Capturing my Weeks in Photos

Elizabeth received a gift from Minnesota...

 

And has not put down her Brown Bear Brown Bear book (in Spanish of course) since she got it. If you take it from her, she cries. She sits staring at the pictures, kissing them, and gasping in surprise with each page turn.

Finally learning how to make enchiladas with the family

There actually is a technique to pressing the tortillas.

Throwing the tortillas in oil to be fried, of course I'm scared of burning myself!

Jaime, a cousin of my host siblings wanted to help

She's two years old and calls me tia (in English meaning aunt)

My host mom's mother-in-law comes to help every time because she has many years of practice

Happy little Elizabeth...the house is so quiet, sad, and boring when she's not around screaming, laughing, and stealing random items from my room.

At school we already got to pick the radishes (though the chickens did not leave many behind when they dug them up).

These girls are from the Environmental Club that I worked with this summer.

Digging a hole for a giant compost pile at my larger school.

I have to explain numerous times that both girls and boys will be working on this project and everyone will receive a grade. It's a big goal of mine to get them to erase from their minds the idea that only the bigger boys will be doing hard labor. Some of the little girls are the best workers!

 

Otherwise things are going well and I'm still getting used to my new schedule with teachers. These projects are keeping me busy but it's been a great start to the school year so far!

A Thirst for More

I have now been in Nicaragua for six months which to me feels extremely surreal. When I compare time I have spent traveling or even in school with the time I’ve spent here it seems as though time has flown by. I spent five months in Chile and yet I felt that it was five full months (though I wasn’t necessarily ready to go home by the end). A semester of classes was full of ups and downs, difficulties and celebrations, enveloped in an academic community where life never slowed down. I am six months into my service and feel as though I’m just beginning. With classes starting and attempting to enter the classroom in a respectful way life still feels very slow and the work has yet to begin. Yet I can already declare that when I boarded that first plane in Brainerd, MN I had a very different perspective of my service than I carry today. It is incredible to think about how much I have changed in six months and what my thoughts will be after two years.

I attribute my success here so far to my host family, to my ability to slowly move into the community, and to a bit of luck that I got a great site for me. Everyone in the U.S. talks about how fast time passes, how busy everyone is with school or work or family commitments, how we never slow down and time seems to escape from us. Six months flies, one year is gone, and before you know it the kids are grown and you’re old (or so they tell me). What’s interesting is that I have passed the past three months at a slower pace, enjoying each day of summer vacation, teaching classes here and there, but mostly sitting in the porch and getting to know people. I cannot say that I never had a moment to think or to sit down, I cannot say I was working extra hard or my classes took so much energy, but I can say that time flew. This goes to show me how important time is because no matter how you spend it, it will pass quickly through your fingers. Nicaragua has taught me to enjoy the moments, the little things, how to not work myself into the ground like I am so used to in the U.S.

Here I appreciate people’s different perspectives, I take into account cultural differences, and I put a lot of effort into not judging before analyzing opinions. Becoming a teacher here has definitely made me appreciate the value of education even more than I had before, however. I thirst to know more, to learn another language, to contribute to the community and to society. I have spent time researching teaching methods and considering how I can improve my contribution to Nicaraguan schools. But this is not common here. People in general do not thirst to know more, parents do not want or have time to participate in school activities and committees. Education here is not for the sake of learning, it is for the sake of creating a literate society. Students do not know how to think but instead are taught what to think. At times I have been taken aback when I ask a question that requires more thinking than regurgitation to the class and all I receive in response are blank stares.

Realizing this makes me thankful for the education I have had and the support of parents who value education. Parents here value their childrens’ education on a level that they know it is important, yet any support more than that is difficult to find. It is time in Nicaragua to foster childrens’ natural curiosity, to help them think for themselves, and use their own strengths to be successful in school.

Back to School...in February

Though there are so many differences that I notice on a daily basis, there are some experiences that are so similar to the U.S. it makes me feel as if I'm there. Back to school shopping is one of them. Whether or not a parent has money for new supplies the child wants a new brand-named backpack, cool shoes (that fit the uniform), and all new materials to be successful. I participated in back to school shopping with some family members and I was taken aback when I walked into a packed Payless store and felt as though I was in the U.S.

Teachers always talk about those students who aren't coming to class because of a lack of money for a uniform, rundown shoes, and a lack of materials. But there are also those who receive a new backpack every year like in the U.S. Kids enter the school year excited and with energy, teachers feel a bit rundown but are also full of new ideas for this coming year. After finishing almost a full week of school I'm exhausted but energized, excited to have started this year and have four new teachers to work with.

Working in two schools is also difficult because I'm always running from one school to the next and I feel like I'm missing out when I am in one place and not the other. Despite this, I believe I have chosen four great teachers who are excited to work with me and have set a tentative schedule that will keep me busy this year, just the way I'm used to in the U.S. We will have gardens at each school, science classes, working with student clubs, and much more over the span of the year. Though some days I feel nervous and unsure of myself, I feel lucky to be learning so much about this culture, life, and teaching. Here's to the academic school year of 2014!