Winding Down Student Teaching

Wow!  I cannot believe that I am nearing the end of student teaching.  It seems like yesterday since I arrived in Managua, placing my suitcase on the floor and breaking down into tears.  My, how much I've changed since then! 

Although 1st grade started a little rough, I'm really starting to enjoy it.  My cooperating teacher is not in the classroom as often as my cooperating teacher was in 5th grade, so it really seems like I have my own classroom.  Their joy for learning is just incredible.  They are constantly making connections between math, science, and language arts.  They are just so thirsty for knowledge.  It's really incredible to see. 

My patience has never been tested as much as it has in the 1st grade classroom.  Patience is something I continue to work on and I have definitely seen a change since the beginning of my placement.  I still have students coming up to me during instruction asking to go to the bathroom, strange objects rolling across the floor (along with children), and much more, but I'm constantly reminding myself, "Hey!  They are only 7 years old!  Give 'em a break!"  Patience is a virtue as they say, and I hope to continue becoming a more patient person.

With Semana Santa just around the corner, this week is going to be a little crazy.  This is the last week I will be full-time teaching, however Thursday is a field trip involving a short nature walk and worm exploration (a personal favorite of my younger self) and Friday will be a pool party in the morning.  Rough week in 1st grade, lemme tell ya!  Although the school days won't be very stressful, I am trying to get a few job applications in before break as well as packing and preparing for our trip to Costa Rica and Panama.  I've been counting down the days for so long, but I can't believe it's finally here! 

My neighbor found this in her toilet after school  :/

"When you have a bad day, know in your heart that you did something to affect a student in a positive way."

El Volcan Mombacho

I've been back in Nicaragua after a quick break for a few weeks now and am starting to get back into a routine again.  I can't believe I have less than 6 weeks here!

First grade has brought forth some challenges that I really wasn't expecting, including but not limited to:

• My patience (or lack thereof it seems!)
• A difference in intelligence/understanding
• New discipline methods/reasons for discipline
• Communication with my cooperating teacher

First grade is definitely putting teaching in a new perspective for me.  I think my mind is made up about what grade levels I would prefer to teach, but I don't want to give up on teaching the young ones just yet.  I start teaching full-time tomorrow, so we'll see if my mind changes or not!

A few exciting things have happened over the last few weeks, including a booked trip for Semana Santa (Spring break)!  Me and a few friends are traveling by bus to Costa Rica and Panama.  I'm really looking forward to visiting these countries and snorkeling, zip lining through the rain forest, visiting chocolate farms, laying by the beach, and seeing Panama City!  

On Saturday, a few of us took a trip to Granada to trek up el Volcan Mombacho.  Boy, was this quite the trek!  Although I can't tell you the difficulty level of this volcano compared to other volcanoes, I do know now that it is not normal for people to hike all the way up it like we did!  At the bottom of the volcano, we were given the option to hike up it on foot or take a large 4-wheel drive vehicle.  Feeling a little adventurous (and cheap), we opted to hike up the volcano.  About 20 minutes into the hike, we began to realize why no one hikes, and about halfway up we wondered if we were as crazy as all of the construction workers we passed thought we were.  Yes, it was extremely steep (sometimes walking on all fours seemed just a good of an option as walking on just two feet), but the sense of accomplishment once we reached the top was amazing.  The view was nice, yes, but saying that I hiked, on foot, all the way up the great el volcan Mombacho made it all worth it.  Sighting monkeys and snakes along the way was cool, too.

That night, I slept the best I ever have; going to bed at 7 and waking up at 7.  A solid 12 hours that hasn't happened in years!  I can now check "hiking up a volcano" off of my bucket list!  Now time to zip line over a rain forest!

Distant view of el volcan Mombacho

View of the islets and Lake Nicaragua from the top of Mombacho

Why Is College Only 4 Years Long?

Having this week off was wonderful but also a little harmful to my mentality.  I try not to sugarcoat my situation too much, but I cannot say that I love living in Nicaragua.  I am trying my best to stay positive about living here, but honestly, it's not the most fabulous place I have ever visited.  It has lowered my expectations, however, which should make it easier to find my own place once I'm back in the states!  Even though the country has a few shortcomings, I truly do love the school and the people/students I have met here.  Just 7 1/2 weeks left!

Seeing family, friends, and my boyfriend was more than wonderful though.  I am just so lucky to be blessed with such wonderful friends and family and so lucky to have a boyfriend willing to fly home just for 5 days to see me. Keeping this in mind will surely make it easier over the next couple of months!

Today was my first day in first grade!  I was a little nervous to work with the little ones, but they are already growing on me.  It's hard to since they are so adorable!  I miss my 5th graders dearly and got a few big hugs today when they found me and realized I was back.  Some even tried coming into the classroom!  Disruptive, but so cute.  A few observations I noticed from day 1 in first grade:

• Parents. Are. Rediculous.  Today is spirit week, which means the kids can dress up (similar to homecoming week in the states).  Some students had faces painted like tigers or costumes and would come in late, parading in while their parents were taking videos and pictures while my cooperating teacher was teaching!  Couldn't believe this. 
• First graders trust people much faster than 5th graders.
• The classroom is MUCH hotter than the 5th grade classroom.
• The students fight about who's pencil is who's instead of cyber bullying, name-calling, and racial slurs
• I think there will be more to come, but since I still feel like I'm in "vacation mode" and I've only been in the classroom for one day I don't have very many observations yet.

Please put in some prayers for me as I begin the dreaded job search!  Also, happy St. Patty's day on Thursday!

Last Day for Placement #1

Today is my last day with my 5th graders.  I am so very sad to say goodbye to them, even though I know I will still be able to see them around school every once in awhile when I'm with the 1st graders!  It's so cute watching them whisper and plan the party for this afternoon which I "have no clue about."  Some of them have been acting really sad today while others are the same as every other day, which is good.  It's weird knowing that for some of these kids, I really did have an impact on them even though I was only here for two short months.  This impact might only last a week, a  month, a year, but I'm just glad that for some of them I made a little bit of a difference.  If anything, I know I have helped my cooperating teacher through some challenging times as she has had to deal with a few strokes of bad luck.

I wish I could just write all of the wonderful moments that happened with the 5th graders, but there are far too many.  There are a few in particular that I would like to share with you:

• One student wrote me an email after my first day of teaching and said I did a great job and that he wants me to continue to teach the class (wish granted for awhile!)
• One girl came up to me and asked if they were all coming with to 1st grade too
• One child tried very hard to hook me up with her older brother
• After informing the class that I had a boyfriend, they asked me "Are you getting married tomorrow?  At Disney World?"
• The countless hugs and smiles
• Having students still acting out their human body scripts they performed over two weeks ago
• FINALLY cracking the one child I thought was impossible to crack and really getting to know him

Overall, my experience with 5th grade and my cooperating teacher, along with the school and the other faculty has been so amazing.  I am glad that I will be teaching here for my 2nd placement as well.  Wish me luck with the little ones in two weeks! 

For now, I will be traveling back to the frozen tundra (Iowa) for a week of (first) scrambling together things needed to apply for a job that is only available until March 7th and then relaxing all week long with friends, family, and my wonderful boyfriend!

The Country Under My Skin

I just finished up my final week of full-time teaching, with about 3 1/2 weeks under my belt.  I can't believe how much I've learned over the past month and a half!  The students have probably taught me more than they will ever know and more than I have probably taught them!  They are such fun characters and I just can't believe I only have two short weeks left with them!  The students are finishing up their science unit over the human body and are nearing the end of a short poetry unit.  I've been getting more comfortable teaching, especially when it comes to classroom management, so I have been giving the students more and more time to work in groups and with partners than I was in the beginning.  I just think they can get a lot more ideas when they work with one another (usually anyways!). 

As I've already mentioned several times, I continue to be blessed with an amazing cooperating teacher and other teachers.  They are all so open and have so much knowledge to share.  I've also learned so much more about the culture through them since they have lived here for so much longer.  This experience abroad has given me such an amazing outlook on life in general.  I miss the U.S. very much, but there's no way I would have gotten half of the knowledge I've gained here than if I was in the states.

This weekend I had a great opportunity to travel to Granada for a little R&R and celebrate some friends' birthdays.  The hotel we stayed at was so nice.  I enjoyed lounging by the pool, having a few drinks, and taking a nap in a hammok. It was just great to get out of Managua and off of campus for awhile.  The only downfall was that I started to feel a little sick on Thursday night and it carried into the weekend.  I'm hoping the bacteria or parasites or whatever has decided to bother me will soon be over!  Even though I didn't feel well, I still managed to have a blast.  The trip was truly unforgettable as we lounged by the pool, went out for dinner, danced the salsa to live music, and hung out with some locals. 

While we were in Granada, there was a poetry festival going on.  A very famous poet by the name of Gioconda Belli was apparently in town for the festival, as we saw her on Saturday at breakfast!  I am currently reading one of her books, The Country Under My Skin about the revolution, so it was really exciting to see her in person!  It's just amazing to read about this country while I'm experiencing the culture and living here.

Unfortunately just when I think I am getting over the shock of living in a third world country, I see something that brings me back to the first moment I arrived in Nicaragua.  When eating outside along the streets of Granada, many vendors walk by trying to sell you things.  Although this isn't the most pleasant experience while you're trying to enjoy dinner, it really isn't that big of a deal.  Seeing children high off of glue, however, is another matter.  In order to curb hunger, some children sniff glue to get high.  This child was maybe 8 or 9 years old.  I just couldn't stop thinking about this child and comparing him to the privaledged students at ANS.  How in the world can there be such a difference in socioeconomic status?  Yes, I realize there are poor people in the United States, but this is a different level.  There's not much of a middle class here, but there are the richest of rich and the poorest of poor.  This child hasn't left my mind since I saw him on Friday night.  I know I can't dwell on this and need to except the fact that this is normal for poor countries, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept.  I'm really starting to see (both positves and negatives) how this country is getting under my skin and becoming a part of who I am and who I will always be.

And with that horribly sad story, I will share some pictures of the past week's activities!

Science Stations!  Students make an organ out of play-doh

Students are working out their muscular system!

Hotel Con Corazon in Granada

Getting some much needed R&R

Stephanie, Laura, Alex, and I

Ants, Turantulas, and Mice; Oh My!

As you can see from the title of this entry, there have been a few unwelcomed guests creeping into the apartment at night.  We borrowed the neighbor's cat last night to deal with the mouse issue, but I don't think that problem was resolved.  Just another thing to get used to I guess!

School this week seemed unfortunately slow, but it started to pick up on Thursday.  I feel more in the swing of things after the second week of full-time teaching, but I'm a little sad about having only one more week of it.  After next week, I will only be partially teaching and then observing.  My cooperating teacher was commuting to school each day last week (1-2 hour drive) in order to live near her mother in law, but that was quickly ended because her car got hit by a horse!  No one was hurt, but the car was damaged and the horse was pretty injured.  I guess car accidents caused by cattle is pretty common here!  I didn't find out that my cooperating teacher wasn't going to be at school until 10 minutes til class began, but the day went really smoothly and I enjoyed the time with the students! 

By Thursday of this week I was starting to get a little stressed out with thinking about applying for jobs, planning lessons, and my TWS so Laura and two other friends and I went to a little cafe to have a salad (not common here) and just get away from the school for awhile.  The taxi we took wanted to stop and pick up 2 kids from school which would have been fine, except for the fact that there were already three of us in the backseat and one up front. We stopped anyways and picked up the two kids from school and they just took a seat on our laps!  After dinner we went to a movie (The Green Hornet) which was really good!  Movies here are in Enlgish and have Spanish subtitles.  They also only cost $3.00.  I'm not really sure why people who can't speak English go to these movies, but oh well!

Friday was Laura's birthday so we went out for some delicious sushi at restaurant in a hotel located in Managua.  I was cold for the first time last night, even though it was still probably 75 degrees out!  Our taxi ride home consisted of a "pimped out" SUV, which compared to the taxis we normally ride in (no door handles, can't shift to make it up hills, no a/c, etc) it was quite the ride! 

This morning we went to a local marcado and got fresh produce.  I finally got more bananas!  Plaintains are common here, but bananas aren't located at the grocery store we visit weekly.  Laura and I also bought 4 lobster tails for five bucks... total.  I think we'll be having quite the feast!  This weekend hasn't been too eventful, but a few friends and I have been starting to plan spring break.  Spring break (also called Semana Santa) is April 16th-25th.  We have been looking into going to Costa Rica and traveling to Puerto Viejo where there is snorkeling, bike riding, and hiking.  From there, we are tentatively going to Panama to Bocas del Toro, where there are beautfiul beaches and a international park.  We are looking into this great hostel called Bocas Bound.  From there, we are going to Panama City.  There are greyhound buses that travel from Nicaragua to Costa Rica to Panama every day.  It will be a lot of traveling, but I think it will be well worth it!

One Month in 5th Grade

I have officially been in Nicaragua for over a month and have been in the 5th grade classroom for 4 weeks!  I have been teaching for the past 7 days and have enjoyed it.  There have been some rough moments, with bullying issues, too much chatting, and students not turning in their work, but I'm learning that these moments will come with teaching anywhere.  I still love going to the classroom every day, even if it is at 6:15 in the morning! 

My cooperating teacher and 5th grade team continue to be such a blessing.  They are not only helping me with the work in school, but they are also giving me advice about life, the job search, etc.  Their words of encouragement and support are so helpful and appreciated. 

In science, the students are working on the human body and the systems.  This is a really fun unit, and since there isn't a textbook, my cooperating teacher and I are coming up with some really creative ideas for the unit.  They've done body systems projects and will be doing a play later in the week.  I actually enjoy teaching science, even if it is the same lesson 3 times a day!  All of the kids are different though so each class is very unique. 

The lack of transportation in Nicaragua and the lack of sidewalks has started to become a bit frustrating.  I would really enjoy a safe transportation system and/or the availability to walk places, but that isn't advised in this country for foreigners.  I enjoy Nicaragua, but I miss the ease of travel in the States.  This weekend we were able to travel to the Laguna again, and each time I am just amazed by how beautiful it is!  We are also going to an internet cafe to work on lesson plans and the dreaded teacher work sample.  The next few weekends will be more adventure-filled, so hopefully my next update will be more exciting.

Below are some pictures some of my students presenting their projects and a picture of us at the Laguna!

Just Another Update from Nicaragua

Today is my three week anniversary in Nicaragua.  I can't believe I've only been here for three weeks!  It seems much longer than that!  I feel as if the days go by quickly here, but looking at the time by weeks it seems slower. Back home, I felt the opposite.  

This past weekend, we went to the beach for my birthday on Saturday.  It was so nice to just relax.  The journey there was interesting, with few paved roads and potholes that can't even be compared to the ones in Cedar Falls.  There was hardly anyone there.  It was very relaxing, but I wish we could have spent more time on the beach and less time waiting for our food.  Overall, the weekend was really nice and relaxing.

In the classroom this week, I've been co-teaching with my cooperating teacher a lot and working one-on-one with students.  I've also been teaching by myself.  It's really hard for me right now because I still feel like I have a lot to learn, so it's hard to focus on the positives when I feel like everything I do needs improvement.  My cooperating teacher and I have been talking a lot about this lately.  I really am enjoying teaching in the classroom and working with the students, but I feel like I have so much more to learn, especially about the culture.  The culture has such an effect on teaching and I wasn't prepared for that.  I know that as the weeks progress it will get easier, though.

On Friday I was right outside the classroom with the students.  I was talking to one of the second grade teachers and she was asking me about how I liked Nicaragua.  Right at that point, the ground started to shake.  There was an earthquake!  I experienced my first earthquake, and it was a 5.1 at that!  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc00017cj.php

A fellow teacher, Laura, and myself have started taking Spanish classes twice a week.  The instructor is intense because she speaks solely in Spanish, but she has a really great sense of humor, especially since we are now able to understand her!  It helps just to bring back some long-lost vocab and verbs as well as listen to her speak and speak amongst one another.  

No exciting plans for the weekend yet, but I'm sure something will come up!

One last little note: Geckos are very common in this climate and have been enjoying crawling all throughout the house since we've been here.  One gecko went a bit further and decided to join me in the shower the other night!  Just plopped down from the ceiling!  Sneaky little guy!

Birthday #22!

I cannot believe I am celebrating my January birthday in a tropical climate!  I thought I would always be freezing to the bone on my birthday, but not this year!  I do however want to start with last weekend since I haven't updated since then.

Last weekend I got a great opportunity to travel to Granada, which is about 45 miles from Managua.  We ate at a place called Kathy's Waffle House and had a good ole' American breakfast.  The city is beautiful and it was nice to walk around and see the volcanoes and lakes that are present throughout Nicaragua.  I can't be sure on the exact number, but I know that there are over 40 volcanoes in Nicaragua.  We then had an entertaining and comical evening in the ans "village" (apartment area) with the other teachers that lived here.  There were many laughs and drinks for all.  Sunday consisted of a drive to the Laguna, which we had seen from above on Saturday.  The Laguna is a beautiful, clean body of water that is a crater made from a strong volcanic explosion.  It eventually filled up with rainwater and is now surrounded by lots of lush, green trees!

Man, oh man I am really starting to get to know all of the crazy personalities in the 5th grade!  They are all so unique and I learn something new about each of them every day. I taught my first lesson a few days ago and as the students were working, a mouse runs across the entire length of the classroom!  Of course, the girls scream and stand on top of their desks while the boys chase it and try to catch it.  Needless to say the students were not very focused for the rest of the class period!  The students are really starting to warm up to me this week, which is really nice.  Today, I can't even count how many times I heard "Happy birthday Ms!" They are so sweet, and it didn't stop with just some well-wishes.  During the first break, three of the boys in my class gave me cookies. During the second break, they push me out into the hallway.  When re-entering the classroom, they all start singing happy birthday to me.  Just melting my heart is what they're doing!  They all spread apart to reveal some pizza for the class and two birthday cakes!  My birthday would not have been as special as it was without the students.  They are beyond wonderful.  Sure, they misbehave, but they have good hearts, which is all that really matters anyways.

Just a few little tidbits that are unique to my experience here:

• All of the students call their teachers "Ms."  All of the time, over and over again. "Ms., can I get a drink of water?  Ms., what am I supposed to be doing right now?"  Sometimes this gets stuck in my head even after the students have left for the day
• They are obsessed with my Toms shoes.  Not all of the students, but a few.  I will be explaining something and they will say, "Ms. I like your shoes!  Are those Toms?"  Goodness, no focus whatsoever sometimes!

Hopefully this weekend will lead to some sort of adventure and more time putting off my TWS (oops)   :)

The beautiful city of Granada, Nicaragua

The Laguna in Apoyo

Frying plantains!  Delicious

Some of the treats from my wonderful students!  I don't think the cake says "Miss Vandy", but close enough!

Nearing the End of Week One

Where oh where do I begin?! Quite a bit has happened since I last wrote, but I will try to give just a brief synopsis of what's been going on the last few days.  On Monday, I met my Cooperating Teacher and some of the other teachers and staff members on campus.  It's great to see how much they work with one another, including the Literacy instructor, the Special Education teacher, and the Elementary Principal.  The students were not there on Monday, so I had plenty of time to get to know my Cooperating Teacher and ask her questions about her classroom and the students.  She's a very easygoing person and has a lot of great ideas.  Since this is only her first semester at ANS, it feels as if we are a team.  I really value the respect she has given me and am looking forward to future lessons and time spent planning!  The teachers from grades 3-5 met for a book club on Monday, and will continue to meet every Wednesday.  This is a time for professional development and to share ideas and how to use the methods described in the book in the classroom. 

Tuesday was the first official day of classes.  My Cooperating Teacher has all fifth grade classes for science, and then teaches the "homeroom" class Language Arts.  There are far more prep periods than I could have ever imagined, so there is plenty of time to eat lunch and plan lessons for the days to come.  I have never been in a school where teachers were given so much prep time!  It is mostly due to the fact that the students have Spanish every day with a Spanish teacher and a special (music, art, PE).  The majority of the students in the classroom are Nicaraguan, and none are from the U.S.  This surprised me, but I think it will be very beneficial for me to teach a class comprised of almost all Nicaraguan students. 

Some differences I have noticed between Nicaraguan students and American students include the following:

• Nicaraguan students are VERY chatty, especially during instruction
• Since this is a private school, the students are very privileged (nannies, maids, tutors, etc)
• They always speak in Spanish, unless answering questions from the teacher.  It's not that they can't speak Enlish, it's just that Spanish is their native language
• They are world travelers (US, Spain, Switzerland, France, South America, Canada, Holland)

I have not taught a full lesson yet, but I have done a lot of co-teaching.  My main focus right now is to get to know the students' names, their interests, and my Cooperating teacher's teaching style.  I've gotten to know the more outgoing students in class, but with the quieter students it has been through email.  My Cooperating teacher had the students email me about themselves and what they did over break.  It was great hearing all of their adventures, and one student sent me some links to great vacation spots in Nicaragua!  Some interesting facts about Nicaragua:  Their staple food is beans and rice with plantains; for New Years, fireworks are a huge form of celebration;  a form of greeting includes kissing on the cheek when hugging; (more Central/South American thing) people always arrive at least a half an hour to an hour later than the planned time to meet.

I am looking forward to a weekend of sleeping in, working on lesson plans and the TWS, laying by the pool, a neighborhood Greece-themed dinner, and hopefully a trip to the beach!

I have yet to adapt to Nican food, as you can see.

One of Laura and I's better meals (chicken, peppers, mashed potatoes).

Please look at our food and not our faces!

The Calm Before the (Much Anticipated) Storm

This weekend hasn't been too exciting as I relax for the last remaining days before my Teacher Work Sample and before lesson planning begins.  For those of you who don't know, the Teacher Work Sample (TWS) is an assignment given during student teaching to document our learning goals, assessment plans, instructional design, student learning, and reflection.  It's a lot of work, but is a great way to document what I learned during Student Teaching.

On Friday night, Laura and I went out with one of the teachers at ANS and her friend visiting for the week.  We went to a middle eastern restaurant that served hummus, eggplant, pitas, etc.  There was also an option to order a hookah flavor, but we did not order any.  The area that this restaurant was located in was very unique.  Every new location we visit here in Managua is so unlike the last.  On our way back from dinner, the taxi driver ran out of gas, which was both comical and a bit scary since it is frowned upon for foreigners to walk at night.  We ended up getting a second taxi to make it back to campus.  

Saturday consisted of a bit of soaking up the sun and swimming in the pool.  I have been told on multiple occasions that this is "cold" weather (88 degrees) and that the classrooms will get up to 100 degrees once we get closer to May.  I am glad that I won't be here during the "wet" season, which begins in May, since this results in moldy everything (so I am told).  Today I went to church with our neighbors and Laura.  The service was in English, which was nice.  I enjoyed the service, but will also be asking around to find out if I can attend a Catholic mass with someone.  Tomorrow I will finally be meeting my cooperating teacher!  Tuesday I will meet the students and get the ball rolling!  I am looking forward to this since transportation is limited as is the safety factor here, so most days I have been hanging around at the apartment on campus.  I have not gained my adventurous spirit yet here so I'm still a little timid about going out without knowing much Spanish and not knowing the area very well.

Below are a few pictures of my living quarters:

¿Cuánto para este teléfono celular?

Today has consisted of a few more adventures than the first couple days since I've been in Nicaragua.  Laura and I's first interesting experience happened at the metro centro as we attempted to buy a cell phone to communicate locally.  The man helping us did not know any English, and we know little to no Spanish.  With many awkward stares, giggling, and pointing, we managed to purchase a phone.  We did not, however, purchase any minutes, but we thought we had.  Luckily, we had some help later in the day to help with some translating for the purchase of minutes.

I have been enjoying this beautiful weather by laying by the pool and walking around campus and  have met some lovely people who work at the school. They have been more than hospitable, giving Laura and I advice about the area, safe transportation, things to do, etc.  We went to a lovely mall with numerous restaurants comparable to a nice mall such as Jordan Creek.  It's just amazing to see the vast difference between certain areas of Managua.  I think that I will slowly fall in love with yet another city.  Two days ago, I did not think this would be true.  I have found a new understanding and a desire to learn about places around the world, learning about the people of different cultures, and seeing their ways of life.   I know I came here for Student Teaching, but I think I am about to learn so much more than how to teach and what to teach.  My mother always would ask me, "Why Nicaragua?  Why don't you want to stay in the Midwest?"  It's mostly because I want to see the world in 3-D, and I don't think I can do that by staying in the US but this is just my opinion.  It's just fascinating to me to see different ways of life.  I feel as if staying in one location your whole life is great, but there's so much more out there.  Life is short, so it's important to take opportunities as they are thrown at you!

Managua as we are landing

Our apartment

The school entrance

Welcome to Managua!

Well, before flying into Managua, I had a horrible feeling of regret and a feeling that I had made a wrong decision.  I think this is not that uncommon of a feeling when going into the unknown.  Once getting onto the plane and seeing the beautiful water, and thinking of the tropical weather, I quickly had a change of heart.   Upon landing, I looked around and saw houses (better termed “shacks”).  Since Managua is a large city (1.7 million), I guess I was expecting it to look more like Dongguan, China and less like, well, the third world country that it is.  After an hour car ride from the airport, we arrived at our destination. The school grounds are gated and there is both a pool and basketball courts.  The apartments are set aside down below on the school grounds.  They are small, but rather nice.  Air conditioning was a great option to see, but we did not have access to the internet.  After someone helped us unload our belongings into the apartment, we were sort of left out to dry.  When we went up to the office, however,we were able to exchange our money and get a ride into the local grocery store.  I also spotted a few fancy-looking buildings, a Burger King, and a McDonalds!  Civilization wasn't too far away after all!  After a rough start, I’m hoping for a change in attitude from myself and a better experience from here on out!.  I am definitely looking forward to meeting the other teachers and the students!

And the Journey Begins!

Hola!  I am starting a blog to keep in touch, inform others of what I'm up to, and also to document moments throughout my trip to help me remember my entire experience.  As of right now, I am looking forward to some warm weather, getting to meet my cooperating teacher, see the school, and meet the students.  Nervousness is definitely a huge feeling right now as well as excitement.  I will try and keep this up to date as much as possible.  Feel free to follow the blog, make comments, etc.  I look forward to keeping in touch!  Off to Nicaragua bright and early tomorrow morning!