After a week and a half of lounging and getting somewhat acclimated to Port, we started work at the schools this week. I spent Monday and Tuesday at Colegio Niño Jesús and Wednesday and today at Escuela Maureen Courtney. Since we got here toward the end of their school years (which run from mid-February through November), it has been a bit of a challenge to find our niche within the school schedule, and it has caused to feel a little out of place, out of "the zone."
Colegio Niño Jesús is a Primary and Secondary school (age of Primary schools kids range from about 6-12, while Secondary school is usually between ages 10 and 16. I know there's some overlap there, but that's how it is!), and there seems to be less of a need for us at this school for the time-being. The kids in primary school have class from 7:30am until 11:45am. The secondary schools kids are in class from 12:20 to 5:20 (there's no lunch program for the schools, and I think that contributes to the schedule. That and the fact that there are a limited number of classrooms and having all the kids there at the same time wouldn't work.) I'll probably mainly end up teaching English there once or twice a day for the last couple months of the school year, and then I'm hoping to find a greater calling once we start planning the school schedule in January.
Escuela Maureen Courtney is a Primary school that also serves kids with special needs. The age range of the kids here is much greater, from between 6 years to "kids" in their 20s. The younger grades (1st through 3rd) come to school in the morning, and the older grades (4th through 6th) come to school in the afternoon. In both the morning and afternoon sessions, there are special needs classrooms and a "nivelación" classroom, specifically designed for getting certain kids up to speed, or "nivelado." As there are many kids with delays, cognitive challenges, diagnosed "handicaps", or any other challenge, there is a significant need for individual attention. It seems I'll be offering a couple of English classes, starting to work with the music teacher so I can give guitar lessons down the line (if you think that sounds crazy, that makes two of us) and then spending a large chunk of my time working one-on-one with kids who are struggling with handwriting, language skills (yes, a gringo teaching Spanish), math, reading, etc. At some point, I believe I'll be taking on a "caseload" of kids to whom I will be offering counseling.
All of this is significantly different than what I had been anticipating prior to arriving. After-school/recreational activity planning was where I was headed, but the need is greater in other areas. It has been challenging to find my place within the structure of classes, and it wasn't until we met with all the teachers (ten in the morning and a half dozen in the afternoon) at Maureen Courtney that we all got a sense of where we were needed and how we could fit in to the daily routine. I can only pray that a similar sort of schedule can be sorted out next Monday at Niño Jesús.
Additionally challenging has been the use of Miskito by a large percentage of the population. It has been difficult to deal with the language barrier. So many of the professors and kids speak Miskito on a regular basis that there are many times that we are left out of the conversation by default or on purpose. Thankfully, the staff is all bi-lingual, and a great majority of the students are as well, as all the classes are taught in Spanish (although some of the students speak Spanish as a second language and need an explanation in Miskito to fully grasp the concept). A couple people have offered to teach Miskito in exchange for English lessons, a situation I will definitely be taking advantage of. In fact, the teachers are planning to let the kids out of school early on Friday mornings for the rest of the year to give us Miskito lessons for half an hour and have us give them English lessons for half an hour. Of course, with how things operate down here, there's no way we'll actually have an hour AND have time to eat lunch before afternoon classes, so maybe 20 minutes of lessons each.
On a lighter note, how many of us hear the phrase, "And for those of you that can bring your machete to school tomorrow, please have those, as we will be doing clean-up"? As financial resources are limited at Maureen Courtney (and I'm assuming at many schools throughout the country), there is not an official maintenance person, so the kids are in charge of keeping the classrooms and common green spaces clean. Of course, if you think there are lawn mowers, you are soooorely mistaken. I know that neither my wrist nor my back would have put up with the machete chopping that the kids did today! It's just not everyday that you see a BYOM (Bring Your Own Machete, as Kathryn so aptly named it) Party, and especially not at a school.
My lifestyle is already beginning to change in simple ways like going to bed around 9:30pm in order to wake up between 5:00 and 5:30am, eating a lot of vegetables since they are the most readily available food option, and taking time to learn more Spanish instead of watching SportsCenter. I have been fortunate to have not suffered any major setbacks, and I hope I can continue adjusting to life down here and start to feel more "in the zone."
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Home Sweet Home
So we've been in Port for a week. It's been a pretty tranquila week. We've been lounging around a lot, trying to avoid the afternoon sun. September is supposedly the hottest month in Nicaragua. Arrived just in time for the heat wave, I guess. It's encouraging to know that the temperature will decrease, though I'm still not sure what the difference will be. I do know that sitting is my favorite new exercise. The output of sweat is similar to that of actually doing exercise.
So the setup right now is not definite. We got set up in what I consider to be a very luxurious house. We're actually living with the landlord's son; and the son's friend used to live here, is now sleeping in a little place next door and basically lives here just the same (he's here to shower and eat). The guys are cool, and it's been to our advantage to have a couple of locals around during our transition time. Still, we are anticipating a move at the end of the month when the rent is up or a few months down the line, so we can get closer to the convent (we're being supported by the Agnesian Sisters) and get set up with a space for the three of us, so it's more conducive to the community living that Cap Corps so fervently seeks.
Things are starting to fall into place a little bit more with the work we'll be doing. It's actually a little amalgam of tasks. For the first couple of months, things will likely be very informal, with the goal in mind of being able to transition to a sort of counselor relationship with the students. The school year runs from mid-February to the end of November, so we're getting here more toward the end of the year. For a couple of months we'll probably be observing classes, assisting some professors and maybe giving some English classes, with the possibility of other classes as well. Once January rolls around, we'll be into more of a set schedule. There's also talk of guitar lessons (surprise!), since the school has like 20 guitars that have been sitting around for years. I've got a lot of practicing to do to get ready to teach kids how to play!
Beyond the work, there's a lot more to get to know. I'm hoping to make some good friends in the market and try to get a deal on some food sometimes. There are supposedly some cool barrios nearby that we've yet to visit. If the opportunity presents itself, it would be great to hop on a bus and see places that are within a couple hours, but I don't know what the funding will allow. We'll see how the first couple months go.
So far, Bilwi is pretty much what I expected it to be. Maybe a little bit more :). Languages abound. Between Spanish, Creole, Miskito and some broken English, it takes a few seconds to distinguish the language and then begin deciphering what is actually being said. I think there's actually another language in there that I'm forgetting about. I know I'm hoping to get hooked up with some Miskito language classes to get some idea of what people are saying and to be able to go to Sunday mass at 10am and not be totally perplexed.
I'm glad to have a little time to relax right now. With Nicaragua celebrating Central America's Independence, there hasn't been much going on since we got here. Next week we'll start getting into the work routine and get an idea of how things will actually go. Until then, just more tranquilo living.
The transition has been more difficult than I had expected it to be. Having gone through the living abroad thing when I studied abroad in Quito, I figured it would be easy to adjust to living in a different country. But the fact that the living setup is different and the fact that I'm going to be here twice as long as when I studied abroad makes this time a bit heavier. It's hard to be away from the family and friends I've always been around. It's also difficult to be away from the activities I'm used to doing. It's definitely a bigger adjustment than I had anticipated, but so far I haven't had anymore breakdowns. I think having less to do gives me more time to think and long for things I'm used to, so once we start working, my mind will hopefully be more distracted.
In any case, this is my home until the calendar turns to 2011. It's crazy to think about all the changes I'll undergo, my family will undergo, my friends will undergo, my country will undergo in the time I'm here in Nicaragua. With any luck, the changes will be for the better :).
So the setup right now is not definite. We got set up in what I consider to be a very luxurious house. We're actually living with the landlord's son; and the son's friend used to live here, is now sleeping in a little place next door and basically lives here just the same (he's here to shower and eat). The guys are cool, and it's been to our advantage to have a couple of locals around during our transition time. Still, we are anticipating a move at the end of the month when the rent is up or a few months down the line, so we can get closer to the convent (we're being supported by the Agnesian Sisters) and get set up with a space for the three of us, so it's more conducive to the community living that Cap Corps so fervently seeks.
Things are starting to fall into place a little bit more with the work we'll be doing. It's actually a little amalgam of tasks. For the first couple of months, things will likely be very informal, with the goal in mind of being able to transition to a sort of counselor relationship with the students. The school year runs from mid-February to the end of November, so we're getting here more toward the end of the year. For a couple of months we'll probably be observing classes, assisting some professors and maybe giving some English classes, with the possibility of other classes as well. Once January rolls around, we'll be into more of a set schedule. There's also talk of guitar lessons (surprise!), since the school has like 20 guitars that have been sitting around for years. I've got a lot of practicing to do to get ready to teach kids how to play!
Beyond the work, there's a lot more to get to know. I'm hoping to make some good friends in the market and try to get a deal on some food sometimes. There are supposedly some cool barrios nearby that we've yet to visit. If the opportunity presents itself, it would be great to hop on a bus and see places that are within a couple hours, but I don't know what the funding will allow. We'll see how the first couple months go.
So far, Bilwi is pretty much what I expected it to be. Maybe a little bit more :). Languages abound. Between Spanish, Creole, Miskito and some broken English, it takes a few seconds to distinguish the language and then begin deciphering what is actually being said. I think there's actually another language in there that I'm forgetting about. I know I'm hoping to get hooked up with some Miskito language classes to get some idea of what people are saying and to be able to go to Sunday mass at 10am and not be totally perplexed.
I'm glad to have a little time to relax right now. With Nicaragua celebrating Central America's Independence, there hasn't been much going on since we got here. Next week we'll start getting into the work routine and get an idea of how things will actually go. Until then, just more tranquilo living.
The transition has been more difficult than I had expected it to be. Having gone through the living abroad thing when I studied abroad in Quito, I figured it would be easy to adjust to living in a different country. But the fact that the living setup is different and the fact that I'm going to be here twice as long as when I studied abroad makes this time a bit heavier. It's hard to be away from the family and friends I've always been around. It's also difficult to be away from the activities I'm used to doing. It's definitely a bigger adjustment than I had anticipated, but so far I haven't had anymore breakdowns. I think having less to do gives me more time to think and long for things I'm used to, so once we start working, my mind will hopefully be more distracted.
In any case, this is my home until the calendar turns to 2011. It's crazy to think about all the changes I'll undergo, my family will undergo, my friends will undergo, my country will undergo in the time I'm here in Nicaragua. With any luck, the changes will be for the better :).
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Into the Unknown
Yesterday and today we said goodbye to the kids and staff at Casa Xalteva. I'm not very good at goodbyes, so the language barrier makes it even worse. The fact that they have a computer with internet makes it easier, because we can still communicate by email or on Facebook. I'm hoping we can come back and visit them sometime down the line. It was a really fun place to be around. Even after just three weeks it's hard to have to say goodbye. I can only imagine what it'll be like to leave Puerto Cabezas after 16 months.
So that's where we're headed next. Puerto Cabezas. Port. Bilwi. Whichever name you want to use, I'm still not totally convinced it exists. Before coming to Nicaragua, we had limited information on it since it's not a tourist destination and because it's so separated from the departamentos on the west side of the country. If information was limited before coming here, it's not much better now. In fact, Port has become even more mysterious as we've gotten closer geographically to the place itself.
Once again, because it's not a tourist destination and because it's so separated from the rest of the popular cities of Nicaragua, not many locals make the trip out there, and few people from out there make the trip to the west side of the country. Let me tell you what I've learned about Bilwi so far.
- Lots of drugs pass through Bilwi. It's close to the Honduran border, and it's kind of a hub for drug trafficking. Even better, when drug boats are caught, the drugs get tossed off the boat, and if the boat happens to be off the shore of Bilwi, the drugs wash up on shore. People collect the drugs, dry them out and then sell them anyways. Sounds like a great way to make some extra cash for the Port community! Yeah!
- It's very dangerous in Puerto Cabezas. I actually shouldn't go there because I'll probably get stabbed. Apparently this is a hobby people have in Port. They'll definitely mug me, and if they feel like it, they'll stab me.
- The people of Bilwi speak Spanish, Miskito and Creole English. In fact, they speak mainly Creole, so my Spanish won't be of any use there.
Sounds like quite the destination, I know. When people first started making these comments about Puerto Cabezas, I admit I was a little concerned. By the time my neighbor here told me I would get stabbed (he actually put his hand into a fist and mimicked stabbing himself in the stomach while telling me this), I just let people say whatever they felt was most appropriate and then dislodged it from my brain. See, what all these people had in common is that, while telling their story, they at some point uttered the same sentence - "No lo conozco, pero...", which means, "I've never been there, but..." And I've learned that those people really have no idea what they're talking about. Not to be arrogant, but they really don't. There seems to be a recurring theme among some people that they like to bash cities that aren't there own. So it's not just Puerto Cabezas that's bad. Managua is bad, San Juan del Sur is bad, Leon is bad.
The good news is that I have run into two people that have been to Puerto Cabezas. One was there briefly for a military assignment a number of years ago. Another had been there just travelling a while ago. Both were Nicaraguans and both of them said that Puerto Cabezas is a beautiful place, and that I'll enjoy being there. That's the kind of information I can give validity to. If someone had gone there and gotten stabbed or knew someone that had gone there and gotten stabbed, I might be able to give more credence to their story.
I feel good knowing that the people have been there feel like it's a nice place. It's still a little bit of an unknown. I'm really not sure what language is going to be spoken there. Puerto Cabezas does seem to operate under it's own government in a way (they are part of the Region Autonoma Atlantic Norte - The North Atlantic Autonomous Region), so it will be interesting to see what kinds of news reaches the east coast. I also know that geographically it is very separate from the rest of the country, so being isolated that way might be interesting as well. I'm excited to finally get there. We'll have a couple days in Managua to get to know the city a little bit, and then we're off to Port on Wednesday. Sounds like we might be flying there. We had been expecting to be on a 15 hour bus ride, but we might be white-knuckling on an hour and a half flight instead. I don't really know which one I prefer. I'm just ready to get settled into our new community.
So that's where we're headed next. Puerto Cabezas. Port. Bilwi. Whichever name you want to use, I'm still not totally convinced it exists. Before coming to Nicaragua, we had limited information on it since it's not a tourist destination and because it's so separated from the departamentos on the west side of the country. If information was limited before coming here, it's not much better now. In fact, Port has become even more mysterious as we've gotten closer geographically to the place itself.
Once again, because it's not a tourist destination and because it's so separated from the rest of the popular cities of Nicaragua, not many locals make the trip out there, and few people from out there make the trip to the west side of the country. Let me tell you what I've learned about Bilwi so far.
- Lots of drugs pass through Bilwi. It's close to the Honduran border, and it's kind of a hub for drug trafficking. Even better, when drug boats are caught, the drugs get tossed off the boat, and if the boat happens to be off the shore of Bilwi, the drugs wash up on shore. People collect the drugs, dry them out and then sell them anyways. Sounds like a great way to make some extra cash for the Port community! Yeah!
- It's very dangerous in Puerto Cabezas. I actually shouldn't go there because I'll probably get stabbed. Apparently this is a hobby people have in Port. They'll definitely mug me, and if they feel like it, they'll stab me.
- The people of Bilwi speak Spanish, Miskito and Creole English. In fact, they speak mainly Creole, so my Spanish won't be of any use there.
Sounds like quite the destination, I know. When people first started making these comments about Puerto Cabezas, I admit I was a little concerned. By the time my neighbor here told me I would get stabbed (he actually put his hand into a fist and mimicked stabbing himself in the stomach while telling me this), I just let people say whatever they felt was most appropriate and then dislodged it from my brain. See, what all these people had in common is that, while telling their story, they at some point uttered the same sentence - "No lo conozco, pero...", which means, "I've never been there, but..." And I've learned that those people really have no idea what they're talking about. Not to be arrogant, but they really don't. There seems to be a recurring theme among some people that they like to bash cities that aren't there own. So it's not just Puerto Cabezas that's bad. Managua is bad, San Juan del Sur is bad, Leon is bad.
The good news is that I have run into two people that have been to Puerto Cabezas. One was there briefly for a military assignment a number of years ago. Another had been there just travelling a while ago. Both were Nicaraguans and both of them said that Puerto Cabezas is a beautiful place, and that I'll enjoy being there. That's the kind of information I can give validity to. If someone had gone there and gotten stabbed or knew someone that had gone there and gotten stabbed, I might be able to give more credence to their story.
I feel good knowing that the people have been there feel like it's a nice place. It's still a little bit of an unknown. I'm really not sure what language is going to be spoken there. Puerto Cabezas does seem to operate under it's own government in a way (they are part of the Region Autonoma Atlantic Norte - The North Atlantic Autonomous Region), so it will be interesting to see what kinds of news reaches the east coast. I also know that geographically it is very separate from the rest of the country, so being isolated that way might be interesting as well. I'm excited to finally get there. We'll have a couple days in Managua to get to know the city a little bit, and then we're off to Port on Wednesday. Sounds like we might be flying there. We had been expecting to be on a 15 hour bus ride, but we might be white-knuckling on an hour and a half flight instead. I don't really know which one I prefer. I'm just ready to get settled into our new community.
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