Thursday, February 26, 2009
So this is what service is supposed to feel like...
I´m happy to say that 6 months into my time here in Nicaragua, I am finally starting to really enjoy my service. Somehow everything has been starting to fall into place and some of my side projects are coming together. I started English classes this week and each class keeps growing in size as people hear about the free English classes with the gringa. In all honestly, teaching English was the last thing I wanted to do before coming here, but after seeing that it´s something that people really want in the community and could really use, since many end up living in the states at some point in their lives, I figured it would be a rewarding and productive thing to do. People seem to be enjoying the classes, both young and old. The previous mayor of my town is one of many enrolled, which makes me feel pretty important ha. I am also going to take the opportunity to teach this group a little about environmental ethics, just little tips here and there about conserving plastic bags, not burning trash, not throwing trash on the ground, etc., since this is the primary reason why I´m in Nicaragua. Other things that are coming together - the soccer commission here has been trying to form 4 women´s soccer teams by neighborhood and I´ve been kept somewhat in the loop until last night when I ran into them in a meeting. We are going to try to meet with the directors of each high school to recruit the women from there. Apparently the directors aren´t too fond of sports, I´ve been told, so we´re trying to meet with the mayor´s office, a local NGO from Spain who works with schools in a variety of extra curricular activities (and to see if they can donate uniforms too), and the main director for the entire municipality at the ministry of education. My role is to pretty much act as an assistant coach/trainer for all the teams, and also I´m going to try to take the opportunity to have discussions/talks with the players about life skills, HIV/AIDS, health, etc. This, I think, would be an additional incentive for the school directors to be more supportive of our efforts. Also, I´m trying to coordinate with a high school in my neighborhood to form a student ecological brigade to help with environmental projects in the community. With all this going on, and with more interest among the community, now that I´ve made the connections I need to get things done, I´m feeling a lot better about my service and am excited for things to finally materialize.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Continuing with the Top 10 List...
Not much new to report, but wanted to continue with the Top 10 List theme, since people seem to enjoy that....so here we go....
12 Random Things You Should Know About Nicaragua
1. When someone dies, a truck with loudspeakers drives around the town announcing the death and the details of the wake.
2. Getting up to catch a 5 AM bus is commonplace.
3. Blasting your reggaeton, ranchera, or Celine Dion´s ¨My Heart Will Go On¨at any hour doesn´t seem to bother the neighbors.
4. It´s not considered offensive to tell someone they look fat.
5. It´s okay to randomly show up unannounced at a friend/neighbor´s house around mealtime and expect to be fed.
6. It´s common to hitchhike for rides in the back of pickup trucks.
7. Women are expected to learn to ¨share¨their men, even when married, due to the enormously high rate of infidelity.
8. Wearing shorts signifies you haven´t showered yet.
9. It is a common belief that one will get sick if they a) walk around the house barefoot, or b) take showers at night.
10. People´s dogs, chickens, horses, and even cows randomly wander the street, and sometimes, your backyard.
11. Instead of being sold in bulk, most things are sold in small quantities: travel-size toothpaste, cigarettes sold by the half-pack and individually, cell phone minutes by the dollar (equivalent to about 4 minutes for a local call). But you can´t order a mixed drink or a shot at a local bar - you need to buy the entire bottle of rum (can you tell alcoholism is common here?).
12. Things that every Nica has in his/her house, no matter how rich or poor: a stereo (to blast your pirated music at maximum volume), a TV (to watch your soap operas), plastic chairs, and pictures of your kids with fake backgrounds of sunsets, beaches, and churches.
12 Random Things You Should Know About Nicaragua
1. When someone dies, a truck with loudspeakers drives around the town announcing the death and the details of the wake.
2. Getting up to catch a 5 AM bus is commonplace.
3. Blasting your reggaeton, ranchera, or Celine Dion´s ¨My Heart Will Go On¨at any hour doesn´t seem to bother the neighbors.
4. It´s not considered offensive to tell someone they look fat.
5. It´s okay to randomly show up unannounced at a friend/neighbor´s house around mealtime and expect to be fed.
6. It´s common to hitchhike for rides in the back of pickup trucks.
7. Women are expected to learn to ¨share¨their men, even when married, due to the enormously high rate of infidelity.
8. Wearing shorts signifies you haven´t showered yet.
9. It is a common belief that one will get sick if they a) walk around the house barefoot, or b) take showers at night.
10. People´s dogs, chickens, horses, and even cows randomly wander the street, and sometimes, your backyard.
11. Instead of being sold in bulk, most things are sold in small quantities: travel-size toothpaste, cigarettes sold by the half-pack and individually, cell phone minutes by the dollar (equivalent to about 4 minutes for a local call). But you can´t order a mixed drink or a shot at a local bar - you need to buy the entire bottle of rum (can you tell alcoholism is common here?).
12. Things that every Nica has in his/her house, no matter how rich or poor: a stereo (to blast your pirated music at maximum volume), a TV (to watch your soap operas), plastic chairs, and pictures of your kids with fake backgrounds of sunsets, beaches, and churches.
Friday, February 6, 2009
New House Excitement & The Start of Classes
Now that I´ve moved into my new house and have been living there for a few days, I am so grateful for all the new comforts I have that I´ve gone without for so long. I´ve gotten so used to living with families, having to live by their schedules, not being able to cook my own food, and being cramped into small living spaces, now I feel like I´m living such a posh life (even without a toilet, ha). It´s just really nice to finally have my own space, and it makes being here a whole lot more comfortable. I´ve incorporated some of my own additions to the house and am trying some new recipes with what local food is available...so it´s been fun. I spend most of my day just doing little things around the house like cooking, cleaning, buying what I still need, and observing in the schools. I´ve also had some friends visit me which has made me really happy and kept me busy. Overall, it´s been a very positive experience, and with the new living situation plus beginning my work in the schools, I feel like my real service is now beginning.
With that being said, with just a week of observations in 3 different schools, I´ve noticed many challenges to the Nicaraguan schools system. There are constant interruptions in the classroom, it´s hard to hear with all of the outside noise, curious kids from the neighborhood are constantly peeking in the windows/hanging out outside the door or on the floor of the classroom, teachers are unprepared because they find out just days before class begins what grade they will be teaching, and for this reason are often unmotivated, teachers and students don´t always have the books they need, classes end early/start late all the time, students lack discipline, attendance is low because students have to help out on their farms/selling food to earn extra income for their families...the list goes on and on. Fortunately, though, the students will hopefully begin to get more support from home once the new adult literacy program begins on Monday. With the changes to the curriculum, teachers now are giving an extra hour of class each day to adults, specifically parents, in the community who don´t know how to read and write. It´s hard, however, to get them interested in the classes because for people who spend all of their time on the farm or cooking and cleaning at home, to them reading and writing isn´t necessary. With all of these challenges, I´m excited to begin my work in the schools and will hopefully be able to make an impact to improve these people´s lives.
With that being said, with just a week of observations in 3 different schools, I´ve noticed many challenges to the Nicaraguan schools system. There are constant interruptions in the classroom, it´s hard to hear with all of the outside noise, curious kids from the neighborhood are constantly peeking in the windows/hanging out outside the door or on the floor of the classroom, teachers are unprepared because they find out just days before class begins what grade they will be teaching, and for this reason are often unmotivated, teachers and students don´t always have the books they need, classes end early/start late all the time, students lack discipline, attendance is low because students have to help out on their farms/selling food to earn extra income for their families...the list goes on and on. Fortunately, though, the students will hopefully begin to get more support from home once the new adult literacy program begins on Monday. With the changes to the curriculum, teachers now are giving an extra hour of class each day to adults, specifically parents, in the community who don´t know how to read and write. It´s hard, however, to get them interested in the classes because for people who spend all of their time on the farm or cooking and cleaning at home, to them reading and writing isn´t necessary. With all of these challenges, I´m excited to begin my work in the schools and will hopefully be able to make an impact to improve these people´s lives.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Long-awaited update
Hellllooooo! I´m so sorry I haven´t written in such a long time. There´s definitely new things to report/reflect on. Where do I start?
New house - As of last night, I´ve moved into my new house - woohooo! Now I can finally cook my own food and live on my own schedule...really excited for that. I´ve been so busy I haven´t had time to breathe, let alone buy everything I need for the house. So it´s still missing a bit but it´s cozy and VERY bright (the owner painted the living room orange and my room pink haha...at least it´s not gray!). I´ve been one of the luckier enviro ed volunteers who´s gone, until now, without having to regularly use a latrine (basically an outhouse). I´m still trying to adapt to life without a toilet, especially at night when I don´t want to go outside in the dark. Some interesting adaptations haha, is all I´m going to say. Feel free to inquire for details ;)
Work in the schools - Classes started today and I went and observed the teachers at one of my schools in the outskirts of town (just a short bus ride away). It should be interesting trying to teach the multigrades because one of the classes is 1st and 3rd grade, and the other 2nd, 4th, and 5th (because of enrollment numbers). Being that I am only supposed to be teaching 3rd-6th grade, I´m going to have to figure out how to address the other 2 grades. But, at this point, Peace Corps has thrown me in so many different directions with so much that is new and unfamiliar, I´m almost unphased and feeling confident that it shouldn´t be too much of a problem. I´m excited for this new part of my job to begin so I can finally feel like I´m doing something productive.
Random cultural experiences - Here are some random things that I may or may not have commented on in my blog over time, but thought you´d find interesting. I´m going to try to focus on something different every post, so you get a nice well-rounded description of some of the ridiculousness, YET amazingness, that has been my life for the past 5 months...
The Top 10 Things You Are Most Likely to Encounter on Nicaraguan Buses
1. Evangelical Christians preaching to bus riders
2. Riders packed like sardines in the seats and aisles. Just when you think you can´t possibly fit another person on the bus, you are proven wrong, my friend
3. Chickens pecking at your feet
4. People bombarding the buses at every major stop to sell everything from water in a bag, to tortillas and cheese, to flashlights and watches and corn on the cob
5. Seats designed for 3 school-age children (they are old American school buses) packed with 3, usually very large, overweight males...all deciding that they have the right to sit spread-eagle, only to leave you half of a butt cheek of space
6. Bus workers climbing all over the roof while the bus is moving at full-speed to pack freight (including sacks of grain and chickens, just to name a couple) on top. I swear, Superman must have been Latino.
7. People throwing all of their trash out the window
8. Stops every 30 minutes to check under the hood of the bus, just to make sure we don´t blow up or anything.
9. When traveling to Matagalpa, or any region where the road isn´t paved (very common), you often find yourself covered in a thick layer of dust upon your arrival.
10. Random stops so drivers and/or regular riders can urinate on the side of the road.
Hope you enjoyed this week´s Top 10 List! Feel free to comment, or add to the list if you´ve experienced something similar in Latin America. Stay tuned for next week´s Top 10!
If you´d like to read more about the overall Peace Corps experience, I think you should check out the following blog. My good friend Barbara is a Small Business Volunteer in Guatemala, is only 3 weeks ahead of me in her service, and is basically experiencing very similar things as me. I highly recommend you check out her post, ¨Enjoying It,¨posted on January 23. Her blog site is: http://beveres.blogspot.com/
New house - As of last night, I´ve moved into my new house - woohooo! Now I can finally cook my own food and live on my own schedule...really excited for that. I´ve been so busy I haven´t had time to breathe, let alone buy everything I need for the house. So it´s still missing a bit but it´s cozy and VERY bright (the owner painted the living room orange and my room pink haha...at least it´s not gray!). I´ve been one of the luckier enviro ed volunteers who´s gone, until now, without having to regularly use a latrine (basically an outhouse). I´m still trying to adapt to life without a toilet, especially at night when I don´t want to go outside in the dark. Some interesting adaptations haha, is all I´m going to say. Feel free to inquire for details ;)
Work in the schools - Classes started today and I went and observed the teachers at one of my schools in the outskirts of town (just a short bus ride away). It should be interesting trying to teach the multigrades because one of the classes is 1st and 3rd grade, and the other 2nd, 4th, and 5th (because of enrollment numbers). Being that I am only supposed to be teaching 3rd-6th grade, I´m going to have to figure out how to address the other 2 grades. But, at this point, Peace Corps has thrown me in so many different directions with so much that is new and unfamiliar, I´m almost unphased and feeling confident that it shouldn´t be too much of a problem. I´m excited for this new part of my job to begin so I can finally feel like I´m doing something productive.
Random cultural experiences - Here are some random things that I may or may not have commented on in my blog over time, but thought you´d find interesting. I´m going to try to focus on something different every post, so you get a nice well-rounded description of some of the ridiculousness, YET amazingness, that has been my life for the past 5 months...
The Top 10 Things You Are Most Likely to Encounter on Nicaraguan Buses
1. Evangelical Christians preaching to bus riders
2. Riders packed like sardines in the seats and aisles. Just when you think you can´t possibly fit another person on the bus, you are proven wrong, my friend
3. Chickens pecking at your feet
4. People bombarding the buses at every major stop to sell everything from water in a bag, to tortillas and cheese, to flashlights and watches and corn on the cob
5. Seats designed for 3 school-age children (they are old American school buses) packed with 3, usually very large, overweight males...all deciding that they have the right to sit spread-eagle, only to leave you half of a butt cheek of space
6. Bus workers climbing all over the roof while the bus is moving at full-speed to pack freight (including sacks of grain and chickens, just to name a couple) on top. I swear, Superman must have been Latino.
7. People throwing all of their trash out the window
8. Stops every 30 minutes to check under the hood of the bus, just to make sure we don´t blow up or anything.
9. When traveling to Matagalpa, or any region where the road isn´t paved (very common), you often find yourself covered in a thick layer of dust upon your arrival.
10. Random stops so drivers and/or regular riders can urinate on the side of the road.
Hope you enjoyed this week´s Top 10 List! Feel free to comment, or add to the list if you´ve experienced something similar in Latin America. Stay tuned for next week´s Top 10!
If you´d like to read more about the overall Peace Corps experience, I think you should check out the following blog. My good friend Barbara is a Small Business Volunteer in Guatemala, is only 3 weeks ahead of me in her service, and is basically experiencing very similar things as me. I highly recommend you check out her post, ¨Enjoying It,¨posted on January 23. Her blog site is: http://beveres.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
