It's been over a year!

No, not that it's been a year since I wrote, though it might seem that way. It's been a year since I started life in Puerto. It's been a whole 13 months that I've been out of the country now, too. I feel like the last four or five months have gone by super-quick. Can I use that as an excuse for why I haven't done much blogging?

I've learned a lot in the last year. I expected it to be fairly simple to get used to living in another country again, and I figured I would be more prepared for the experience from having lived in Ecuador for nine months. It was a bigger adjustment than I had expected getting used to life in Port. I didn't really have a clear picture of what my job was going to be or what the schools would be like, but things ended up being different than I could have imagined. I never thought I would be teaching English at Niño Jesús. The tutoring at Escuela Maureen didn't seem that out of place, but still not what I expected to be doing. The craziness of the schedule at the schools is an experience in its own right.

Miskito being such a prevalent language also threw me for a major loop. I really expected to hear more Spanish in Port. While most people do speak Spanish, Miskito rules supreme in the streets. This was admittedly disappointing for me, because I picked up a lot of my Spanish in Ecuador just listening to other people talk, and not having that at my disposal in Port was a little bit of a shock.

We also had to do a lot on our own as a community for lack of support of a local coordinator. Between finding the right living situation, making financial decisions on major purchases, getting to know Port and getting accustomed to the lifestyle, we were largely on our own. It certainly qualifies as a learning experience, and I am grateful to have lived on my own for a few years before coming to Port. I feel like I was more prepared to handle the challenges that came up.

The challenges and surprises have served their purpose. Though I didn't really like it at the time, I know I learned from each of the situations that came up. I've come to have a much better understanding of how the education system works and how to deal with the kids in the classroom. While at first I was frustrated with the Miskito, I've come to feel fortunate to live in a place with this type of diversity, both in language and in culture.

I'm not saying everything is easy-breezy, happy-go-lucky time either. I still have some frustrations in the classroom, in the house, trying to learn Miskito, still expecting people to show up on time. Even if I'm not thrilled about the situation, though, I know I am learning from it. I still have four months left to learn. Here's hoping I can take advantage.