Before I get to any blogging, I thought I would invite those of you who have been reading this and posting comment and e-mailing me to my Graduation/ Welcome Home party. I can't say it will be the greatest party of you life, and I will be either only 65% awake or really hyper (depending on well my parents succeed on there promise to suply me with coffee since it is only 3 days after I get home). Anyway, check your celenders and RSVP if you want to come because we need to get enough ice cream (that is probably the best reason to come). Here are the details. . .
Kate's Graduation Party
Where: Kate's house (e-mail me for directions)
When: Monday, May 26, 2-4 PM
I think the rest of the info is self explanitory but if you have any ?'s please e-mail me. I hope you all come. It has been so fun hearing about people who are reading my blog and it is always cool to get e-mails from people. You guys have been a pretty sweet audience!
now for the actual journals. . . .
May 8School went pretty good today. There is one girl that continues to frustrate me though. Rosa Emilia is little girl that is so sweet and she is only three but she is often unresponsive (not talking, not making eye contact, not paying attention) when you try to get her to do something structured and often doesn't do what she is supposed to be doing. I know some of my frustration with her is my fault, but I wish she would do more. I do feel better though that she has a friend in the class that she hangs out with a lot. That way he at least brings her out of her shell a bit.
May 9
Well tonight at our house, there was a pirate party. I was pretty impressed; people got really into it. There were some really good costumes. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to create a good costume and I didn't really but I did have a little cardboard sword and eye-patch. I was pretty intimidating (once you got pass the little cardboard sword and eye-patch- I could scowl scarily). It was pretty fun.
May 10The place that I am taking my spanish lessons is located in this really cool old building. Part of what makes it so cool is that it not only is beautiful but it is used for all sorts of things - not just the the language school. There are dance classes, a preschool, karate classes, aerobics classes, and events like a beauty pageants (kind of like little miss sunshine but less disturbing because the can't really afford to creepify their kids too much). Anyway, it's sweet to see a place that is really being used every day.
May 11
Okay, I get that I am sharing a house with others and that I will have to deal with behavior that I am not completely fond of but seriously, a line has been crossed! In my opinion, when you share a home with another fellow being, I really don't think it is ever appropriate to poop on them! Not cool. I know that animals live by different rules but I don't bother the bugs, geckos, and bats in the house and I don't know why it is too much to ask for a bat to look where it is going to the bathroom! I was just sitting down, watching a little tv when a little turd fell on my shirt! Gross!
May 12
Today only three kids showed up to school. Attendance has been a big problem lately so instead of doing a normal class, Martha (the teacher) took all 3 of the kids and me around to the houses of the kids that didn't show up and asked them why they weren't in school today and told them that they should come to school tomorrow. I was really shocked to see the houses that the kids live in. I knew that they didn't have much but to see the actual houses that they live in was really hard for me to see. The houses were similar to the ones that I saw in Costa Rica, and ones that I have seen around Granada but to see the kids that I help to teach coming out to greet us - these aren't proper houses for anyone to live but especially little children. One problem I have had with the kids is them running out of the classroom and going to the bathroom in the yard instead of going to the bathroom in a toilet. Now I realize that this is probably because they don't have toilets it their houses. It is so hard to see.
May 13Our little field trip paid off. 15 kids showed up in preschool which was pretty impressive. Two new kids even showed up. It was really good to see some kids finally come to school who hadn't shown up for a couple weeks. It can get kind of crazy with so many kids but the teacher is surprisingly good at keeping the kids kind of doing what they are supposed to be doing. Pretty good day, no major complaints and I had no trouble falling asleep.
May 14
I was really proud of all the stuff we did today in school. Granted, it was mostly fun stuff but we reviewed our colors, body parts and numbers in addition to making straw necklaces and mothers day cards. Also, even if the fun stuff doesn't really teach them stuff, it keeps them wanting to go to school the next day which does help them learn. Although, some days it seems like we do nothing and I on those days I feel like we could have done more. It feels good to have actually done several things in a school day!May 15Today I brought my camera to school and I had so much fun with the kids taking pictures of them during recess. I would take a pictures of them and then they would all run towards me to see the picture. What was really funny is when I tried to teach them to say "Go Bucks!" but it didn't really work because they felt really funny saying it and they couldn't really make the ck sound very well so it sounded more like "go butts". I suppose that's what I get for making that the english I have taught them out of all the much more useful vocabulary I could have tought them. Still. . . it was kind of cute.
May 16
Well, I only have one week left in Nicaragua. It is weird how time has gone so fast! I feel like a second ago I was kind of ready to go home and now I am like "hold up, uh, it's pretty sweet over here and I don't really want to go quite yet" seriously It's not so bad here and to document how great it is, I have made a list of a bunch of things I am going to miss.
SUPER SWEET GRANADA STUFF:
-It is so beautiful! There are a lot of really beautiful old building and the whole town is really picturesque.
-Chocolate covered bananas, "frescos" (really cheap beverages that are sold everywhere in plastic baggies) and ice cream sold in plastic baggies
-really yummy fruit
-having pet geckos in my house (they aren't really pets but they like to eat bugs so it is all good)
-laughing every time I buy Bimbo brand bread
-having a really great spanish teacher
-everything being way cheaper than in the states (for example I can get an ice cream cone with 2 scoops of ice cream for 60 cents, a medium pizza for less than four bucks, and any fruit for less than 50 cents)
- a volcanic lake is just an half an hour drive away, just waiting for me to swim in it
-I get to hang out with people from England, Wales, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Lebanon, El Salvador, and the States (that's more of an La Esperanza thing but I will still miss it)
-the Elba Zamora school, its students, and its teachers
seriously. . . it's pretty cool here!
May 16, 2008
May 7, 2008
the beach and the strike
April 30
Well today was really cool. First of all, we flew (a bunch of the volunteers went) to Corn Island on this little plane. It was by far the smallest plane I had ever been on. It only fit 12 passengers and there wasn't like a separate cockpit or anything, it sort of reminded me of a minivan with wings. I was a little freaked out because I don't really like to fly (Seriously, one time I was so scared that the night before a trip to the Netherlands I wrote letters to everyone knew and put them in my room for someone to find in case I died. It's pretty good I didn't die because I wrote really embarrassing stuff). Anyway, the flight was really smooth and it was totally ok. Then, since we decided to stay on Little Corn Island, we took a boat from Big Corn to Little Corn. It was the sweetest boat ride of my life. Whoever was driving the boat went really fast and when we went over the waves the front of the boat would be a little air born and than back smack down on the water. So fun.
Oh, and when we arrived on little Corn we had to hurry because there were 18 of us and we wanted everyone to get rooms so we were hurrying along the path to go when all the cabins are and who do we run into but. . . tuija!
May 1
So just FYI, this island is basically one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It doesn't quite grab the number one spot (any place where I am looking at myself in a mirror- just kidding!) but I am seriously amazed how picture perfect this island is. The view if the water is just completely breath taking. This is like the island vacation every always dreams about (although when I thought about it I didn't really think about the cabins that come with mosquitoes but without a bathroom but I am not picky and we totally would have an ocean view if we could open out wooden window all the way).
So because there is a lot of beach there is naturally a lot of crabs (a LOT of crabs). Last night, when I was walking back to the cabin, there were crabs everywhere!! I was so scared that I was go to step on one (I hate the crunch cockroaches make when you kill them, I had a feeling I would like the crunch of a little crab even less) or that I would get pinched by one. I was walking and the batteries in my flashlight were dying. . . I was kind of freaking out but then I caught up to Becky (or yelled for her to stop and shine her light ahead of me so I could quickly scamper up close to her) and I stuck with her till we got back to the cabin. The thing about the crabs were that they would necessarily hold still as you walked and they did their little side walk-y thing to wherever they thought they would be safest which may or may not cause them to scurry right in front of you. It was difficult even with a light. Crazy little things!
May 2
Today I got up early (5 AM!) and went to the beach and watched the sunrise over the water. It was so beautiful. The colors were amazing and the beach was already gorgeous, it was just the perfect start to the day. I am still amazed by the beauty of this place. Not only of this island but of this part of the world. It is really breathtaking.
May 3
Well this morning I got up early again to watch the sunrise (and it maintained its high marks on the sweetness scale) and promptly went back to (my increasing sandy) bed. There were plans for two snorkeling trips since so many people from our group wanted to go so I slept in a little longer and decided to go on the second trip. Well, everyone went on the first trip (and a few people decided at the last minute not to go on the second trip) so the second trip was canceled. I am quite bummed. It would have been so cool. They went to three places around the island. One was right by the coral reef and there were a lot of brightly colored fish and other ocean life. The second place they went to was a place where sharks were sleeping on the ocean floor. SHARKS!!! How completely awesome is that!! And as to not be outdone, by the sharks, the third place was a shipwreck!!! SO COOL!! I am a little jealous but I refuse to let it totally ruin the day so I am going to hang out in a hammock, read Harry Potter (yes, I brought Harry #7 with me) and be continue to be completely amazed by my surroundings. That's really all I can do and I am pretty sure the alternative isn't nearly as fun.
May 4
Well, I happen to be one of those people who happen to suffer from motion sickness. . . issues. I haven't thrown up yet but I do get extremely uncomfortable and tend to feel like I have just spun around in circles for ten minutes. I have figured out that this only happens when I am on winding roads, in a car where I am speeding up and slowing down a lot, and now I know small airplanes, and boats can be added to the list. Whew. . . it's not the most enjoyable trip for me to take and even though this trip has been completely cool, sweet and totally amazing, I am glad to be back to Granada. I am now in complete awe of the little ceiling fan in my bedroom (I am a little afraid it could fall at any minute but it is a major comfort), the fact that my bed doesn't contain large amounts of sand and that I don't have to use a bucket of water to flush the toilet. It kind of makes me wonder what I will feel like when I get home. I know I will feel glad to be home, but I wonder if I will be thankful about all the stuff I will have access to or will feel overwhelmed and resentful.
May 5
This morning was quite the wake up. Apparently, all the buses, transport vans (the ones that go from city to city), taxis, etc. has gone on strike throughout Nicaragua. The gas prices are really high here and the bus and taxi drivers don't want to raise their prices because people won't be able to afford them but now their profits are dwindling. This is fairly inconvenient for me (I mean that in a factual sense and in an as unselfishly as possible) because that means I have to walk 50 minutes in the hot sun to and from school. On the way there I did hitchhike the last ten minutes or so. I felt it was pretty safe because not only was I with another volunteer, but we were in the back of a truck with at least 7 other people who were in the same predicament we were. It was kind of cool that these people were driving around in their truck would stop and help people who are struggling to go the their jobs and schools and places that they need to go but would otherwise have trouble getting to. Just like a little friendly chunk o' kindness.
May 6
Well I walked all the way to and from school this time. Personally, I try not to smell too much or look too gross and I know on this walkabout we are supposed to be professional, and I really hope that I am meeting that requirement, but I must admit that I was completely disgusting by the time I finally made it to class. I was better when I dried off a bit and but it was a little embarrassing to be as sweaty as I was. But I didn't really have a choice especially since I am now walking alone (the guy I normally walk with got his hands on a bike). On the way home I had to stop by the grocery store and the market so I had to carry all my groceries home after walking 30 minutes or so already. I practically collapsed on my bed and took a nice long nap when I got home.
May 7
In my Spanish lesson today my teacher (who is now Perla, by the way, the Spanish school switched teachers on me) showed me this sheet that is a list of all things the school covers. The things were all categorized by level of difficulty. The stuff that I have been learning is in the intermediate and advanced intermediate and Perla said that by the time I leave I will be in the advanced!! ADVANCED!!!! That makes me feel so smart!!! Now, realistically, all that means is that I understand the theory of Spanish grammar and has absolutely nothing to do with me actually being able to apply it outside of my lessons (I feel like there is a major disconnect there) but I still feel proud.
Well, I am here to say miracles happen all the time and when you least expect them. La Esperanza has felt the needs of it's volunteers and is providing transportation for the volunteers and from the schools. WOO HOO!!!
Oh, and to help you all understand why I find my old spanish teacher to be compleatly hilarious even if she is a terrible teacher, I just found out that she said the following in a in a recent spanish class:
"Do you think that your moms married your dads because they were eh-spicy?" (after admitting that there are no "spicy" men in the United States)
Well today was really cool. First of all, we flew (a bunch of the volunteers went) to Corn Island on this little plane. It was by far the smallest plane I had ever been on. It only fit 12 passengers and there wasn't like a separate cockpit or anything, it sort of reminded me of a minivan with wings. I was a little freaked out because I don't really like to fly (Seriously, one time I was so scared that the night before a trip to the Netherlands I wrote letters to everyone knew and put them in my room for someone to find in case I died. It's pretty good I didn't die because I wrote really embarrassing stuff). Anyway, the flight was really smooth and it was totally ok. Then, since we decided to stay on Little Corn Island, we took a boat from Big Corn to Little Corn. It was the sweetest boat ride of my life. Whoever was driving the boat went really fast and when we went over the waves the front of the boat would be a little air born and than back smack down on the water. So fun.
Oh, and when we arrived on little Corn we had to hurry because there were 18 of us and we wanted everyone to get rooms so we were hurrying along the path to go when all the cabins are and who do we run into but. . . tuija!
May 1
So just FYI, this island is basically one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It doesn't quite grab the number one spot (any place where I am looking at myself in a mirror- just kidding!) but I am seriously amazed how picture perfect this island is. The view if the water is just completely breath taking. This is like the island vacation every always dreams about (although when I thought about it I didn't really think about the cabins that come with mosquitoes but without a bathroom but I am not picky and we totally would have an ocean view if we could open out wooden window all the way).
So because there is a lot of beach there is naturally a lot of crabs (a LOT of crabs). Last night, when I was walking back to the cabin, there were crabs everywhere!! I was so scared that I was go to step on one (I hate the crunch cockroaches make when you kill them, I had a feeling I would like the crunch of a little crab even less) or that I would get pinched by one. I was walking and the batteries in my flashlight were dying. . . I was kind of freaking out but then I caught up to Becky (or yelled for her to stop and shine her light ahead of me so I could quickly scamper up close to her) and I stuck with her till we got back to the cabin. The thing about the crabs were that they would necessarily hold still as you walked and they did their little side walk-y thing to wherever they thought they would be safest which may or may not cause them to scurry right in front of you. It was difficult even with a light. Crazy little things!
May 2
Today I got up early (5 AM!) and went to the beach and watched the sunrise over the water. It was so beautiful. The colors were amazing and the beach was already gorgeous, it was just the perfect start to the day. I am still amazed by the beauty of this place. Not only of this island but of this part of the world. It is really breathtaking.
May 3
Well this morning I got up early again to watch the sunrise (and it maintained its high marks on the sweetness scale) and promptly went back to (my increasing sandy) bed. There were plans for two snorkeling trips since so many people from our group wanted to go so I slept in a little longer and decided to go on the second trip. Well, everyone went on the first trip (and a few people decided at the last minute not to go on the second trip) so the second trip was canceled. I am quite bummed. It would have been so cool. They went to three places around the island. One was right by the coral reef and there were a lot of brightly colored fish and other ocean life. The second place they went to was a place where sharks were sleeping on the ocean floor. SHARKS!!! How completely awesome is that!! And as to not be outdone, by the sharks, the third place was a shipwreck!!! SO COOL!! I am a little jealous but I refuse to let it totally ruin the day so I am going to hang out in a hammock, read Harry Potter (yes, I brought Harry #7 with me) and be continue to be completely amazed by my surroundings. That's really all I can do and I am pretty sure the alternative isn't nearly as fun.
May 4
Well, I happen to be one of those people who happen to suffer from motion sickness. . . issues. I haven't thrown up yet but I do get extremely uncomfortable and tend to feel like I have just spun around in circles for ten minutes. I have figured out that this only happens when I am on winding roads, in a car where I am speeding up and slowing down a lot, and now I know small airplanes, and boats can be added to the list. Whew. . . it's not the most enjoyable trip for me to take and even though this trip has been completely cool, sweet and totally amazing, I am glad to be back to Granada. I am now in complete awe of the little ceiling fan in my bedroom (I am a little afraid it could fall at any minute but it is a major comfort), the fact that my bed doesn't contain large amounts of sand and that I don't have to use a bucket of water to flush the toilet. It kind of makes me wonder what I will feel like when I get home. I know I will feel glad to be home, but I wonder if I will be thankful about all the stuff I will have access to or will feel overwhelmed and resentful.
May 5
This morning was quite the wake up. Apparently, all the buses, transport vans (the ones that go from city to city), taxis, etc. has gone on strike throughout Nicaragua. The gas prices are really high here and the bus and taxi drivers don't want to raise their prices because people won't be able to afford them but now their profits are dwindling. This is fairly inconvenient for me (I mean that in a factual sense and in an as unselfishly as possible) because that means I have to walk 50 minutes in the hot sun to and from school. On the way there I did hitchhike the last ten minutes or so. I felt it was pretty safe because not only was I with another volunteer, but we were in the back of a truck with at least 7 other people who were in the same predicament we were. It was kind of cool that these people were driving around in their truck would stop and help people who are struggling to go the their jobs and schools and places that they need to go but would otherwise have trouble getting to. Just like a little friendly chunk o' kindness.
May 6
Well I walked all the way to and from school this time. Personally, I try not to smell too much or look too gross and I know on this walkabout we are supposed to be professional, and I really hope that I am meeting that requirement, but I must admit that I was completely disgusting by the time I finally made it to class. I was better when I dried off a bit and but it was a little embarrassing to be as sweaty as I was. But I didn't really have a choice especially since I am now walking alone (the guy I normally walk with got his hands on a bike). On the way home I had to stop by the grocery store and the market so I had to carry all my groceries home after walking 30 minutes or so already. I practically collapsed on my bed and took a nice long nap when I got home.
May 7
In my Spanish lesson today my teacher (who is now Perla, by the way, the Spanish school switched teachers on me) showed me this sheet that is a list of all things the school covers. The things were all categorized by level of difficulty. The stuff that I have been learning is in the intermediate and advanced intermediate and Perla said that by the time I leave I will be in the advanced!! ADVANCED!!!! That makes me feel so smart!!! Now, realistically, all that means is that I understand the theory of Spanish grammar and has absolutely nothing to do with me actually being able to apply it outside of my lessons (I feel like there is a major disconnect there) but I still feel proud.
Well, I am here to say miracles happen all the time and when you least expect them. La Esperanza has felt the needs of it's volunteers and is providing transportation for the volunteers and from the schools. WOO HOO!!!
Oh, and to help you all understand why I find my old spanish teacher to be compleatly hilarious even if she is a terrible teacher, I just found out that she said the following in a in a recent spanish class:
"Do you think that your moms married your dads because they were eh-spicy?" (after admitting that there are no "spicy" men in the United States)
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