Josh in Managua

Basketball

2008-06-02T04:40:07Z

The Reality Is...

My kids know more about the NBA playoffs than I do. We don't have a TV in the house, and that actually makes us stand out amongst our neighbors. One might think that being poor precludes you have enjoying any 'creature comforts' that we are privy to in the US. And, while I don't know anyone here who has more than one TV in the house (I grew up with no less than four TVs), nearly everyone watches TV in their house. Sometimes they have dirt floors and sleep three to a bed, but they still have their 27" color set--usually tuned to soap operas, Major League Baseball, or soccer.

Baseball and soccer are the two main sports here, but basketball is growing in popularity. I learned from my student, Jimmy, that the NBA finals were going on--he had seen one of the games on TV. This month, in the Ministry of Education syllabus for Educación Fisica, I'm supposed to be teaching basketball. Now, I can play basketball (some of my friends from high school would dispute that claim), but as far as teaching it to a group of seventh-graders without knowing what all the technical terms are I wasn't sure exactly where to start.

We began with simple drills, passing, free throws, lay-ups. It was all met with quite a little success. I had to explain some of the exercises a few times before they got the routine of things, but eventually they got the hang of it. We played 'for real' for the first time last week, and everything went very well. So well, the students all wanted to borrow the ball of recess. It was a real teaching joy to see my students all playing a version of half-court street-ball. Their style of play would have passed in the States where kids learn from a very young age terms like 'travelling' and 'driving the lane'. Mission accomplished!

Next month we have the Nicaraguan version of the Presidential Physical Fitness Exam. We actually give it three times a year. Once in February (when the school year starts), June, and again in November. My kids will be doing the long jump, 1k run, 50 m dash, sit-ups, and push-ups. I'm hoping to see an improvement in their abilities from last year. We also weigh and measure, so I'm hoping a few of my students will see some improvement from before as well. My main goal with my PE classes is to get my students actively engaged with fun physical activity. Being physically active is a necessity for a healthy life, something that my students don't meet the requirements for in many other arenas of their life.

Mid March

2008-03-12T00:00:29Z

So, here I am, over a month under my belt. We had our first midterms last week. My kids did pretty well, but I think some of it may have had to do with the fact that I feel like I'm moving a little too slow. I've gotten into something of a rhythm, though, so I think things will start plugging along now. We just have the remaining days left in this week until our week long break. I'm looking forward to it. I think Michael and I will try to climb Momotombo. Mary, Matt, and I gave it a go last year about this time, but had to stop just short from the summit due to wind and rock slides. We've got a different plan this time and I think it will be considerably easier.
Other than that, the only real plans for the vacay is to celebrate the Irish in me this coming Monday. It will probably involve a trip to Bar Shannon--the only Irish bar in Managua. This is where we went last year and really enjoyed ourselves. There is also a plan in the works to go to El Salvador during the last week of March. I'm a little worried I won't be able to go since I may have lost my ID.
I wanted to update real quick on Roger, whom I mentioned last post. He's schedule to have a 15-hour surgery on April 20. This is when they'll decide if they need to amputate his bad leg. Keep him in your prayers, please.
I had a couple requests for my address, so if you'd like so send anything down here it is always appreciated.
Apdo. LM 161
Managua
Nicaragua
Simple as that!
Much love to everyone. Go, Obama!!!

Day 2

2008-02-14T03:51:11Z

Well, another day down. It was a good morning. I was pretty anxious about my first day teaching gym. Everything went very well. I think the rapport that was established with my students last year has created a good atmosphere for the kids that are new to me this year. Once again, however, it was another story in the afternoon.

This day I was with the first graders. In their abilities to conduct themselves socially they are barely even human. It is such a different world from high school, or even the fourth grade. I've come to realize, that their behavior is directly proportional to my level of preparedness. When I have an entire 40 minutes planned out and present it without pause and hesitation they don't have time to think of ways to be naughty. Now, this I've been told--and known--since my days studying education, but the effects are much more noticeable in the little kids than with big ones.

I'm excited for the coming weeks. As students begin to remember what it's like to be in school, and as I fall into a routine I wonder how fast I'll be able to move with my first years in English, and the little kids in music.

Your prayers and thoughts would be greatly appreciated for Roger. He is a man whom I've walked by for nearly a year now. He sits on a stool in the market selling jeans and pants with one leg propped up. I'm not exactly sure why, but his foot is always bandaged and he looks to be in a lot of pain. He's hard to understand, but what I made out today was that he has to get an injection every 15 days and it hurts a lot. Also, I think he's waiting to see a doctor from Mexico to find out what they can do for his legs. He also seems to be telling me that they may have to amputate just below the waist. Roger loves Elvis and sometimes singe to me. Please keep him in your thoughts today.

First Day of School

2008-02-05T04:51:50Z

First Day of Class

Everything went really well in the morning. I first met with the 2nd years, who were 1st years last year. I was actually very surprised at how many students from last year came back. By the sound of what the teachers were saying before kids arrived there wasn't much retention, but there were actually quite a few that came back and most of the new kids seem to be adjusting pretty well.
The afternoon was a little different story. I had music class and it was obvious (to me at least) that I had not prepared well enough. This was my first experience with first graders, and it was quite a challenge. First of all, there was nearly 50 on them in a too-small classroom. They also have never been to school past lunch. It was, to say the least, a mess. I got them to learn a little of a couple different songs, but they never quite mastered anything. I think my main problem was not teaching at their level. Honestly, all kids grades 1-5 are kinda on the same level in my head. I need to fix that because the lesson I taught was at more of a third grade level. I hope to do better next time.
I'm a little nervous about tomorrow. In fact, more nervous than I was about today. I have/get to teach gym. This is something I'm really looking forward to, but also something I've never done before in my life.
I had a wonderful community night this evening with my companions, even though it got a bit long. Dinner, also, was pretty lovely. I made Shepard's pie. I used the bland bean and rice dish I made last Monday as a base, and threw in some veggies with a mashed potato top. The best part--the bit of Easy Cheese on top. I think it actually added a wonderful flavor. Yellow cheese is so rare here that it was good to the last bite.

February

2008-02-02T21:01:48Z

Earlier this month I was truly blessed to have to opportunity to share my experience with my family. It was amazing! My dad and sister were such amazing travel companions. They went many, many places most North Americans—not to even mention the subset of tourists. We ventured into the Mercado Oriental, the hemisphere’s largest open-air market. We spent an afternoon inhaling sulfur fumes at an active volcano (see picture). We went and picked coffee for a few days. We traveled to an ancient crater lake to swim in the blue, blue water. I had them riding the city busses. I have never seen another gringo on one of these busses. We ate fried street food—sorry about the parasite, Dad, glad you’re feeling better.

But the best part about this wonderful adventure? Spending time with people who love me, and that I love so much, and getting to shar my life here with them. I don’t have any visitors scheduled to come down in the next year solely to spend time with me, so this time with my family was all the more special.

January

2008-02-02T21:01:21Z

The new year is a season of beginnings, right? We all make resolutions to change our lives, school starts up again, kids—big and small—are playing with their new toys from Santa. Right now, here in the Nicammunity we’re enjoying our two new volunteers. In our placement we are six. Of those six, four of us got here just over a year ago, and the other two have been here for almost a month. So, we are very excited to have Michael and Jenna in our lives now. We’re looking forward to growing in our new community and getting to know new people who we can learn from. We’re also looking forward to the new opportunities that Matt and Ad will have in their new lives back home, and all the excitement that they'll have had this Holiday Season, especially with their loved ones that haven’t been seen in over two years.

Something else that’s new this year for me is my teaching position. Supposedly, and as I learned last year these things can change almost on a daily basis, I will be teaching gym instead of a class called educacion practical. I think the translation is pretty self-evident. I really struggled with this class, but enjoyed it at the same time. I did a unit on origami, music, we read chapter books, and also little kids books out loud to the preschoolers. The fact that there was no set curriculum, though, made my job as a first year teacher much more difficult. So now, even though I still don’t have a curriculum, I think I can come up with a number of fun and healthy activities for my kids to benefit from. But, we’ll see. It’s possible I won’t even see my kids for gym. This is the life of a volunteer. Going where you’re needed most even if you don’t want to or have any idea what you’re doing. Peace to all the readers during this season of new beginnings.

December

2008-02-02T20:51:54Z

Advent is the season of waiting, right? We’re waiting for the coming of the Christ Child. We’re waiting for Santa Claus to come. We’re waiting for school to start again. Lots of waiting goes on in December. Right now, here in the Nicammunity we’re waiting for our two new volunteers. In our placement we are six. Of those six, four of us got hear nearly a year ago, and the other two have been here for almost two. So, as we say goodbye to Matt and Adriana we are also welcoming Michael and Jenna. What a conflict of emotions! So, we are very excited for Michael and Jenna to come. We’re looking forward to becoming a new community and meeting new people who we can learn from. We’re also looking forward to the new opportunities that Matt and Ad will have, and all the excitement that they'll have this Holiday Season, especially when there are loved ones that haven’t been seen in over two years. So this time in my life is very bittersweet. Goodbye to two wonderful people that have become such a great part of my life, and hello to two more that are sure to bring new challenges and joys.

November

2008-02-02T20:51:20Z

One of the four components of JVI is community living….and what a joy it has been! At the present moment I am being serenaded by Mary’s sweet voice and guitar strumming. I just finished watching a good movie with James, Matt shares his frosting with me, Adri and I go on walks, Margaret and I eat candy together. The list is endless.

One of the many reasons why this blessing is so great because of how hard one must work at to live in community. These five people are not just my roommates, nor are they merely my friends, but probably best described as members of my family. We have all made this conscious decision to live together and support each other—something that is not always easy to do. I think this is the closest I’ll come to being married without saying ‘I do’, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

The constant challenge I receive from my community to become more like my ideal self has been the main catalyst for the personal growth I’ve experienced down here in Nicaragua.

October

2008-02-02T20:49:11Z

The school year is officially winding down. My students are starting to display those sure signs that most of them have checked out for the year. It’s been a struggle all year as a first-time teacher, and now, when I think I have some idea of how to do it, the kids ratchet it up another notch on the difficulty scale. So, what have I learned thus far? Well, patience is definitely necessary, and also an ability to cut through the crap that students anywhere will try to pull on a green teacher. I guess balance is the most important thing. Between fun and serious, player and discipliner and letting go and holding tight to the things that I think are important, what my students consider important and having a vision of what really is important in the long run. A final thought, teaching is much, much harder than being on the other end.

September

2007-11-07T18:33:57Z

We are well into the second semester at Pan y Amor. The students are studying the –ing form, and so far things are going pretty well. The choir also has two dates to sing at Santo Domingo during mass in September, so we’ve been practicing extra hard for that.

Recently, I had the opportunity to just ‘hang out’ with the fifth and sixth graders. I was supposed to have class with them, but they were working on a special project for their math class, so I just sat at the tables with them. We talked about all kinds of stuff, and I feel my grasp on the language has begun to afford me the opportunity to delve deeper into some of the issues my students experience. We discussed some of the different neighborhoods in Managua and a bit about their home lives. I really felt like I was able to make some good connections and was very happy to have been afforded that opportunity.

i´m here, i´m alive and we FINALLY have light.

2007-07-15T21:36:53Z

Last night Te had gone out with Jorge (and actually, he ended up being the third wheel on a really awkward date...whoops) to see the new Harry Potter, and Margaret, James and I had just sat down to start playing Clue. Don't worry, this isn't how we spend all of our weekend nights, we went and saw some live music the night before.
Just after we had dealt out all the cards Mary and Adriana came home soaking wet. It was raining and they had been driven back from the solidarity conference they were at in the back of a pickup (a very common mode of transportation here in Nicaragua). They seemed calm enough, but just after getting in the door they told us they had just been robbed at knife-point. We were all shocked and scared. They said that two fairly young boys (about 14 years old) had ordered them to open their purses and give them their cell phones, all while yielding a kitchen knife. The boys became much less interested when they found out that neither of the women even owned cell phones and only made off with C$10 (about $.50). Yes, fifty cents. Fifty freaking cents. But, really, they took much more than that from Mary and Ad, and the rest of our community. Although the JV's in Nicaragua have a long history of the occasional run-in with undesirables, it's been over eight months since our house has experienced anything like this. In fact, the four first years--myself included--have had no experience with being assaulted here. And while I don't think any of us feel a lot less safe, it definitely makes one more aware of the constant possibility of encountering someone who lives a life of such little hope that they have to resort to stealing to try to make their lives better.
So, what was really lost? A sense of safety, and a feeling of betrayal for sure. We have made a commitment to come live in Nicaragua to be with and learn from the people. While I know I will never succeed, I try to become as much a part of the culture as possible in my speech, clothing, activities and customs. Then, something like this happens and it is hard not think that we don't really deserve this. Let me interject my rambling here to say that, all things considered, Nicaragua is very safe. While things like assults and robberies do occur, they definitely aren't any more common than in the states, and violent crimes, especially those with guns are almost unheard of. Not because of the amazingly great police force, but just for lack of money to purchase the guns in the first place.
What a struggle! On one hand, we want to go where our presence does the most good, but when our safety is compromised where do we draw the line? Another part of being a JV is to try to become a part of the community in which we serve. We talk about trusting and belonging, but it's supposed to be so much more than that. And how do we go about this when we don't feel safe and 'at home'? I guess it's just something to live with and you leave the rest to God. When I was working at the San Miguel tutoring program on the South Side about a year and a half ago a similar experience happened where the group I was with was shot at with an air pistol. When these things pass we need to evaluate if what we are doing is worth the risk, and much more often than nor it is. I have friends who have heard shots fired down the street (no, not here, mom), or even who have been sexually assaulted on their way home from work. And in nearly every case it is decided that our work is worth the risk.
In a lot of ways the tragedy of it all is what has driven these people to lash out, hurt, rob and steal. Every day the divide between the rich and poor is widening. This leads people to do radical things in order to merely survive. What did these boys have to lose who robbed my community mates? They were looking for cell phones because they can be sold for a good profit and they can eat for another day. I mean, it's bad enough when grown men are skulking around at night, but when kids that should be studying for geometry tests are, instead, robbing passersby for fifty cents the situation is dire to the extreme. So, we keep doing what we're doing. We all do our part on both sides of the equation, but hopefully at the end of the day we've done more good than not. I often have doubts as to whether this is true, but I know how much I, personally, am gaining from this experience. It's a delicate balance, and a long process that I am only one small player, so I do my part and leave the success to come for someone else to enjoy.
Until next time, be well, do good work, and keep in touch. (Thanks, Garrison Kieller ;)

No good, horrible, very bad day...

2007-06-21T20:45:47Z

I had a tough day yesterday and would like to vent (to the entire world)
I woke up 5 minutes before I was supposed to leave because the power went out last night and my alarm clock got reset. Definitely not a good way to begin things.
Then, I got on the wrong bus and had to walk about twice as far making me even further. Pleae don't ask how I managed this. It's a long story in itself. I finally got to class and the student sitting next to me at breakfast spilled my full drink all over the table, and subsequently on my pants. By the way, this is the third time this week my drink has spilled at school, never being my fault, mind you. What luck.
Classes finally began, and my kids were out of control. I barely got through my lesson with the first group, and had to rush at the end of it. I know they will remember nothing, and I'll have to redo the entire thing next time. Then, it was semester test time for English. I handed out the tests and had a million kids coming up to me and asking me about it. This is a problem I´ve had in the past, but I made this test much easier, and thought I had written very explicative directions. I guess not.
Finally, it was time for my last class. Things continued in much the same way. The kids were out of control. I didn't even get through a quarter of my lesson. What's worse, I showed my emotions, and let them see how frustrated I was, and they took full advantage of that. It was utterly horrible. Especially when my students started to use vulgarities (in English and Spanish) and making fun of my accent.
Oh, and the kicker--at lunch today, I found out that the week-long vacation I thought started this Saturday got pushed back a week, so I have to come up with another week's worth of lessons. I am not looking forward to the afternoon.
On the bright side, my day really turned around when I was able to check my email in the afternoon and found one in my inbox from Stephanie. That put a smile on my face and so did the orange Fanta I bought for the third years during class.
Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Happy Father´s Day

2007-06-17T23:33:36Z

It's all your fault.

Dad,
It's all your fault.
I'm here in the 'third-world'.
I'm working for the things I think right--
Justice, Peace, God's preference.
Living simply so that others may simply live.

It's all your fault,
You not only had a hand in my life,
But were sitting at the potter's wheel turning.
It started at the Banquet,
But really began much before that.
Teaching me Patience and Love.
How to be a man,
And have Respect for myself and others.

I'm trying to live up to this mold
Of the ideal you've set in my vision.
It's so hard.
I often have a lot of trouble,
But you've taught me to go on no matter what;
To learn from my missteps and not make them again.

Sometimes I make the same mistakes over and over,
But your love is like our Father's.
It is everlasting.
It does not keep a record of wrongs.
It unfaltering and omnipresent.

There is always love in a Daddy's hands.
Continue to guide me with your prayers
Of Support and Love.
God is found in the love you have for me
and I for you.

School and Sleep

2007-04-29T21:30:13Z

So I haven't written in a while, but I haven't put anything down on (digital) paper yet, so here's an excerpt from an email to my mom. It's a little about how work is going, and where I live. Check out my videos to see a little tour of my room.

The new schedule that I got last week at work is actually working out pretty well. I'm hoping to have a choir concert in June. One thing that helped is that I'm with some new students, and so I was able to use what I've learned about teaching and spanish to start things out a little better. I think the kids (4th-6th grade) take me a little more seriously, it's taken me a lot longer to build that same respect with the kids that I started the year with.

As for the skit about my room, it was a lot of fun to do. We've done a couple of them for James. He has a computer in his classroom, so he can play them for his students. It's good for them to hear other native speakers. That's something I don't necessarily have the luxury of doing because my school is much poorer than his. Yes, my bedroom is considerably darker than the girls'. Let me try to draw a picture. So, you saw the video of the house. There's a cement patio thing calle the pila where we do our laundy and dry our clothes. It's about 4 feet in depth. After that is the bodega. That's where the boys' rooms are. Mine in the first, James' to the West, and Matt's is west of his. Matt's is a bit larger, but they're all pretty much the same size. There's one flourscent bulb on the ceiling that shines in all of our rooms, and we each have the lamps as well. The walls that seperate our rooms are (I assume) 8 feet tall, so they don't go all the way to the ceiling. The girls' rooms have a dropped celing with their own flourscent bulbs, so, yes, they are a bit brighter. Don't worry, though, most of us (or at least those that live there) would agree that the bodega is way better for a number of reasons. First, it's cooler at night. Also, it's removed from the rest of the house, so if we want to go to sleep, or just retire to our room when there's company over we can and not feel like we're ditching our guests. Finally, there's a special little bond formed by the bodega boys because we're the men of hte house, and we all share the shower and space. It is something I definitely would not change about my time here.

My community is going to Honduras for a week-long retreat on Saturday, May 5th. Your prayers are always welcome. Also, if anyone would like to see my house in person, visitors are encouraged. ;)

Peace,
Josh
*.jpg

Day 5

2007-04-08T20:31:33Z

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Our last day we woke up pretty early. This wasn't too difficult as the lobby started to become filled with activity (and light) pretty early in the morning.
We were able to leave our stuff in the locker at the hostel, and we went across the street to buy some provisions for lunch. We walked for nearly two hours on a dusty, dirt road, but it was all worth it in the end. Even though we had to deal with barbed wire fences, possible robbers, and cow patties, the secluded side of the Laguna de Apoya was a place like none I'd seen before.
The Laguna is formed out of the old crater of a long-dormant volcano. It is fed by natural springs and is amazing. First off, the water tastes almost salty due to the sulfur content. It was taking a mineral bath. Second, the ground is so steep that you can literally dive from the shore and not have to worry about hitting your head. It was so amazing, and wonderful, and relaxing. I can't wait to go back.
After an entire day swimming we headed back the way we came. We made it into Granada by late afternoon, and had just enough time to get our stuff and pay for our reservation before boarding the microbus back to Managua. We got to the microbus station just as one was about ready to leave, but there was such a line that we weren't able to get on. 15 minutes later another bus came, but we were still too far back in line. Finally, the last van of the day showed up and we were able to get on, as well as the 12 people behind us. The other 30 or so behind them would have to find another way home. We felt very blessed.
We came home and ate leftovers. We were glad to be home, and thus ended our semana santa vacation

Day 4

2007-04-08T19:24:37Z

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

The fourth day of our journey was met with a little uncertainty. We had been told numerous stories regarding the running of the busses and ferry. We decided to play it safe and leave this day instead of the planned Friday. We needed to be back by Saturday morning for various commitments. We walked the half-mile to the bus stop and had a light breakfast while waiting for the bus to arrive. The bus went back to Altagracia, which was good because James had left his keys on the key chain the first hospedaje had given us. Then, it continued on to Moyagalpa. We got there just in time for the 1130 ferry. James and Callie went and got us each a plate of food, and we boarded.
It may not have been the best idea to eat right before the trip. The waves were really rough. I was totally worried the girl next to me was going to loose her lunch all over my shoes. Luckily, nothing of the sort happened. We got to the mainland and rested a little before hopping a bus to Granada, the biggest tourist town in Nicaragua.
I thought we should just head back to Managua. By this time, James and I had run out of money. Fortunately, Callie had brought her paycheck she just received, so she was able to cover us until we got back home. The decision was made to stay in Granada if we could find a place to stay that wasn't overly expensive.
After much searching, we finally found the Bearded Monkey. I was, personally, not enthused by this, but it actually ended up being way more fun that I first expected. We paid $4 each to sleep on their couches in the lounge because they were so booked up. I guess it was better than nothing.
We went and got ice cream. I went for a run around town. After a shower we went to the central plaza, found some fritanga and ate in the park. We had a nice conversation with this young man who was selling hammocks, then we headed back the Bearded Monkey.
We ordered a beer and were playing some cards when two girls walked by with a monopoly board. Now, I love monopoly, so I decided I would go out on a limb and ask if I could play with them. James put it best, "At least they'll enjoy playing with you instead of us [referring to my community] playing with you just to be nice." Well, that settled it. I asked the girls if I could play. I used Spanish since I figured we were in a Spanish speaking country, but they didn't speak it. So I tried English. Luckily they had studied the English language since they were seven in their home country of Norway.
We played a little, but the evening was much more focused on the conversation. I know a little of the Norwegian culture because of its presence where I grew up. We talked about Norway, the US, Europe, Central America, the war, music, and a myriad of other topics. It was a great night, and when they started to turn off the lights we all went to sleep. Some of us in beds, others in hammocks, and James, Callie, and I on our couches.

Day 3

2007-04-08T17:07:52Z

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Today was wonderfully relaxing. It rained pretty much all day. The only hectic part of the day was running between the covered area with tables (restaurant, sort of) and our rooms to grab books, cards, and other games. We hung out until mid-afternoon when the rain finally let up. Then, we walked into town. It was about a 15 minute walk to Mérida. We bought some bread and rum from the store and threw rocks into the mango trees that lined the main street. They were a delicious snack!
We went back to the hostel and ordered our supper. By this time the hospedaje was nearly full of guests. There was a brother and sister from Alaska, a college student, a couple from Australia, and a couple from Spain, and a Belgian girl. We all kinda ate together, then the three of us went down to the beach for another night. After a while nearly everyone else joined us. It was a lot of fun sitting and chatting on the beach. We got to bed at a decent time though, because we had a bus to catch the next day.

Day 2

2007-04-08T16:40:00Z

Monday, April 2, 2007.

So today made it to our 'final destination' for the week. Monkies Island. We grabbed a bus at about 11 and had lunch at the hostel. We decided to go swimming that afternoon, so we put our sunscreen on and headed out to he water. To get to the beach we had to walk down a little dirt path, then crawl through a hole in the chainlink fence (whatever). The water was really nice. Callie and I swam out to the actual Isla de los Monos (Monkies' Island). We would have seen monkeys, but both of us are pretty much blind without our glasses. We can only assume that the small, blurry, black objects moving in the trees were the monkies. After the exhausing swim back to shore the three of us went back up to the room and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
Before supper we went and collected firewood. We found some good sticks of all sizes, and put them in a pile on the beach for later.
After a meal of grilled chicken and rice we made our fire and chilled out at the beach late into the night. We came back and went to sleep. We were the only guests at the hospedaje. The rain started that night and didn't let up until well past noon the next day.

Day 1

2007-04-08T16:12:20Z

Sunday, April 1, 2007

The day started with Adri and I returning from Belinda's. Belinda is a dentist here. She is American, but is married Gerardo, a Nicaraguan Doctor. I came home and Callie was already here ready to go. I finished what little last-minute packing I had left and said goodbye to Adriana, and Callie, James, and I were out the door. We hopped the bus to the UCA (University of Central America), and from there got on of the last seats on the microbus to Granada. In fact, I had to sit up front next to the driver the van was so full. Luckily in Nicaragua it's law to buckle up in the front seat. As we were nearing the city a large bus pulled out right in front of us. No harm done, but it definitely woke me up for the rest of the ride.
In Granada we started walking toward the lake. We realized that the last boat for the day may leave at any time. They run on a different schedule on Sundays. The first Taxi that came by wanted C$60 to take us. We thought that was ridiculous, so we waited for the next. This taxi driver told us it would be C$50 because it was really far away. We weren't sure how that was possible, but decided we had best take his offer. He took us to where the boats leave from (yes, it was much further than expected). We asked when the next boat left, found out there wasn't one, so paid the taxi driver another C$50 to take us back to the bus depot. We took the next bus to a city further down the shore called Rivas. While we were waiting, we grabbed a little lunch and some fruit for the bus ride.
At Rivas we had to take another taxi to San Jorge to hop the boat. We caught the last one across the lake to Isla Ometepe. We go into Moyagalpa and took the last bus to Altagracia. This wasn't where we wanted to end up, but it was half-way there, so we decided not to hitch-hike our way and find a place to stay there.
Everything was way more expensive than we wanted to pay. Things were looking dismal. We asked at a local pharmacy. They looked at each other very skeptically, like they weren't sure whether to tell us or not. Well, I guess they decided to tell us. We weren't sure if there was a hostel down two blocks and around the corner, or if it was just another place to ask. We took their advice and found this sweet little place tucked away. They had a great setup with clean, comfortable rooms, for C$30 each. What a bargain!
We got some fritanga from a stand down the street, and met some crazy Argentinean, and his Venezuelan girlfriend. He had spent the last six months traveling from country to country from Buenos Aires, and had made a little stop-over on the island. We all went to bed with bellies full. We had made it most of the way and were exhausted.

Quick Update

2007-04-01T15:05:05Z

I see it's been quite a while since I last updated. I feel that I really don't have a lot of news to report.
Mike (a former Nica Volunteer) sent down $20. We all (minus Mary because she was with friends in San Juan del Sur) went to the only Irish pub in Managua. It was actually really awesome. We could have gotten Guiness or Becks, but we opted for the Nicaraguan beer because it was on special. The $20 let us all have a great night enjoying this non-Nicaraguan tradition with a live band and everything. I climbed Volcano Momotombo. Check out some picks on my flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgrode

I had some sweet round-worm paracite (facetious). I wasn't the first in my house, though. I missed two days of work, but got some paracite killing medicine and was better a few days later. Not fun, but I got to watch the rest of Season One of Entourage. Not that I necessarily enjoy it, but we don't have TV, so episodes on DVD are as close as I come.

I have the entire next week off because Easter is coming up. James; another volunteer, Callie; and myself are going to a large island in the Lake Nicaragua to spend a few days relaxing, swimming, beaching, and jut hanging out. It will be a much appreciated rest. Especially after the difficult week that has just passed (kids get rowdy here right before the holidays too).

Something that has been collectively realized in my house, especially in us first years has to do with living a full life and enjoying yourself. We have come to the conclusion that, for ourselves, we are indeed living the dream. We also realize how lucky we are to have a wonderful community, to work with amazing and eye-opening people, to have a balance between work and play, and to have people around us that help us to cultivate our spirituality and faith lives. I feel so blessed to have such a stellar group of people to spend the next 20 months of my life here.

Yes, 20 months left. Our four-month anniversary happens this week, that means we are a sixth of the way through our time here. Life has really flown by, and I already feel a profound change has happened to me. I'm excited to see what the next part of the journey has in store.

By the way, it has gotten hot here. The past week we had 95 degree heat nearly every day. The humidity is pretty high, too, but not unbearable. Supposedly this next week is the hottest of the year. We'll see. I can't wait for the rainy season to start. At least, then, the dust will be better.
Oh, and finally, for the first time in my life (that I can remember) I had pink eye. I went to the school doctor, got some drops, and it was all taken care of. I didn't really enjoy it, though, and I don't reccommend it.

Productive Day

2007-03-05T02:45:55Z

My day today has started out very well. I wanted to write about it because as much as I wish it were completely normal, it isn't quite there. Although, I think it's closer to normal now that it would have been six months ago, I recognize I still have a long way until I reach my ideal self. It started like this:

I woke up at 7am and got ready for a run. Mary, Matt, and I are running to get in shape for our ascent this week. We're climbing Momotombo--the most difficult volcoano in all of Nicaragua. This will be Matt's fourth attempt to climb it. One time, he reached less than 100 vertical meters from the top and had to turn around because one of his climbing partners had nearly broken his shin on a falling rock. We're each taking over four liters of water. Actually, it's a substance called suergo. It could be described as a cross between pedialyte and gatorade. It's made for electrolyte replacement. Anyway, we have to leave the day before and travel to Old León so we can start at sunrise (530am).

Our run was about six miles, and involved going to the top of Tiscapa. This is this highest point in Managua. We ran up and down it four times, and then back home. It was very difficult, and I'm glad to be sitting now writing this instead of running around Managua.

Church followed, but I had gone yesterday with Margaret, so I cooled down and put a few more pieces of the puzzle together, burnt an MP3 CD to play in the new Discman my parents sent down. I made a great breakfast of eggs with onions and peppers, and had a couple ounces of milk. There wasn't very much because we keep the milk in the freezer so it last longer and it had partially frozen. Just a word of advice, don't drink milk that's partially frozen becasue all you'll be pouring in your glass is the cream. It was way rich and delicious, but I was glad it wasn't very much. While I love whole milk, cream is a little much for me.

Then I wrote this blog. This afternoon, I hope to finish the laundry I started yesterday, go to the mall for a little escape from Nicaragua. I haven't gone since before Christmas, and I like to go every once in a while to get a little taste of home. It helps keep me sane.

I'm also cooking tonight (I switched with Margaret), and I have some lessons to plan for next week, so hopefully it'll continue to be a productive day.

May the mindfullness of this Lenten season bless each of you.

Peace
.jpg

PS--I killed a huge scorpion today. My first.

Normalcy

2007-02-26T21:30:31Z

NORMALCY

So I've started to realize how much my life has changed drastically even in the past couple months. I hope to expound on how things that once seemed so weird have now become just another normal part of my life. These are in no particular order.

I take the bus every day to and from work. This isn't too odd since I rode the bus quite frequently in Chicago, but I am on a bus before 7am every week day. This means I have to wake up at 6am EVERY DAY! I am definitely not one to jump at the opportunity to start my day really early, but I don't mind getting up since by 8am or so it starts to get pretty warm. Too warm to sleep comfortably in fact. Even though I sleep with an oscillating fan on me. I also sleep under a mosquito net. All things that seem perfectly normal to me, even though I know I wouldn't have thought so three months ago. So I get up, walk to the bus stop and pay about $.12 to get on. I don't get a seat very often, so I have to stand. The busses are really crwoded, and they go around curves pretty fast, so it's usually an adventure. Then I walk through Mercado Oriental (Oriental Market) to class. This is the largest open-air market in the Western Hemisphere, and it is an amazing experience. Check out my YouTube video for a little taste.

There are a lot of bugs here. Even though I have yet to see one, my roommates have killed a number of scorpions (usually fairly small) in the past few months. Before I got to bed I try to kill any ants that are crawling on my wall.

The ice cream man just went by. I see these dudes with their little pushcarts full of popsicles and ice cream bars a few times a day. A popsicle here costs about $.25. The ice cream bars are about twice that. I don't buy them very often, however, because I am paid $42 per month, and that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for ice cream treats.

One thing tha I do indluge in on occasion is the rum here. Nicaragua doesn't have much in terms of alcohol, but one thing they do right here is their rum--Flor de Caña. A full bottle (750mL) of extra-lite is about $3, and the good, dark, 7-year aged Gran Reserva is about twice that. As far as beer goes there's really two that are worth mentioning. They're nothing amazing, but very refreshing on a hot evening. My favorite is called Toña, the other is called Victoria. They cost about $1.25 for a liter.

If you're going to be drinking, you've got to have a little food to go with it. It is very common for me to go 8 meals in a row (That's another thing. I've started eating breakfast down here. Something I didn't do very often in the States.) eating rice and/or beans. It would be one things if they were prepared in all different ways, but it's usually just rice, beans, or rice and beans together (gallo pinto). To compensate for this I've started to enjoy foods I never thought possible. I now enjoy a raw tomato every so often. In addition, I've taken quite a liking to beets and certain varieties of squash. I guess my tastebuds are just maturing. :)

The ice cream man went by again.

Other things that have changed are more internal. I started to journal. This is something I haven't done very often, and have found it quite helpful to process the myriad of emotions and experiences I've had these past three months. I've also started reading. This isn't anything too unusual, but I've started to read a lot more non-fiction books--for fun! AHH!

Finally, something that isn't all that new, but is definitely counter-cultural is my living situation. We don't have a TV, I live (on purpose) with 5 others who were total strangers less than a year ago. What's more, we all share one bathroom, but two showers. Of course, there's isn't any warm water, so all the showers are cold, but you get used to them after a few months. Something else that has taken a little getting used to is washing clothes. Definitely no machines here with extra rinse cycles or a delicate setting. Just my hands, and a washboard. It's outside, so it's a good work-out and a nice tan.

There are probably a million more things that have changed in my life since being here, but I either can't think of them now, or have already incorporated them into my life, and no longer remember my old way of life. Probably the former.

.jpg

PS--Whoever wrote about having e. coli, please shoot me an e-mail. I'd like to compare notes ;)

e. Coli

2007-02-02T00:41:14Z

On top of everything else that is difficult about leaving your home for two years to come to a foreign country and teach in conditions that are unheard of even in the worst of public school in the States this happened, I came down with something nasty on Tuesday. I woke up at about 3:30 in the morning and was running to the bathroom every 15-30 minutes for the next 12 hours. When I could finally leave the house for enough time, I went--in a semi-dillusional state--to the laboratory to find out what exactly was going on with my intestines. Turns out I have E. coli. So now I'm taking this crazy amoeba killer medicine at 1.5 grams a day for a week. It sucks. Because of this I missed my second and third day of work. I would not wish this on anyone, but I guess I'll just chalk it up on my list of things I've done in my life that I don't want to do again.

First Day of School

2007-02-02T00:40:55Z

Any other questions asked of me regarding my school I couldn't have answered before Monday. It seems like Nicaraguans, in general, don't seem to think people need to know what's going on, they just kinda throw them in with the wolves. So I had my first day of class on Monday. We're supposed to have 4 teachers in the 'high school' (pretty much 7-11 grades), but right now we're missing whoever is supposed to be teaching Spanish, so instead of having 17 classes/week I've had 30. It's pretty much hell. The First Years are wild and rambunctious, and the third years (we don't have the upper two grades yet because the school only started 7 years ago) are pretty mellow, and take some motivation to answer questions. I'm not sure which I prefer, but the answer is neither for 2 hours straight. How it has been working is that I spend about 2 hours with one set of students, and about 2 hours with another set. The bell*** is supposed to ring every 40 minutes. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. So it's definitely a tough balance to establish. I'm working at it, but I've only got so much material to cover and when I'm given twice the amount of time it means a lot of improv, in Spanish, in front of 24 kids who I don't know. A little crazy, but nonetheless rewarding (I guess).

One thing that has definitely taken some getting used to is that all the students stand when a teacher enters the classroom. In a way it's nice because they're all quite and ready to begin when the teacher enters. Of course, I think it's a little much, and I'd rather them not do it, but I think that may be rocking the boat a little too much. Besides, if I didn't require students to do it for me, they may not do it for the other "profesores", and I'm definitely not here to impose my culture on anyone.

It's really a difficult situation because even though students are split up into three grades, their skill levels and exposure to English vary greatly. What's more, I was told on Friday (yes, three days before my first class) that I was to teach Music seven times a week as well as 10 classes of English. As an aside: neither program existed before Monday. That kinda threw me for a loop. If I struggle with how much I'm really helping by teaching students two hours of English a week, I really wonder how much good an hour of music will do them, especially if that time could be spent doing more English. This is especially hard because I've been taught the importance of a music program all through college. So, are these classes more important than the English ones? Especially in a culture that truly values its musical and dance traditions? Something else to discern.

***bell: In my school it's a kid that's told to go to the basketball hoop in the center of our classrooms (remember there' just dividing partitions between the three rooms) and hit it a few times with a piece of rebar.

Team-Bulding Day

2007-02-02T00:39:10Z

Hmm, where do I begin. We did a little name game: Attention! (clap, clap, clap) Concentration (clap, clap clap), A call on (clap, clap, clap), The Telephone (clap, clap, clap). Josh is calling (clap, clap, clap), For Paul (clap, clap, clap), Paul's calling (clap, clap clap), etc. I think it sound better in Spanish, but that's the gist of it.

What else, we did some goal setting things. Then we each got a pad of post-its, and one at a time each of us sat in a chair in the center of the room. Then, everyone else wrote something nice (that wasn't a physical attribute) on the paper and came up and stuck it on the person, saying what's on the paper out loud. After everyone's gotten a chance to stick their nice word on the person, someone comes up and takes them off and reads them out loud again. This went well for most of it, then someone got the idea that they shouldn't just be put on people's shoulder and arms (I'm trying to keep this G-rated, and I'm sure you can see where I'm going) and second, that they should be taken off in true Nicaraguan fashion. I won't go into deals what that entails. It never got out of hand, but there were some pretty riské little dance moves.

We did a relaxation exercise where we laid on the preschooler's mats and listened to a CD saying "breathe, slowly, deeply" imagine you're on a beach, the waves are crashing' etc. It was okay. Most of us drifted off to sleep for a time. Much appreciated.

Finally, one of the last games we played was Pochocho. Myself and Profesora Sandra (we're all called profesor/profesora, not teacher or Mr./Mrs.--kinda weird, yeah) went out into the hall which doubles as the street outside the single room that's split in thirds for our classrooms. While we were out there the others were given the instructions to ask us about our Pochocho. What we didn't know when we came back in, is that they were referring to our nose. The questions they asked were something to the effect of What color is it? How often do you use it? Do you like it when people touch it? How do you clean it? Do you shave it? As you can guess our answers were quite funny since we didn't know exactly which body part we were talking about (I thought it was my armpit, Sandra though it was, ahem, something else).

That was the team building day. It was a lot of fun, and most beneficial to me is that I learned everyone's names. All in all, a great day. Bonds were definitely formed, and I feel much more comfortable with my coworkers.