Volunteer Site Visit

I just got back from my volunteer site visit and it was fun! Im not gonna lie, Im happy to be back ¨home¨here in Masatepe but it was nice to get out and see a different part of the country and what volunteers do on a day-to-day basis.

On Sunday we arrived to the department of Leon (northwest of the country). All of the trainees visiting volunteers in Leon and Chinandega met up and went to the beach. The beach was beautiful, but although it was raining part of the time, we managed to stay dry by relaxing at this beachside restaurant all day. I like the Nica45ers (the previous environmental ed group - have already been in Nicaragua for 13 months)...the group is very different from ours but theyre fun people!

On Monday I went to this rural multigrade school with my volunteer, Katelyn. The school is basically one classroom in the middle of a field (a 30-45 min walk through fields after getting off of the closest bus stop). Since there arent too many kids in the area, the students range from 1st to 6th grade. Because the kids have to help their parents work in the fields, attendance is poor and its difficult to know when to hold natural science classes for them (or what age students will attend). When we went, 4 1st graders and 2 4th graders came. Technically, we´re only supposed to work with 3rd-6th graders, so it was hard for Katelyn to gear the class towards all of the students. School only lasted a few hours, which is typical school day. Its clear that there are many challenges faced by the Nicaraguan education system and what we can accomplish is only a miniscule change. Its easy to get discouraged but staying patient and positive has been effective for most.

On Tuesday, classes were cancelled (not a huge shocker) so we didnt get to observe another class with a different school. However, I was able to go to volleyball practice with Katelyns volleyball team that she started. By working with a local NGO called ¨Norwalk¨, based in CT I believe, she was able to get a group of young women together and a paid volleyball coach and the team is looking good! This is just one of the many secondary projects she and her husband are working on. This morning, we attended a meeting to plan an HIV&AIDS fair in the town. The meeting was a success since many key people made it to the meeting and truly expressed interest. The meeting was also held with the help of another local NGO. Nagarote, Leon has many advantages for Peace Corps Volunteers because there are so many resources available, but it also has its limitations because many projects are already in effect. All sites have their upsides and downsides and this is just one example of a site where I could potentially be located.

Overall, the visit was good. I got to learn a little bit more about what a typical day for a volunteer is like (aka there is no typical day - you make the best of each situation and take things one step at a time). Ive realized that many projects take TIME because you have to spend time with the people in your community and community leaders to gain their trust before you can begin to assess areas for improvement and change. It all comes down to what the community wants to accomplish and as a volunteer, you pretty much just have to act as a facilitator to ensure that THEY are getting active in the projects to ensure its sustainability. All of this is incredibly complicated and thats why we´re getting 3 months of training but I think Im beginning to understand how I need to approach my service.

Im finally going to buy a memory card so I can update more pictures. I have some fun ones to post from the beach and my trip to the lagoon. Thanks for your patience!