May 20th
Today started off easy enough – Jordan and I got accustomed to Nica time and we arrived 10 minutes late. We really have a much more relaxed schedule since we don’t really have Spanish classes. Before our schedule was full of a bunch of meetings and places we would have to go. However, since we’ve become familiar with the area and important people, our workload has significantly decreased…or maybe we’ve just gotten used to it. I know that I am definitely less stressed out than I was in the first week. It also helps that our youth groups are pretty much in order (though we only had one show up yesterday). We discussed a survey that we had to do of a family business – and I interviewed my host mom’s cousin. It was a really brief 2-page survey so it really flew by. It felt a lot like the work I had to do with the English teaching company I volunteered with.
The rest of the morning consisted of pin the tail on the donkey and us learning the command form of vos (none of us studied vos in school since it’s not really proper Spanish). However, it’s easy enough and we’ve pretty much gotten a hang of it. We just have to accustom ourselves to not using the form we always were taught. Avi gave a mock class presentation to us as practice for his class that would be later that afternoon.
At around 1, we all met up at the instuto where Avi and Owen were to teach their first classes. They both went well, but the principal of the school hadn’t informed either teacher that there was going to be somebody presenting in their classes. This didn’t particularly affect, Avi’s class, but Owen had to give his class in the library. It was really unfortunate, because he had planned out everything and everything that we wanted to do during our first class couldn’t be done because he was just standing in front of a mass of kids who had been ready to watch a movie – not watch a presentation. So that was unfortunate, but he fought through it.
Jordan had our youth group (our make up meeting) at 5:30. We really didn’t have much hope that anybody would show up due to the paltry showing and participation in the other meetings. Today was totally different. We had an ice breaker that really engaged the kids and then had them make a map in 2 different groups. They really got into it and worked together to make the map, which was great. It’s exactly what we’ve been trying to do for the past 2 weeks. They got so into it that we just let them do it for 20 minutes. However, after 20 minutes, Jordan and I looked at the 2 maps, and none of them had any roads on them. They just had blocks with names in appropriate parts of the map. This much really be a cultural thing since both groups (13 people in total) did this. I can kind of understand that since none of the roads have names nor do the houses have numbers. If you wanted to get to the Pali grocery store, they address of it would be: “Go to the 2nd road off the highway and one street south of the park.” I have a similar address that is the name of my neighborhood followed by what street they have to turn on. When going to the bank to exchange money, you actually have to tell them that address too. It’s a new experience for sure. Our awesome group meeting was cut short though by a torrential downpour and of the 9 chairs I brought to the meeting, 7 were remaining as the kids all took off running down the road with chairs to protect themselves from the rain. This wouldn’t fly so I spent the next 15 minutes running around in the rain going house to house to find my stolen chairs:
“Do you have my chairs?”
“No, Rene has them”
“Rene, do you have my chairs?”
“No, Carlos has them.”
“Carlos, do you have my chairs?”
“No, Mario has them.”
“Mario, do you have my chairs?”
“No, Doña Martha has them.”
So I went to her house (where Jordan lives)
“Jordan are my chairs here?”
“No, they’re not here.”
After looking past her, “Those are my chairs in back of you”
“Oh, I guess I do have your chairs.”
If you’re interested, in Spanish, plastic stools are banquitos. At least I found them.
Bummer we had to end our meeting early, but definitely a high point.
May 21st
Today the class was once again low key as we had our first interviews with our Peace Corps program director. It’s the first of 3 interviews to determine what site we’re going to go to for our 2 years of service. I was the first victim which was fine – it gave me more time to tell stories, which I love to do. However, after she explained the process any whatnot, I asked her how me not having any medical problems would affect the process. She told me that other people that have medical problems would have to be located closer to Managua. Which I came back with “Oh, so that means you’re going to kick me out to the boondocks.” She laughed, but what I got from my meeting (even though it’s HARDCORE preemptive, is that she’s going to throw me out at the edge of the Nicaragua. The interview went really well as she laughed at a lot of what I had to say and had overall positive facial expressions with regards to my answers. She asked me if I needed running water or electricity. My answer to both was: “Well, they’re sure nice to have.” So yea, they’ll probably throw me in some tree house near the Honduran border. Bring your candles if you’re visiting! While I’m ready for them to send me somewhere that really isn’t my preference (a tiny town with no electricity or water), I came up with an advantage to living in such a place – it’s perfect for the miser in me. It all works out in the end I suppose.
After the meeting, I did a quick outline-like presentation of my class presentation for tomorrow. I’m a tad nervous – ok, that’s a lie. I’m f*cking terrified. It’s one thing to have never taught a class, and it’s another thing to not speak the language fluently. So off I go to teach a high school class of 45 kids a subject I just learned about, in a language other than my mother tongue. Does this sound like a recipe for disaster? It sure does to me. I’m really prepared, so it will probably go better than how I see it in my head – my students setting fire to the building, and forming a revolution (that I’m not leading!). As noted before, I have one kid from my youth group in the class, so that will hopefully help.
Following the practice and some other activities, we all went to another PC training session in Olla de barro. We got a ride from our program director to the site, which was great – saved 4 cordobas! There was a presentation about security issues (where the head of security scares the crap out of you with examples that generally never happened to actual Peace Corps volunteers, just people who were in Nicaragua), followed by a presentation regarding Gender and Development. It was the first training session where I didn’t find myself falling asleep – figure out what this formula was Peace Corps! It was a winner! After around 3 hours, our group took the public transit back to Masatepe. It was an interesting enough experience- they’re just old school busses that are painted over. Since our bus wasn’t on a particularly busy route, it wasn’t too big of a deal. I was however sitting in a particular seat over the wheel well. All was well, but I was a little concerned with the enormous hole in the floor – boy the road sure goes by fast. I was convinced that the floor was going to give way and donate me to the highway gods, but I made it to my destination sans death. An optimal outcome to say the least.
This was the first night in a while that I got home early without having a ton of work to do or a meeting to go to. I did however, have to make presentation materials for my class tomorrow. So what did I do you ask? I worked out in my kitchen with our family friend William for 2 hours, while rocking out to Russian techno, and more or less working on my presentation. I would’ve started earlier had I realised it would’ve taken so long…but whatever, I finished it.
While everything is going pretty well, one thing hasn’t changed – it’s still way too hot.
