Yesterday I felt somewhat Nica-nized. At least, my wardrobe if nothing else….
I was sitting in the yard at my host family’s house, just “platicando” or chatting, and my host mom asked me if my shoes were from the USA. (A common question for me). I said, “Actually no, I bought them here in Nicaragua but in another town.” She said “Oh, well they are pretty. Your blouse is really pretty too.” I smiled and said thank you, then looked down at my blouse---and realized it was bought in Nicaragua too….then my eyes traveled down to my plain black skirt and I realized this too came from a second hand shop in Nicaragua….then I realized the purse I had in my lap was a gift from my host mom and host sister….and to top it off, as I played with one of the yellow butterfly earrings I had on that day, I realized these too were a gift from one of my Nicaraguan counterparts…..I have been Nica-nized!
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DIFFERENCES…
Some of ‘em smack you across the face….others are more subtle….
Anyhow, I was just thinking about my last conversation with my counterpart…she asked if my mom and dad and little brother were the only ones that lived in their house---“yes” I said. Then she asked if my sister and her husband were the only ones that lived in their house---“yes” again….Then she asked if my other brother and his girlfriend lived alone in their house too---“Yes” again….I watched her as she thought this over, her eyebrows raising a little with every “yes”. It seemed shocking, I think, to her that so few people could occupy one house---if she only knew how big these houses were compared to any that I have seen here her eyebrows would probably fly right off her face….It made me realize that folks here probably think it is pretty luxurious that Matt and I share a place with 2 rooms AND a tiny kitchen AND a garage-type area….Just the concept of space has been occupying my mind all morning…I have yet to meet a Nica here that sleeps alone in their own bed----no matter their age….I think the norm is more 3-4 people in a bed….
At the end of the conversation with her, which included lots of discussion about boyfriends and girlfriends, how much college costs and how you can pay etc, all I could say was, “Yeah, it’s different.” I don’t know if I could ever accurately explain just HOW different….
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UP and Down and Up and Down…Randoms….
That is vida, or life, in the peace corps, for sure! Still sweating bullets here in The Q, as I now refer to my town….IT IS SO HOT!!! STILL!!! Even though some days it does POUR rain…last week they had to stop my bus that goes to my school out on the mountain to put tire chains on it to combat the dirt road that had turned to mud and small ponds….I also found out one of my favorite students out there (though I don’t have favorites (: ) is 26 years old and in the 10th grade….Now I know why she is so mature! I admire her so much for going back to school after a 9 year gap---for as much as I whine and moan at times about this or that (which is probably too much), it’s moments like those when I have to stop, and remember where I am….and just sort of, revel in gratitude for so many things….I also found out that my school out there didn’t offer high school until 4 years ago….Many of my students already walk an hour or so just to get to the road where our school is…..so this means before they offered high school there, my kids would have had to walk an hour on trails on mountainous terrain to get to the road and then get on a bus for another hour or so just to get to class…..wow. Perhaps I can always have more patience and understanding…
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I wonder if I will find it odd that not almost EVERY business is operated out of someone’s living room….or that no one just walks by the house yelling that they are selling anything from ice cream, beans, corn, remote controls, guitars, shoes etc….I have to admit, it is pretty convenient.
Our new boss says one of the things that struck him the most when he returned from his previous peace corps service was that in the US, you put toilet paper in the toilet….something I haven’t done in almost a year!
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Happy Moment: at all teacher conference, taught English teachers how to make a type of material I have already been using with my counterparts, the glorious “mini-board”…anndddd Matt reported the next day that he and his counterpart used the material in their class and the kids loved it! Something accomplished….
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
JULY breaks, bats and cockroaches
July July….What happened in and to July??
Well, let’s see…there was my counterpart’s birthday—happy birthday Melbita! And she came to our house and cooked US lunch…seems to be pretty norm that if it is YOUR party or event YOU do everything for everyone else---a little different than at home eh? I gave her a watch and a Snickers Bar. It was a really nice day. Then we had a week of school as normal, then it was off to a training conference in Esteli which included some of our counterparts. It was pretty intense but great to see everyone and hopefully my counterpart and I will start to apply some of the things we learned back in our site. We also got to meet our new boss and he seems wonderful, but it was sad to say goodbye to our old boss. Really it was great to see all the other volunteers---many many of whom we haven’t seen since January….but we didn’t sign up to hang out with each other all the time (-:
We then had the pleasure of a quick visit with some friends from the USA that happened to be in Granada, Nicaragua with their film project “Actuality Media” for about a month. They take students or anyone interested really, to different parts of the world and they learn how to shoot and edit and create a documentary of sorts---they tell the story of people working towards change in their site location. I am sure their website explains it better! You should check it out! It was pretty strange to hang out with a group of gringos for a bit and just sort of, well, hang out…it was actually a sort of culture shock experience in and of itself….it was almost like going home for a quick visit….i cant imagine what actually going home will be like….
Upon returning to the Q, as I now like to refer to Quilali, we found a few surprises in our house. Our pila, or our source of water for laundry, bathing, dishes, and flushing the toilet, was full of 30 plus dead, floating cockroaches…well a few were still sort of alive…and the one or two bats we had living with us have multiplied to about 20…So….matt emptied our tank and scrubbed it clean with just a touch of bleach…It’s quite a process and I can’t tell you how much I love him for doing it---Look for a pic of process on facebook soon. And the bats, well the bats, are still hanging around, pun intended…I am slightly embarrassed to say we tried garlic and then a Nica friend suggested we hang a red cloth up in our entry way….again look for pics of hanging bats and our attempt to combat the on facebook. Also fun times, was the search for bread…and how there was none….I forgot that often times in the Q, simply “no hay” or there is none of what you so desperately had your heart set on, you know, like bread. I suppose I had gotten used to having options for bread on our mini out of the Q adventure in July….but I remember now….and the good news, the bread man made it to the Q a couple days later (-:
We haven’t had class since our return to the Q, but start up again on Monday. We did have an all teacher meeting—Matt and I prepared a small workshop to give, but it never happened…I still couldn’t tell you the point of the 5 hour meeting…but it was good to reconnect with the other teachers and practice Spanish. I spent many hours lesson planning—one hour which was spent explaining how stoplights at intersections work (ie. when pedestrians can cross the street etc). Needless to say, there are no stoplights or intersections in the Q, in fact, I don’t think there are even any traffic signs of any sort----makes it awesome to teach a class on traffic and warning signs(-; But the best thing has been reconnecting with our adult English class---we couldn’t have class at our normal spot because our friend had an event in his house where we normally have it—so I decided to invite everyone to our house—though it is smaller and has less space and classroom amenities. I was so excited to see most of our group! And we had the opportunity to chat for a bit with the principal of one of my school’s (she is in our class) about a project idea we have. We are thinking about constructing a classroom out of bottles out there for the seventh graders who have a classroom with wood boards and dirt floors at the moment. I think I mentioned this before so I won’t repeat. It is still just an idea, and we have to see how the community feels about it etc. before we can even begin with the process of writing a proposal etc….So I am trying not to get to excited until we see what the actual interest level is….if you are interested in this crazy concept of bottle buildings I encourage you to google something like “bottle classrooms” or “bottle houses”—there are quite a few projects going on all over the world of a similar nature.
I feel tired but motivated. We have almost been in Nicaragua for one year now and that surprises me. I think it still surprises me more that we have over a year to go…
Ready to get back in the swing of things, but I would be a huge liar if I didn’t mention how excited we are to be making a visit home in December!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, let’s see…there was my counterpart’s birthday—happy birthday Melbita! And she came to our house and cooked US lunch…seems to be pretty norm that if it is YOUR party or event YOU do everything for everyone else---a little different than at home eh? I gave her a watch and a Snickers Bar. It was a really nice day. Then we had a week of school as normal, then it was off to a training conference in Esteli which included some of our counterparts. It was pretty intense but great to see everyone and hopefully my counterpart and I will start to apply some of the things we learned back in our site. We also got to meet our new boss and he seems wonderful, but it was sad to say goodbye to our old boss. Really it was great to see all the other volunteers---many many of whom we haven’t seen since January….but we didn’t sign up to hang out with each other all the time (-:
We then had the pleasure of a quick visit with some friends from the USA that happened to be in Granada, Nicaragua with their film project “Actuality Media” for about a month. They take students or anyone interested really, to different parts of the world and they learn how to shoot and edit and create a documentary of sorts---they tell the story of people working towards change in their site location. I am sure their website explains it better! You should check it out! It was pretty strange to hang out with a group of gringos for a bit and just sort of, well, hang out…it was actually a sort of culture shock experience in and of itself….it was almost like going home for a quick visit….i cant imagine what actually going home will be like….
Upon returning to the Q, as I now like to refer to Quilali, we found a few surprises in our house. Our pila, or our source of water for laundry, bathing, dishes, and flushing the toilet, was full of 30 plus dead, floating cockroaches…well a few were still sort of alive…and the one or two bats we had living with us have multiplied to about 20…So….matt emptied our tank and scrubbed it clean with just a touch of bleach…It’s quite a process and I can’t tell you how much I love him for doing it---Look for a pic of process on facebook soon. And the bats, well the bats, are still hanging around, pun intended…I am slightly embarrassed to say we tried garlic and then a Nica friend suggested we hang a red cloth up in our entry way….again look for pics of hanging bats and our attempt to combat the on facebook. Also fun times, was the search for bread…and how there was none….I forgot that often times in the Q, simply “no hay” or there is none of what you so desperately had your heart set on, you know, like bread. I suppose I had gotten used to having options for bread on our mini out of the Q adventure in July….but I remember now….and the good news, the bread man made it to the Q a couple days later (-:
We haven’t had class since our return to the Q, but start up again on Monday. We did have an all teacher meeting—Matt and I prepared a small workshop to give, but it never happened…I still couldn’t tell you the point of the 5 hour meeting…but it was good to reconnect with the other teachers and practice Spanish. I spent many hours lesson planning—one hour which was spent explaining how stoplights at intersections work (ie. when pedestrians can cross the street etc). Needless to say, there are no stoplights or intersections in the Q, in fact, I don’t think there are even any traffic signs of any sort----makes it awesome to teach a class on traffic and warning signs(-; But the best thing has been reconnecting with our adult English class---we couldn’t have class at our normal spot because our friend had an event in his house where we normally have it—so I decided to invite everyone to our house—though it is smaller and has less space and classroom amenities. I was so excited to see most of our group! And we had the opportunity to chat for a bit with the principal of one of my school’s (she is in our class) about a project idea we have. We are thinking about constructing a classroom out of bottles out there for the seventh graders who have a classroom with wood boards and dirt floors at the moment. I think I mentioned this before so I won’t repeat. It is still just an idea, and we have to see how the community feels about it etc. before we can even begin with the process of writing a proposal etc….So I am trying not to get to excited until we see what the actual interest level is….if you are interested in this crazy concept of bottle buildings I encourage you to google something like “bottle classrooms” or “bottle houses”—there are quite a few projects going on all over the world of a similar nature.
I feel tired but motivated. We have almost been in Nicaragua for one year now and that surprises me. I think it still surprises me more that we have over a year to go…
Ready to get back in the swing of things, but I would be a huge liar if I didn’t mention how excited we are to be making a visit home in December!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Pigeons, Power Outages, Fun stuff and not so fun stuff....
Pigeons Power Outages and more fun stuff…
Always hard to remember where I left off…
Anyways, most recently there was a giant pigeon in my house…the space between the walls and the roof make it easy access and in our garage/house, there is the corrugated tin roof then a large space and then a layer of cardboard-like tiles. We have discovered the space makes a great home for all sorts of critters….like the pigeon. So my young, cute tiny counterpart is over working with me—and I am screaming about the pigeon and calling matt to come and get it out of the house….she laughs at me like I am the most ridiculous person on the planet and starts chasing the thing all over our house…in our bedroom, down the hall, there are feathers everywhere, before she finally catches it with her hands. She strokes it for awhile and talks to it, and enjoys shoving it in my face before I convince her to put it outside, where I firmly believe it belongs (-: So I didn’t exactly grow up on the farm…but I am SUPER grateful my counterpart, as all other Nicas I know, is so down to earth and comfortable with all things we like to classify as critters. Did I mention that while I was pointing my finger at the pigeon perched on our ‘fridge 2 small bats came flying out of the same space into my face!? It was a fun moment. Really, I am actually serious here; it was really fun and funny!
On another note, the power has been out SUPER SUPER frequently this month. Pretty much every other day for hours at a time. Now, I feel like a big brat of a PC Volunteer, because there are plenty of peace corps volunteers living in the world that NEVER have the good ‘ol “luz” or light (electricity)…but I am sort of accustomed to life here with it. Maybe I should try just never using it for a whole week to get some additional perspective? It really only bothers me when it goes out in the middle of the night and it is like 90 something degrees out still….and you wake up…sweating…thinking…why am I awake? Oh….then you hear the whir of your fan as it goes out….Usually I go throw some cold water from our bucket bath on me and try to go back to sleep in one of the hammocks when this happens….I mean, it is rainy season, sort of, and it is cooler, sort of. Meaning that it rains SOMETIMES but not always…and as soon as it STOPS raining I think it is actually HOTTER than it was before! In any case, the rain is welcome and needed to produce everything we depend on around here….
So work! The workshop, or “taller”, we gave at our last teacher conference went pretty well. That isn’t to say it didn’t start an hour late, teachers didn’t talk or text on cell phones during, and no one came and went from the room (hmmmm the students are oddly similar….), but we felt super happy with it at the end. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do everything we had planned (recall we started an hour late) but the written, anonymous feedback we got from the English teachers was awesome…we heard things like “I didn’t even feel the time. I wasn’t bored and I actually learned something!” Yeah, so that might give you a picture of what these monthly or so teacher days are like…Everyone seems excited at the prospect of us giving more workshops during every conference=more work for us, but we are SOOO happy to do it…and ultimately, of course, we want to include our counterparts in the presentations and have them doing it on their own before we leave…..moments like these 2 years almost doesn’t seem long enough (;
Things at my high schools are sort of the same…I still struggle with the unpredictability of whether or not there will actually BE class every day….and it kills me that when my students ask me “Hey teacher, when is our exam?” I know I can’t really answer because that is subject to change on a whim too….makes it sort of easy to see why some kids lose faith in the system and simply stop showing up…Also, out in my community (means outside of city limits in Nica terms), the 7th graders are losing TONS of class time because of the rain—all the other grades have the normal classrooms made out of bricks —but the 7th graders (the youngest in the high school), have a classroom made out of wooden boards, the corrugated tin roof, and a dirt floor. When it pours, which it does a lot out there, their floor turns to mud….so they usually just go home instead of getting dirty---which if I haven’t mentioned before is pretty much a crime here. I constantly have students out there patting dust and chalk off me and fixing my shirt collar etc. I just got wind that a group called Builders without Borders is going to be working with Peace Corps in Nicaragua the next two years---they build things such as CLASSROOMS, letrines, etc. I was super excited thinking I might be able to work with them to get my 7th graders a classroom of their own out there….BUT one of their requirements is to be 4 hours from Managua on a direct bus……so yea…have I mentioned we live kind of far out there? Like 7 and half hours minimum from the capital of Managua---IF you catch all the right busses? Sigh, I can certainly understand their desire to be near good medical facilities etc. And they sound like a really neat organization if anyone cares to check them out---they are based in Connecticut. I will just have to look elsewhere to get the kids a room….if they really want one! (Peace Corps always warns, and it is good to think about, NOT to start projects WE think people need/want, but first find out what THEY NEED/WANT). There are zillions of examples of people just barging into a place, taking a look around, and deciding what people need for them---and then as soon as the project is complete, it fails. Because the idea wasn’t homegrown. (-:
Ok, lots of rambling! I know! Excited about training that is coming up in a few weeks…also have a friend from the States who is IN Nica-land already and we might get to see here in July too! I have been in site for a very long time without a break and it will be a few more weeks before I get one….let’s hope I don’t get the Q La Li Crazies. (That’s what I call it anyways…)
Love you guys….Miss you guys….SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! XOXOX
THE VERY NEXT DAY
On a personal level, a good friend of ours’ lost her dad this morning—well she is the wife of one of my principal’s..and she is in our adult English class. I still cant get over how quickly people form friendships with us here, well some of them, and how you are immediately considered family. I spent my hour break between classes at her house sitting with the rest of the community, and then sitting on her bed holding her hand and just talking. She insisted on feeding me and making me coffee before allowing me to go back to work…..matt and I refer to her as our fairy godmother, because she really is like the fairy godmothers from Cinderella. We talked about how when someone dies, we have similar traditions in the States, ie. the whole family usually comes together etc., but of course, how some things are different. I talked about my grandparents---living and deceased--- and what it was like when they passed away and about various friends and family members whom have suffered losses recently and in the past….It was kind of a sad moment, but one of those human moments, where you know that people feel the same things no matter where you are in the world….It really made me miss my family…..and friends….I really can’t wait to hug all of you.
Always hard to remember where I left off…
Anyways, most recently there was a giant pigeon in my house…the space between the walls and the roof make it easy access and in our garage/house, there is the corrugated tin roof then a large space and then a layer of cardboard-like tiles. We have discovered the space makes a great home for all sorts of critters….like the pigeon. So my young, cute tiny counterpart is over working with me—and I am screaming about the pigeon and calling matt to come and get it out of the house….she laughs at me like I am the most ridiculous person on the planet and starts chasing the thing all over our house…in our bedroom, down the hall, there are feathers everywhere, before she finally catches it with her hands. She strokes it for awhile and talks to it, and enjoys shoving it in my face before I convince her to put it outside, where I firmly believe it belongs (-: So I didn’t exactly grow up on the farm…but I am SUPER grateful my counterpart, as all other Nicas I know, is so down to earth and comfortable with all things we like to classify as critters. Did I mention that while I was pointing my finger at the pigeon perched on our ‘fridge 2 small bats came flying out of the same space into my face!? It was a fun moment. Really, I am actually serious here; it was really fun and funny!
On another note, the power has been out SUPER SUPER frequently this month. Pretty much every other day for hours at a time. Now, I feel like a big brat of a PC Volunteer, because there are plenty of peace corps volunteers living in the world that NEVER have the good ‘ol “luz” or light (electricity)…but I am sort of accustomed to life here with it. Maybe I should try just never using it for a whole week to get some additional perspective? It really only bothers me when it goes out in the middle of the night and it is like 90 something degrees out still….and you wake up…sweating…thinking…why am I awake? Oh….then you hear the whir of your fan as it goes out….Usually I go throw some cold water from our bucket bath on me and try to go back to sleep in one of the hammocks when this happens….I mean, it is rainy season, sort of, and it is cooler, sort of. Meaning that it rains SOMETIMES but not always…and as soon as it STOPS raining I think it is actually HOTTER than it was before! In any case, the rain is welcome and needed to produce everything we depend on around here….
So work! The workshop, or “taller”, we gave at our last teacher conference went pretty well. That isn’t to say it didn’t start an hour late, teachers didn’t talk or text on cell phones during, and no one came and went from the room (hmmmm the students are oddly similar….), but we felt super happy with it at the end. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do everything we had planned (recall we started an hour late) but the written, anonymous feedback we got from the English teachers was awesome…we heard things like “I didn’t even feel the time. I wasn’t bored and I actually learned something!” Yeah, so that might give you a picture of what these monthly or so teacher days are like…Everyone seems excited at the prospect of us giving more workshops during every conference=more work for us, but we are SOOO happy to do it…and ultimately, of course, we want to include our counterparts in the presentations and have them doing it on their own before we leave…..moments like these 2 years almost doesn’t seem long enough (;
Things at my high schools are sort of the same…I still struggle with the unpredictability of whether or not there will actually BE class every day….and it kills me that when my students ask me “Hey teacher, when is our exam?” I know I can’t really answer because that is subject to change on a whim too….makes it sort of easy to see why some kids lose faith in the system and simply stop showing up…Also, out in my community (means outside of city limits in Nica terms), the 7th graders are losing TONS of class time because of the rain—all the other grades have the normal classrooms made out of bricks —but the 7th graders (the youngest in the high school), have a classroom made out of wooden boards, the corrugated tin roof, and a dirt floor. When it pours, which it does a lot out there, their floor turns to mud….so they usually just go home instead of getting dirty---which if I haven’t mentioned before is pretty much a crime here. I constantly have students out there patting dust and chalk off me and fixing my shirt collar etc. I just got wind that a group called Builders without Borders is going to be working with Peace Corps in Nicaragua the next two years---they build things such as CLASSROOMS, letrines, etc. I was super excited thinking I might be able to work with them to get my 7th graders a classroom of their own out there….BUT one of their requirements is to be 4 hours from Managua on a direct bus……so yea…have I mentioned we live kind of far out there? Like 7 and half hours minimum from the capital of Managua---IF you catch all the right busses? Sigh, I can certainly understand their desire to be near good medical facilities etc. And they sound like a really neat organization if anyone cares to check them out---they are based in Connecticut. I will just have to look elsewhere to get the kids a room….if they really want one! (Peace Corps always warns, and it is good to think about, NOT to start projects WE think people need/want, but first find out what THEY NEED/WANT). There are zillions of examples of people just barging into a place, taking a look around, and deciding what people need for them---and then as soon as the project is complete, it fails. Because the idea wasn’t homegrown. (-:
Ok, lots of rambling! I know! Excited about training that is coming up in a few weeks…also have a friend from the States who is IN Nica-land already and we might get to see here in July too! I have been in site for a very long time without a break and it will be a few more weeks before I get one….let’s hope I don’t get the Q La Li Crazies. (That’s what I call it anyways…)
Love you guys….Miss you guys….SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! XOXOX
THE VERY NEXT DAY
On a personal level, a good friend of ours’ lost her dad this morning—well she is the wife of one of my principal’s..and she is in our adult English class. I still cant get over how quickly people form friendships with us here, well some of them, and how you are immediately considered family. I spent my hour break between classes at her house sitting with the rest of the community, and then sitting on her bed holding her hand and just talking. She insisted on feeding me and making me coffee before allowing me to go back to work…..matt and I refer to her as our fairy godmother, because she really is like the fairy godmothers from Cinderella. We talked about how when someone dies, we have similar traditions in the States, ie. the whole family usually comes together etc., but of course, how some things are different. I talked about my grandparents---living and deceased--- and what it was like when they passed away and about various friends and family members whom have suffered losses recently and in the past….It was kind of a sad moment, but one of those human moments, where you know that people feel the same things no matter where you are in the world….It really made me miss my family…..and friends….I really can’t wait to hug all of you.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
JUNE!
JUNE!!!
Ok, so everyone says time flies by in the Peace Corps, despite the slower pace of life in most PC countries. For me, this hasn’t been true until recently. I think it is a good sign. I cannot believe it is already a week into June! We now have a little less than a year and a half left of service…and in September we will have been in Nicaragua for one whole year!
So what’s going on? Well first, I’d like to give a shout out to my little brother Jake who just turned 8 years old!!! And also to my older brother John, who’s age I shall protect, though he isn’t old! And happy Father’s Day to my Papa Bear. ANNNND good luck MAV’s! We are trying desperately to keep up with the NBA Finals here….oddly enough someone can change the channel on the TV’s here while you are watching, so we got the first 5 minutes of the game last night, then the channels magically started changing….finally settling on a friendly soccer match that no one cared about! I don’t have to tell you guys how this made Matt feel…..oh well, I mean I guess it is pretty amazing that we have internet and phone service up here in the mountains!
2 weeks ago, our friends from our TEFL group of volunteers came to visit us in Quilali! It was sooo amazing that 3 people made it to our site! (have I mentioned that we sort of live in the middle of nowhere???) Unfortunately, it rained almost the whole wknd., but it didn’t matter---we talked A LOT, shared classroom battle stories, cooked food, shared some drinks, toured the town a little bit, and got to make dinner by flashlight the last night and make shadow puppets for hours because the power was out most of the night (something we are noticing happens a lot more during rainy season)…..
We recently went back to our training town for a wknd. Because Matt’s host dad passed away not too long ago. Sadly, his host mom lost her mom 3 weeks before her husband died, so she was pretty depressed---it was pretty heartbreaking to see one of the sweetest people in the whole world so upset….but like all Nicas, she has TONS of family around allllll the time…granddaughters, and sons, kids, sisters and brothers…..it really is amazing the emphasis placed on family here and how tight they are in every situation. We watched the funeral on DVD as is the custom and there were lots of hugs and coffee and chatting. It was sort of a sad trip, but REALLY good to see them. And to be out of town for just a bit (we don’t get out a lot and find it makes a HUGE difference in our general attitudes).
Work is going alright….Matt and are planning on presenting at our monthly teacher’s conference this month, so that is exciting. Usually there is not much planned or organized for the English teachers….and we have sort of been waiting to offer a training session until we had a bit more credibility with the teachers…..trust me, it really is a delicate process. I don’t know how to explain it, but this is hard in a way I never imagined…..and like I said, I don’t have the words to explain it quite yet…..maybe someday….
In July we have our second In Service Training---all the volunteers in our group and one of our counterparts get together for about a week and work work work! Somewhat unfortunately, it is planned for the one week we have vacation from school…..a vacation we could really use! But ni modo, or oh well…..then before you know it, it will be August….September marks our one year anniversary of being in country=our mid service doctor check up…and also the big Independence Day celebrations=lots of missed class because of parades and band practice, then October, and then November and the elections….a lot of people are saying that school will end in October instead of December this year because of the elections (I guess they use the schools for casting votes). But this could all be just talk, it is a given, however, that we will miss at least a week or two in November….I won’t comment too much on the elections, but they are pretty controversial this year---I encourage you to read up on it if you have any interest.
Ok, that’s pretty much it for now. Hangin in there and watching the months on the calendar start to fly by, hoping we are making an impact and trying to stay dry in the beautiful rainy season!
Ok, so everyone says time flies by in the Peace Corps, despite the slower pace of life in most PC countries. For me, this hasn’t been true until recently. I think it is a good sign. I cannot believe it is already a week into June! We now have a little less than a year and a half left of service…and in September we will have been in Nicaragua for one whole year!
So what’s going on? Well first, I’d like to give a shout out to my little brother Jake who just turned 8 years old!!! And also to my older brother John, who’s age I shall protect, though he isn’t old! And happy Father’s Day to my Papa Bear. ANNNND good luck MAV’s! We are trying desperately to keep up with the NBA Finals here….oddly enough someone can change the channel on the TV’s here while you are watching, so we got the first 5 minutes of the game last night, then the channels magically started changing….finally settling on a friendly soccer match that no one cared about! I don’t have to tell you guys how this made Matt feel…..oh well, I mean I guess it is pretty amazing that we have internet and phone service up here in the mountains!
2 weeks ago, our friends from our TEFL group of volunteers came to visit us in Quilali! It was sooo amazing that 3 people made it to our site! (have I mentioned that we sort of live in the middle of nowhere???) Unfortunately, it rained almost the whole wknd., but it didn’t matter---we talked A LOT, shared classroom battle stories, cooked food, shared some drinks, toured the town a little bit, and got to make dinner by flashlight the last night and make shadow puppets for hours because the power was out most of the night (something we are noticing happens a lot more during rainy season)…..
We recently went back to our training town for a wknd. Because Matt’s host dad passed away not too long ago. Sadly, his host mom lost her mom 3 weeks before her husband died, so she was pretty depressed---it was pretty heartbreaking to see one of the sweetest people in the whole world so upset….but like all Nicas, she has TONS of family around allllll the time…granddaughters, and sons, kids, sisters and brothers…..it really is amazing the emphasis placed on family here and how tight they are in every situation. We watched the funeral on DVD as is the custom and there were lots of hugs and coffee and chatting. It was sort of a sad trip, but REALLY good to see them. And to be out of town for just a bit (we don’t get out a lot and find it makes a HUGE difference in our general attitudes).
Work is going alright….Matt and are planning on presenting at our monthly teacher’s conference this month, so that is exciting. Usually there is not much planned or organized for the English teachers….and we have sort of been waiting to offer a training session until we had a bit more credibility with the teachers…..trust me, it really is a delicate process. I don’t know how to explain it, but this is hard in a way I never imagined…..and like I said, I don’t have the words to explain it quite yet…..maybe someday….
In July we have our second In Service Training---all the volunteers in our group and one of our counterparts get together for about a week and work work work! Somewhat unfortunately, it is planned for the one week we have vacation from school…..a vacation we could really use! But ni modo, or oh well…..then before you know it, it will be August….September marks our one year anniversary of being in country=our mid service doctor check up…and also the big Independence Day celebrations=lots of missed class because of parades and band practice, then October, and then November and the elections….a lot of people are saying that school will end in October instead of December this year because of the elections (I guess they use the schools for casting votes). But this could all be just talk, it is a given, however, that we will miss at least a week or two in November….I won’t comment too much on the elections, but they are pretty controversial this year---I encourage you to read up on it if you have any interest.
Ok, that’s pretty much it for now. Hangin in there and watching the months on the calendar start to fly by, hoping we are making an impact and trying to stay dry in the beautiful rainy season!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Randoms
You know you are in the PC when you hear sentences/questions like this:
My counterpart’s monkey died today.
I wish that bat would come back to our house and eat all the new flying bug thingies that have started coming out of the ceiling….
How many parasites have you had? Any bacteria parasite combos? How many poop samples have you had to turn in?
You made out with your brother!? (referring to host brother here people …)
They are going to kill a pig for my family when they come to visit. Trust me, it’s kind of a big deal.
I had to kill a snake last month---it was in my pila (concrete water tank) and I couldn’t leave the house to get help because I was afraid the snake would get out and I wouldn’t know where it was.
Person A: Do you know if they have a bathroom here?
Person B: Yeah, it’s over there and it’s even got a toilet!
Person A: Wow!!!—I haven’t used a toilet in a really long time!
ALSO INTERESTING: ACCORDING TO A HANDOUT WE RECEIVE THESE ARE THE EMOTIONS WE WILL EXPERIENCE DURING OUR 2 YEAR AND 3 MONTH ROLLERCOASTER RIDE:
ANXIETY, LONELINESS, FEELING INCOMPETENT, NERVOUS, MORE ANXIETY, RESTLESSNESS, IRRITABILITY, LOW TOLERANCE FOR FRUSTRATION, FRIGHT, FRUSTRATION WITH SELF, LONELINESS AGAIN, WEIGHT AND HEALTH CHANGES, HOMESICKNESS, USELESSNESS, COMPARISON WITH OTHERS, MORE HOMESICKNESS, INTOLERANCE WITH HOST CULTURE,
IN OUR SECOND YEAR WHAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO:
IMPATIENCE WITH PROGRAM, SELF AND SYSTEM, CONSTANT COMPLAINING, LETHARGY, HAUGTINESS WITH NEW VOLUNTEERS, PROCRASTINATION, SELF RECRIMINATION, DISAPPOINTMENT, DOWNGRADE ACHIEVEMENTS, PANIC, MORE FRUSTRATION WITH SELF, MOODINESS, FRIGHT AGAIN, CONFUSION, MORE ANXIETY, ALIENATION, GIDDINESS, IMPATIENCE, …..
Well, I would have to put a check mark next to most of those already! I can see why they don’t hand this out prior to your departure! But it does sort of help to know that the feelings are normal (-:
And indeed, there ARE moments of positive feelings too---I have felt proud, loved, optimistic, motivated, joyous, and inspired some of the feelings among them. It just seems that you really have to hold out for these whereas the others just sort of smack you in the face all the time………but maybe that’s life no matter where you are or what you are doing, eh?
My counterpart’s monkey died today.
I wish that bat would come back to our house and eat all the new flying bug thingies that have started coming out of the ceiling….
How many parasites have you had? Any bacteria parasite combos? How many poop samples have you had to turn in?
You made out with your brother!? (referring to host brother here people …)
They are going to kill a pig for my family when they come to visit. Trust me, it’s kind of a big deal.
I had to kill a snake last month---it was in my pila (concrete water tank) and I couldn’t leave the house to get help because I was afraid the snake would get out and I wouldn’t know where it was.
Person A: Do you know if they have a bathroom here?
Person B: Yeah, it’s over there and it’s even got a toilet!
Person A: Wow!!!—I haven’t used a toilet in a really long time!
ALSO INTERESTING: ACCORDING TO A HANDOUT WE RECEIVE THESE ARE THE EMOTIONS WE WILL EXPERIENCE DURING OUR 2 YEAR AND 3 MONTH ROLLERCOASTER RIDE:
ANXIETY, LONELINESS, FEELING INCOMPETENT, NERVOUS, MORE ANXIETY, RESTLESSNESS, IRRITABILITY, LOW TOLERANCE FOR FRUSTRATION, FRIGHT, FRUSTRATION WITH SELF, LONELINESS AGAIN, WEIGHT AND HEALTH CHANGES, HOMESICKNESS, USELESSNESS, COMPARISON WITH OTHERS, MORE HOMESICKNESS, INTOLERANCE WITH HOST CULTURE,
IN OUR SECOND YEAR WHAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO:
IMPATIENCE WITH PROGRAM, SELF AND SYSTEM, CONSTANT COMPLAINING, LETHARGY, HAUGTINESS WITH NEW VOLUNTEERS, PROCRASTINATION, SELF RECRIMINATION, DISAPPOINTMENT, DOWNGRADE ACHIEVEMENTS, PANIC, MORE FRUSTRATION WITH SELF, MOODINESS, FRIGHT AGAIN, CONFUSION, MORE ANXIETY, ALIENATION, GIDDINESS, IMPATIENCE, …..
Well, I would have to put a check mark next to most of those already! I can see why they don’t hand this out prior to your departure! But it does sort of help to know that the feelings are normal (-:
And indeed, there ARE moments of positive feelings too---I have felt proud, loved, optimistic, motivated, joyous, and inspired some of the feelings among them. It just seems that you really have to hold out for these whereas the others just sort of smack you in the face all the time………but maybe that’s life no matter where you are or what you are doing, eh?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
singin in the sunshine, laughin in the rain....
Isn’t it something when Mother Nature just seems to be in tune with your emotions? (I think I will make this entry a shout out to LW, u know who you are, though probably don’t read this blog (-: )
It REALLY started raining in Quilali tonight, like 10 minutes ago…I can’t even hear myself think, but the sound of rain IS SO refreshing….there is lightning on the mountaintops and echoes of thunder in the valley---and the very best part----the temperature dropped around 10 degrees and there is WIND! Granted, with 6 months of rainy season to go---I may not feel this way too much longer (-:
Anyhow, I have felt pretty down since vacation—after saying bye to the family, missing stuff from our house, student killing themselves and just recently Matt’s old host dad passed away too---on top of work not going so well= one sad little Julie. However, this past week was really good. I keep trying to examine why, so I can repeat it….and I think it was because I was super busy! And while work/class doesn’t usually go how I imagine it in my head, I am learning to adjust my expectations and really appreciate the small successes (and the random, crazy, beautiful parts of each day—whatever they may be). Also, I spent a few chunks of time with the host family here in Quilali---this always helps!!!! ANNNND today, we woke up at 430am to take a 2 hour dirt road bus ride in order to help with an allll day workshop…..and it was really successful I would say! Not everyone that signed up made it out, but I would say there were about 40 Nicaraguan English teachers---and now they all have books!!!! And have been exposed to new ideas about lesson planning, communicative activities, and designing durable materials for class!!! What they choose to do with it, we shall see. The volunteer leading the taller scheduled a follow up visit/observation day with 3 of the teachers to check in on the results of the day. Matt, Megan (a volunteer from our group ), and I only gave about an hour and a half of the 9-2:30 taller—but it was great to participate and even though we ended the day sweating profusely and starving and running to catch the 2 hours bus ride home, I feel oddly elated. Today, just maybe, today the PC Slogan of “The toughest job you’ll ever love” rings true. Though don’t get me wrong, on my bad days I have created other rated pg13 and sometimes R versions of this same slogan (-:
So back to the whole rain thing---I feel like my bad week or two has been wiped clean---and with the lovely rain and new, fresh air---I don’t know exactly what I am trying to say (exhausted) but it just all feels right today. I have the “ganas” or the will, to work and work harder.
Love to all ya’ll and I hope you all have a wonderful day and if you are having a bad day---may the rainstorm arrive to wipe it clean (-:
It REALLY started raining in Quilali tonight, like 10 minutes ago…I can’t even hear myself think, but the sound of rain IS SO refreshing….there is lightning on the mountaintops and echoes of thunder in the valley---and the very best part----the temperature dropped around 10 degrees and there is WIND! Granted, with 6 months of rainy season to go---I may not feel this way too much longer (-:
Anyhow, I have felt pretty down since vacation—after saying bye to the family, missing stuff from our house, student killing themselves and just recently Matt’s old host dad passed away too---on top of work not going so well= one sad little Julie. However, this past week was really good. I keep trying to examine why, so I can repeat it….and I think it was because I was super busy! And while work/class doesn’t usually go how I imagine it in my head, I am learning to adjust my expectations and really appreciate the small successes (and the random, crazy, beautiful parts of each day—whatever they may be). Also, I spent a few chunks of time with the host family here in Quilali---this always helps!!!! ANNNND today, we woke up at 430am to take a 2 hour dirt road bus ride in order to help with an allll day workshop…..and it was really successful I would say! Not everyone that signed up made it out, but I would say there were about 40 Nicaraguan English teachers---and now they all have books!!!! And have been exposed to new ideas about lesson planning, communicative activities, and designing durable materials for class!!! What they choose to do with it, we shall see. The volunteer leading the taller scheduled a follow up visit/observation day with 3 of the teachers to check in on the results of the day. Matt, Megan (a volunteer from our group ), and I only gave about an hour and a half of the 9-2:30 taller—but it was great to participate and even though we ended the day sweating profusely and starving and running to catch the 2 hours bus ride home, I feel oddly elated. Today, just maybe, today the PC Slogan of “The toughest job you’ll ever love” rings true. Though don’t get me wrong, on my bad days I have created other rated pg13 and sometimes R versions of this same slogan (-:
So back to the whole rain thing---I feel like my bad week or two has been wiped clean---and with the lovely rain and new, fresh air---I don’t know exactly what I am trying to say (exhausted) but it just all feels right today. I have the “ganas” or the will, to work and work harder.
Love to all ya’ll and I hope you all have a wonderful day and if you are having a bad day---may the rainstorm arrive to wipe it clean (-:
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
MAY UPDATE
Mother’s Day and Beyond…
Happy belated Mother’s Day to all in the USA! Nicas celebrate Dia del Madre on May 30th…To all the mommas out there---you ladies are allllll INCREDIBLE!
Little update from Nica-land-- We recently went to Jalapa, nearby town, (3 .5 hours on bus) to use bank, hook up with other veteran TEFL volunteer there, and then went together to the town of Santa Clara to check out the facility where our teacher taller we are giving will be on this coming Friday. We spent a few hours over coffee, beans, tortillas, cuejada etc. hashing out the details/deciding who will present what etc. Just to give you an idea, one of the things on our list to bring on the bus is 50 bananas (-: fun times! I am looking forward to the taller, but at the same time, it will be a brutally long day---the teachers that live in Quilali have to leave at 530am due the bus schedule……this means we will be in the little town almost 2 hours early…..but the next bus we could take would get us there an hour late……fun times again! Also due to the bus schedule, we will all probably have an extra hour AFTER the taller…..putting us back in Quilali around 6pm. Just in time to give our adult community class…… It seems in Peace Corps those random days you find yourself with very little to do, you make up for it somewhere down the road (-:
I will say that some of the moments I enjoy the most in PC thus far have actually been during these long periods of waiting…..waiting for the bus….or the next bus…..or on the bus….or waiting for someone to show up……sounds sort of frustrating, and it can be, but most of the time, I meet really interesting people and have really random strange conversations…..or play with gorgeous little kids or a family shares their mangos with me etc.
This week I have survived my Monday, which for me is the toughest---on my feet from 7 until about 530…includes a sort of grueling 2 hour r/t bus ride…..but it’s getting easier. I have about 33 million thousand things I would like to work on with my counterparts, and like many other volunteers, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and just don’t know where to start…..but I guess that’s why this is a 2 year and 3 month commitment….
The next couple mths should be fairly busy, lots of reports are due to the Ministry of Education…class as normal….the teacher taller….and coming up soon another Peace Corps training week….
Not much else to report—rainy season is supposedly around the corner. People are saying that the TV and paper in the states show RAIN RAIN RAIN already in Nicaragua—however, it really has yet to begin here in Quilali….though folks are saying it’s going to be a rough season—we’ll see. For now, it’s just HOT. In hot, I mean that by 930 or 10 am we are in the upper 90’s or low 100’s….sigh, I can’t wait for the rain! Though I may regret that statement later (-: esp. because it seems it will be raining INSIDE our house a good bit….
As always, I miss home. A lot. Especially the people. We love you guys…..stay in touch POR FAVOR!!!!
Happy belated Mother’s Day to all in the USA! Nicas celebrate Dia del Madre on May 30th…To all the mommas out there---you ladies are allllll INCREDIBLE!
Little update from Nica-land-- We recently went to Jalapa, nearby town, (3 .5 hours on bus) to use bank, hook up with other veteran TEFL volunteer there, and then went together to the town of Santa Clara to check out the facility where our teacher taller we are giving will be on this coming Friday. We spent a few hours over coffee, beans, tortillas, cuejada etc. hashing out the details/deciding who will present what etc. Just to give you an idea, one of the things on our list to bring on the bus is 50 bananas (-: fun times! I am looking forward to the taller, but at the same time, it will be a brutally long day---the teachers that live in Quilali have to leave at 530am due the bus schedule……this means we will be in the little town almost 2 hours early…..but the next bus we could take would get us there an hour late……fun times again! Also due to the bus schedule, we will all probably have an extra hour AFTER the taller…..putting us back in Quilali around 6pm. Just in time to give our adult community class…… It seems in Peace Corps those random days you find yourself with very little to do, you make up for it somewhere down the road (-:
I will say that some of the moments I enjoy the most in PC thus far have actually been during these long periods of waiting…..waiting for the bus….or the next bus…..or on the bus….or waiting for someone to show up……sounds sort of frustrating, and it can be, but most of the time, I meet really interesting people and have really random strange conversations…..or play with gorgeous little kids or a family shares their mangos with me etc.
This week I have survived my Monday, which for me is the toughest---on my feet from 7 until about 530…includes a sort of grueling 2 hour r/t bus ride…..but it’s getting easier. I have about 33 million thousand things I would like to work on with my counterparts, and like many other volunteers, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and just don’t know where to start…..but I guess that’s why this is a 2 year and 3 month commitment….
The next couple mths should be fairly busy, lots of reports are due to the Ministry of Education…class as normal….the teacher taller….and coming up soon another Peace Corps training week….
Not much else to report—rainy season is supposedly around the corner. People are saying that the TV and paper in the states show RAIN RAIN RAIN already in Nicaragua—however, it really has yet to begin here in Quilali….though folks are saying it’s going to be a rough season—we’ll see. For now, it’s just HOT. In hot, I mean that by 930 or 10 am we are in the upper 90’s or low 100’s….sigh, I can’t wait for the rain! Though I may regret that statement later (-: esp. because it seems it will be raining INSIDE our house a good bit….
As always, I miss home. A lot. Especially the people. We love you guys…..stay in touch POR FAVOR!!!!
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