrolled in the Learning Center for 2010/2011 season. They come in the afternoons to study for an hour and after the study period they are allowed to play in the Park area. Today the Learning Center also has a dedicated staff of 7 teachers, some of whom have been teaching the children for 15 or more years, and the library contains more than 5.000 books mostly in Spanish.
Italia Winters started helping Elaine with the program fifteen years ago. She speaks several languages and has taught school for thirty two years. Many of the the volunteers at the Learning Center are retired teachers who provide one-on-one tutoring where it is needed, and that is alot! However not all of the volunteers are former teachers. Mary Alice Snyder one of our most dedicated volunteers worked for the airlines for 28 years and she is an invaluable part of the team because of her fluency in Spanish.
Elaine's goal is to make everyone in our community recognize the importance of reading and writing and getting an education these days, so they can compete in this rapidly changing world. She says that it is the only way they can raise above the poverty and they are doing a great job, compared to years ago! When the parents want to pay her or give her a gift, she tells them to just study and learn all you can, that is her pay and after eighteen years she sure has been rewarded!
At that time the road system in this part of Mexico was quite primitive. There was no road from Puerto Vallarta to Los Ayala, so we flew into Tepic and hired a taxi to come to Los Ayala via San Blas and Las Varas. Taxis were very cheap then.
Jack Wortendyke, my friend from Boise, Idaho, told me that he knew of two houses on a beautiful beach near Puerto Vallarta that were for sale. They were indeed beachfront homes situated on an idyllic beach in a very small place named Los Ayala which resembled the tropical paradise we had been dreaming of for years. However, it was very primitive; the only road in town followed the mountain around what is now Villas del Tropico into the area where our property is located. There were no streets, electricity, potable water, or telephones.
Even worse, both homes were located on Ejido land and at that time it was against the law for foreigners to own property within 50 kilometers of the coast. Elaine and I went home completely dejected, although my friend Jack Wortendyke eventually bought one of the homes using a "Presto Nombre;" in which a Mexican friend held the legal title to the property he purchased. (Ejido land and the use of a Presto Nombre to purchase a home in Mexico is fraught with risks which include the loss of your property.)
Over the next twenty yeas we occasionally came down to the Wortendykes for vacations and would watch our place, hoping it wold be for sale. Many years later, in 1994, we received a call from the Wortendykes letting us know that the house we had looked at in the 70s had just been remodeled and the owner needed to sell it! The property had also been regularized which meant we could get title to it.
Elaine and I were scheduled to retire in early 1995. So the timing was right for us to consider making our earlier dream come true. We purchased the property in April of 1995. Of course, the house was not finished and the property had been vacant for years, so we put a lot of money and time into it. We retired shortly thereafter and began living in Los Ayala, Mexico for six months each year. We have been living our dream for the past seventeen years.
After we began living in Los Ayala we quickly became involved in helping poor families and with the primary school there. Early on my wife Elaine, began something which we hope has enriched the lives of young people in this area, as much as it has enriched our lives. She started a "Learning Center" on our kitchen table, with children who were running on the beach and not in school. It started with one little guy who came to our door on three different days, asking for a tooth brush and paste just like the ones she gave out in school to the other children. She asked why he was not in school, and also his brother, and he said his mother would not let him go. Elaine took the boy home and talked to his mother and she said they would not let him in school and they did not have money for uniforms and school supplies. Elaine went and spoke to the teacher and she said she could not let them into the school because they could not read and she did not have the time. She also advised the teacher that she would give her one of her paintings if she would let them in school, even if they just sat in school all morning. The teacher agreed with the stipulation that Elaine had to commit to tutoring the children in the afternoons; to which she happily said, "Yes!"
Elaine and I began tutoring the boys in the afternoon, and soon after all kinds of children came and joined in. The Learning Center soon moved from our kitchen table to the big tables we had outside. Every single one of these children became good readers!
Elaine also established a relationship with several schools in the area with the dream of making a difference to the children in our community and since that time has provided them with supplemental books and materials on a regular basis over the years. One interesting sidelight is that the primary school in Los Ayala, at the time of our first visit in the 1970s, was just a small square cleared in the jungle with a chicken wire fence enclosing a few desks for the students.
Since that time, Elaine has established a very successful Learning Center and Library in Los Ayala. Both programs are free to children in the Jaltemba Bay area. Over the years participation in the program increased to the point that they could not accommodate all the kids in their house, even with the use of the outside area.
So Elaine and her daughter bought a new building and park for the children. The new Learning Center is impressive! It includes a craft room which is stocked with a large supply of crafts and games, a delightful playground with swings; a basketball court and a spacious grass play area for the children to enjoy. Approximately 45 children were enrolled in the Learning Center for 2010/2011 season. They come in the afternoons to study for an hour and after the study period they are allowed to play in the Park area. Today the Learning Center also has a dedicated staff of 7 teachers, some of whom have been teaching the children for 15 or more years, and the library contains more than 5.000 books mostly in Spanish.
Italia Winters started helping Elaine with the program fifteen years ago. She speaks several languages and has taught school for thirty two years. Many of the the volunteers at the Learning Center are retired teachers who provide one-on-one tutoring where it is needed, and that is alot! However not all of the volunteers are former teachers. Mary Alice Snyder one of our most dedicated volunteers worked for the airlines for 28 years and she is an invaluable part of the team because of her fluency in Spanish.
Elaine's goal is to make everyone in our community recognize the importance of reading and writing and getting an education these days, so they can compete in this rapidly changing world. She says that it is the only way they can raise above the poverty and they are doing a great job, compared to years ago! When the parents want to pay her or give her a gift, she tells them to just study and learn all you can, that is her pay and after eighteen years she sure has been rewarded!
Elaine & Morris Smith
Founders of Los Ayala's Learning Center
Founders of Los Ayala's Learning Center
About Elaine & Morris Smith
Elaine and Morris return faithfully every year from November through April. Elaine says, "The most rewarding part of the Learning Center has been the relationships she has developed with the families and children." Some of the relationships are with families who lived here 20 or 30 years ago.
Especially gratifying is when one of the children who have participated in the Learning Center program returns for a visit; and it is very apparent that the Learning Center made a difference. They have many success stories! One of their first students was one of the top students at the Tepic University, graduated valedictorian and two years later received his degree in Law. He now lives in La Penita de Jaltemba. Most recently she was paid a visit by another of her first students who is now a lawyer.
Elaine is especially proud of the fact that the children who attend the Learning Center are excelling at school, achieving the highest grades in their class!
Elaine and Morris love this area and especially the families in the three communities, along with those in La Joya, all of whom have made them part of their lives and who made them so welcome and truly appreciated their attempts to help them change the future and the lives of their children.
Elaine and Morris are working on the third generation now. They feel that it has been a truly gratifying experience to be a part of the change!
These are LOCAL FOLKS, who have really made a huge difference and truly deserve our respect and recognition. Exceptionally well done by two unbelievably SPECIAL PEOPLE. MANY THANKS ELAINE AND MORRIS!!!
Elaine and Morris return faithfully every year from November through April. Elaine says, "The most rewarding part of the Learning Center has been the relationships she has developed with the families and children." Some of the relationships are with families who lived here 20 or 30 years ago.
Especially gratifying is when one of the children who have participated in the Learning Center program returns for a visit; and it is very apparent that the Learning Center made a difference. They have many success stories! One of their first students was one of the top students at the Tepic University, graduated valedictorian and two years later received his degree in Law. He now lives in La Penita de Jaltemba. Most recently she was paid a visit by another of her first students who is now a lawyer.
Elaine is especially proud of the fact that the children who attend the Learning Center are excelling at school, achieving the highest grades in their class!
Elaine and Morris love this area and especially the families in the three communities, along with those in La Joya, all of whom have made them part of their lives and who made them so welcome and truly appreciated their attempts to help them change the future and the lives of their children.
Elaine and Morris are working on the third generation now. They feel that it has been a truly gratifying experience to be a part of the change!
These are LOCAL FOLKS, who have really made a huge difference and truly deserve our respect and recognition. Exceptionally well done by two unbelievably SPECIAL PEOPLE. MANY THANKS ELAINE AND MORRIS!!!
Magical
Morris Smith
Los Ayala, Jaltemba Bay, Mexico
Los Ayala, Jaltemba Bay, Mexico
Photo of the children and volunteer teachers at the Learning Center by Elaine Morris
" Comprencion "
"Understanding Mexican Style" - Understanding in its Mexican context includes a strong element of mutual trust and caring that precludes critical attitudes and harmful behaviour. It presumes unqualified support, regardless of the circumstances.
"Understanding Mexican Style" - Understanding in its Mexican context includes a strong element of mutual trust and caring that precludes critical attitudes and harmful behaviour. It presumes unqualified support, regardless of the circumstances.
Elaine and Morris at their home in Los Ayala, Nayarit, Mexico
Happily married for 64 years!
Happily married for 64 years!
For more information about the
Los Ayala's Learning Center...
Email: Elaine Smith
Los Ayala's Learning Center...
Email: Elaine Smith