If Raindrops Were Chocolate…

Martha River Alanís is an unsung hero that knows how to sing.“Nothing’s wrong, my dears, just put your little faces on the floor. Precious, here nothing is going to happen as long as you keep your heads on the floor.”

The words of the Monterrey, Mexico preschool teacher carry an astonishing calmness despite the barrage of bullets that can be heard clattering just outside of the classroom window. When the gunfire becomes louder, Alanís decides to lead her students in a song.

“Si las gotas de lluvia fueran de chocolate, me encantaría estar ahí!” (“If raindrops were chocolate, I would love to be there!”)

“Who wants chocolate?!” Alanís exclaims and the children, with their heads pressed firmly to the floor, reply enthuisiastically, “Me!”

If it weren’t for the pixelated quality of Alanís’ iPhone (from which she recorded the event), this poetic act of bravery would almost scene like a scene from a movie. Yet Alanís assures that she was not looking for recognition. As the head of security at her preschool in the dangerous barrio of La Estanzuela, she just wanted to convince her superiors that the preschool was located in an high risk area. “They are always asking me for evidence,” she explained. “I don’t want to be famous or recognized, I just found myself in the moment with the adequate intelligence to show our reality.”

The reality is that La Estanzuela, like many parts of Mexico and Latin America, is overrun by deadly narcotics gangs. The firefight that takes place in the video is just one of many that happen on a regular basis between warring factions. Hours later that same day, hired assassins of a rival gang returned to kill five young people at a taxi stop with AK47s. It’s hard to hold a preschool class with multiple executions happening in the background, but Alanís says that her students give her courage.

“Of course I was afraid, but my kids gave me the valor and the courage to act like I did,” Alanís affirms…even when the raindrops are bullets instead of chocolate.